I have been emailing back and forth with someone. I forget how he  found me, but we have moved from theology to behavior. “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22), and it is also better than theology. Today, I wrote him from my experience as a Christian, and I believe that at least one person will benefit from this advice (besides my new email friend).

That said, here’s how my days go. I get up in the morning, and I read the Bible. I don’t think I pray, in the sense of “asking,” enough. Reading the Bible, though, is real fellowship with the Lord for me. I feel close to him and taught by him. I have to push myself to intercessory prayer, but I think my spiritual gift of teaching makes my time in the Scriptures a time in the presence of God. I have decided lately to do that to begin the evening as well, but I am just getting started on evening devotions.

To go with that, though, I must encourage you to be patient and be taught by the Lord. Do everything you can to be in fellowship with the Lord all the time, but don’t trick yourself into thinking your efforts are the important thing. God is in charge of your spiritual growth. He will send people and circumstances and teachings and sufferings as they are needed to shape you into what he wants you to be. You don’t know what God wants you to be, even if you think you do.

Love suffering (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-4). He is shaping you. You do have to give him learning, self-control, and perseverance in self-control, but if you do it is God who will shape you in godliness, kindness, and love (2 Pet. 1:5-7). That passage in 1 Peter does not say that exactly, but I can tell you from 43 years of experience with myself and others that the godliness, kindness, and love in that list are shaped in you by God. Shape yourself, and you will become a Pharisee. Let God shape you, and despite the sin you’re not overcoming (even though you should be making every effort and getting all the help you can), God will give you godly character (Rom. 5:3-5) marked by the fragrance of Christ in you, kindness, humility, and love. Or as James put it, he will make you perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

You have become the work of God (Eph. 2:10). Bask in that. We are warring together against sin and its deceitfulness, take advantage of “together” everywhere you can. The purpose of Christian assembly is to stir one another up to love and good works and to exhort (Heb. 10:24-25). Most Sunday services won’t offer this. A lot of churches, at their Sunday morning service, will tell you about their small groups they encourage. Take advantage of this. Go to coffee shops in the morning and look for a man or men studying the Bible. Solomon, in Proverbs, said, “In all your getting, get Wisdom.” Jesus is Wisdom, and he is not just our Head, but the church is his body. You need both him and his people. Just as in all you getting, you should get Wisdom, so in all your getting, you should find those who will exhort you day by day so that you’re not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Okay, that’s my sermon to you and me today.