From the Pastor's Pen

Pastor Sally’s Devotional 3/22

| March 22, 2021

Dear friends,

 

I like a good list.  I started this Monday morning with a flurry of details in my brain that were weighing me down.  This reopening business is not a walk in the park especially when one is trying to be careful with the health of beloved others.  There is a lot to do!

 

So the first thing I did was to make a list.  I checked over my previous lists, notes from recent meetings and emails and compiled a long list.  Now all I had to do was work through all of the items on my list.  I started to feel a little better.  As of late in this afternoon I have struck seven items off my list and I am feeling almost relaxed!  I like a good list.

 

I wish growing up in Christ was as simple as making a list.  Paul has a list of sorts in Romans 5: 3 – 5.  He writes, “We have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us.  (New Century Version)  It would appear Paul has an ordered list here.

1. Troubles produces

2. patience which produces

3. character which produces

4. Hope!

The only trouble with this list, however, is the list seems to repeat itself often.  Even if we make it from trouble to patience to character to hope… it seems troubles come back around frequently and sends us through the list again.  I guess it’s just hard to get a place where we can cross off patience, character and hope as completed learnings.  I know I get to relearn all of these frequently! Paul reminds us however that God’s love which God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit sustains us as we continue to grow up in Christ into maturity.

 

Be of good courage.  God isn’t finished with us yet!

Peace,

Pr. Sally

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