Embracing the Never-the-less-ness of God

Pastor Wayne Jenkins

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31 
 
There is certainly no shortage of subject material for today’s blog. I am grateful to God and to everyone involved in all that occurred this past weekend and for all the extensive preparation that God blessed to bring his fruit and to fulfill his purpose.

The Pulpit Committee
Joe Riojas, chair; Ben Angle, vice chair; Ashley McKinley; Laura Redding; Mary Jane Pessaud; Chad Moutray; and Bryan Jones. Their endless hours and complete devotion to the task of recommending a new Senior Pastor to FBCA are greatly appreciated.

Robert Stephens
I join the entire congregation in praising God for his provision of Robert, April, Allie, Kate, and Julia Stephens. Meeting and welcoming them was a joy. I eagerly anticipate their arrival and their assimilation into FBCA.

First Family Christmas
These presentations were beautiful culminations of a year of perseverance. A First Family Christmas (AFFC) was a celebration of the birth of Christ and of the life of faith we live in Him. Hundreds of people worked tirelessly to make AFFC possible, but at the front of the pack are Alydia Wingard, Don Wingard, Carol Mills, Cynthia Marr, and Deborah Lloyd!  Their faithful leadership is a testimony to the strength available in Christ to persevere even in the most difficult of circumstances. And thank you to Carolyn Jenkins & Jessica Buchanan who produced the drama, along with all the actors who depicted the miracle of Jesus’ arrival on earth!

Grief and Gratitude
Isaiah 43:28-31 is personified in all the people listed above and in you. During 2022 our everlasting God has proven that He does not faint or grow weary. He has given his power when we have felt weak and helpless. He has renewed our strength when it would have been natural to give up. He has mounted us up with eagle wings when we were struggling. He has empowered us to persevere. And beyond that, He has even fortified us with joy and gratitude along the way!

Time and time again, God has come through. He has proven that a hard year can still be a good year…that His resourcefulness is greater than ours…that He can fulfill His vision even through our teary eyes…that joy and sadness are not incompatible…that His calling is not conditional…and that grief and gratitude are inseparably intertwined.

Reinforcements from Scripture
The following truths from God’s word are powerful reminders to me. Faithfulness and fruitfulness are only possible when I remain intimately united with Jesus. And that my weakness is only a problem when I don’t completely rely on and submit to His grace.

“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
 
But the Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
 
Woven within anything that seems hopeless or impossible, God has an eternal Never-the-less. His redemptive, transformational power is always at work.

For God is at work in all things to bring good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:29)

#4Suchatimeasthis!
Wayne