Fields United Methodist Church

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

October 29, 2020

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Romans 8:14

Every time I visited this person she asked me, “Tom, are you eating your oatmeal?” No, it was not my mom but sometimes we need more than one mom in our lives to keep us on the right path! Essentially what she was saying was, “you are what you eat.” The prophet Daniel said the same thing to King Nebuchadnezzar when the king wanted him to eat unhealthy food and instead fed himself a healthy diet. God has given us a choice as well; eat the Spiritual food that is Jesus Christ and you will know the joy of faith, of truly being “children of God.” Just as there are many diets that say they lead to healthy living, there are many spiritual directions one may take in life as well. When we feast on the Holy Spirit, our lives are strengthened to live not to ourselves but to living out the grace that has been extended to us through loving our neighbor as ourselves and loving God with our whole mind, soul, and strength.  What oatmeal does for our bodies, the Holy Spirit does for our soul; it gives the essential nutrients to live life in abundance of Christ’s love. The nutrients of the Spirit are joy, peace, hope, and grace. As our soul absorbs this spiritual food, we begin to see the world as Christ sees the world, full of grace, hope, peace and joy; these are the elements of faithful living. In fact, we become part of what St. Paul calls the “Body of Christ” and “joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17) Just as I needed to be reminded to eat a healthy diet, each of us need to be reminded of the eternal importance of being “led by the Spirit of God.” It is not often easy when temptations are many, but God has given us the gift of faith through Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus for the gift of your Spirit that we may be children of God; and that is what we are.

Rev. Tom Joyce