Like many of you, I spent the recent snow storm weekend digging out our house and cars from the fury of Mother Nature. As I did my best to lug around our bulky and very heavy snow blower and shovel the rest, I could feel every bit of my 59 ½ years and asked God to give me the strength to finish the job. Of course, as soon as I finished removing the 20+ inches of snow from our driveway and sidewalk, the town’s snowplow came by and buried us again! And so the snow removal dance continued until the sun finally appeared and the storm became a not-so-pleasant memory. I hope that you, or whoever dug you out, also found the strength to get the job done.

Strength is something we all need to face the various challenges of life. We need physical strength, emotional strength and especially spiritual strength to face the storms of life.

If you had been in charge of snow removal for Whitpain Township, you wouldn’t have considered sending out someone who hadn’t eaten anything in two or three weeks. If you were a commander in the army, you wouldn’t send a person into battle who hadn’t eaten in a month, right? We need to feed ourselves to have the strength to accomplish the tasks ahead of us.

And the same is true when it comes to the spiritual battles we face in life. We’re not going to have much success in winning these battles if we’re starving ourselves to death. That’s why we need to feed ourselves on God’s Word. That’s exactly what I want to invite all of us to do during the Lenten Season.

On February 14, I will begin a series of messages entitled “Growing Strong in Lent.” It is my hope and prayer that this series will encourage us all to grow in our understanding of God’s Word and that, as a result, we will become stronger.

The Bible says in Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (NIV). Paul is telling us to let the Bible take up residence in our lives in a rich, profound, life-giving and life-strengthening way. So may it be for all of us in the Lenten weeks ahead.

Blessings,

Pastor George