Fields United Methodist Church

Jesus Along the Way: Words of Grace and Hope.                        By Pastor Tom Joyce

September 2, 2020

“For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”  2 Timothy 1:6,7

From the time you were conceived, you have been blessed with the gift of God’s grace and presence; sometimes there just needs to be a reminder of that fact.  It may be hard to imagine, but the creator of the universe loves you, especially you, even to the point of sending Jesus Christ, God’s only son, to be your savior and redeemer. But the love doesn’t stop there; your life has been given a “spirit of power, love, and self-discipline to help another along the way.” Well, just like Jonah, you may say, “not me Lord, let someone else do it.” But God has called and equipped you because of who you are and most importantly whose you are; you are God’s beloved. Don’t believe that? Here’s proof; you are here and you have been given wealth beyond compare not in silver and gold but in eternal life.  Our family enjoyed camping, and celebrated times we sat around the campfire and told stories and laughed until we cried. At the end of the evening we waited until the fire burnt out before we left. The fire looked out and by all accounts, it was… So, I decided the campfire pit would be the perfect place for paper from breakfast, to be burned when we restarted the fire later in the day. Well, within 2 minutes, the fire rekindled by the unseen coals below the ashes. Though we learned a lesson on making sure the fire was totally out, it reminded me of the embers we all have within our souls; embers of grace, hope, and power that are waiting to be rekindled. If you ever felt like you couldn’t pray for somebody else, or you feel like somebody else could do a better job, think again; God made you for a purpose and you have all the gifts you need to serve, the embers just need a bit of rekindling!  You are needed more than ever before during this uncertain time; you have been certainly blessed for times such as these.

Rev. Tom Joyce