e-mail 12/31/6

As I sit here today, I can not help but think of the past year and the many things that have happened that have brought us to this place in our spiritual walk with the Lord. A very good book that I am reading has this verse in one of the cover pages: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." (Romans 9:17b)

Sharing God's Love has been a blessing for me as devotion and as an outreach. I never in my wildest thoughts believed that I would be sending out my thoughts or things that God was giving to me into cyberspace to share with others. In the past, I have known those who were in my "classes" at church and everything was up close and personal with each one who became like my children and family. God has now given me a new dimension and it is exciting and also challenging.

As my health has improved over recent months and I feel stronger, I am learning better how to pace myself for more challenges that are going to come in the new year through new opportunities of service through our local church. A man named William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury 1942-1944) once said "The church is the only society in the world which exists for the benefit of those outside its membership." THAT IS MISSIONS!!!! Mission opportunities are going to abound as God shows us where He is working and we are given the privilege of joining Him in what He is doing. Missions is sharing God's love to a lost world. Missions is helping those who have never heard that they need a Savior. Missions is meeting needs where God's Spirit leads us to go and help. Missions is evangelism. MISSIONS IS WHAT JESUS CALLED US TO DO.

Sharing God's love is something that I pray will catch on not just as a devotion that you read every few days but something that becomes part of your daily life. As Bro. Gregg said this morning, "it is a daily commitment to renew our minds to be like Christ". Perhaps we need a post-it note on our mirror in the mornings to remind us when we first see ourselves to pray, "Lord, make me like You today." Some of us may need several post-it notes through the house and car until it becomes a continuous prayer as we go throughout the day every day.

Sharing God's Love is a commandment. It is as much a part of being a Christian as breathing is to living. Let's spend the New Year challenging ourselves to think like Christ and always that will lead us to....

Share God's Love,

Peggy