Tuesday, November
20, 2018
Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. Hebrews 10:32-39(NLT)
If there is any vital lesson in
life it is that of connection. From the
lowly worms in a dirt colony working on preparing land to yield its best crop,
to the migrating flocks of birds navigating their southern-bound flight from
winter weather, all of God’s creatures are connected.
That includes the human flocks!
In the United Methodist tribe, we
talk a lot about connectionalism, the art/discipline of being connected
in Christ, for the purpose of the work of the Kingdom.
Doug Ruffle, a UMC Pastor shared
how he was blessed by this connection.
He was serving in a rural area of Argentina. Ten days of torrential rains and the ensuing
floods overwhelmed his little town.
Normal life came to a standstill, and the dangers of disease and
shortages became a reality.
Within a few days UMC churches
from Buenos Aires, 125 miles away, had formed a caravan of cars bearing food
supplies, mattresses and clothing.
Doug wrote:
Our ‘connection’ is a gift. It became ever so clear to me the preciousness of that gift the year of the flooding. The Methodists in Buenos Aires saw their brothers and sisters out in the country were in trouble and answered the call. I give thanks to God for my Methodist friends for their timely response and solidarity. Though we are many people, congregations, and fellowships scattered across the world, we are still one church and one body united in Christ. The connection means we share in each others’ joys and work together to treat each others’ pains.[2]
There is something about being
part of something larger than yourself that’s so big, and such a trusted
blessing, it can hardly be defined. It
is family-strong, rescuer to the needy, strength to the faith-filled, haven to
the troubled, home to the lost, joy to the sorrowing, and sacred in the eyes of
God.
After more than a half-century in
the church, much of that time as a pastor, I cannot figure out how people
manage without the connectional assurance of a church family. To my mind, the difficulties we find with
close relationships are worth every risk, every inconvenience, every cost. In Christ, it is much more than eternity
together, it is the quality of that eternity – connected; everyone who belongs
to Jesus belongs to everyone who belongs to Jesus.
For You Today
Here we are on the brink of the Holidays. Do you just dread the hyper-activity of the
season…or do you find rest in the connection?
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