Howdy Baysiders! Hope you all are enjoying this Christmas Season and being a blessing to others.
As the year closes and a new one approaches, I am reminded of God’s immutability. This is a fancy word theologians toss around to describe God’s impossible unchanging ways and character throughout time. No matter what, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more (Heb 13:8)! The year might change but God remains the same forever and ever. We all can count on God’s love, mercy, power, strength and wisdom when we are changing and unstable. We must not fear change because its part of life and most of the time God is the provoker of the change we face. God loves us too much to leave the same way he found us. Change opens the door to our purpose and God has given us the power to change the world around us through the power of the gospel. Life can be so overwhelming with every day obstacles and challenges that can make us feel small, weak, and insignificant. However, one of the most extraordinary realities about God is that He chooses to use you and I! And for God to do so, change is needed. Change in our immature behavior, change in our incorrect views, change in our old outdated knowledge and change in our how we speak. God is for all change in our life because it’s by change we become more like Jesus. You want a new life? New diet? New marriage? New church? New career? New friends? Then change must occur and you must be open to change. We have the responsibility to be the change in each of our desires. And God ready to provide us the grace to do so.
Change is not easy, but the truth is life never gets better until there is change. Sadly, we often do not like the process that it takes to get us where we need to be. The good news is that when we pray “God change me,” He will! But it takes time and it is done in His way. You will need the courage to change and the willingness to do it God’s way, not your own. It is not easy to embrace change, but there is no way you’ll live the life God created you for without it. Allow God’s love to be your power, will, and inspiration because they are greater than anything on earth. Paul knew this, “…In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:37-38). Paul experienced big change in his life when he became a Christian and more so afterwards yet it was all part of God’s master plan for his life and he was victorious from it all. Exchange fear with faith and walk in confidence of the God you serve in your changes of life.
We had a wonderful time at Atria as we sang Christmas songs to the patients and read the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke. My favorite part was seeming some of the listeners sing along with us. Thank you all who participated in this event! This coming Sunday Dec 22nd we are having a Christmas party with an ornament gift exchange and an ugly sweater contest! Please join the holiday festival as we eat great food, fellowship, drink hot coco, egg nog and listen to classic Christmas songs. Mark your calendar for the next Church Cleaning day where we will be taking down the Christmas decorations on Jan 5th after lunch. Next Family Meeting will be on Jan 12th and lastly our Sister Sara is getting baptized on Sunday Jan 26th, so join the celebration by attending the service and lunch afterward.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Aaron ?:^)