From Your Pastor...
Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
Matthew 17:20 ‘He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”’
Hebrews 11:1 ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’
Ephesians 2:19-22 ‘So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; 21 in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.’
John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,
and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Are you practicing your mountain-moving faith skills? Where is God strengthening your faith? How is it contributing to your times of worship?
As we enter the Lent Season, it is a perfect time to focus on those questions. Yes, we do focus on a time of denial in some form or fashion because denial strengthens our reliance on God, but it is also a time of
renewal. We serve a Risen Savior!
So as you contemplate if you are 'giving up' something for Lent, maybe also, think about what we may 'add' to our becoming more Christlike on our journey.
Your pastor is very excited about Lent this year. That excitement has been steadily building since the end of the Advent Season and so I am entering Lent with openness and anticipation! And I truly feel that our focus on Worship, in its many forms, is revealing next steps in our walk with God, as well as transformation into all He plans for the Body through us.
Blessings, Pastor Linda
