Dear Pastor,
I want to take a moment and share some encouraging words with you. As people living in 21st century America we know that the world is filled with all manner of difficulty. As disciples of Jesus Christ we know that helping people to fall in love with Jesus and become fully devoted followers of Him is really hard. As leaders in God’s church we know that helping a voluntary group of diverse people find unity, work together on a common purpose and discover how to be the body of Christ is seemingly impossible. And yet I want to share a couple of things with you.
1. God has said that He is the One who started the church, owns the church, is head of the church and will build the church. He is doing it! We can bank on it and we can look around for His handiwork and give Him praise.
2. We know that with God nothing is impossible. Laying down our lives for others can be done with and by His Spirit within. Remembering the forgotten, giving grace to all and sharing love with people different than us is possible because Christ is within us. Remember that not only is your Christian life possible by the Spirit but so is the role He has called you to as a shepherd of His people.
3. God has hope for you and for me. It says so in the Bible. In Colossians 1:5 the apostle Paul lets us know that God has prepared, set aside and stored up hope for us in heavenly places. All we have to do is come to God, believe that He is willing and ready to give us of His hope and then ask Him for it. He will show us what we must do and He will dispense hope into our hearts.
Please remember these three things this week. God truly is building His church, nothing is impossible with God and God has hope set aside just for you and me. Please remember this week as God-called and God-ordained shepherds of His people, what you and I do is not in vain and is not impossible. Let us press on in Jesus’ name and in the hope (certainty!) that He has given us. Let us love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. This truly is kingdom truth and kingdom living!
Christ is with us, Christ is in us!
Mike J
Pastor Michael Johnson 