Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.
Welcome to the month of February. It seems like just yesterday we silently transitioned from the old year 2020 into the New Year 2021. My focus this month includes, Valentine’s Day, MCCA Men’s Lord’s Day and the celebration of Black History Month.
However, today I wish to share a word of encouragement with you as the New Year advances. It is possible that some of you may not yet have experienced the new beginning you had hoped to achieve since the New Yew began. Consequently, you are disappointed, discouraged and frustrated with life. Do not give up on yourself and do not give up on God.
Paul in Philippians 3 wrote concerning the need to break with the past and to press towards your goal. He said, “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”
You too must have been tempted to look back at some of your past achievements and wish to relive the past and bask in the sunshine of such achievements. In Philippians 3: 7-8 Paul said,
“7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ..”
Paul then makes a commitment to break from his past and press towards his goal for a better life. He said, “ 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; [g] but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, [h] I do not consider that I have made it my own; [i] but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly [j] call of God in Christ Jesus. ”
Do not be discouraged by your present circumstances. Do not go back to live in your past. Like Paul, keep pressing towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. God has a plan for your life, the journey is not ended, take a rest if you must but press forward with Christ and he who has begun a great work in you will bring it to completion. There is great hope for you keep pressing forward God has a reward waiting for you. Don’t let anyone deprive you of it.
Love and best wishes to your wonderful family, from my family and myself.
Yours in Christ
Tyrone Hunkins
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