“While they were reclining at the table eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.'” (Mark 14:18).

“You know, masks don’t really work.”

Close to 600,000 Americans have died of Covid.

“You know, this whole Covid thing is a hoax.”

“Keep masking up. Protect the most vulnerable. We’re almost through this.”

These are all things people have said to me. Not just any people. Little Church people. Lakewoodgrace people.

One of the things that I’ve been praying for on a daily basis is wisdom. I need wisdom to know how to pastor a congregation where there are such divergent views. I need wisdom to know how to pastor a people who think and believe so differently than I do.

As I was praying and journaling, I came across the scripture readings for Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is the evening Jesus spent with his disciples eating the Passover lamb. We know this as the Last Supper. One of the most heartbreaking realities of the Last Supper is that one of the twelve would betray Jesus late that evening with a kiss.

Yet, Jesus still served all of them. Jesus still washed all their feet. Jesus still offered his body and blood as a sacrifice for sins for all of them.

And it dawned on me. This wasn’t the only time Jesus taught, cared for, loved, served, offered forgiveness to someone who disagreed with him. This was his entire existence. No one understood who Jesus was until the cross and the resurrection. Even his disciples didn’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior until then.

How lonely it must have been.

Regardless of people’s past, histories, baggage, misunderstandings, and false understandings, Jesus loved them. Cared for all. Offered forgiveness and salvation to all.

Shoot. Kinda makes me feel small.

I love you Little Church. I love you Lakewoodgrace. We don’t always have to agree. But I will always love you and do my best to serve you. And when I forget and fail to serve you with my best, forgive me and give me a little time so I can get together with Jesus. He’ll remind me. And I’ll be back to do my best to serve you.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

I have helped my kids to learn how to drive. I remind them at the early stages of learning how to drive that the car will go where you’re looking. So if you’re focused on the curb, the car will go toward the curb. In the same way, if you’re focused on the car next to you, the car will start getting even closer to the car next to you. I remind my kids to look where they want the car to go.

What’s true for cars is also true for life. Our life will go where you are focused on.

The devil thrives in the past. The devil loves to remind us of all our failures and stupidity. And when he does, it’s astonishing how quickly and accurately we remember our failures and stupidity.

All those other times of success, joy, and good fade away in our memory. But the moments of failure and stupidity, we remember vividly every detail of how we messed up, how we felt, how it impacted others.

The devil thrives in the past. The devil thrives in the past because the devil already knows that the future belongs to God. The devil already knows that God has won and that he is defeated.

God beckons us to remember our future. God beckons us to remember who he has made us to be in his Son, Jesus Christ.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

He’s right. There is nothing we can do about our past failures and stupidity. However, what I can tell you with absolute certainty is that God didn’t save us for our past. God saved us for his glorious future. AND, our past, if you’ve repented and confessed your sin, is no longer remembered. The only one who keeps a record of our past failures and stupidity is the devil. The chain that bound us to our failures are broken in Christ.

God is at work in you. And, God will continue to work in you to bring you to completion. That’s God’s promise.

Focus on God’s promises. God has already won the victory. God is currently at work in you to complete the work he has started in you. Focus on God’s promises. And, when you do, your life will go where you’re focused on.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

A peace that transcends all understanding.

I like the sound of that. I want that. I want that – a peace that transcends all understanding – to be my reality.

It’s a good thing that the Apostle Paul tells us the three steps to living in God’s peace:

• “Do not be anxious about anything.”
  • Chill out. Take a few deep breaths. God’s got this. Don’t worry.
  • When we bring our worries to God, God’s got out back.
• “But in every situation…pray.”
  • Burdens aren’t our’s to carry. Bring and lay your burdens, concerns, worries, joys, praises to God.
  • God loves to hear and answer our prayers.
• “But in every situation…with thanksgiving…”
  • Since God loves to hear and answer our prayers, you can know with certainty that God is at work in and through us.
  • Since God is at work, give thanks.
  • Give thanks in all circumstances because God is at work to bring to completion the work he has started in you.

Don’t worry.

Pray.

Give Thanks.

This is God’s plan.

As with all plans, plans work when we work the plan.

So get to work. Put God’s peace plan to work in your life today. In fact, put it to work everyday!