Pastor's Corner: A church family
As Christians we have before us the gift of salvation and the promise of one day seeing first hand our God.
But along the way the life we are called to live may, for some, find it hard and full of pitfalls and challenges which they are not able to handle on their own. This happens when we try to go it alone and when we for one reason or another get our eyes off God. When He no longer holds that first priority in our life. It’s God who gives us the ability to handle those times, especially the really tough ones. In Psalms 94: 22 it says, “the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”
When we get our eyes off God and expect to handle the situations we face on our own, life begins to become rather hard and challenging. On our own, life can become discouraging and often it may become depressing. God in his great wisdom calls us to gather in the company of others. As we come together to enjoy worshipping as one, we have the support of each other and in the challenge of facing life we find support. When we realize God will never leave us nor forsake us, we gain encouragement. The Bible is clear that the body, the church, is made up of many parts. Every part is very important to the whole, not one being more important than the others. In Colossians 3:12 we are reminded, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
I learned a principle when I used to work on the farm, when young. A greater part of my time was spent in the fields weeding the long, very long rows of vegetables. Yes, it was a truck garden and the rows seemed endless. When I was out in the field by myself and faced with the challenge of weeding those long rows the job seemed overwhelming. I always knew the goal, to get to the other end and then start over on another row. It seemed like it would never end especially if I kept focusing on the end of the row. But what I learned was to keep my head down and just focus on the little accomplishments in front of me then, the job, seemed to get over quicker. One other thing that made the job much better was when there were others helping with the task. This principle when applied in the church makes what might seem hard or impossible on our own much easier. And when we understand God is already doing the hard part and even is supporting what we do, we can be more at peace in our own life and the life of the church.
It's true, God will never leave us nor forsake us. And with Jesus being the head of the church we are on the winning side already. The free gift of salvation, open to all that believe, brings not only comfort but victory over any challenge that life may bring. And with the support of each other God has provided us with the support and guidance that we need to be able to face the challenges of life. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ, rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”
I hope that all who read this will have found the peace and support of belonging to a church family. And if not, maybe you might try to find one to experience the joy of belonging.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Pastor's Corner: A church family
