Amos McCarthy

Saints of God,

Each one of us has experienced a time when we have to say goodbye to someone. It must have been a friend, a loved one, or a co-worker.  Saying goodbye can be very difficult. Promising to keep in touch with others is not a substitute for physical presence. Having fond memories of our loved ones is beneficial for a time. These can not compensate for a person’s physical presence. Little wonder so many tears are shared when it comes to saying goodbye.

We can not avoid goodbye. Despite the tears, goodbye can be good for us. Every season has an end. Saying goodbye to a neighborhood, a church, or a job is difficult, but can be welcoming for new opportunities. Life is not static, it is fluid. God calls us on a sojourn that is brief. 

Paul in Acts 20 bid farewell to the church at Ephesus. He prayed. They embraced him. They shared tears because Paul had told them that they would not see him again.  In their tears, they exercise faith in God. We will all say a few goodbye along the way, some of them would be final. Just know that God has a better place for those we say goodbye to. God has a better place for us also.

It is my prayers that God will continue to strengthen our faith to embrace and understand situations that come our way.  
God bless you. Please stay safe.
Pastor Amos.

Grace and peace to you all.  As I did my devotion this morning, I reflected on how things around us are changing. Though a lot of things have changed, God’s love for us has not changed.

A lot of people are experiencing emotional fatigue. This year has been a difficult one in light of the ongoing pandemic. With all the changes, many people still believe that things will go back to normal someday. We all know the truth is things are not going to be normal again. We are all trying to make the best of this post-pandemic world. 

One thing has not changed. It is the love of God for humanity. We all see this love manifested in the life of Jesus Christ. There is plenty of goodness and grace of God for humanity. We find that in the Bible. Keep reading it everyday. It never grows old. Refresh your minds with biblical truth. It will make you forget the negative stuff. The world and its corruption and politics are not here to stay.

As I read Leviticus 14 the other day, it talked about how an unclean person back then had to wash their clothes and do other things before returning to the camp with others. Isn’t it the same with COVID 19? We had to wash our hands, sanitize our clothes, or quarantine for a number of days? This pandemic has taught us lots of things that remind one of biblical truths. 

Let us search the truth of God’s world to find hope in these difficult times and learn of a God who has not changed.
God bless you all. Have a wonderful day. Please stay safe.

Memory verse: Leviticus 14:8.

It is my prayer that you will have a week fill with peace and blessings from God. May you grow in faith as each day unfolds.
We all experience variation in the strength of our faith. If all is well, we feel confident that the Lord is trustworthy, because we see His blessings all around us. But when troubles increase, so do our doubts about God’s faithfulness. We start to wonder whether He will ever answer our prayers for deliverance. As hard as we try, we can’t see Him working in the situation. And as our trials drag on, we begin to lose hope in God and may start looking for more reasonable ways to resolve the matter ourselves.

James points us to a different perspective. Instead of thinking that the Lord has forgotten about us, he reminds us of God’s divine purposes for our hardships. They test our faith in order to produce endurance and maturity. Our Father isn’t trying to break us; rather, He wants to grow us and provide what is lacking in our spiritual life.

What we really need in our trials is wisdom, and that is exactly what James 1:5 tells us to request from Him. Instead of focusing on the circumstances and letting feelings overcome our faith, we must shift our thoughts to the Lord and confidently believe He’ll give us the wisdom we need, both to handle the situation and to grow from it. 

Giving in to doubts is dangerous, as it could develop into a lifestyle of spiritual uncertainty in which we’re “driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). When we handle our misgivings in this way, we’ll often make wrong decisions that are costly. How much better it would be to anchor ourselves to the Lord and His Word and ride out the storm in peaceful assurance.

While you begin your week, know that life is full of happiness and tears; be strong and have faith. God bless you all. Please stay safe.

Memory verse: James 1:6.

“You have no idea the number of people that may God want to influence through you” (Andy Stanley).

Saints of God,

Grace and peace to you all this morning.  

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus’ letter to the church in Philadelphia is filled with praises and promises. This is a letter of love and encouragement. Encouragement from Jesus is what this church needed for the long road of faithful obedience.

In the course of my over 18 years of pastoral ministry, I have met faithful followers of Jesus who experienced many disappointments and difficulties. I would often attempt to encourage them with Bible passages like Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd. . . .” But some would respond, saying, “Pastor, how about the words of Psalm 22, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ These words speak more honestly of my life experience.”

I often wondered what Jesus would say to these hurting friends. The letter to the church in Philadelphia is Jesus’ word to his hurting people. “I know that you have little strength,” he says, “yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Jesus knows how tired we can get from walking the long road of obedience, “even . . . through the darkest valley,” as Psalm 23 explains.

Like a long-distance runner who needs encouragement for the last part of a race, we need Jesus to cheer us on to keep his word and not deny his name. May God give you the grace to endure patiently today and to trust that Jesus will do all he promises for the ones he loves dearly.

Please know that I love you all. May God grace be upon you. Please stay safe.

Memory verse: Psalm 23:1

“You have no idea the number of people that God wants to influence through you” (Andy Stanley).