Cling to What is Good!

Have you ever sat in church and felt like the pastor was talking to just you?  This was true for me today.  Our Paster, Jerry Tharp, spoke about evil and good from the book of Romans.  He started his sermon by asking the congregation to describe what evil was to them.  Lone Jack Baptist Church is a small enough church that someone came around with a microphone to those of us who wanted to share.  Some shared how evil is anything contrary to God and that knowing what is good and not doing it is evil.  I shared that evil is the thief who only comes to steal and kill and destroy.  John 10:10 is one our favorite versus. In the rest of the verse Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and it to the full."  That is good news!  We need to recognize evil and overcome it with GOOD!!
To be completely honest, these past few weeks the thief has tried to steal my joy and replace my thoughts with those of doubt, worries, and sadness.  I have started feeling overwhelmed by our to do list and worried that I'm not packing the correct items that my family will need for the next two years.  My thoughts have been focused on all that could go wrong and how difficult it will be to tell my loved ones good-bye.  I recognize that this is evil and it is aggressive!  
In Romans 12:9 Paul tells us to hate evil and cling to what is good.  Cling to good like gorilla glue, was the example my pastor gave.  Cling to the hope that Jesus brings us.  Cling to the truths we read in the Bible.  Cling to the fact that the safest place for my family is the center of God's will!!
Pastor Jerry started to end the sermon, then stopped everyone to share one more verse.  
Hebrews 3:12-14
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Pastor Jerry went on to explain that if God has called us to do something and we don't follow through, then we are siding with evil.  If God asks us to do something, then we must trust that He will see us through it.  We walk in faith and that is GOOD OVERCOMING EVIL!!!!  
This verse spoke directly to me.  God is calling us to Kenya and we will not turn away.  We go there to share Christ, and through Christ, we will hold to our original intentions.   The thief may want to throw doubts and fears in my way, but we cling to the hope that Jesus brought, to the full life Jesus came to give. Please keep our family in your prayers as we plan and pack and get ready to leave for Kenya.  Pray we will do the good we see to do. So please join us in prayer that our family will recognize evil and overcome it with GOOD.  Thank you pastor Jerry for those words of encouragement. 


***Happy third birthday to our beautiful daughters!  They bring us such joy each and every day!!!***