Ep 80: Don't Skip That House!

0:00 Well, good morning and welcome to the show. I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for your Sunday morning drive. The short podcast with the goal of providing you some motivation, Dr. and encouragement on your way to worship and helping you recenter your mind on those spiritual things on hectic Sunday mornings. We are brought to you in partnership with the Ministry League network of podcasts. Ministry League offers many great resources free of charge and also many other wonderful podcasts. You can check them out at ministryleague.com or you can download their app. I sure hope you're having a great day, and I hope you have the most whimsical of Halloween shenanigans planned for Friday. Be safe. And if you don't mind, save me your Reese's Cups. Well, anyway, let's get the show on the road this morning. This is episode 80.

0:44 Don't skip that house. Let's go to church. Are we there yet? Well, it's the most wonderful time of the year. This Friday is Halloween. Ah, that magic time of year where our children rush from door to door seeking the best treats and the parents tag along. All the while we are mentally calculating just how severe the dad tax is going to be imposed upon that sugary horde. My kids know to at least save me a peanut buttercup or two. Over the last few years, watching my own kids and the shambling masses of other children, all of them rushing door to door on Halloween night, I've noticed something that some houses get skipped for several reasons. Maybe the house is too creepy, or the porch light is turned off.

1:46 Maybe the driveway is too long and the hill too steep. Or maybe they are notorious for giving out what I am going to call, in my humble opinion, trash candy. I'm looking at you boxes of raisins, smarties, and Tootsie rolls. Or that bag of pretzels. Anyway, I digress and feel free to disagree with me, but just know that you're wrong. But at the same time, other houses get flocked to because they are well lit or maybe they have the Super cool decorations outside like the 12 foot tall skeleton. Maybe it's the home of a family member or a neighborhood icon lives there. But more than likely they are just famous for handing out the good stuff. I'm talking the full size candy bars, the peanut butter cuffs, the name brand chocolate.

2:28 No joke, there's a dude in the neighborhood where I take our kids that gives out grilled hot dogs and a cup of hot chocolate. Yes, I know it's a weird pairing, but man does it hit the spot on a chilly night. And all of this to say that kids have their own hierarchy of decision making when it comes down to what houses and what treats are worth the risk, or rather worth the time. A sort of juvenile cost benefit analysis, if you will. And boy does that scale tip in favor of what is easy and what is desirable. And that got me to thinking. Sometimes I think we do the same thing spiritually on several levels, but especially when it comes to things like our spiritual disciplines.

3:10 You know, we might gladly visit the ones that feel rewarding, worship, an encouraging sermon or those moments of answered prayer. But maybe we skip those spiritual houses that feel or look dark and difficult. Fasting, self examination, solitude, perseverance and prayer, sacrificial service. Maybe we are choosing those sweet practices and maybe avoiding the ones that don't give us immediate satisfaction. But following along with this metaphor, spiritual maturity means knocking on every door of obedience, not just the ones that give us the treats. Luke 16, verse 10. The one who is faithful in very little things is also faithful in much.

3:55 And the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much. Yes, we like the low hanging fruit, the spiritual equivalent of candy from a bowl left on the porch with a note telling us just to take one because it means no knocking, no waiting, no thank you, no effort required. And when that happens, sometimes we look down and we count our sacks as full. First Timothy chapter 4 verse 7 says discipline yourself for godliness. What blessings might we be missing out on by skipping those other houses? I'm sure there are many and just from the top of my head, some of those might be missing out on a deeper understanding of scripture by only diving in at a devotional level.

4:39 Missing out on the value and the life changing relationships of our brethren by treating them instead as mere acquaintances and treating fellowship as an afterthought. Maybe missing out on an opportunity to rely fully on God by going ahead and trying it our way first. And the list could go on and on. But my point is, sometimes our sacks aren't as full as they could be because we aren't taking the time to seek out the freely given but hard won blessings of spiritual maturity. So the next time that you're tempted to walk past an opportunity to grow, don't. Because Jesus tells us to stop. And and knock, Matthew Chapter 7 verses 7:00 and 8:00. Ask and it will be given to you.

5:24 Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened unto you for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened when those opportunities come along. Don't be tricked into missing out on God's streets. Don't skip that house. Stop and knock. Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive. Now it's time to hear yours. Our discussion questions for this week are what are some reasons that we only seek those surface level aspects of Christianity instead of giving a deeper dive? How far are we willing to go in order to receive the richest of God's spiritual blessings?

6:05 And looking back on life, what areas of spiritual growth have we missed out on because we were not willing to apply ourselves? And I'll throw in an extra what is the best and worst Halloween candy? Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you at for your Sunday morning dr.com. I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you Sunday. We're here.