Pastor’s Column 10/30/2022

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“Now you should finish what you have started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have." 2Corinthians 8:11, NLT

​            “And The One, After That!”

There is hardly any of us for whom, there is no unfinished work. The work and tasks undone, remind us of the responsibility we have in giving our “best possible,” to the commitment we have made. Sometimes, we’ve made promises to ourselves, only to fallshort of our goal. In other instances, we’ve had other commitments, which we either lost interest in; or evaded responsibility for. Often some life-crisis, or personal challenge, has caused us to retreat. Whatever the circumstances, we should be encouraged that every opportunity does not have to remain dormant. Life can spring anew! The Corinthian Christians had made a commitment to help the church in Jerusalem when the saints there were wedged between some perilous times. The Corinthians had started a mission-effort to further support.Unfortunately, they became lax in their responsibility. The ApostlePaul, in writing to the church in Corinth, urged them to “finishwhat you have started.” The Apostle did not dwell on what “didn’t happen” during the interval; he merely urged them to “resume” the mission. Paul explained that God only expects any of us to give in proportion to what our resources are. We often can find inspiration in the examples of others, who display a deep passion for their mission in life. Recently, I was moved by the life of an 80-year-old physician, who was preparing to participate in his 45thMarine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. He had only missed two since 1977, and he was determined to return to complete the run. Amazingly. Dr. Glen Geelhoed has run more than 170 marathons on all seven continents! He runs the marathons to support his Medical Mission, which provides free medical service to countries in need. When asked, when he was stopping, the doctor said: “Until the next one the next one and the one after that.” With missions and life, there’s aways the one after that!