Pastor's Blog |
Pastor's Blog |
So what’s it like living in tight quarters? These are such peculiar days! Normally, if we were tired of the same four walls we could run out to the Mall, to the Park, to the Store... We could go somewhere and do something! How strange it is not to find some of those familiar destinations available to us! This unusual time is now a very trying time for some of you. Some of us may have asked, “What is God up to?” God is here! And we might think of this period in history as a test of our faith.
It’s one thing to say “I believe in Jesus!” Some people come to Jesus for the Fire Insurance Plan, hoping to escape the judgment of hell. So, “Yes, I believe in Jesus! I want to go to heaven when I die!” But it’s a whole other thing to answer Jesus’ call to “Follow Me.” Genuine faith means following, and following means obedience. And so what does it mean to obey our Lord in the way we relate to one another in our homes? In what might be chaos? How are you doing in tight quarters – when you want to get away from it all? Let’s think about “faith” today. Faith without any evidence of faith is no faith at all. I mean, if there’s no evidence of a heart for God in your life it may be time to re-evaluate your relationship to God. If there’s no evidence of a deeper love for others, for friends or strangers, for family or foe, can you really say that your will and your spirit is obedient to Jesus Christ? A model for genuine faith comes from out of the Upper Room the night Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. They weren’t comfortable with it, but Jesus explained, “You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:13-15) Jesus took on the role of a servant. Do you think of yourself as a servant of God? You should. It can’t be any more clear than what we find here. If I’m at odds in my spiritual life, if I feel out of rhythm with the Spirit of God and I don’t have any sense of peace, there are a couple places where I check my spiritual pulse; and servanthood is one of the first places. Am I serving the Lord by serving my wife, my children, or my parents? What about friends in the community and strangers in need? Let me suggest that serving or servanthood is actually the way to a full and satisfying life! I know, “more service” sounds like more work, more effort, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da... Who’s got time for that? But the irony is that in our serving, we are refreshed. In our giving, we receive. In our pardoning, we are pardoned. And it is in dying to self that we are born again with the power of Jesus Christ! Hear me well: I’m not saying you have to try harder to bring peace into your home. I’m just telling one-and-all that the benefits of our faith in Jesus Christ is the presence and the power of God alive in our hearts. So it’s just a matter of yielding or surrendering to do what you know to do as a follower of Jesus: Servanthood. Not because it will be “a feather in your cap,” or “a jewel in your crown,” but because when we yield to the Spirit of Christ we find His love, His joy, His peace empowering our soul and body! So live like Jesus in your homes, among your family; try it out...! — Pastor Kevin, 4-28-2020
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2022
Categories |
Steele Memorial United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 346 733 Shaw Street Barboursville, WV 25504 |
Email: church@steelememorial.com
304-736-4583 |