Proverbs 3:1 “my son, do not forget my teaching but let your heart keep my commandments “
I still ever so clearly remember the day of my baptism. It was a cool spring day, with still some small patches of snow to be seen on the tops of the mountains. We were going to the River Nevis. The whole of our church congregation would be there and we would have guitars and sing and celebrate. I organised a change of clothes and a big towel, and off I went down to the river to pray.
I waded out to John (the pastor) over slippery stones underfoot, the water creeping coldly up my legs and over my waist. A sharp intake of breath at one moment. Then I was there. Standing next to John as he spoke calmly to me and I told him about the commitment I had made and my understanding that this public demonstration was a symbolic outworking of spiritual truth, that I was born again and that all my sins were washed away by the death and blood of Jesus.
Then under I went. I still remember today over 30 years later the moment under the water, the sound of the music and singing from the bank of the river hushed, the rush of water in my ears, the internal silence of the moment, the sun glistening and wavering on the water surface above me – I was suspended in time as well as in water for the briefest, yet the longest moment. The power of sin was gone, I was clean on the inside.
Suddenly bursting out of the water, laughing and shaking the water from my long hair and beard, hearing the singing and cheering from the riverside. The moment was done. I was baptised. I knew that I had encountered God at the moment and I would treasure that memory for the rest of my life. It was cold though!
KNOWLEDGE
There is an echo back to Prov 1:8 as if we are reminding ourselves of something we should know. This is the fourth time the writer uses the term “my son” and each time this is used it’s connected to willing obedience.
There is a passion in the writer to communicate the familial positioning. That this position in itself will lend itself to a cheerful, willing, and long-standing commitment to stir up and remind ourselves, the readers, of our values and purpose. This is no driven, or mechanical obedient response, rather the tender drawing of a deep relationship. That it is possible for us to be distracted, led astray, deceived or simply inattentive is implied. We should be on our guard each day, set our minds, emotions and spirits to be connected to our Father.
We are in, we are all in, passionately committed to stirring up the gifts that are in us, purposely committed to living out the values we know to be true, and fully positioning ourselves in the relationship each day.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word used for teaching is “torah” and some of us may well recognise that word. It appears 223 times in the Old Testament [ESV], translated as, law; instruction; and, teaching. This word refers to the first five books of the bible, which was the existing word of God at that time. In the New Testament, the word teaching is linked to the authority of God, the work of the Holy Spirit and an office and calling for individuals in ministry.
WISDOM – what’s your passion, purpose and position today?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT; Intellection – you can be very persuasive as you deliver powerful ideas which you have long pondered.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [you are a trusted builder of our family name, so don’t forget to keep your eyes on me and my ways. Allow your God-given understanding and courage to preserve God’s precepts.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Please help me to listen well to your teaching, with my heart as well as my mind. Thank you, Jesus!
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Thank you for sharing your baptism story. I love the “My son …” so endearing and powerful. I want to be obedient and trust in Him in every season.
Thank you Allan.
To be the much loved child of God, to trust Him and to belong completely to Him, is a beautiful, comforting and reassuring thought. It is a source of strength and security I will never find anywhere else.
Thank you, Pastor Allan, for your baptism story. It was powerful.
Thanks for this one
“be on our guard each day, set our minds, emotion and spirit to be connected to our Father.” This is beautiful. When I fix my mind on Jesus and on things above, listening out for the precious still small voice the day is a success. Just beautiful. Thank you Pastor Allan!
“My son……”
Our loving father speaking to us with so much passion in his voice ,
Not so much as a command but a loving call for his son /daughter to be wise in this world.
To keep his instructions in out hearts and to stay his path.id so beautiful.
Shows us how much he wants to keep us away from the path of evil .
Thank you pastor Allan
The end is a bit hard to read with black print on dark background but I love the fact that obedience leads to being known as his son. It’s obedience that God desires over sacrifice and it was Jesus’ obedience which led to our salvation. In your baptism and mine we followed Him in obedience and now have the privilege of being children of God!
Thank you Allen
Pastor Alan I jus sent what your Batism to my son, let him know that his sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ, never to be heard of again, thank you 🙏🏿 for yor words this morning 👍🏾
Thank you Ps Allan! Blessings 🙏
Thanks Pastor Allan for a powerful message today. To acknowledge your faith in baptism is a beautiful personal moment with God. Thanks for sharing.
Welcome back Pastor Allan!!! SO enjoy your narratives!
Father God here again brings a personal term of endearment to each one of us as a valued son or daughter! However He also brings a warning that we are capable of being luke warm in our commitment to Him & His ways which can lead us astray! So We are exhorted to purposefully follow Him being intentional to guard our hearts minds & souls & be fully committed in positioning ourselves in relationships with Him & other mature Christians who can encourage us to stay the course well.
Everything we do flows from our heart so keeping His commands close means they too will also flow from our hearts onto others.
Brilliant read Allan your testimonies always bring a smile to my face, seeing how Jesus has transformed you is truely remarkable . Love the scriptures !!
Wonderful description of your baptism story .
I love that our God calls us with affection (Just as a parent calls to a child) that we might remember all he has said to us to lead us along straight paths because he loves us. We want the best for our children but that means knowing the boundaries in life and understanding our heart toward them is for good .
The challenge to think about what our purpose passion and position today , is a good to realign ourselves with the Father
Allan this is so good! So much wisdom, thank you. What’s your passion and purpose today? So good!
Thank you, Ps Allan. Keeping my eyes on Jesus…
I remember that day down on the banks of the River Nevis. I was baptised that day too back in 1989. Such a long time ago but remember it well.
It is so encouraging to see you go on in the Lord and go from strength to strength. I am overjoyed to see you have a beautiful wife, Wendy and close and loving family. I have tears streaming down my face writing this because I am so happy for you. Who would have imagined where your journey of faith would one day lead you? Such a remarkable testimony of faith and hope in a faithful and loving Heavenly Father.
I worked in Social Work (administration) in the Child Protection team for 9 years and remember one of the social workers saying how difficult it can be for a child who has been abused by a father to trust in a loving (foster / adoption) father and know you must have a tremendous story to share. Looking forward to reading your story further. Such a blessing.
God bless
Wendy