Time to Celebrate the New Birth

May 2019

Message from Pastor Tom:

May is a beautiful time of the year with spring time temperatures, the new growth of trees and the blooms of the colorful flowers. It is also the time of the year when we celebrate and honor our Mothers. The most beautiful way to celebrate this day is by thanking God for being blessed by the Mother's we have had in our life time, who have loved and cared for us, taught us to obey Jesus and love others. Scripture also commands us in Romans to give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7). Find a way to say thank you and make it count for these amazing women who have invested in your life. Make your list today of who you will honor this Mother’s Day.

The month of May is also a time to honor our fallen heroes in the military from past to present. I believe that being a soldier is highly respected throughout the biblical Scriptures and know such service is consistent with a biblical worldview. For example, Paul describes Epaphroditus, a fellow Christian, as a “fellow soldier” (Philippians 2:25). The Bible also uses military terms to describe being strong in the Lord by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20), including the tools of the soldier, his helmet, his shield, and sword.  The Bible also addresses serving in the military, directly and indirectly. Our Christian men and women who serve this great country with character, dignity, and honor can rest assured the civic duty they perform is condoned and respected by our sovereign Lord. Those who honorably serve in the military deserve our respect and gratitude.

We must also not forget since May is the month of new beginnings with Spring, it is the perfect time for new ideas and adventures, where we can take the time to meditate on the wonderful Gift of Faith. From this we can grow like the newness of spring. As our faith grows, we find we cannot live without Jesus, accepting Him as Lord and Master. When we become Christians our focus centers on Christ and we begin our transformation into a new creation. The Holy Spirit becomes indwelled in each believer upon their confession of faith and belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is the power of God who will bring about the new birth in all believers and carries on the ministry within us. It is that soft, small voice for love, offering us peace, oneness, truth, everlasting life, and is the interpreter ensuring that God hears all our pleas and prayers.

The Spirit stays within us throughout our lifetime of learning and spiritual growth, giving us the ability to build the church, help others, witness, or even preach the Word because we know the special benefits and gifts we receive are from the Holy Spirit, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to remove self and submit to the Holy Spirit, who is vital to our being able to discern the Bible, thus enabling us to become the person God intends for us to be. Christ’s death made it possible for us to be declared no longer guilty, our sin debt has been paid in full, and that payment is applied on our behalf when we receive Jesus as Savior. God’s justice demanded His Son undergo the worst punishment possible: separation from the Father. Jesus’ sacrifice led to the greatest blessing God’s mercy could be poured out on us.

Heidi and I wish a very Happy Mother's day to all you beautiful ladies. May God richly bless the mothers who unselfishly give of themselves, always tending to the needs of others before their own. We pray you will know God’s love more abundantly in your life and know how much you are valued as a mother and a wife. We want so much for you to know how much we appreciate you and pray you'll have a wonderful month in all you do.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, as always I hope it spiritually enriches you.  Have a very blessed Mother’s Day and safe Memorial Day, as we honor the men and women who have died in military service for the United States of America.

Blessings from a pastor and his wife.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10-12 (NIV)