The last few months our family has been in a spiritual drought. About a month ago we decided to go to my mother's church just to test the waters. The church we were going to we had become very comfortable and while there were some changes we didn't completely agree with, we stayed. Now, we know that the Lord was calling us to move away from the church we called home for nearly ten years.
I am not advocating to change churches if things get stagnant, I do advocate listening to the Lord and heeding his call. Our former church has blessed as tremendously, our spiritual needs have merely outgrown the church.
Anyhow, back to the spiritual awakening. Sunday during the sermon, the preacher spoke of Christian love. Sundays' sermon was a sequel from last week's and it was a true blessing.
Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another. Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers. Ask God to bless those who persecute you---yes, ask him to bless, not to curse. Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise. If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord." Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame." Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
(Romans 12:9-21 GNB)
Being a Christian is being LOVE.
If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God?
(1 John 3:17 GNB)
What is impressed upon me is that we are to reach out to others. If we see people in need, we should help them. If a fellow Christian has fallen, pick them back up.
We are still on our journey looking for the church that the Lord wants us in, so I do ask for prayer that the answer is obvious. I pray that the church we move to will be the church that will meet all of our family's needs now and in the future.
I will say one more thing, just because we left the church we were attending does not mean that it is not following the will of the Lord. It's just not the road we are suppose to be on. There are many people I know that go there and are blessed to be there. It is where the Lord has put them.
