The Spirit of God gives us LOVE + POWER + SELF- DISCIPLINE
I wrote this blog about 3 weeks ago, and never got around to post it, so here I am posting it.
Kigali, Rwanda. This past month has been so sweet for many reasons. I have gotten to live with seven of my sisters that have called me higher, experience what life with 3 younger brothers is like, getting devoured with hugs from children screaming “Masungu” (that means white person), and so much more. One of the sweetest things is hearing and learning from the Holy Spirit. I am learning what it looks like to walk in freedom, having childlike faith, and worshipping freely in who God has created me to be. Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to preached at my host mom’s church. So now I would like to share with you what the Lord brought to my attention to preach about.
I preached from 1Timothy and 2 Timothy. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus was a spiritual mentor for Timothy. First, all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Word of God is such a powerful tool to equip Christians to walk in God’s divine power. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. The grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. That gets me fired up!
“Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” As I got to share this with the entire church, I was reminded that the Lord shows us more mercy and grace than we could ever have for ourselves.
Christ does not intend for our lives to be doing our spiritual journeys alone. He wants us to come together as the body and share with each other our strengths and weaknesses. We are ONE body- each of us were created each with different strengths and functions. If we all had the same gifts and talents the body would be boring and not be able to function very well. Also, it is a blessing to share with each other what we are learning because different people have different points of view, or they might have gotten a different nugget from the text than you did. I mean, two people can discover more than just one person can. In 1 Timothy 4:6, Paul says, “If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed… Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. So no matter your age, if you are young or old, you are so valuable for the body of Christ. The older and wiser people have walked many more years, and can share with the younger generations what they experienced and the things they have learned. Younger people, can always keep the older people on their toes, and teach them about more things you are learning about. So anyone, no matter how new or mature you are in your Faith, I encourage you to not be timid, but step out in boldness and speak up. 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. My prayer is that we can walk in confidence.
Secondly, I got to share about the freedom we have in the Lord, and the power to not be ashamed of our chains. Why? Because we are set-free and no longer chained to anything but Jesus. BUT GOD’s WORD IS NOT CHAINED. “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
The Lord has been teaching me sooo much lately!!!! Along with that, He is calling me to be a prayer warrior! So if you have any prayer requests, please email me or reach out to me. I would love to be praying for you during this Holiday Season.
-things I am thankful for
-shelling green beans in the dark with my head lamp on
-washing my hair in the front yard, and that time Sarah Beth and I showered in the rain
-pineapple at the end of every meal
-sweet children to greet me with the biggest smile and hug that doesn’t know anything about me
-my parents for being my biggest support system and encouragers.
-mosquito nets that covers my bed when I’m sleeping
-many games of cards
More blogs to come soon! Right now I am in Uganda!
blessings,
catie collins
