Bible Conference Blessings

Why take the time for Bible Conference when there are so many things already vying for our attention? Is it really necessary or needful? Can't the time be better spent in other ways?

These are just a few of the questions that have a tendency to plague our thinking when we consider what impact a three or four day set of meetings will have on our lives. Have I occasionally contemplated any of these thoughts or wondered if all the preparation and effort was really going to be worth it? Yes, but I have always come to the same conclusion . . . what impact will it have if we don't take the time, expend the energy and make the commitment to "come apart" for a season of concentrated time on God's Word.

Once again I have been blessed and spiritually refreshed through the preaching of the timeless Truths of God's Word and my conviction has been strengthened that these times are indeed needful. The ministry of Evangelist Todd Sivnksty and Pastor Leigh Oslin during this past week was such an encouragement. There is, after all, a Biblical precedent for such meetings. We see clearly the principle put into place in the Old Testament (Exodus 23:14; Deut 16:16) when God commanded that all the men were to appear before Him three times in a year for a time of worship, thanksgiving and spiritual renewal. Certainly they were to be observing the Sabbath days throughout the year but God knew in His infinite wisdom that periodic times of concentrated focus would serve as a great blessing and safe guard to the nation. It was when the people chose a more convenient path and began to build the "high places" so as not to have to make the journey to Jerusalem that the spiritual fervor and dedication began to wane and they fell prey to the wickedness of idolatry. Do we really have to have an emphatic command or is the principle enough to encourage us in our efforts? I welcome your comments and reflections on these past days.