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Thoughts -

Colossians 3:12-13 states,

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Studying this passage, I began to see how it related to my life in a new way. What do I do when something bothers me? My gut reaction is often to fix it or run.

Colossians earlier directs us to bear with one another. What does that mean? Instead of my gut reaction, it means I should press in and care for people. The commands of Colossians don't mean anything if circumstances are always comfortable. We would never have to be patient if something did not test it. How do I be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient, and forgiving, and why when life is difficult? The key seems to be the phrase "as the Lord has forgiven you."

Had God treated me the way I want to treat others from time to time, he would have given up on me long ago. Yet, Christ did what I can't do. He went to the cross in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience for my forgiveness. Romans 5:8 frames his love this way, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He died knowing my failure and sin in advance. His conscious self-sacrificial act on the cross defines love. I am indebted to this Son of Man, who rescued me. The Creator of the Universe loves me before I ever loved him back. Grasping that empowers and explains the reason behind obedience when it is not instinctive or simple. 2 Corinthians 5:14 states, "the love of Christ compels us." He loves you too.

So, here is my prayer for you and me. May God's love control us more and more in our lives.

p.s. Now that New Growth Press published my book, I will be changing my newsletter from once a month to a longer interval of time. I haven't decided when I will send my next update. Thank you for keeping in touch and praying for me. I have enjoyed hearing back from you those of you who reach out. Please consider reading my book, if you haven't already, and offering honest feedback on Amazon. (It helps people know about the book who hasn't yet.)

Rob

YAY! Last Words: Seven Sayings from the Heart of Christ on the Cross came out! Whohoo! Thank you again for your prayers and support.
Another highlight, I attended one of my favorite conferences with my wife a few weeks back, the Bethlehem Baptist College and Seminary Pastor's conference. We were able to hear amazing speakers, worship, and reflect on ministry and parenting.
This month I also enjoyed the outdoors with my kids. Here is a picture of us hiking the Dunes.

Speaking:

I am leading an inductive Bible Study for the rest of the month at Sawyer Highlands on the preaching text for our Adult Sunday School at 9:00 AM.

I have several interviews about my book coming up: two on February 25 and one on March 6, at Baker Books in Grand Rapids.

Our church begins a series in 1 Peter and 2 Peter Pastor Jeff, Mike, and I will be teaching through this year.

I team teaching our church membership class at the beginning of March with Pastor Mike.

Prayer Request:

Praise God for the completion of Last Words. What an adventure! Thank you again for your prayers and support.
Pray for people, as they read the Last Words, that the Word of Christ would dwell in them richly (Colossians 3:16).
Pray for people to offer honest feedback on Amazon, if the Lord wills.
Today, I leave for a week-long mission trip to Peru with 13 other people from our church. Pray for God to get the glory as we share the gospel in word and deed. It is exciting to support our missionaries there, visit an orphanage, and help Venezuelan refugees.

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