Why is Living Church of God and the broader Church of God movement so attuned to Old Testament stories, characters, and books instead of having their readers study the life of Christ and what he said and did? If one wants to grow as a Christian then one would assume they would want to follow the dude they claim they are following. As most LCG members or most COG members what grace, justification, and sanctification mean and they would be at a loss for words, but have the explain the law and they can wax poetic on how wonderful it is. Jesus, not so much. But why worry about Jesus when your time spent thinking makes your mind more like God's (which you will be one day soon and then you won't have to worry anymore about JC because you will be just like him).
Take Time to Think: For many today, the pace of life is frantic and filled with distractions. Yet, Daniel warned that at the end of the age, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). Jesus also warned, “the cares of this world” can “choke the word” and cause us to miss out on the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13:22). One of the biggest challenges Christians face is the battle that goes on in our minds with thoughts that determine our actions. Solomon wrote, as a person “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). David observed that a wicked person does not seek God and “God is in none of his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4). Yet, David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) because he meditated on God’s law daily (Psalm 119:97). David wrote that green pastures and still waters were restful and restorative (Psalm 23). Such places are conducive to thinking and reflecting on God’s creation and his Great Plan for human beings. If we want to grow and prepare for the coming Kingdom of God, we need to take time to think and meditate on God’s word. Read a Psalm every morning or evening and meditate on the subjects mentioned in Philippians 4:8. We can develop the mind of God if we think on these things.
Have a profitable Sabbath,Douglas S. Winnail
