Someone once said, “You often see what you are looking for.” If you’re looking to find something to gripe about, you’ll find it. If you look for something good, you can likely find it too. That’s one reason I like to look for spiritual truths in unusual places. And that’s where the idea for 30-Second Theology originated. In these yearly messages, I use commercials to illustrate powerful truths found in God’s Word.
You may wonder how I prepare for a message like this. Truthfully, I’ve been preparing for years. Every day I faithfully read, meditate on, and study God’s Word. Then for these messages, I add one extra step. On top of studying the Bible, I watched hours and hours of commercials!
Instead of just looking for a laugh, I look for a message buried deeper in the video. For example, if I watch a father reunite with his child after a long run of military service, I might imagine the story in Luke 15 when the prodigal son reunited with his loving father.
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And it’s not just commercials that remind me of God’s Word. When you learn to look for God everywhere, you’ll be able to hear from Him just about anywhere. Movies, songs, hanging out with kids, just about anything can help us hear from God and connect to God’s truth in the Bible. Why does this work? God’s Word is alive and active—it speaks today as loudly as it ever has, and you can hear from God if you listen!
Don’t believe me? Try it. The next time you’re on Netflix, YouTube, Instagram, wherever, and you feel that punch-in-the-gut of emotions hit you, stop. Ask God if He’s trying to say something to you. Maybe you’ll begin to think something like, “I’m still hurt because I never knew my father,” or, “I feel so inspired when I see an underdog win,” or, “I wish I knew everything was going to be okay.” Then, open up the Bible App and do a word search on something related, like God’s love, perseverance, or trust. And see if you don’t hear God speak to you!
I hope you’ll join us as we explore what God has to say to us in unexpected ways this weekend.
