Like impatient and ungrateful children they complained the whole way. First, when they observe the oncoming army of Pharaoh chasing them they say, “What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?  It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus 14:11-12) When they came to a water source that was too bitter to drink: …the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (Exodus 15:24) When food became scarce they grumbled “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:3) 

Genesis 12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2  “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a] 3  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

One of the first road trips in the Bible is the call of God to Abram to leave his homeland and head to the Promised Land. Abram was wealthy and comfortable in his home. But there was one thing he lacked-a family. God gave him a choice-stay and be safe or go and be fruitful. It’s amazing to me not only that God persuaded Abram but that Abram was able to get his wife, Sara, to go along based on such an impossible promise. 

Jesus didn’t assemble his students in a classroom or synagogue. Jesus’ way of teaching was to take his disciples on a road trip. With the simple but powerful words, “Come, follow me,” he invited fisherman and tax collectors to hit the road where they would see him bring his message to life at every twist and turn. The road is filled with the joy of being with the Savior and the challenge of carrying our own crosses. We will face uphill challenges and behold beautiful sunrises. We will grow closer to him and to each other and to our neighbors. We will have unbelievable adventures and reach an unimaginable destination. But only if we accept the invitation. Wherever he is inviting you to go-don’t hesitate. 

One day, after some disciples had drifted away he asked the remaining ones the following question: John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

The biggest question I have is what got him up from that chair? I guess a better question would be what gets you up from yours? A lot of times in our faith it can feel tiring in always giving and never receiving, loving difficult people, or just feeling alone like you hit a spiritual wall. Whatever it is, I believe God allows these seasons for a reason because it reminds us to rely on His grace, not just our own strength.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”** So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” – John 7:37-38

A lot of times we find ourselves doing more for God than our relationship with Him can withstand. In life, we can only run for so long until our legs give out and we cannot run anymore. However, God amazes us by giving us the power of His Spirit of endurance to continue.

When you feel like you can’t go on, remember that it’s not just your strength that you rely on. Just as David Goggins pushed through unimaginable physical limits, we too can push through our spiritual and emotional limits by relying on God’s grace. His power is made perfect in our weakness, and His living water will sustain us when we feel like we can’t take another step.

So, what gets you up from your chair? Let it be the grace and power of God working through you, reminding you that you are never alone and that His strength is sufficient for every challenge you face. However, keep drinking from the source through reading and living out scripture, prayer, solitude, service, and fellowship. Otherwise you will become spiritually dehydrated and good for nothing. 

Pastor Chance

But through the swipes, taps, and clicks, these companies want your time. I’m not going to tell you to put it down and be present with those God has placed around you, that’s obvious. However, I encourage you to spend your time on it wisely. If you’re consuming mindless or explicit content, it will shape your thoughts, emotions, and overall behavior, which Jesus desires to transform for the better.

Jesus says in Luke 11:34-36, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

Romans 6:5-7 reads:

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”

Have you heard the saying birds of a feather flock together? There was a similar saying my mother would tell me in Spanish, that went “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.” This is the social proximity effect; this is a principle of how we tend to become like the people we spend the most time with.  We see this in high school, college and even in the workplace and our social groups. We can be defined by the people we chose to surround ourselves with. Sometimes this can determine our trajectory and how we are perceived by others. This could work in our favor or against us.  

As Paul writes this passage of scripture the word that stuck out to me was the fact that we have been UNITED with Christ. We are united with Christ in death, united with him in his resurrection. We died with Him on the cross, our old sinful man was crucified along with Christ. On the third day we also were resurrected with him in newness of life.  All of this is due to our proximity to Christ, we benefit from being united with him. This has freed us from the bondage of sin and death. Our faith in Christ signifies our union with Him in both His death and His resurrection. Just as Christ died and rose again, we too have died to our old sinful selves and have been given new life. This new life is characterized by freedom and righteousness. I would venture to say the proximity we have to Christ is directly proportional to the amount of the “resurrected life” we get to experience.  

What is your proximity to Christ? Are you spending time with Him, in prayer, in meditation, in reading your word? How about those you surround yourself with – are they bringing you closer to Jesus or further away from him?  My prayer is that you would experience the social proximity effect of spending so much time with Jesus that you would be mistaken for being one of his followers just by how you live your life. As a quote that is attributed to St. Francis says, “preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary, use words.” Let your life and proximity to Jesus sanctify you in such a way that the manner in which you live your life would proclaim the Gospel as loudly as you preaching it.  

Remember Jesus loves you and so do I,

Pastor Will

Romans 6:5-7 reads:
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”

Have you heard the saying birds of a feather flock together? There was a similar saying my mother would tell me in Spanish, that went “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.” This is the social proximity effect; this is a principle of how we tend to become like the people we spend the most time with.  We see this in high school, college and even in the workplace and our social groups. We can be defined by the people we chose to surround ourselves with. Sometimes this can determine our trajectory and how we are perceived by others. This could work in our favor or against us.  

As Paul writes this passage of scripture the word that stuck out to me was the fact that we have been UNITED with Christ. We are united with Christ in death, united with him in his resurrection. We died with Him on the cross, our old sinful man was crucified along with Christ. On the third day we also were resurrected with him in newness of life.  All of this is due to our proximity to Christ, we benefit from being united with him. This has freed us from the bondage of sin and death. Our faith in Christ signifies our union with Him in both His death and His resurrection. Just as Christ died and rose again, we too have died to our old sinful selves and have been given new life. This new life is characterized by freedom and righteousness. I would venture to say the proximity we have to Christ is directly proportional to the amount of the “resurrected life” we get to experience.  

What is your proximity to Christ? Are you spending time with Him, in prayer, in meditation, in reading your word? How about those you surround yourself with – are they bringing you closer to Jesus or further away from him?  My prayer is that you would experience the social proximity effect of spending so much time with Jesus that you would be mistaken for being one of his followers just by how you live your life. As a quote that is attributed to St. Francis says, “preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary, use words.” Let your life and proximity to Jesus sanctify you in such a way that the manner in which you live your life would proclaim the Gospel as loudly as you preaching it.  

Remember Jesus loves you and so do I,

Pastor Will