SUMC Daily Devotion (6-30-2020)

 “I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”   -Psalm 3:6

French philosopher Sartre said, “Hell is other people.” We are afraid of people who are mean and angry to us. We fear people who judge, criticize, and bully us. But a Hebrew poet wrote, “I will not be afraid of ten thousand people who have set themselves against me.” Where did he find his inner strength? He found his inner strength in God who lived within his heart. With God in our heart, who can be against us? Kneel before God and stand up to any man!

Today’s prayer:

Dear Lord, we regret that we ignored God and bowed down to people. Help us to please God, not people with power and money. Give us freedom and self-confidence by relying on you, not on people. Amen.
 
1. Don’t waste time responding to your critics. – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

2. Not everyone is going to like me – or you.  – Norman Vincent Peale​

3. If the sun isn’t shining, then flowers need rain. If your car breaks down,
    a good walk will do you good. If you finish last, at least you finished.

Dear SUMC members and friends,
You might have heard a saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” When we feel that we are in control of our lives, life has a way of surprising us. Virtually no one of us knew that the year 2020 would be dramatically disturbed by the coronavirus. But that’s what is happening. No matter what happens, we are to face it with resiliency, creativity, and courage.

I like an American saying, “Roll with the punches.” When life hits us hard on the chin, we can roll with the punches and get back up again, figuratively speaking. That’s the American spirit I like. Our church is challenged to adapt to this new reality and figure out how to be a church in a new environment. Let us be flexible and creative as well as faithful to be a new church in a new given situation.

As we carefully consider easing back into having in-person worship services and gatherings, we will take baby steps to make sure that the safety of our congregation comes before anything else because the church is for people, not the other way around.

Our church leaders and I are working, along with the directives from our Bishop and the governor, to figure out what format of worship would be the safest and the most effective way of providing our congregation with the best worship experiences possible under the circumstances. We will incorporate your wishes and suggestions into our decision-making.

G. K. Chesterton said, “An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.” Let us make this inconvenient situation an interesting, exciting, and exhilarating adventure.
Grace and peace to you all!
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Jerry Cho