Weekly Reflection from Pastor Kevin 10/2/24

Weekly Reflection from Pastor Kevin 10/2/24

Dear SCC & Friends,

I believe… ~John 9:38

Reflection #239

                 …for we walk by faith, not by sight. ~2 Cor. 5:7 People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive. ~Blaise Pascal~ God is invisible, but His innumerable attributes are evident. …that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made… ~Rom. 1:19-20 We believe in so many things we have never seen or experienced. I’ve never seen the wind, only its effects… I’ve never been to the Great Wall of China but am absolutely convinced it exists. Why do we believe in things we haven’t seen or in the existence of places we haven’t been? The truth is we rely on the oral and written testimony of others… The Word of God stands apart from all other sources as God’s message of truth to a lost and dying world. …and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ~Jn. 8:32

                I was taught as a child to believe Jesus was the Son of God… I believed that He died for my sins, and I knew I could go to Him in prayer, but there turned out to be a problem… It was me! I wanted my own way… to “star in my own movie” and live in a spiritual twilight zone of my own making. During my time in the military, I was sent to three weeks of Jungle Warfare School in Panama. Part of that training was a three-day exercise called “E & E”… Escape and Evasion. The training was very intense on how to avoid capture, and if captured, how to find a means of escape. After my tour in Viet Nam, I found myself on a spiritual “E & E” course, restless and convicted for which there was no means of escape nor further evasion… I see His grace in the famous poem, The Hound of Heaven,” which depicts God’s ongoing love and pursuit of us, even when we tried to find consolation and comfort elsewhere… He captured me! “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” ~Rom. 10:11 You have made me for yourself, oh Lord, and my heart is restless until it finds it’s rest in you. ~Augustine~ That’s you… That’s me… Keep up the good work!

We believe,

Kevin