God's Gift of Autumn

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