Let Go. Let God. Live it. Love. You're looking good!

     Whew!  16 degrees up in the country!  It is winter, you know.  I have a warm fire burning in the Buck Stove and we’re counting the days until spring.  No problem.  God has everything under control.

     This past Sunday we had a great day at the Enola Church of Christ with 138 members and guests meeting together for study, worship, and good Christian fellowship.  We are so very thankful for our eldership and their wives and families, our five hard-working deacons and their wives and families, and for every member of the church of Christ at Enola both young and older.  We still have a few out sick with various illnesses and such, but all in all those who have had the flu virus are improving.  God is blessing us with so many rich blessings and we are so very thankful.  As our brother Patrick always says, “We are so thankful for the kind and warm fellowship we enjoy at Enola.”

     This past Sunday we consider the third lesson in our series “The Pathway to Peace.”  We have an enemy.  He is Satan, the devil.  The apostle Peter wrote about him being like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Jesus called him a thief in John 10 and said that all he wants to do is steal, kill, and destroy.  Jesus came to bring and give life, the abundant life.  This enemy, the devil and his minions make it their aim to fill every human being with sin, fear, regret, and worry.  We must LET GO of these things and then LET GOD fill us with salvation in the Son, faith, hope, and love.  After we LET GO and LET GOD, we must live like we have let go and let God.  Too many Christians talk about being saved but think, speak, and act like those who have never known Jesus Christ.  Too many Christians say they have come to believe and know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, but then live as though they believed in nothing.  Too many Christians talk about hope, but live their lives without hope.  Too many Christians read about love, talk about love, sing about love, and say “I love you,” but when it comes to actually living a life of love, well, Jesus said in John 14:15; “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”  Doesn’t love demand forgiveness?  Doesn’t love demand patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and the other fruits of the Spirit?  You know the answer to these questions.  Solomon said that the “whole duty of man” is to love God and keep His commandments.  He said that this was man’s all.  In the same way, if we are saved, then we need to live like we are.  If we have faith, then let’s show it at work, at school, at home, at church, everywhere.  If we have hope in God through Christ Jesus, then shouldn’t the world, at least those who know us see this in our daily lives?  If we realize the love of God, then shouldn’t we love one another?

     This Sunday, we would love to see you at the Enola Church of Christ, 253 Highway 107 North.  We will look at the concluding lesson in our January series, a lesson on LOVE.  If you would like to read ahead, read 1 Corinthians 13.  We’ll ask ourselves the question, “Do I love?”  Love is...Love is not and does not…  It is my prayer that every member will be present and that the house of the Lord will be full.

     Take care of yourself.  Pray more.  Pray every day for our world, the country we live in, for your fellow employees where you work, for your fellow students, for your family and friends, for your enemies, and for yourself.  Pray matters because God matters.  He hears and answers every prayer according to His will and purpose.