“This angel stood by me and he said “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar and God has graciously given you the lives of all those who sail with you.” Acts 27:24
In a middle of storm where there has been no daylight for 14 days. God sends a representative to stand beside Paul and tell him that He has a plan for your life. He tells him that you are going to Rome and stand trial and preach in Caesar’s Court.
Last week I talked about how God’s presence is an anchor in the middle of a storm. The second anchor for us to remember is that GOD’S PURPOSE for your life is bigger than the temporary storm you are in right now.
God’s purpose for your life is bigger than COVID-19. God’s purpose for Piedmont Church is bigger than COVID-19.
WE will always face storms. There will always be setbacks. One more anchor of faith that we need to remember is that nothing can change God’s purpose for our lives unless we choose to disobey him.
Malichi 3:6 says “I the Lord do not change.” God only has plan A for our lives. There is no plan B.
Acts 27:15 reads “The ship was caught by the storm and could not head in the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.”
Vs. 17 reads “They let the ship be driven along.”
Storms will cause you to just drift along. The problem is during this pandemic if you do not watch it then every day will become like Groundhog Day. You will get rid of the things that matters to you. You will give up on your goals and you will lose sight of the very reason you exist. If that happens then you will lose hope.
We move towards what we focus on. Keep your eyes on His purpose for your life.
Jesus said in Matthew 20:28
“Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”
Serving…. Giving…. Sacrificing… are three attitudes of Christ that we should always put on display during this pandemic.
The goal and purpose for Piedmont Church has not changed during this pandemic. It never will. We exist to serve and love this community to Jesus Christ. We exist to show God’s love in such a way that people will exchange ordinary living for an extraordinary life through the transforming power of Jesus Christ. We exist to help you fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
God purpose for your life and for Piedmont Church is bigger than the temporary storm we are facing right now.
Thank you again for your support of Love Does. This month’s Love Does is Undie Sunday. Money donated this month will go to purchase new underwear, socks, and t-shirts for local shelters. A big thank you to Anna Bozeman and some special ladies at Piedmont Church for helping with the MUST Summer Lunch Program today at Blackwell Elementary. Thank you to all the volunteers who are helping me feed the teachers at Bells Ferry and Blackwell this Wednesday and Thursday.
Please mark Wednesday night Aug. 12th at 8 p.m. on your calendar for the next Love Does 365 Zoom Conference. The last conference was such a great hit and so many new ministries were started because of it.
I love all of you dearly!
Marlon
