What a beautiful day and what a Great God we serve… He is great and glorious!!! Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Think with me for a moment about what it means to “follow after” our Lord Jesus! Jesus made it clear that His desire was “to do the will of Him that sent Me.” I have been asking myself these questions for days now. Am I “following after” Christ as Paul said in Philippians 3:12… am I “following after” Christ as Jesus did His Father’s will? No doubt these are challenging questions! Laying down anything and everything that would keep us from Christ is essential to our daily walk as Christians. Paul reminds us in Philippians 3 that we are to actively and aggressively pursue Christ. Paul defines this pursuit in Philippians 2:12 with this phrase, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” You might remember this statement from last Sunday’s message, “You don’t get 17 inch biceps by drinking coffee and eating donuts at Dunkin Donuts!!! Working out and following after produces blood, sweat and tears! Brothers and sisters, “Follow after” Christ… “Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling/upward call of God in Christ Jesus!”
This Sunday will be “Sanctity of Life” Sunday at Grace Church. Pastor Michael’s message will be taken from Psalm 139. Read his text and pray for him as he prepares his own heart to preach God’s unsearchable riches! The Word is powerful… it is the Gospel! It is the “Good News” for us all in days often filled with “bad news.” I am looking forward to being with you Sunday! It is a joy serving Jesus with you! God bless you!
Also, pray for Pastor Jason and Martha as they lead our college age retreat “SHINE.” They have worked hard to get ready for this weekend. This retreat is just one part of our ongoing effort as a church family to reach the thousands of students at ECU and PITT. Pray for them as they leave this afternoon. The Lord is good! We are trusting Him to do a good work through Pastor Jason Martha and their team of helpers!