Hello Church Family,
I hope that you are having a great Monday as we start another hot week here at the end of July. I wanted to begin by thanking our student ministry leaders for taking our 7th-12th graders last week to camp. The reports from the teens were of a life-changing week and one that they never forget. I know that you will join with me in thanking Pastor Brian and his team for their investment.
I wanted to share just a brief thought with you today as I felt God impressing tis on my heart. I turned on the 11 PM news the other night and the first five minutes of the broadcast was nothing but coronavirus coverage. Those five minutes would cause anyone to fear. It made me want to find a remote location in the woods out west somewhere, move the family to an isolated cabin, and not come in contact with anyone for the next five years. It does not take long to see why people are reacting the way they are when a person hears the doom and gloom that the news media is spreading. As I turned off this “joy” and thought about what to share at our summer camp parents meeting, God gave me this verse. 2 Timothy 1:7:
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
This is a simple verse, but has such a powerful message. I think that we forget sometimes that we serve a God who has everything in His control. He was not surprised by the coronavirus or the George Floyd death and He knows of the future troubles that we will face. I love what the next line of the verse after fear says; it tells us that God has given us a spirit of power and love. Think about that, a spirit of power. We should live our lives everyday knowing that our God has won the ultimate victory and He alone is the cure for what is wrong with our society. If we would love like He commands us to, we would have no racism or racial unrest and our world would be different place. Unfortunately, we are all sinners and Satan uses things like fear and hate to keep us living timid lives. So today, when you turn on the news (maybe just turn on an old episode of Any Griffith instead) remember our God is in control and with His spirit in us.
Today, live your day with a spirit of power and love.
Have a great week!
Mike Summy
Children's Pastor