Dear Cobham Park Church Family,
Look at Jesus!
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Keith
P.S.
I admit that my letter was on the short side, but sometimes less is more. Just let me be Captain Obvious this month. Besides, “Look at Jesus” is the underlying message in most of my devotions and sermons these days. I may write and speak it a thousand ways, but that’s what I have to say in a nutshell.
Why do I keep coming back to Jesus? First of all, it’s not like you’re going to be hearing about Him anywhere else. 2020 has thrown everything imaginable into our minds except Him. You’re not going to hear your favorite politician or news network reminding you of gospel-hope. Social influencers and celebrities usually aren’t sharing Christ (apart from taking His name in vain or using him to get what they want from you). Current events have pushed us toward doubt, anxiety, and anger instead of faith, hope, and love. If we don’t hear more about Jesus from our Christian friends, where else will we?
If a preacher is honest, he can only share what he knows to be true. And this I know: Jesus is the only reason I don’t give up. He is the confident hope that holds me up each day. Christ is my smile, strength, and joy. His forgiveness and grace bring healing to my life. He restores my soul! If I majored on any other cause or agenda more than the good news of Jesus, It would be a crime to my calling. Nothing else has much to offer compared with Him. “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand!” If we lose sight of Him, we lose our very identity. Church would then become a waste of my time and yours.
Finally, I keep concentrating on Jesus because that’s where our power is. I think of Peter walking toward Jesus across the stormy sea:
He (Jesus) said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me (Matthew 14:29-30; ESV).’
Notice that Peter only starts to sink when he takes his eyes off Jesus. It’s the same with us in 2020. Talk about windy weather! Pandemic, protests, presidential elections...it feels like gale-force craziness hit us from every direction at once. We’ll only get through this by riveting our attention on Jesus. His lead. His purpose. His promises. His hope. Staring at the wind, we’ll sink fast.
So let’s look at Jesus!
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