One of the many saying I find myself repeating in 2021 is, “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.” Many times, in the past, there was a constant worry about several things. Often, I had no control over them. This behavior became an everyday occurrence. It wasn’t healthy and I knew there was a way to overcome these worries. Every Christian has the same escape plan-Jesus.

Fear is such a driving factor of people wanting to cross bridges. Merriam-Webster defines fear as an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. The Bible teaches us to have peace and fear is contrary to that teaching. In Timothy, it states we have a spirit of power and love, not fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control

Humans are creatures of habit. We often practice behaviors because of the way they make us feel. Therefore, one would say these actions developed over time. They have become a way of life. Paul says not to be anxious about anything.

When we worry, it shows us that we are not trusting God. Yet, our future is in God’s hands. Knowing this fact should provide us comfort. Therefore, Jesus commanded us not to worry. The books of Matthew and Hebrews point this out for us.

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Hebrew 11:6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

We will all have to cross bridges; it is inevitable. Is it not wonderful to know, we don’t have to cross them alone?

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11

Have you ever noticed this verse tucked away in one of Paul’s long, complicated chapters?  Paul’s writing is full of wonderful truths, but sometimes it is hard to keep up with him.  For a moment, consider this one verse.  I boil it down to one thing, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me.

If that is true, so many other things are also true.  Here are just a few:

· There is no limit to what God can do through a Christian.

· The deposit that guarantees our inheritance makes heaven a sure thing.

· The comfort available to a Christian has no limit.

· Satan couldn’t keep Jesus in the grave, so what chance does he have against us.

· Living in a manner worthy of this deposit requires committing our full mind, body, and spirit.

So much hope is wrapped up in just this one verse!  Let this thought roll around in your mind this week. I bet you will find some other amazing truths.

This morning I rushed to the office for a new client – no time for coffee with Douwene or even breakfast. Instead, I grabbed a banana and rushed off to prepare for the appointment. However, two minutes after the session should have started, I received a text with an excuse. For times like these, Paul the Apostle encourages us to “bear with one another”.

The Philippi church of Christ had two leading ladies who were constantly at odds with each other (Euodia and Syntyche – Phil.4:1-3). To help them get along Paul advised “in HUMILITY count others MORE SIGNIFICANT than yourselves” (Phil.2:3b).

The point Paul is pressing is, if I think of myself more highly than I ought, I will easily feel offended and may become bitter. But, just to be safe, Paul instructs us to consider others as more significant. That means, their time needs to be more valuable than mine. In fact, I should feel extremely honored that they have chosen to potentially grace my presence.

Paul further fleshes out this “bearing with one another” in his letter to the Ephesians: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all HUMILITY AND GENTLENESS, WITH PATIENCE, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV).

Paul is urging us to bear with one another as we walk in a worthy way. That is, to maintain the unity of Spirit in the bond of peace via three beacons.

First, humility. I am sure, as a prisoner, Paul was existing at the beck and call of others. All his freedom, rights, and privileges were gone. He was always the least important person in the room. It is hard to be arrogant or proud in a dehumanizing dungeon.

Secondly, gentleness. A gentle individual is soft spoken. Like a velvet glove they will tell you the truth – but do it kindly.

And, finally, patience. I keep reminding myself – only weeds grow fast. Our instant gratification world makes for an impatient mindset.

Friend, are you humbly, gently, and patiently bearing with one another?

I spent last weekend with my family in Mt. Sterling. My wife and I both love spending time with our family for several reasons. First, they are an encouragement to us socially and spiritually. We can talk to my parents about anything without fear of judgment. We can eat, pray, and play with them. We feel valued and loved by just being together. When my parents are busy, we can go over to my cousin’s farm (who feels more like a sister) to visit with her and her children, talk about God, family and life all while feeling heard and valued.

As I reflect on the joy that my wife and I feel every time we visit my parents, I also think how this is just a microcosm of God’s ideal for his heavenly family. He wants us to love one another (1 John 4:7), make sure we are taking care of each other’s needs even to the point of our own self-detriment (3:16). We are to greet one another affectionately (2 Cor 13:12) and to look out for each other’s interests (Phil 2:4). We should regard other Christians as our blood relatives. Whenever he was told that his mother and brothers were looking for him Jesus said, “whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35; NASB).

This means we should constantly be in one another’s lives. It means we should eat together, pray together, and play together. When someone becomes a new Christian, or a brother or sister places membership at Summit, we ought to make them feel like they are a part of a divine family. They ought to be valued and loved just as though they were our own son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, or father. While every family has its fights, Jesus is more important than any dispute and unites us back together only to be closer than ever. It is my prayer that our multi-ethnic family will grow to be what God intended it to be.

Have you stopped coming to worship services due to “pandemic drift”? It’s like what happens when you are swimming in the ocean and the waves and current are pushing you around. You may not realize it, but you are slowly moving down the beach and drifting away from where you first started. Fortunately, the COVID pandemic has made it easier for us to watch worship services online, but unfortunately, at times, the Christian life can often be like swimming in the ocean.

As Christians, we typically start on the right path and have a strong desire to serve and worship God, but some realize that their Christian lifestyle may be going against the current of the culture around them. They begin to question their faith, are rarely reading the Bible, and next thing you know it has been a couple weeks since they have attended church.

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another toward love and good deeds, ²⁵not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”.

