Dear HLPC family,
This has been an unusual week, a rather difficult week. In the span of three days, I received word that three friends of mine had died. In three successive days I was made aware of sad news. First, I learned that one of our students from our first ministry after seminary when we were with RUF at UT-Martin, had died. He was a memorable and godly young man named Stephen. Second, I learned that a friend from high school, Danny, who had been a long-time missionary to the impoverished people of Jamaica died. Third, I learned an old friend from Macon, Lindsey Crosby, who had been a great encourager, a man of godliness and a heart for the Lord and for ministry died. I don’t know if I’ve had a week like this before. Each day brought sobering news.
While exercising this morning I was reminded how a focus on the nature and character of God is so important in hard times. I began to reflect on some of the things we’ve been considering in our summer sermon series on the attributes of God. God is infinite, God is immutable, God is love, God is sovereign, God is holy—all are attributes we have studied. As I spent time thinking on these truths, I found some encouragement. Our lives are filled with constant change but God, in all His marvelous perfections, never changes.
Theology is for life. We don’t want to a people marked by “dead orthodoxy.” That’s professing a right theology but never putting it into practice, never living it out. We want to be a people with a vibrant faith in a loving, holy, sovereign, and trustworthy God who loved us and gave His only Son for us and now gives us His Spirit to dwell within us.
That’s why we want to study our Triune God so we can meditate on Him. Then, we are helped to persevere when bad news seems to overshadow the good news.
Your Pastor,
Paul