Dear church family,
I am writing with the hope of encouraging you in the midst of this incredibly hard time we are facing. There is division, anger, widespread destruction, theft, crime, and even death. Even once this passes we are facing an extended period of trial as we work to rebuild our town and our country. What we are seeing around us leaves us feeling vulnerable, desperate, angry, scared, even hopeless at times. For many of us, it has caused us, either momentarily or more permanently, to lose heart. All of these are completely normal human responses to such a situation.
I want to encourage you to go back again and read the passage we studied 2 weeks ago in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
In these times of turmoil, it is so natural to look at what is happening all around us and lose heart. Not only are our bodies wasting away, but society around us seems to be crumbling.
Paul’s great and timely reminder is that all of these things that we see are only temporary anyway. But we who are redeemed by God have an eternal hope. Our Saviour Jesus has bought our freedom with his blood on the cross. As such we have hope, and a spirit that is constantly being renewed, often even more so in times of trouble. So, my great encouragement to us as a church is to remember that this life is transient, but our hope is eternal. Let’s remember to constantly turn to the Lord for the renewal of our spirits, rather than dwelling on the destruction all around us. Let us set our eyes on the things that are above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in power and with all authority, having conquered death on our behalf.
Even in the most desperate of circumstances, we have much to be thankful for. I will leave you with this promise in Revelation 21:3b&4
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Much love and prayers,
Andrew
The seen and the unseen