As members of the Church of Christ we believe strongly in the practice of coming together to worship the first day of each week. We gather
together to not only sing songs of praise, to hear the Word preached and to take communion together, but to fellowship with other believers and to strengthen one another in the Lord.

Attending church weekly is a vital part of our Christian walk, but our worship to God should not just be at 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings. Worship should also come through in our thoughts, our actions and through the words we speak.

As you go throughout this week, realize that you are either going to align with the culture around you or with Christ. If you are not intentional about staying aligned with Christ, you will drift further away from the life He wants for you. Come to church to be encouraged and to be an encouragement to others especially “all the more as you see the Day approaching”.

Two weeks ago, an ophthalmologist told me I had a toilet that was backing up behind my right eye. That was his humorous way of saying I had developed a blood clot. He explained that I had blood flowing to the eye but not flowing out.

Similarly, in life, we can have too much ego flowing into our heart – resulting in an over inflated opinion of ourselves (narcissistic personality disorder). Living in a world that you believe was created to serve you is going to cause you to lack empathy for your fellow man. You might also need constant admiration.

If this is describing you, you may have noticed that trouble seems to follow you. So, what is the solution?

To fix my eye problem I now have a retina specialist that is going to dissolve the liquid in that eye. Our spiritual specialist, Paul, gives the following treatment for those with “I Trouble”: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up (Romans 15:1–2).

“Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecc. 1:2). We are not special, and neither is our work, our accomplishments, nor our acquired knowledge, wealth, and experiences. You can spend your whole life working for a company and once you retire, some new kid replaces you and they give you your gold watch and forget you existed. You can spend your whole life acquiring knowledge and wisdom, but it only leads to frustration because you can only know one trillionth of what is knowable. Even what is known can be taken away from you by a degenerative disease like dementia and everyone’s knowledge will ultimately be pointless once they are dead.

Pursuing pleasure, wealth, and fame is also a huge waste of time. Not only are all of these things fickle and can be taken away from us at any moment, but they also will certainly be taken away from us after we die. Even if we try to amass wealth and build a legacy for our churches during our lifetime, after we die everyone could forsake the church and all the work we did during our lifetime. Although our names may be engraved on a little plaque on the pew, nobody will have a clue who we are because our memory is long forgotten. No congregation from the New Testament has survived to the present. They either died altogether or committed apostasy. We would be foolish to think that we will be more successful than the apostles.

We should spend our time living in the moment rather than being so caught up in achieving goals. Instead of working so hard on a project that will ultimately be meaningless, take time to enjoy your spouse, your kids, and your friends. Share your meals with random people. Eat, drink, and be merry. Dress in your favorite clothes. Listen to your favorite record, album, or playlist. Enjoy working hard and learning for its own sake rather than just a means to an end. Ultimately, do not take yourself or your significance too seriously. Rather focus on fearing God and keep his commandments, because this is the entirety of our existence (Ecc.. 12:13).

In my daily Bible reading I came across this Psalm of praise from David.  When I read this, I believe we can all get some encouragement from this Psalm.

         1) I will praise you, my God and King, and I will bless thy name forever and ever.

         2) Everyday will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name forever and ever.

3) Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

I love the outdoors.  Spring and fall are my favorite times of the year.  In the spring the trees and flowers are in rebirth, and new life is all around as the drab winter gives way to color.  The changing seasons is a reminder of God’s greatness and his power.  Do we see God all around us?  Do we praise him like we should? 

8) The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Wow!!! That is a powerful verse.  Do we need compassion? Do we need his great mercy?  Do we want a God who is able look past our shortcomings?  Do we appreciate a God who forgives us even when we don’t deserve or earn that forgiveness?

9) The Lord is good to all.

Aren’t you glad you serve a God who is good to all? He sees beyond our faults and loves us.

13) Thy kingdom is everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

Be thankful we are part of a Church that will last forever!

18) The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him.

Remember to draw close to God and he will draw close to you!

19) He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him, and he will also hear their cry, and will save them.

20) The Lord preserveth all them that love him.

Brothers and Sisters the Lord is a powerful God. We see God all around us, in the beautiful sky, the blooming trees, and the songs of the birds in the morning. We are recipients of His mercy and forgiveness.  Thank him today and share his love with others.

Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not and neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are you not much better than them?

Yes, We are!!!

that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man….Ephesians 4:22

We recently attended a wedding celebration for a good friend.  A wedding is always an exciting, new beginning.  However, due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, the actual wedding had taken place 51 weeks prior.  So, we celebrated with the young couple a renewal of their vows and another ‘new beginning’. 

We often long for things to be different.  So often there are things we want to put behind us and create new beginnings: old schools, old friends, old jobs, old habits, old behaviors, and on and on. We want the future to be different.  We look ahead to sometime down the road and long for a change but how do we get there? 

We may never get a second chance to make a first impression but as long as we are alive, we always have a chance to make a fresh start.  If we want things to be different 5 years from now, or 1 year from now, or even 100 days from now, then tomorrow needs to be different and we need to start today with the next right choice.  We make a new beginning with each different choice and each different action.  “Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” Isaiah 28:10

You can choose to start on the 1^st day of the month, the 1^st day of the week, the 1^st day of the quarter, or tomorrow.  There is no better time to make a new beginning than today.

As we emerge from a pandemic-induced, quarantined, year of pause, what new beginnings do you need to make?  Start today!