Message from the Pastor's Desk

Read Galatians 5: 16-26

Recently, I've been reading a booklet entitled: "God's Abiding Presence". The book was written by a number of contributors. These daily devotional readings have been an encouragement to me. They are an important reminder that, regardless of where I am, what I am involved with, or whatever may be occurring in the world, our strength as Christians, our peace and joy is found in "God's Abiding Presence". Remember Jesus words: "And surely I am with you always, even to the close of the age" (Matthew 28: 20b).

In one of the devotionals the writer poses a series of questions, such as, "Am I serving Christ or am I expecting Christ to serve me? Do I "practice" the presence of God in my life by trusting Him each day? When life is hard, do I grumble and complain and begin thinking, "God surely has abandoned me?" One author suggests we imagine Jesus walking beside us each day. Then, asks the author, "If, after being with you for an extended period of time, Jesus, were to "post a list" of those who have served Him well, would your name appear on the list or would it be missing?

I'm sure, if Jesus were physically present among us, walking by our side each moment of the day, His physical presence would surely motivate us to live and do as much as we could to please Him. We'd probably be more conscious of the things we say. We'd want to "put our best foot forward" in the hope of winning his approval. We'd probably devote more time to prayer, reading God's Word and being engaged in ministry for Christ. How might Jesus physical presence affect how you live today? Would His presence cause you to make changes in your life?

Of course, our Lord Jesus is no longer physically present with us, but He is with us spiritually through the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. (John 14: 15-18). Jesus is present with us even though we cannot see Him bodily standing in front of us. He is always with us; always watching our actions and listening to our words. Again, if He posted a list of those who serve Him well, would your name appear on the list?

Paul tells us in Galatians 5: "So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature... I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Good advice, as those who seek to honor the Lord. Let us, "keep in step with the Spirit". The Lord bless.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor George Kaden