6-20-2022

Good Morning!    

                 Romans 7:19;” For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

         It was after a worship service one Sunday morning. We had celebrated The Lord’s Supper and now we were having coffee. I happened to stand by one of our younger mothers on the steps while she drank her coffee. She is a kind gal, and her children are cute, polite youngsters. We don’t see them often, but I am glad when they do come. As I sat down, her smile lessened but I cheerfully asked her how she was doing, how her job was going, just general stuff. She looked at me, almost in tears, and in a small voice said, “I really try to do better, but it is so hard.”

    I knew what she meant. She liked coming to worship services, her children loved Sunday School, but life seemed to get in the way of better attendance. I leaned in and told her, “I know you do and so does Jesus but that is not how he looks at us. It is not how hard we try but do we have faith.” I knew the devil was working hard on her trying to drive her away. But the Spirit was going to do what He needed to bring her back home. So, we kept talking. Jesus does not judge her for her failures or us for ours. Jesus did not come to condemn. He did not come with a ruler to rap our knuckles every time we turn around. Jesus came to give us life, to give us hope, to breathe into us the Spirit of the living God.

   Now be clear, she needs to come to worship more. Not as a law but as a way to help her deal with her fears and her doubts. Worship is where God invites us to come and partake of His goodness. It is in worship that we hear God tell us of his love for us, that our sins are forgiven, that we are valued by Him, that we are now eternal heirs of the kingdom. We need to hear that and be reminded of that so we can hold to that truth a little harder and so the devil’s lies are a little weaker. We need to attend worship, not to appease God but to fill a void in our souls, an emptiness that the devil would rather fill with lies and worries, deceits, and anxieties. The God of hope comes to give us hope not demands or regulations but loving guidance and nurturing of faith.

    It has been a while since we have seen her and her little ones, life is still hard and it gets in the way, but Jesus continues to call her, to invite her back to find the comfort and peace He came to give her, to help her gain strength and find refuge in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Remember, it is not that you try hard to be better, the devil will always point out that you can always do better. Jesus points to his hands and his side and says, “I love you this much, all is paid for, come my child and find peace and rest in me.” Find your peace and your rest in Jesus, for He came to give life.

Gracious Lord, you give us abundant life. Guard us by your Spirit to hold fast to your grace and mercy. Be with those who struggle with the lies of the devil today. Strengthen them and uplift them that they may know your hope. Keep all in your loving arms and in your watchful care. In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret