6-28-2018

Good Morning All,

    John 10:10; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

    Have you ever watched any of the different “Robin Hood” movies?  I am partial to the old Errol Flynn movies.  Yet I watch most of them as they come along.  The one thing I notice is that the newer movies have a much darker view of life in the 1200’s than the earlier movies.  They seem to really try and express the desperate nature of life.  The common people always live in hovels and are always dirty.  Their clothes are ragged and they are always very poor.  They are usually being harassed by the king’s men for money for taxes.  These later movies paint a sad existence.

    In our world today, there are many people who live this same existence.  They struggle just to get from today to tomorrow.  They struggle with just surviving.  All too often, someone who is powerful will come in and steal whatever they have.  When you see this, you often see these people begin to stop even trying to exist.  They don’t even try because there never seems to be any way to keep enough to live on.  Someone comes and steals it away.

     This is the spiritual battle that we face.  The devil comes to steal and kill and destroy.  He does this out of sheer delight in tormenting us.  He steals your hopes and dreams.  He kills your love for God and for others.  He will destroy your soul as you agonize over life.  This is what the devil enjoys doing, causing you to suffer.  He drains your life of any type of enjoyment or contentment or happiness.  He wants to leave you in a dark and foreboding place.  He wants to come to you to steal, kill and destroy.

    This is where sin leaves us, as the plaything of the devil.  Sin separates us from God leading us away from God’s grace and security out into the world where the devil waits. But God had seen our wretched state and turned to us a father’s heart.  Rather than watch us suffer and slowly be tormented by the devil; God had a plan to rescue us.  He sent his Son to take our place and earn salvation for us.  This wasn’t an easy task but shows to us how much God loves us.  Jesus came to give us live and to give it abundantly.

     God’s grace isn’t skimpy by any measure.  We receive grace upon grace, blessings upon blessings.  God gives us life, abundant life.  He gives us what we need to face the devil’s attacks.  He gives us His Word, His comfort, prayer, companionship of fellow believers, but above all he gives us hope.  All this is out of love for us.  We have God’s love pouring down upon us.  He gives us life, very abundant life!

God of all wonder, you give to us life.  We are slow to see it but are truly blessed by your mercy.  Help us to see that you do carry us through our struggles and you lead us through our perils.  Strengthen our faith as the battles rage around us.  Be with those who are especially struck by the darkness of the devil’s attacks.  Give them the certainty of your grace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret