Fields United Methodist Church

Thoughts Along the Way

Pastor Tom Joyce

April 26, 2021

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

I Peter 2:10

Faith is more than a statement, more than a place or time; it is all about accepting the grace of God through Jesus Christ as your own so that you, especially you, “may proclaim the mighty acts of him to called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9) It is not about how you think of yourself or if you even think you are worthy to serve. Faith is all about knowing that you matter to God, and God has given you unique and amazing gifts to share with the world around you. You have been set aside, made holy, by God to not only celebrate the gift of grace and eternity, but to make a difference in the lives of others. As St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19) That is you, you are a child of God, no matter who you are, no matter the path you have been on or the challenges you have endured. If God is big enough to create you, grace-filled enough to love you, God is big enough to transform your life and set you free to see life in a whole lot different way; full of mercy, grace, hope, and joy. These are more than words, they are gifts offered to you by Jesus, who went to the cross for you, and rose from the dead for no other reason than to set you free to live out loving God and loving neighbor, celebrating the abundance of grace that you have received. You are loved and precious in God’s sight, and have been set apart to live the joyous adventure of faith; accept the gift, celebrate the gift, share the gift. As Jeremy Camp sings, “you can have all the world, just give me Jesus.”