HOP AND CHANGE

HOPE AND CHANGE

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Proverbs [GW] 16:31-32 Silver hair is a beautiful crown found in a righteous life. Better to get angry slowly than to be a hero. Better to be even-tempered than to capture a city.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 After having heard it all, this is the conclusion: Fear God, and keep his commands, because this applies to everyone. God will certainly judge everything that is done. This includes every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.

Dear fellow travelers,

  For the followers of Christ change is just as inevitable as for those that deny Him. What is different is

the blessed assurance  factor: “Now that we have God's approval by faith, we have peace with God

because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. Through Christ we can approach God and stand

in his favor. So we brag because of our confidence [KJV “hope”] that we will receive glory from

God. … We're not ashamed to have this confidence, because God's love has been poured into our

hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. “(Rom.5:1-2, 5)

  To recall all the changes in my life before and after trusting Christ as redeemer at age 27 is impossible. Truth is, I don’t even attempt for a number of reasons: A waste of time and effort, mind-boggling incomprehensible, and some of the baggage would distract from current decision making, plus possible attempts at clinging or retreating are a foolish futile exercise.

  Aging definitely makes for additional new decisions faced in our relentless travel this side of death.

  I’ve arrived at a decision after months of thoughtful consideration interspersed by strokes, hospital, recovery, on and off driving followed by now and future “Probably never” driving. I am not however without overarching purpose; for as ever only the subheadings of God’s job description change.

  I can never escape God’s purpose for living though the ability and ways do definitely change. As Good News Jail & Prison Ministry Senior Chaplain Morris Jackson wisely pointed out to me several years ago, ceasing a particular area of ministry is optional and at times necessary, but serving our Lord never ever is discretionary. (After 20 years of going behind the walls, I retired to other endeavors.)

  I have now decided it is sensible to cease leading the Tuesday morning Overcomers In Christ support group meeting. The major reason being that due to various circumstances mine and among the other regular participants the provision of meetings has been very irregular. People in need do need to know if the meeting schedule is dependable.

  The view of my path is unchanged: With unhindered scrutiny it is with blessed assurance I know that in the end I shall come back to life from the dead. I know it's not that I've already reached or perfectly completed the course. But, though slower in body and lesser in energy, I yet run toward that which Jesus Christ has already won for me. Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself arrived as yet. This is what I am doing: I’m not looking back, I am running straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. Whoever has a mature faith should think this way. And if you think differently, God will show you how to think. (Phil.3)

To serve Him all my days,

Edwin Bennett Bullock 4th