September 2019
Message from Pastor Tom,
It’s October already… can you believe that! This year is
going by so fast. The leaves are starting to change, the holidays are just
around the corner, and it’s harvest time again. I know we will soon be so
wrapped up in the coming holidays sharing fellowship with family and friends, Trick-or-Treating,
then thoughts of turkeys baking in the oven for Thanksgiving dinner, all that Christmas
shopping, so many more holiday memories to make. What grand fun there is to be
had by all.
Now on the other hand, I would like to ask you this. Are you
taking the time to enrich your life as well by spending time with God? It has
been proven over the centuries we can make better decisions knowing regardless
of what we face, God can and will redeem our experiences for our ultimate good.
The only way to do this however, is to make the time to do so. I know you are
asking me how do you expect me to do that with my family to take care of? I
already have a daily schedule which is full and then there is all the
volunteering I do for church and my community. Christians believe me, I fully
understand. However, who has given you the time to do all this? The answer is
simple, Our lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I have known people who go to church, bow their heads to
pray and hear sermons, but many are not growing spiritually. Every growing believer should sense a
deepening hunger for Christ. As we experience more of Jesus, who is the bread
of life (John 6:35), our desire for Him
will increase. Believers dwelling closely with the Savior will notice their
discernment of sin sharpens. Faulty teaching and thinking become more obvious
as we accumulate truth within our spirit. Our area of love should continuously
expand. In time, the Holy Spirit enables us to care for people who previously
were either unnoticed or difficult to accept.
Christians sometimes often don’t stop to think how their
choices can hurt or destroy someone else’s faith. They try to justify their behavior,
saying God doesn’t convict them for it, and we all know this is not true. While
they don’t necessarily indulge in sinful acts, their spiritual defenses have
grown strong enough to let them do things they wouldn’t have done in the early
stages of their spiritual walk. These believers fail to realize younger
Christians are watching how they live out their faith. When “weaker” ones
follow their example, they see their ship of faith may capsize because of a
conscience that becomes troubled or confused, rather than strengthened. Paul
confirms this when he blames the “stronger” Christian for these shipwrecks. He
says we are responsible not only for our actions, but also for the effect of
those actions. In the end, we are to care more about the, “brother for whose sake Christ died” than about our own wants or
desires, "So
this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your
knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound
their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” 1 Corinthians 8:11-12.
I ask you this family, do you have a hunger for God and have
an increasing awareness of sin? Is your love available only for those who match
your personal standard of performance? As I said earlier, some people go to
church, bow their heads to pray and hear sermons, but many are not growing
spiritually. Do you really find yourself caring about them, or for the
difficult people who do not know Christ? Does your unwavering devotion to
Christ lead others to trust our Savior? These are important questions to ask
when evaluating your spiritual growth. Too many Christians have a commitment of
convenience. They’ll stay faithful as long as it’s safe and doesn’t involve
risk, rejection, or criticism. God loves us and He gracefully and gently builds
our confidence in Him. Our trust grows when we realize how faithful He truly
is, which makes our assurance even greater as we mature and our faith deepens.
So let’s take time to relish God’s gift of Autumn by
drinking in the splendor and beauty of the changing colors while we enjoy the
crisp cooler temperatures, and become refreshed and renewed. As a result we can
grow together as stronger Christians and practice our commitment to Christ both
privately and publicly. The time you spend alone with God will transform your
character and increase your devotion. Then your integrity and godly behavior in
an unbelieving world will make others long to know the Lord.
Heidi and I pray God will richly bless you and your family
this October. I truly thank you for taking the time to read this message and
hope it spiritually enriches you.
Blessings from a pastor and his wife.
“Declare
his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” Psalms
96:3 NIV
