"I hope we will grow more and more loving in our nature.”

Last Sunday in the auditorium class I mentioned that we as Christians sometimes have to do things that are not joyful. I talked about visiting rest homes for the elderly as being depressing. In hindsight, I would not say it is depressing, but it does give us a reality check of where we might be someday. It is sad to visit someone who is not the same vibrant person they once were, but yet we often are encouraged by their courage and attitude in difficult situations. I would still say seeing people in these circumstances is not something that we enjoy. If it were we would do a much better job of visiting these folks than we do. I would encourage all of us to visit our Christian brothers and sisters, and witness their faith and hope in God’s promises to help strengthen us.

There are other things that often go against our human nature when it comes to being a Christian. We are basically selfish in nature looking out for our own needs and preferences. God’s ways are much higher and he expects us to look out for the needs of others and to often put them ahead of ours. This is not natural and sometimes we wrestle with always doing the right thing. At least I do, and even Paul talked about constantly having to bring his thinking into subjection to God’s will. All of us struggle from time to time when it comes to sacrificing our time, or money, or our will for the benefit of others. If we think of what Christ did for us we shouldn’t have that much problem. I do believe it gets easier as we grow older and realize that so many of the things God requires of us are for our own good.

I hope we will grow more and more loving in our nature as we work together and see God’s kingdom grow even more and more here in Hendersonville. May God continue to bless us.
— Jim Keevert