Dr. Rick Mandl - January 15, 2021
Do You Know What Day It Is?
Devotional Manuscript: Do You Know What Day It Is?
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 15th, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. Do you know what day it is? Not today, but this Sunday, January 17th is? If you answered that it’s the day that we resume weekly live and in person services here at ERBC, you’d be right. We’ll be meeting in our church parking lot. We’ll be wearing masks. We’ll be practicing safe-distancing. And we’ll be coming together to worship God. So bring your camp chair, and a sweater if it’s cold, or a t-shirt if it’s sunny and plan on joining us. If you’re someone who feels more comfortable worshiping online with us, don’t worry, all of our online services will continue to come to you and their regularly scheduled times.
But do you know what else, this Sunday, January 17th is? It’s “National Quitters Day” Do you remember all those N.Y. Resolutions that were made at the start of the year? Things like . . . Getting in shape, quitting smoking, saving money....
Well according to the people who study this stuff, this Sunday, or specifically the 3rd Sunday in January is the date that most people quit on the resolutions that they made at the start of the year.
So, with that thought in mind, I want to challenge you to make this Sunday: National Re-Committers Day- A day to Re-up on whatever you’d like to see happen this year, but maybe you were late in starting on . . . Let me suggest three spiritual habits that will help you move forward with Christ this year. . .
#1 – Make it a habit to get into God’s Word. I’ve shared it with you before, and I’ll share it again, there’s no shortage of great plans to help you start each day or finish each day in his word. My particular favorite place for you to find a plan that will fit for you, is the YouVersion Bible App. It’s free. It doesn’t have any advertising. You can download it to your phone, or tablet, or PC, and you can find a plan that will help you make getting into God’s Word, a daily habit.
#2 – Make it a habit to Gather With God’s People to worship. Whether that’s online, where most of us are gathering these days, or live in our parking lot on Sunday mornings at 11:00AM. If you were with us when I shared this stat with you last month you'll remember that … American’s Our Mental Health Ratings Have Sunk To A New Low. All as a result of Covid 19.
Each year since 2001, The Gallup Organization has asked Americans as part of its November Health and Healthcare survey to rate themselves. . . They have asked them to say whether their own mental or emotional wellbeing is EXCELLENT, GOOD, ONLY FAIR or POOR. Not surprisingly, the latest numbers are some of the worst they have ever seen. In an earlier study, Gallup asked respondents whether “they felt as though they could continue following social distancing guidelines, as long as necessary before their physical health and financial situation suffered.” And the majority said “Yes” they could. They could go on as long as necessary and they believed they’d be okay physically and financially. But only a much smaller group was able to say “the same thing” when it came to their mental health.
Clearly, this pandemic has taken a toll on so many people in so many ways. The Gallup Survey, broke down the demographics of their study and they found that the Mental Health of Americans had declined almost universally, across the board. It didn’t matter if you were . . . Male/Female, Republican/Democrat/Independent, Married/Not Married, White/Non-White, Young/Old, Rich/Poor, The numbers were down among almost every single demographic group…
And I say ALMOST every group because - - - there was one group, whose mental health has not declined during this pandemic. Do you know which group that was? It was . . . Weekly Churchgoers. I know it sounds like the kind of thing a pastor might make up. But I would encourage you to check out the data for yourself. Google the terms . . . +“Gallup Poll” +”Mental Health” +”Church Attendance” And what you’ll find is that . . . “The only demographic subgroup who didn’t report a decline [in mental health] were those who attended religious services weekly” And I emphasize “weekly” only because that was what the data revealed. Apparently, the same benefits were not achieved by those who attended “almost weekly,” or “occasionally,” but for those who “attended weekly.” They saw an increase of 4% in mental health as opposed to the year prior.
So while there may NOT be A LOT OF THINGS you can do to protect or improve your mental health during this shut-down . . . There is at least one. So make the commitment to get into God’s Word each day, To get to worship each week, And then number three. . .
#3 Get into a group. A small group... a life group... A place where you can know others and they can know you. A place where you can study God’s Word together and pray for one another. Right now, at ERBC it’s sign-up season for our Life Groups. We have a list of our groups online, and I’m sure you can find one that’s a good fit for you. For the moment they’re all meeting virtually via zoom, but we’re praying that will change as we move forward into 2021
Let me challenge you to make the commitment to . . .
- Get into God’s Word. . .
- Get into the Habit of being with us for worship each week
- Get into a Life Group
And you can make this Sunday, January 17th, not a Quitters Day, but your own personal Re-committers Day. Amen
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
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