Sisters and brothers,
Happy Tuesday to all! We had a great day of worship Sunday singing some wonderful hymns about the grace and love of the Eternal King of the universe. I want to thank Abby and Ben for making a quick return from Dubuque on Sunday morning to play piano, work the livestream, and run the sound system in the absence of most of our worship team. Then we looked from 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Psalm 56:3, and other passages to think about living a life free from constant fear. We learned we should respect holy God’s eternal disposition against evil and sin, and we should fear sin’s deadly and destructive effects. Then we saw that we needed to remember that denial of fear is not God’s answer to fear. We saw then that believers can cope with fear as we understand the all-powerful eternal God of this universe loves His children and is watching over us. We do not have to live our lives in constant fear. When we are afraid, we can remind ourselves of God’s protection. We can remember Psalm 56:3 that teaches us that when we are afraid, we can then turn to our loving Father and trust in Him. When we are afraid, we acknowledge those fears to God and ask the Holy Spirit to take away our fear and replace it with a true confidence in God. God is in control, and we are His children. Christ Jesus frees us from constant fear.
Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.
Love being your pastor!
Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church