Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
As Christians we are “called” to live a life that honors God and reflects our new identity as Christ followers. In July, I’ll be entering my ninth year as your pastor and we have celebrated many milestones together. Over the years, we have seen hundreds of children attend our annual summer VBS program, with many of them accepting Christ into their hearts. We have celebrated the lives of many dear saints who have gone home to be with the Lord. We’ve celebrated Christian marriages that have begun by asking for God’s blessing of their union in our sanctuary. We have seen our missions program grow in our local and global efforts to help people know Jesus, just to name a few.
We are one body and we must strive to stay one body as pressures all around us work to divide us and take us off the path of our mission: To share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone in Clewiston and beyond for the transformation of the world. This was no different in Jesus’ day. Sadducees and Pharisees (focused on Jewish law) were more focused on keeping their power and authority than kneeling before the Son of God.
Please friends, take into your heart the beautiful words in Verse 2 above: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” If we can live out this verse, we will glorify God and continue to see our ministry here at “the Methodist Church in Clewiston” grow and prosper as we follow the call of Christ.
Margaret and I are blessed to serve you and the sweetest community in The World!
God bless you and keep you,
God bless you and keep you,
Pastor Jeff