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In opening this piece, I will quote from Paul the apostle: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:2-3

This was our first Sunday at Grace Covenant Community Church, and I must say it was a great blessing! It was a packed house. We enjoyed meeting new family members in our new home, along with all the family reunited from FCCOC.

Pastor Glenn Leatherman delivered the Word today from Acts chapter 12. The overarching theme of the message was God’s sovereignty over the life of His sheep; His ability to rescue and deliver. “No man can thwart the will of God,” declared Pastor Glenn. In Acts chapter 12, we read the historical account of Herod’s treatment of some who belonged in the church, specifically, Peter and James, the brother of John. The message was a blessing! We were reminded how the Lord is able to deliver His saints from their trials. He may not deliver us in the manner in which we think, but the trials are ultimately for our good and His glory!

As a boat on a river is carried along by the current, so our lives are carried along in like manner by the will of God. We can rest assured whatever comes our way, we can say like Job, “shall we receive good from God and shall we not accept evil?” Pastor Glenn further stated that it is in the midst of difficult circumstances that we are shaped and formed into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In examining ourselves and others, we are to observe and see what sort of fruit is exposed from our lives when we are tried. When circumstances don’t turn out in the way we expect, do we bear the fruit of the Spirit? Is there love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Or, is what is contrary to the Spirit manifested; idolatry, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these, according to Paul’s letter to the Galatians? These are shoes that we are to try on my brothers and sisters! Paul further declares in Romans 1 when the wicked do not see it fit to acknowledge God, God gives them up to debased minds to do what ought not to be done. Paul states; “they were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them.”

Ouch! What a list of wickedness, as opposed to the list which is in line with the fruit of the Spirit! May God compel us to be sheep that are compelled to good works! When we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death, when sudden disease comes upon us, when we lose a loved one unexpectedly, in the loss of our job, in a dark and gloomy economy, may God give us the grace to say, “whatever my lot, though hast taught me to say, even so, it is well with my soul.” We never know what life will bring upon us, but we do know that with our life joined to our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can weather any storm! This we know because nothing, absolutely nothing, comes to us, that our Lord has not sent for our good and His glory!

The Lord is doing a new thing in our lives and we look forward to what He will do! We indeed have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ! Grace and peace to the beloved of God; let us be found saints who walk in a manner worthy of our Shepherd’s great calling! To Him alone be the glory forever, and ever more! Amen.