APRIL 2023 – “So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking – around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Romans 12: 1-2 – The Message Bible
The scripture above is from The Message Bible; Romans, Chapter 12, verses 1-2. I believe it is one of the best modern-day interpretations of this scripture passage. It helps believers think through their purpose, and it reminds us that we can live each day in God’s grace and with many opportunities for renewal. It helps us appreciate God’s love and blessings, which He displays in the beauty of the world and the people in our lives. God is always giving us gifts because He loves us. Our challenge is not to fall into a life of seasons that can drag us down in the middle of our everyday life, but to embrace the uniqueness of each day and be lifted up as we appreciate every moment.
April is a month of change in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We move from snow and showers to spring flowers and sunshine. We put the long winter behind us and anticipate putting boats and skis on the lakes. We begin hiking during the day and watching God paint colorful sunsets across the horizon before twinkling stars emerge and cover the night sky. We marvel at the morning light and breathtaking sunrises and look forward to the warm days of an approaching summer. Basking in the bright and hot days of summer we pack in all the activities we can before the days begin to shorten, signaling the end of that season. When the things of summer have been safely stored away, we once again ready ourselves for fall and winter.
In Romans, Paul the Apostle asked believers to hold fast to their faith and make every day of each season count as people who live with grace and the promise of eternal life. As Easter approaches, let us celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ, the assurance of His love and grace, and the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is living within us. We all have a purpose and many reasons to live an abundant and purposeful life and we can choose to make each and every day count!
You are invited to learn more about God’s purpose for your life at one of our area churches and you are always welcome to attend Groveland Evangelical Free Church on Sunday morning for worship at 10:00 am.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Bob Kandels
