Making the most of our days

As we come to the end of another year, what are your plans for next year? I am not one that tries to make resolutions for each new year because for most people these resolutions only last about one week before they are forgotten! I am not recommending any resolutions here, but what I am encouraging is for you to refocus on your purpose as a Christian. Ultimately, what is your purpose in Christ? Your purpose is to give glory to Jesus and to make His name known. As the pandemic drags on from one month to the next, I want to encourage you to think about the opportunity God has given you rather than dwelling on the things that you have lost due to the pandemic.

We are entering into a new year, but our purpose as Christians remains exactly the same. The world around us might look like a chaotic mess, and yet, we should have an eternal hope in Jesus that is worth telling people about. I want to encourage you to look at this year with optimism. Do not wait until the pandemic is over to live your life for Jesus. I want to encourage you to enter this new year with a passion, fervor, and devotion for Jesus. As Christians, God has placed us on this planet for a limited time before He calls us home to live with Him in eternity.

Why? Have you ever asked the question why? God has sent us to be a light in the darkness. We are ambassadors of the kingdom of God to a lost and dying world. Are you making the most of your days? What will the summary of your life be when you stand in the presence of our holy and perfect God?

Thankfully tomorrow is a new day. In Christ we are no longer defined by the mistakes of yesterday. Instead we are defined by the ongoing transformation that Christ is performing in our lives. Lamentations 3:22-24 says, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I have hope in Him.’” I pray we all find value in living each day of this new year for Jesus. We may never understand why God allowed the pandemic to happen the way it has, but maybe God has placed you here for such a time as this. I pray that your life would constantly display Christ in 2022 and for eternity to come.

In Christ, Nick, Amanda, and Julia Gagnon

Freedom in Christ

In the midst of the current lockdown in Slovakia, you may find yourself regularly thinking about the freedom that the future will hold. None of us like to feel trapped in our current circumstances. Our world is facing a perpetually shifting challenge associated with this worldwide pandemic during a time in history where the world is more connected than it ever has been before. This has created a historically unique circumstance that is very difficult for our world to cope with. As wave after wave of the pandemic seems to keep coming, we may begin to wonder when or if this will ever end. How do we rightly apply our faith to times such as this? Thankfully the main content of the Bible is written from a standpoint that transcends circumstances. The Bible speaks into our lives regardless of our circumstances around us. We have recently finished studies through both Philippians and Ruth where both books showed a trust in God’s sovereign plan even when the circumstances did not make sense. Paul was writing from prison about being content in every circumstance. Ruth committed to following the ways of God even when it almost surely meant a life of poverty and widowhood. In both books, we noticed how God worked in their circumstances to accomplish His sovereign will. Today, I want to encourage you to consider what freedom in Christ looks like even in the midst of a national lockdown. Our circumstances no longer define us if we are found in Christ. What do I mean when I say that? In most cases, our circumstances will not just simply go away. Instead, I want to challenge us to refocus our attention not on our circumstances but on the One that we place our hope in. If you are a true disciple of Jesus, you are part of God’s eternal kingdom, His eternal family, His eternal righteousness, His perfect presence, and His unending faithfulness. So how do we find freedom during a lockdown? Freedom is connecting more and more to the eternal nature of God through Jesus. Christ gives us freedom from sin, shame, depression, loneliness, and the list could go on and on. I pray that you would find a greater degree of freedom in Christ, during this time of lockdown, than you have ever known. While Satan may hope to use this time to tempt you to question God and His goodness, I pray God uses this time in your life to solidify and clarify the trustworthiness of His promises He has accomplished through Jesus. Imagine with me for a moment what unbelievers around you would think if they found a community of believers that talked about experiencing true freedom even during a lockdown. This is the kind of hope that changes the world, and God wants to use you to display this hope. We may be in lockdown, but we can find hope in Paul’s words in Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” In Christ, Nick, Amanda, and Julia Gagnon

Waiting

Do you enjoy waiting? You know, waiting in traffic, waiting in line, or waiting for a response to an important question. The truth is very few people enjoy waiting, but waiting is a normal part of life. In many of my recent conversations, numerous people in our church are waiting on something. Maybe you are waiting on a job, or you are waiting for this pandemic to be over. Most of the time waiting is not an enjoyable aspect of life, but my question to you is this: Will you allow God to teach you through the waiting? Do you view waiting as an opportunity for growth? 

For Christians, we are all waiting on something very important. We are waiting for the Lord’s return to consummate His eternal kingdom. How will we live while we wait? God wants to use the time between now and then to teach us to look to Him and to trust Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says, “²³Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

I pray that we find purpose and value in each day while we wait (either for short-term answers or for eternal solutions). May we learn that God is sanctifying us through this time while we wait, and may the God of peace be with you as you wait. 

Often we are so focused on the result of waiting that we may miss the lesson God wants to teach us through the waiting. Whatever you are waiting on, be reminded that God is with you if you are in Christ. You are not waiting alone, and God wants to use even the difficult times in your life to grow you closer to Him. While our hearts may say like Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:22, “Maranatha” (Our Lord Come), I pray that we live each day as an opportunity to know God more regardless of our circumstances.   

In Christ,

Nick, Amanda, and Julia Gagnon