Dearly Beloved in Christ,

Some of you have perhaps suspected, and some know it all too well - Christianity is not for sissies!  It requires both sacrifice and discipline - active engagement and not mere passivity.  And with active engagement in the battle against the enemy come also temptation and trials.

St Paul knew this only too well (2 Cor 11:24-30).  But his trials did not overwhelm him: "we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed."  (2 Cor 4:8-9)  It is why he could affirm that: "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it."

Being transformed into the likeness of Christ requires an act of the will.  We must cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit to change our core values from "I want what I want when I want it"* to those of our Lord that are revealed in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount.  This takes courage and sacrifice, and initially the more we resolve to follow more closely the way of Christ the greater the temptations and testing that assail us.  But take heart - they will not overwhelm us - God is faithful and will provide the means for us to endure and overcome.  Trust him, and remember his other promise: Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

In the Peace, Grace, and Love of our Lord,
Rev'd Sarah+ 

*From Darryl Bloodworth's book "Core Values for the Young (and not so young) Christian.  Join us for the next three Wednesday evenings as Darryl continues to bless us with his teaching from this book.

Joan Schultz, Joyce Haggarty, Cindy Bieloh, Jeanie Halyard, Barbara Masters