It’s July!  We have officially finished 50% of our 2018!  I want to move into the life of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel this month, and before we launch into Matthew’s report on the life of Jesus, I want to take a look at the confidence the apostle Paul is placing in this Jesus, and His life and calling, as he encourages and commissions his young protégé, Titus, in his ministry calling. 
 
A word of thoughtfulness – meditation takes time.  And it doesn’t happen in spurts – inspiration can happen in spurts, but meditation takes blocking away the distractions and interruptions so our mind is free to wander down the paths the Holy Spirit wants to lead us along . . . and sometimes those meditative meanderings take as long as a sitcom or a hallmark movie . . .  Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to have your heart open to receive as we read our way through this wonderful report.  And it’s not a need to know before we read, but it’s a need to know as we’re reading and meditating our way along.
 
I’ve already taken a little peek into Titus, and I know the genealogy of Jesus is waiting for me in Matthew 1, so I have some good anticipation of what I’m gonna find in my reading . . . and my further anticipation is that while I know a little bit about what I’m gonna find in the reading, I have no idea what the Holy Spirit has for me as I read and meditate my way along.  So, here we go again, on a new exploration of the written record that has been left for us by those who’ve gone before . . .
 
. . . and I’m looking forward to hearing what the Holy Spirit is gonna whisper to me as I read these words.  Thanks for joining me!
 
Shalom,
Pastor D.P.
 
 

Devotional Reading Calendar – July 2018