Living in the Spirit
September 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. –Jeremiah 6-8

The history of the church I attend stunned me when I first heard it. Located in Oklahoma City, the church was founded in 1931. Who would start a new church in the midst of the Great Depression, in a state that three years later dealt with the disaster of the first of three waves of the Dust Bowl? Crown Heights Christian Church was built on faith and the fortitude of its founders. I was privileged to worship with a few of those charter members and several of their children. I learned this history after becoming a member. I joined because of a good minister, friendly members, dedicated mission work, and great music, the legacy of those early leaders.

Jeremiah had the audacity to claim property in his native land when he knew for certain that his country would soon be taken over by the Babylonians. He had planned his return before he left. Do we live that kind of faith? Do we trust God more than anything else?

Fear is our number one sin; faith is its cure. Love is the tool faith uses to extend its reach to the whole world.

Prayer: Lord, forgive my knocking knees when I give in to fear. Strengthen me in answering your call to love. Weave me together with all your children to form a bond so loving it overcomes fear. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.