Faith

In Remembrance

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For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you; that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread and when He had given thanks He broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.                                           1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV

That night when Jesus sat down for the last supper it seemed that just about everything was going wrong. Judas had gone to the high priest to betray him. The Sanhedrin had decided to have Jesus put to death. The other eleven disciples were spending part of their time at the table arguing over which one of them was the most important. But in the presence of so much going wrong the Bible tells us that on that night when he was betrayed Jesus blessed and shared the bread and then the cup. Not one single detail of His plan was stopped.

In some ways this scene reminds me of what we are passing through now with the Corona virus snatching away from us innocent lives. And in the middle of our own time of testing if we look to the Lord and remember we will find a promise of a rejoicing in faith; hope in the face of any sufferings and most of all the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord even in the shadow of the cross.

KIMG0025

For those wishing to share in an online service that includes communion I invite you to join us today at 9 Am 11 AM and 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. We are Generations Christian Church of Trinity Florida and whether you live in our community of not we would be delighted to have you join us! You can either just click on the link below or look for us online at Generationscc.com  – God bless and have a wonderful Lord’s Day!

Generations Live Worship

The Last Puzzle Piece

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But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  Acts 20:24 ESV

Over the first few weeks of our lockdown my wife and I spent several days putting together a 500 piece puzzle. It was one of the hardest  we had ever done because of the weird shapes of the pieces. Finally after 6 days it seemed as if we we were about to complete it when we sadly realized that it was missing 2 pieces! Looking back I can laugh but it reminds me that my life also has some missing pieces – like the answers to questions “Am I doing what God wants me to do?” and “What am I doing about that today?”

For each of us the answers are as different as the parts of our puzzle. Paul’s great way of answering that question for himself was rooted in his both faith and his determination to accomplish what God had called for him to do. Paul chose to leave behind his privileged life and no matter the cost take the journey God had chosen for him. The key to Paul’s clear thinking was that no one’s opinion mattered except the Lord’s. Now of course very few of us are called to leadership like Paul was, but all of us are shaped by God for our own moment in history. Our most important conversation today must be with Him. The good news for all of us is that He has promised to show us the way and how to fit the final pieces into our own life’s puzzle!

assorted puzzle game

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

 

Never Alone!

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My featured image today of a  car in our neighborhood stands as a stark reminder of how separated and isolated many of us are. One of the things that has helped us through this time of isolation has been a Christian film production called The Chosen. While this post is not meant as a review of that series I have found particular comfort from the verse from Isaiah which is featured in the first episode because if talks about an issue that I battle with called fear. The story in that episode imagines the life of Mary Magdalene before she met Jesus. It helps us realize that just as Jesus knew about Mary’s s inner struggles, God also knows us as we really are deep below the surface of what others see. He doesn’t deny our doubts and weaknesses but instead He invites us to find in Him the answer.

Have you noticed lately that on every television channel are commercials, public service announcements and personal messages telling us that we don’t need to be afraid because we are all in this together? While I confess that I love these and they encourage me but their message is only partially true. Sure there are folks doing wonderful things every day to help people; but there are also still drug overdoses, violent crimes and even sadly a growing number of Corona virus money scams. If we are looking for real courage that is more than bravado we need a source higher than ourselves, our neighbors, family or doctors. We need the unfailing love of Jesus Christ. When we struggle with our fear of death, God reminds us that it was He who gave us life. When we face our deepest failures and sins Jesus shows us His hands and says, “I have redeemed you.” When no one knocks on our door and we are alone Jesus calls us by name. And because He has called us His own we can refuse every fear. We can belong to an eternal God and He is offering right now to make us a part of His family. When we simply turn around and answer His call then truly and forever we will never be alone!

 

By the way here is the link for episode One if you would like to begin to see this wonderful series.