Dear Friends,
Rooted in Love, Grounded in Grace, Growing for God
As we enter the fourth month of the new year, we need to remind ourselves of words that affirm. There can be many places where we read or have heard words that pain our heart. So it is very important for us to hear and listen to words that affirm great spiritual truths.
One of the greatest statements that I have ever heard, we celebrate at this time of the year-“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.” (Luke 24:6) Or how about this statement of life, “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were…Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (John 20: 19-20).
Or how about the affirmation found in these words, “When this perishable body puts on imperishability and this mortal body puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is your victory? 0 death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:54-58)
Please also note that God has not only opened heaven for those who believe but also has spoken about your value. In Psalm 139, God shared this thought about you, “You are fear fully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works.” In the words of Jesus, “For God so loved you that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, personalized)
May we realize that we are given words to affirm us so that we can demonstrate the great power of love of God. When we embrace these do this, we demonstrate that we are grounded in grace, living in love and growing for God here at St. Andrew.
Your faithful servant,
Pastor Mark