November, here we come! Can you believe that we are headed into the home stretch of 2020? And what an extraordinary year it has been. We were all left flat footed, caught off guard, thrown for a loop... I could continue the idioms, but I think you get the picture.
Who would have forseen this time last year what we would be facing in 2020? No one! But as difficult, scary and frustrating as these past few months have been, I want to encourage you to continue fighting against the fear for our future and the negativity about our present. I sometimes feel frustrated and uncertain too, but in those moments, I know that I have to choose to lean on my Saviour. I know I must rely on a strength greater than my own.
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. I know that God’s Word is forever. That means that this passage in Timothy applies to us now, even in 2020, even in the midst of a pandemic. God knew the challenges we would be facing this year and still He asks us to trust Him for ‘power’, ‘love’ and a ‘sound mind’.
God always wants to bless his people. He provides for us and He asks us to trust in His faithfulness. Not only does He love His children He also wants to bless others through us. It may not feel like it in these uncertain days, but there is still a blessing for us in this season. God is still taking care of us. We just have to grab a hold of HIM and not let go. As we learn to trust Him and His provision for us, we can then allow our living, active, and loving God to work through us to impact others.
Last month, I told you that we were postponing our annual Christmas Blessing Campaign until November. Now, November is here. Now we are facing a second wave of the pandemic around the world. People everywhere are under pressure and struggling against fear, mistrust and uncertainty. I feel an urgency in this season. This is the moment for the church to step into the breach and take the hope of our Saviour to many. I believe that this annual campaign is more important than ever.
The Pastors and Leaders that we partner with in Ukraine need to know that we stand with them. They need to know that we are unified with them as they work relentlessly to reach desperate people today. God is asking us, out of the multitude of our gifts, to equip the Labourers of the Kingdom. You see, the Christmas Blessing Campaign isn’t just a nicely packaged present given to make the Pastors and Leaders feel good. These are instruments in the hands of men and women determined to change people’s lives forever!
So this year, 2020, in the year of COVID, I am asking you to join me in sharing from the many blessings God has given us. I’m asking you to join me in blessing the Leaders of the Ukrainian Missionary Church. Let’s send a Christmas Blessing to the Pastors who are teaching, preaching, counselling and giving, every day, from what little they have, even during a pandemic.
Our packages this year are $52 for each pastor. Will you lean into your Saviour this month and push past the spirit of fear? Will you grasp a hold of God’s blessing for you in this season? Will you share that blessing with the Leaders in Ukraine? I’ll lead the way!
