Sisters and Brothers,<\/p>\n
This month, we enter the season of Lent, time for deliberate reflection on our spirituality.
\nMoved by the example of Jesus Christ who gave a life of love and service and subsequently died to ensure our full participation in the new life he offers, we journey with God.<\/p>\n
If our desire is to follow Jesus closely, then we need to take a page from his book, so to speak. His guiding principle was to do God\u2019s will. We may say that being the Son of God, he knew fully what God\u2019s will was and that made it easy to follow. Not necessarily. Knowing makes clear what we must follow but it doesn\u2019t necessarily make following easier. We know that there were times when obedience was Jesus\u2019 challenge. If we review the events of his agony in Gethsemane, we recall him asking the Father to take away the cup of total self-sacrifice and suffering to completion and face ridicule, estrangement and death on the cross. It seemed, even to God\u2019s sinless Son, a difficult role to accomplish. Yet, totally yielded, he prayed, \u201cnot my will but yours be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
On our journey with God, sacrifice has its place. The benefits that accrue are not just for our improvement, but as in the case of Jesus, they yield benefits for others. Let us remember his commandment to love others, even those who may not love us. When we do, the scope of the benefits we may claim might just become clearer. Who knows which lives we influence positively as we sacrifice our money and other material gifts\u2019 or as we persist in prayer for others including those who do not belong to our inner circle? Or those whom we serve with our God given talents? The good that we do for God\u2019s sake always extends beyond us and into God\u2019s broader field.<\/p>\n
Even something such as deeper study of God\u2019s word, which may seem only to help us grow spiritually, yields benefits beyond ourselves. They help us to learn more of God\u2019s will for our lives and we cooperate more fully with God\u2019s Spirit who shapes us into more effective servants of God. Then we reach others better; we teach others better; we serve others better. We share God\u2019s love more. In God, a better a life is not just about us. It is about all God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
So, while I invite us to take the lent disciplines of Christian discipleship seriously, I cannot overemphasise this fact. When we as individuals draw closer to God and to doing God\u2019s will for our lives, others benefit. We follow Jesus who was God\u2019s great gift to us, and we in turn become God\u2019s gift to others- channels of grace, the benefits of which we are not fully aware.<\/p>\n
Let us, then, journey on with God- praying for ourselves and others, fasting and giving up senseless pleasures, reading, studying and teaching God\u2019s word- the Bible. As we do, God who has journeyed with us thus far, will keep us growing, finishing the work of salvation in us.<\/p>\n
O Lord our God, finish your new creation in us that we may be effective channels of your grace, for your glory\u2019s sake. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n Yours in God\u2019s service
\nJoan Delsol Meade,\u00a0<\/strong>Your Pastor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2037,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-2251","pastors_corner","type-pastors_corner","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollandmethodistchurch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pastors_corner\/2251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollandmethodistchurch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pastors_corner"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollandmethodistchurch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pastors_corner"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollandmethodistchurch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollandmethodistchurch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}