I write this on the second day of spring, the second day of what is known as Holy Week, and the day after a wonderful Palm Sunday service. During the service a powerful prophetic exhortation was shared. The word contained encouragement and correction, and certainly there was more than one application, but the takeaway for me was this: The Lord is always with us, so there’s never an excuse for not doing what He has called us to do.
Often we need the reminder that He has promised to be with us always, to never leave or forsake us, because we are fearful, or feeling lonely or inadequate. But sometimes we need the reminder that He is always with us to shake us out of our complacency. Even good soldiers act differently when the commander is in the area, and our commander is always in the area.
This was followed by a testimony from a brother who shared that he has learned from experience that deciding to do something is not enough. You need a plan of how to follow through with that decision. AND, you need to follow the plan. In this particular testimony, the decision and plan had to do with daily bible reading, and included an accountability system of inviting others to ask him what he’d read.
I want you to know that I was encouraged and challenged by both of these words, and I know that many of you were, too. If we are not careful, though, we can squander an important moment. If all we do after a service like that is acknowledge that it was, indeed, a powerful service, if we fail to make any adjustments to our lives in response to the words that came forth, well, that’s on us, isn’t it? It’s a subject we address often, especially during this “year of others”: the body grows and flourishes because of what each member contributes to it. The stronger the individual body parts, the stronger the body.
And the stronger and more stable the body, the more we can accomplish in the community and world at large. There is a lot at stake here, church! I believe God has great plans for LWFC and those plans go far beyond merely blessing the members of LWFC. He has commanded, commissioned us, to preach the gospel to everyone. If the job looks too big, it’s because we forget that He is always with us. Let’s commit to running with endurance the race that is set before us, ever mindful that the One who commands us is the One who empowers us.
By the time you read this, we will have celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let that serve as a reminder that there is no limit to His power!
With You In Christ,
