9-11-2015

        Good Morning All!!                 

         Romans 1:16; “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

    We still have a long ways to go.  The presidential election is still is long ways away and I could take a time out or a quarter break or a heat time out or something.  It really wears on a person.  I think of us tire of it so quickly because of the negativity.  Many years ago, a political planner came up with the theory that if you could make someone negative rating (people who do not like or approve of the candidate) 40% or higher, the candidate would lose.  So now the norm for politicking is to try to run the other guy down.  This does two things.  It forces the second candidate to defend against the negative accusations and it keeps him from stating the direction that he wants to go.  I wish they would tell me what they are for.  I wish I knew what they supported or wanted to accomplish instead of telling me how bad the other guy is.  Tell me what you support.

    Many Christians have found themselves in the position of the second candidate.  We spend a lot of time telling people what we aren’t.  We aren’t hateful.  We aren’t out to force our beliefs down anyone’s throat.  We spend a lot of time telling people we aren’t angry like that; we aren’t seeking to hurt anyone.  We spend a lot of time saying what we are not; we should be spending our time saying what we are for.

    Paul proclaimed with a great boldness that he was not ashamed of the gospel.  He knew it had power.  He knew that it had the power to win over all his enemies.  Paul knew that he had nothing to fear.  Jesus had destroyed Paul’s greatest enemy, death, so Paul knew that nothing else could destroy or harm him.  So he preached boldly; he embraced God’s mercy.  He lived his life with full boldness and full confidence and we can too.

    We don’t have to keep telling people what we are not if our life and actions show who we are.  We need to live as bold and as confident as Paul did.  We need to show God’s love to our neighbor and to those who seek to quiet us, who seek to change us or even seek to destroy us.  “Let your light shine” was how Jesus spoke of our actions.  Live your life in such a way that God’s love in seen in you.  It is not hatred or anger but God’s love that we reflect.  It is his healing that we bring not his judgment.

    God will judge; not us.  God will determine; measure and find wanting or worthy.  We are simply the beacons that shine and point to the truth.  We are to bring the healing and the hope of Christ to this broken world.  We have God, his love, grace and truth.  Live boldly in his grace.

Father of mercy, lead me to boldly live my life as a witness to you.  Lead me to bring healing and mercy to this broken and hurt world.  Guide us by your Spirit.  Keep me strong in your Word and confident in my faith.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret