April 23, 2020As I was driving home after taking groceries to my parents yesterday, I listened to the radio and heard a former hockey player tell about how he and a teammate almost came to blows in 2015. He said that one of the assistant captains told the team that they would stay in the Fort Lauderdale area for a couple of days of team bonding after a game against the Florida Panthers. The leader also told the players to not go to Miami. When the storyteller discovered later that the leader had been to Miami, he hid his expensive shoes, which provoked the leader to take the storyteller’s cell phone. After he found the phone in the leader’s sock, he was even more agitated than he had been when he found out that the leader had not done what he had asked his teammates to do (remain where they were). When the two got into a heated argument on the team bus, others had to separate them. A year later, Brandon Prust and P.K. Subban were no longer playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
Whenever people are in close quarters with others, there is potential for friction and fighting. The apostle Paul wrote the believers in Philippi to encourage them to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27) and to keep their focus on Christ. Steve Thiel, Pastor of Christ Proclamation Church in Windsor, Connecticut, where our daughter, Candace, and her husband, Richie, are members spoke last Sunday about Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers. I would encourage you to listen to “Stand Firm in the Faith” with your Bible open and a pen in hand to take notes: https://www.christproclamation.org.
On Tuesday night, our church’s small group met via Zoom and we looked at Psalm 16. One of the verses reminded me of a song that Karen, I, and our family used to sing more than a decade ago. The thoughts expressed in Psalm 16:8 and 62:2 are put to music in “I Will Not Be Shaken” and can be heard at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKvfXOIy2Q. To read of one man’s faith in the midst of trials, please visit: https://decisionmagazine.com/a-prisoner-for-christ-one-ukrainian-pastors-story/. May we, too, follow the Lord with all of our strength!
Scripture for the weekend: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)
Thought for the weekend: “Right thinking always leads to right living.” – Pastor Steve Thiel