Gratitude

Tis the Season

Tomorrow will be the end of October, which has become in the last several years the official (or unofficial) Pastor Appreciation month. Sunday will begin the month of November which is typically a time when we are reminded of our need to be thankful with the inclusion of the Thanksgiving Day celebration and our entry into the holiday season. This is a festive time of year! Something about the cooler weather, warmer foods, and autumn activities just seems to draw out a sense of peace and thankfulness. It is probably partly nostalgia and partly dependent on your own worldview.

Thank You

I want to take this opportunity to express my thankfulness to God for His great grace in allowing me the privilege of being a part of Marshall First Baptist Church. I am also thankful to all of you for allowing me to serve as your Pastor. There are several personal reasons why I am thankful to be the pastor of Marshall First Baptist that I am not going to include in this post. However, one is that God seems to fit us for certain places, times, and most importantly relationships. I feel as if our church just fits! I remember before I even became the pastor, telling Laura that if I were not called here, we would just join here because this is where we knew we ought to be and you are who we knew we ought to be with. I am thankful for all of you as brothers and sisters in Christ. I have mentioned this before, but being an only child, I think I take more seriously than most our siblingship in the body of Christ. When we sing, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God,” my heart is overwhelmed in the rock solid spiritual fact that we are united in the bonds of Christ, which will never and can never be ultimately broken. I am also thankful for your generosity. You take care of my family and I so well. But even beyond that, I am so free to do the things that God has given me to do. Every place I am able to teach, ministry that I am able to be involved in (in our community and in our association), and mission even beyond is made possible because of your generosity as a church. 

What’s Missing

It’s nobody’s fault, but I have to say that I miss much of our fellowship. This disease is real and those who are taking special precautions should take them. But I still miss you guys! Shannon posted a quote from The Lord of the Rings a while back expressing the sentiment, “I wish none of this had ever happened.” Yeah, I feel that way. But I also want to encourage you to hang on! Look to Christ! For our God will bring us through all of this and He will bring us through this together! I have hope that on the other side of this we will be an even stronger fellowship after this than we were before. In 1 Thessalonians 5:13-18, Paul says this to these noble believers, “Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Brothers and Sisters, let us take the call, challenge, and comfort of this text and apply it vigorously to our attitudes and actions. The world is full of division and enmity, but let us be at peace. Let us graciously admonish, encourage, and help one another with long-suffering patience. This also means we must be receptive to this from each other. And let us do this all with great joy, constant prayer, and true gratitude because this is God’s will for all of us in Christ Jesus!

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