June, 2014
Dear Friends in Christ:
Summer is upon us…or so we hope. It’s a time for vacations, family get-togethers, weddings and cook-outs! It’s my favorite season of the year. As most of you know, I recently served as Spiritual Director at the Walk to Emmaus Men’s Retreat. Let me say, it was simply amazing. Seeing God at work in the hearts and lives of these men was truly a joy. It was truly a time to have one’s soul restored.
I returned refreshed, renewed and yes…a little tired, but brimming with thanksgiving at the goodness of God and His power to change lives. My thanks to the church Ad Councils which approved me to attend this At the Emmaus Walk, there was constant food and snacks of goodies for the participants to divulge in. I remember last year when I went, I had a hard time resisting all of this food, so I was determined this year to not give in as much. I succeeded. In fact, I came back having lost ½ pound! Woo Hoo! However, this made me think of the area of temptation in the lives of God’s people. Satan is always going to try and get us to do wrong in our weakest area of temptation, and other areas as well. His desire is for you and I to “give in” to commit sin. From the pen of Martin Luther, I would like to give you some thoughts on how to resist temptation.
- Run the opposite direction. Learn to identify the things that tempt you and avoid situations in which temptation will occur. When you see a temptation coming down the road, take a detour.
- Laugh at the tempter. Temptations are simply things that want to gain power over you. When you laugh at them, you reduce them to their proper place.
- Distract yourself with other, healthier activities. God knows what’s good for you and so do you. Find an alternate activity that promotes trust in God and requires you to care for your neighbors. Seek the company of others, especially people to whom you may be of service.
- Remember, your Lord also confronted temptation. Jesus faced down temptation by telling the devil the truth, namely, only God is Lord. Consider using a contemporary version of Jesus’ words: “God’s in charge here, not you.”
There you have it! Remember, God never allows us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist. Take a minute tonight to read I Cor. 10:13.
Have a great month of June. In September, we will be celebrating our church’s 125th anniversary. There will be a multitude of activities and events going on starting in mid-July to kick off this celebration, so be watching the bulletins and newsletters! God has been so very faithful in and we want everyone to know we rejoice in His goodness!
As always, If I can be of any spiritual service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Whatever adversity you might face; whatever trial you endure, remember that Jesus Christ is Lord! Amen!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Rob