Good morning, ladies!

The thoughts coming your way each day will be focused on preparing our hearts for Lord’s Day! I feel this is a much-needed step in our church. I pray it will be beneficial to your soul!

So here we go… the next three thoughts, starting with this one, will be an outline that I will fill in with future thoughts.

These thoughts come from my reading of Thomas Watson’s book The Ten Commandments. The Lord has truly filled my cup and it runs over from this treatise on the Ten Commandments. What beauty I see in His Law and Gospel!

Our verse for this topic:

Isa 58:13 NKJV “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, 14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

What a beautiful promise. So, let’s dig in!

“When Saturday evening approaches, sound a retreat; call your minds off from the world and summon your thoughts together, to think of the great work of the approaching day. Purge out all unclean affections, which may indispose you for the work of the Sabbath. Evening preparation will be like the tuning of an instrument, it will fit the heart better for the duties of the ensuing Sabbath.”[1]

Distractions:

Friday and Saturday spend time on your thoughts and plans for the coming week. Prepare for your school schedule, housekeeping needs, grocery shopping, meal plans, appointments, laundry needs, church clothes for the Lord’s Day, meal preparation for Sunday, etc. let’s be intentional and wise that we may not be distracted on Sunday with our duties for the coming week.

1Cor 7:35 NKJV “And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.”

“It is said of Bernard, that when he came to the church door, he would say, “Stay here all my earthly thoughts.” So should we say to ourselves, when we are at the door of God’s house, “Stay here all my worldly cares and wandering cogitations; I am now going to hear what the Lord will say to me.”[2] “Distraction hinders devotion. The mind is tossed with vain thoughts and diverted from the business in hand. It is hard to make a distracted heart fix. How often in hearing the Word, the thoughts dance up and down; and, when the eye is upon the minister, the mind is upon other things. Distracted hearing is far from sanctifying the Sabbath. It is very sinful to give way to vain thoughts at this time; because, when we are hearing the Word, we are in God’s special presence. To do any treasonable action in the king’s presence—is great impudence. “Yes, in my house have I found their wickedness.” Jer 23:11. So the Lord may say, “In my house, while they are hearing my Word, I have found wickedness; they have wanton eyes, and their soul is set on vanity!”[3]

• To have the heart distracted in hearing—is a disrespect to God’s omniscience.

• To give way to wandering thoughts in hearing is hypocrisy.

• Distracted thoughts in hearing discover much lack of love for God.

• Distracted thoughts in hearing offend God.

• Distracted thoughts in hearing, when allowed and not resisted, make way for hardening the heart.

• We will learn in thoughts to come just how we shall deal with these thoughts.

• Let’s be prepared early, by using our time wisely, that we do not find ourselves dealing with drowsiness on the Lord’s Day.  Why?

• It is God who speaks to us in his Word. Therefore, the preaching of the Word is called the “breath of his lips.” Isa 11:4.

• Consider how serious and weighty the matters delivered to us are. Moses said, “I call heaven and earth to record this day, that I have set before you life and death.” Deut 30:19.

• To give way to vain thoughts and drowsiness in hearing, gratifies Satan.

• Each Sabbath may be the last we shall ever keep.

• You must give an account for every sermon you hear. “Give an account of your stewardship.” Luke 16:2.

• We must lay aside the following on the Lord’s Day.

• Lay aside curiosity. Some go to hear the Word preached, not so much to get grace, as to enrich themselves with notions: having “itching ears.” 2 Tim 4:3.

• Lay aside prejudice. Prejudice is sometimes against the truths preached. The Sadducees were prejudiced against the doctrine of the resurrection. Luke 20:27.

• Lay aside covetousness. Covetousness is not only getting worldly gain unjustly—but loving it inordinately.

• Lay aside partiality. Partiality in hearing is when we like to hear some truths preached—but not all.

• Lay aside condemnation. Some, instead of judging themselves for sin, sit as judges upon the preacher; his sermon had either too much gall in it, or it was too long.

• Lay aside disobedience. “All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient people.” Rom 10:21.

• If you would hear the Word aright, have good ends in hearing. “Come to the Word to be made better.”

• If you would hear the Word aright, go to it with delight.

• The Word preached is a feast of fat things!

• If you would hear the Word aright, mix it with faith.

• Believe the truth of the Word preached, that it is the Word by which you must be judged.

• If you would hear the Word aright, hear it with humility. James 1:21. Receive the Word “with humility”.

• If you would hear the Word aright, be not only attentive —but retentive.

• If you would hear aright, practice what you hear.

• Practice is the life of all. “Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life.” Rev 22:14.

I will labor to give you more information in the weeks to come by filling out these thoughts of Thomas Watson.

We will labor together to serve the Lord aright and make the best use of the Lord’s Day together for the benefit of our soul and to make His name great among the nations! 

I pray that you will enter sweet communion as you meditate on Christ and the Trinity today.

 I love you all very much!

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[1] Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, (PA: Banner of Truth Trust, Reprint 2021),101.

[2] Watson, The Ten Commandments, 107.

[3] Watson, The Ten Commandments, 107.