The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

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Check out the monthly letters for our other pastors

Ed with the Youth Program

Gary in Midwest

Worship Times:
Sunday Morning: 8:00a & 10:30a
Sunday Evening: 7:00p
Wednesday Evening Prayer & Worship: 6:30p

February 2010

The 2010 Winter Olympics are about to start. Athletes from all over the world will be in Vancouver to compete for Olympic gold. These athletes have spent months and years preparing themselves for this occasion. They spend countless hours training, pushing themselves to be the best possible. As
the world watches, they will put their skills, hard-work and dedication to the test. The games begin February 12th with ski jumping and end on February 28 with the hockey gold medal game. During this month some athletes will celebrate dreams coming true, while others will leave in disappointment.

I remember as a child watching the Olympics for the first time. My brothers and I would go outside and pretend that we were competing in the events. We would sled down the hill behind our house and pretend we were the American bobsled team. We would shovel the snow off the ice and play hockey. In our game the USA always beat the Russians. In our version of the Olympics, we always won gold.

Spiritually, the Bible teaches that we should prepare ourselves to reach for the prize. For us it isn’t a medal at the Olympics, but the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We should be spending time preparing ourselves for the things that God would have for us. Going to church, studying the Bible, prayer, fellowship with other Christians are some of the things that God uses to prepare us for His ministry. Just like the Olympians work hard to succeed at their respective events, we need to work hard to succeed in the work God has called us to. Living the Christian life requires dedication, hard-work and discipline.

Instead of putting forth the effort required, many Christians treat living for God like my brothers and I treated the Olympics. Just head out, do a couple of things, and pretend like we are having success. No real effort, no real motivation, and no real reward. Just going through some motions, having some fun, and calling it good. This is not the life that God intends for us.

Going for the gold is a life striving for the best. In our Christian life, we should be striving for the best God has for us instead of just going through the motions of Christianity. Olympic athletes prepare themselves to compete. Then they put into practice what they have prepared to do. How do we prepare ourselves to live for Christ? Then do we put that into practice in our lives?

In Him,

Ed