Pastor Lee
March 1, 2022
Change Can Be Difficult
Change can be difficult, especially when we tend to be set in our ways. One of the things I’ve noticed about myself is that I enjoy reading (more like skimming) a newspaper. To conserve natural resources, plus the cost of a subscription to a daily newspaper can add up, it is much easier and cheaper to receive news by turning to the internet. However, I find that I enjoy holding a paper in my hands and reading a hard copy much more than reading it off a computer screen or some other electronic device. I know that when it comes to staying informed about local and world events, I have my preferences of how I like to learn about it. Truth be told, all of us are set in our ways about some things, especially when it comes to our beliefs about what Jesus means when he calls on us to deny ourselves and take up our cross in following him (Mark 8:34).
For most of us it seems to mean nothing more than acknowledging verbally that we believe in Jesus, that He is the Son of God, and carrying a cross is not really for us unless it is a nice piece of jewelry we can wear. In other words, Jesus’ words have very little meaning for the way we live our lives from day to day. As we go through this season of Lent, however, I urge you to try something different, just a small step of many of what it means to be Christian. What I am asking each of us to do is to pray. No, I am not talking about continuing the way we pray, but to sincerely add to our prayers something that we may or may not be seeking. Please be in prayer that we all might come to not only a better understanding of what Jesus is calling us to, but that we might dare to live our lives dependent upon Him to change and lead us in His way. This I ask not only for us and our congregation, but also for the church worldwide.
In the past I have had folks in the church who have attempted to lead the congregation into becoming more prayer focused. In one church there was even someone who put together a prayer booklet for forty days of prayer. I never followed up with those in the congregation on how well the booklet may have served them in praying, but at least it was a start to praying for more than just our needs, family and friends. It enlarged our scope of prayer to include the world. How can we extend or enlarge our circle of prayer to include more? I do know that I am often encouraged by those of you who share with me from time to time that you pray for me and my family. Almost seven years ago I had an acquaintance from a weekly Men’s Prayer breakfast. Out of all the people I knew and am close to I never would’ve have guessed that he would be the one who soon after I moved from one church to another, sent me a weekly text every Sunday morning to let me know that someone had prayed for me and my family. In fact, I still receive a text every Sunday morning from him. This now retired Baptist minister has become my prayer pal. There are many ways we can approach this, but whatever we do or don’t do, let us continue to encourage each other not only to pray but to take up our cross and follow Jesus wherever He may lead us in life because prayers and acting on those prayers go hand in hand. Hope to see you
Lee
