8-14-2019

Good Morning All,

1 Timothy 4:10; “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially those who believe.”

    A great aim or desire of the people of this nation is to improve ourselves.  We are always trying to make it better next time.  We make resolutions every New Year and what are they about?  We usually want to lose weight, quit smoking, exercise more, spend more time with our family; these are all fine and laudable goals.  We seek to improve our lives, our skills and our future.

    We view life as one long process of getting better.  Many people see staying the same as really falling behind.  So, if our goal is to get better, why is it so difficult?  Probably the biggest reason is that we have so much difficulty letting go of the past.  We look back too much and we don’t let go.

    This can happen in our faith walk as well.  When Jesus first called his disciples, he told them that he would make them fishers of men.  He would make them; this is showing that it is a lifelong process.  Each day, we are molded and shaped a little bit more.  Each day is different from the last.  Each day we can grow closer to God; our faith being strengthened and nourished. 

    So why do we fail?  Often it is because we do not forgive.  Jesus tells us to forgive and then we are to move on.  We are to strain forward.  It is when we are too busy looking back that we fall down.  We need to forgive.  We need to forgive our family and friends for sleights that really mean nothing.  We need to forgive people we don’t even know whose actions are directed elsewhere but hit us.  Above all, we need to forgive ourselves.  It is when we fail to forgive ourselves that the devil keeps a toe hold in our life reminding us of those sins that we won’t let go of.  God’s mercy moves him to forgive our sins; it is only our guilt and the devil’s traps that keep us looking back.  Strive to look forward; going forth in God’s wonderful grace.

    It is in this hope that we live.  Jesus did not rescue us from sin and slavery just to leave us there.  He rescued us to make us new again.  We are new creatures in our baptismal grace.  He has forgiven us and thus has enabled and empowered us to do the same.  Yet this is no easy task, our sinful nature wants us to fall back into our old pattern.  So, we strive, we toil and work at it.  Remembering every day who we are in Christ.  Remember who Christ is and what He has done for you on Calvary and the empty tomb and what He does for us now and what awaits us when He returns.  Stay focused on His great mercy and strive, toil and endure until he returns to make all things perfect.

Dear Father, lead us forward keeping our eyes looking only to you.  Move us to let the past be past and that we only see what is good looking forward. Guide us as we strive to live as your blessed children always doing your will.   In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret