Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Personal stresses and societal forces pose challenges to use as we live our everyday lives as Christians. There are strong forces in society which tend to tempt us to act and react on the basis of principles and values which may not be consistent with our Christian faith.
The words of scripture can help us as we deal with the strong currents that might pull us off course.
Here are two that are often helpful to me. The first is from the prophet Micah (6:8): “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Whether dealing with a matter of personal relationship or considering complex social issues, I always find it helpful to return to these three basic ways of being – doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.
A second verse that I find helpful is from Paul’s letter to the Romans (15:13): “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
No matter how discouraged, distressed, or drained I may feel, I am uplifted by the reminder that I can live a life of hope because God is a God of hope and, in the words of the great hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
May you be filled with the joy and peace which comes from the God of hope.
Pastor Wayne Matthias-Long