Pastor and author William H. Willimon shared this true story in Pulpit Digest.
Philip Haille wrote of the little village of Le Chambon in France, a town whose people, unlike others in France, hid their Jews from the Nazis. Haille went there, wondering what sort of courageous, ethical heroes could risk all to do such extraordinary good. He interviewed people in the village and was overwhelmed by the ordinariness. They weren’t heroes or smart, discerning people.
Haille decided that the one factor that united them was their attendance, Sunday after Sunday, at their little church, where they heard the sermons of Pastor Trochme. Over time, they became by habit people who just knew what to do and did it.
When it came time for them to be courageous, the day the Nazis came to town, they quietly did what was right. One old woman, who faked a heart attack when the Nazis came to search her house, later said, “Pastor always taught us that there comes a time in every life when a person is asked to do something for Jesus. When our time came, we knew what to do.”
True habits of the heart are there when they are most needed.
As we learned last Sunday, habits matter because successful people do Consistently what other people do only Occasionally and we Become what we repeatedly Do. Who you are Today is a result of every single small decision you have made along the Way.
It is easy to get discouraged when we don’t see Progress fast enough, but we need to keep making good decisions. As the Apostle Paul instructs us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Keep moving straight ahead – Imua for Jesus!
So what is the solution? For 2022, start with Who goals instead of What goals. Why? Because when you know Who you are, you know What to do. Don’t concentrate on End results such as losing weight, saving money, becoming more organized, etc. Let your goal for this New Year be Jesus Christ! Become more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). When you are becoming more like Jesus, you will be continually making the choices that glorify Him.
How can you become more like Jesus? (1) Spend more time with Him in prayer. This is our Week of Prayer. Spend extra time this week in talking with the Lord. A free inspirational prayer devotional can be found at our website: honoluluag.org/churchonline. (2) Begin, or continue, the habit of reading the Bible each day. (3) Join with others regularly to worship the Lord. “Do not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
This Sunday, January 16, we will continue our powerful new teaching series on Habits. Please join us at 10:35am in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). It will also be uploaded later that afternoon to our website.
The “Joy of Belonging” membership classes are happening now. (If you missed last Sunday’s first class, please let me know. I am setting up a special page on our website with the video of each week’s teaching.) The teaching is valuable to any and every Christian. If you are interested in membership here at Honolulu AG, these classes are required learning.
Coming Up: Our next Compassion Sunday will be January 30. Pastor Ron Peer will inspire and challenge us to be like Jesus. The 2022 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 13. All members are urged to attend.
Aloha ke Akua!