"Pump Up The Volume"

Seriously, I have no clue why I picked this title, except for the tune that was playing in my head as I thought about Paul writing to Timothy about those things he had been instructed in from his youth. Those things that Timothy's grandmother would read to him from the Holy Scriptures when he was a child; things which back then were made vivid in his mind, as he sat there soaking in all the wonders of a miracle working God. Like many of us who had someone read to us as children about spectacular stories, I can only imagine how Timothy as a child would envision each and every word in his mind, as he would listen to his grandmother give accounts of the mighty God that she served. All to often we forget what a mighty God we serve; how He would never leave us, nor forsake us, even though we might forsake Him; how He loves us, even in our most despicable state; how He turns those things which might be meant to hurt us, into mighty acts of triumph. All to often we measure the stories of triumph against the doubts that we have grown accustom to, and the blindness of this world. It reminds me of the movie Hellboy 2, as the priest that adopted him would read tales of the Golden Army to him before he went to bed, and he would go to sleep with his toy gun in hand, to be prepared for the battle. There is something to be said for child like faith; faith that believes in the magic; faith that accepts the outrageous as the inevitable and true. How many times we have heard of great wonders written in the Scriptures, and then wondered how they could have really happen? Listening to the sermon, while shaking our heads yes in agreement, and at the same time doubting the truthfulness in our hearts. That is the reason we must pump up the volume; not to make what we hear louder, but to drown out all of noise of life as we know it. The life that we have settled into, or that has settled in around us. A picture paints a thousand words, and as we picture those things which are written within our minds, volumes of literary works are written in our hearts... "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in the grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:5 & 3:14 & 15)