Church bulletin for March:
Most Aussies from about the age of 40 are familiar with these words – “do yourself a favour”. I was reminded of them recently when I caught snippets of the mini-series “Molly”. Ian “Molly” Meldrum was the host of the music show Countdown which ran from 1974 to 1987. It was a mixture of live music performed before dancing teeny-boppers, interviews, record reviews (records are large versions of CD’s), and then finally at the end would come the countdown from 10 to 1 on the music chart. When reviewing records that he liked, Molly would always quip “do yourself a favour, go out and buy a copy”. And so the saying became synonymous with Countdown and Molly.
The implication of the saying is that if you don’t get the record, you are missing out; you will in some way be the lesser for it. Adversely, if you make the purchase you will be better off; your life will be enriched.
When it comes to making the most of the weekly ministry, how can we do ourselves a favour? As I am preaching through the Psalms, make a commitment to read, meditate on and memorise the portions that we consider. If you do this you will gain a much richer blessing. To approach the ministry in this way is to work with the preacher; it is to build upon what he has taught; it is to fix truth into your heart and mind; it is to draw out more flavour and goodness from the meat. The Bereans were noted for receiving the Word of God as it was preached, and then they went away and investigated what they had heard (Acts 17:11). Their interaction with the truth didn’t end at the completion of the message. Sadly for many church goers, they are passive listeners rather than active listeners. They really don’t consolidate what they have heard once they leave church.
It was a great encouragement to see that one of the ladies has started up a group for women to read and memorise portions of the Psalms. Is there a similar commitment from the men and the young people? Don’t sit idly by during this series, rather let’s work together; work with one another. Do yourselves a favour and make the most of God’s Word.