Available
May 25, 2003
Psalm 116:1-2
6th Sunday of Easter
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
larry@larryjameson.com
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1. What does the word “available” mean?
You have heard me say this before.
Sometimes you can define a word or an idea
by looking it’s opposite.
Here are a couple of good examples:
(Play handheld tape recorder
of phone answering machines.)
This is something we all experience.
Sometimes, people we need to reach are not around.
Why is it that you never get sick
until it is Friday night at 6:00 pm?
You go shopping.
You notice there is a super discount rack.
You find exactly the right kind of shoes.
They have just about every possible size in stock,
except yours.
Can you finish this phrase?
He’s was nice person, but things didn’t work out,
because he was emotionally ____________ (unavailable).
If you think about it,
unavailability is the normal human condition.
I’d like to tell you why.
We can only do one or two things at the same time.
We can only be in one place at a time.
For each of us, there are only so many minutes in a day.
There is only one exception: Jesus.
2. Jesus has chosen to be available to us.
He is omniscient: with an answer to every problem
or question we have.
He is omnipresent: able to be everywhere at the same time
to listen to us.
He is omnipotent: there isn’t anything he can’t handle.
He doesn’t get tired,
take a vacation,
or get too busy to talk with us.
Our Lord does not have the limits we have.
I love this quality about God.
This is something truly worth praising.
God has chosen to be available.
(Sing and play with guitar - Scripture praise song)
I love the Lord
because he hears my prayers
and answers them,
because he bends down to listen.
I will pray as long as I breathe.
Psalm 116:1-2
This is a promise from God.
In his Holy Word, he has promised to listen to us.
This is God, saying to you, “I am always available”.
In Matthew 28:20 Jesus said,
“lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
This is why Jesus was born,
why he taught the disciples,
why he died on the cross and was raised on Easter:
to open up our access to God.
In Matthew 27:50 the Bible says,
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice,
he gave up his spirit.
51At that moment
the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The moment Jesus died,
the last barrier to heaven was torn away.
God has chosen to be available to us.
Here is my next point:
3. Since God has chosen to be available to us,
we can decide to be available to God.
Because of what Jesus has done,
we have a choice.
Now it’s our turn.
There are really only two possible responses:
Option A: If you are not a Christian,
Repent of your sins
and Accept Jesus into your heart.
Option B: If you are a Christian,
Make the choice
to set aside a little time with God every day.
What are daily devotions?
A daily devotion is a choice we make
to spend some time with God.
Do you brush your teeth every day?
Why?
Because if you don’t, things get ugly.
Daily brushing is a requirement for health.
Dear ones, daily time with God is MORE IMPORTANT.
How do you approach brushing your teeth?
You make it part of your routine.
It’s just something you do every day.
That’s what God wants from you.
Is there a standard length of time? NO.
Is there a standard set of activities? NO.
Is there a standard time of day? NO.
Why is that? God has set us completely free.
We get to decide what devotions mean to us.
It probably should include a little bit of Bible reading.
It probably should include prayer.
Many people use the Upper Room
or other Christian literature.
Some people sing.
Some people speak in tongues.
Some people just sit quietly.
Some people keep a spiritual diary.
We can decide to be available to God,
AND
we can decide how that works.
God respects our integrity.
When we exercise our spiritual muscles,
God is there to train and guide.
Let me tell you what works for me.
When I wake up,
I do a little exercise of prayer.
Lately, I’ve been doing ACTS.
A = Adoration
C = Confession
T = Thanksgiving
S = Supplication
Believe it or not, this doesn’t take long.
I start with A, Adoration.
And I ask myself this question:
“What do I like about God?”
I never have a problem coming up with something
that I like about God
because there is just so much.
Usually I focus on one single thing.
The other day, it was the concept of “availability”.
That’s why I am preaching this sermon.
It’s something that blessed me a few days ago.
I said, “God, I really like it that you are always available to me.”
That’s Adoration.
Next is C, Confession.
I confess my sins to God.
I simply tell God what I know is wrong
or not working in my life.
As I confess, I remember what the Bible promises in 1 John 1:9,
If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Next is T, Thanksgiving.
What am I grateful for?
So I tell God about some of the things
I am thankful for.
Usually there are lots and lots of things.
I try to mix it up, and keep things fresh.
This is the easiest part of ACTS for me.
Finally, while I am still in bed,
I talk to God about some of my concerns
and I ask for his help.
Some of my concerns are for me.
Some of my concerns are for other people.
Then I get up.
As I go through my day
I run into other needs,
so I lift them up to God too.
Prayer doesn’t stop at a given point.
God is always available.
Any time is a good time to mention something to God.
Now that’s what I do for a few minutes
when I am waking up.
Later on in the day, I will usually read some of the Bible,
and mark it down on my
Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan.
(Show the document.)
Right now, I’m in a process of reading the Bible
from cover to cover in two years.
I finished the two outside columns last year,
and now I am working on
the two inside columns.
Prayer and Bible Reading
are central to my devotional life.
Here is my last point.
4 When we practice daily devotions
we are empowered
to love ourselves and others.
It’s all about availability.
God has designed us
to succeed
when we are in right relationship to him.
If you want to be healthy,
start with prayer and Scripture.
If you want to have great relationships:
with your spouse,
with your family,
with co-workers,
with friends,
with the people at school,
start with prayer and Scripture.
There is nothing magical about daily devotions.
Prayer and Scripture are just the way
we choose to respond to God’s grace.
I encourage every person in this church family,
every child, and every adult
to set aside some time each day
to pray and read the Bible.
In James 4:8 the Bible says,
“Come near to God, and he will come near to you.”
That’s an incredible promise.
Notice it doesn’t say how.
The how isn’t important.
It’s the choice that’s key.
Let us pray.
We love you Lord
because you hear our prayers
and answer them,
because you bend down to listen.
We will pray as long as we breathe.
Thank you for coming down from heaven
every day
just for us.
Thank you for giving us the choice
to become available to you.
Oh Lord Jesus,
show us how to be
faithful disciples.
Tear the curtain of heaven
from top to bottom
in our relationships.
Amen.