United Church of God

Letter From Dan Preston - March 27, 2020

Letter From Dan Preston

March 27, 2020

Greetings brethren and Happy Sabbath!  We've taken a couple of weeks off from having a memory verse, but I think it's time we get started again!  Our last memory verse was Galatians 3:26 (NKJV), "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."  Read below, using your sound mind, to find clues to this week's memory verse!

Frightening times

When I was a kid, I liked to be scared.  The kind of scary where the thunder pounds, the lightning flashes, and you get under the blankets with your siblings and a flashlight.  We'd tell each other stories, trying to scare one another until the storm would pass.

As adults, we learned there were things a lot scarier than storms.  Life in general can be a bit frightening at times, and no story could distract us very long these days from the trouble the whole world is facing from COVID-19.  

Fright vs. Fear

As a kid, I was merely frightened - a temporary sort of fear from something I knew wasn't much of a danger to me.  As adults in the situation we are in now, I think we all realize that this is lasting longer than we had hoped, and unfortunately, the danger is real.

But in times like these, it's important to remember something:  While we might be a little anxious or even nervous, we shouldn't be living in fear.  We can do this by stopping to consider who God really is.

Inspiration from you

I've had a lot of discussions this week with many of you.  In talking to everyone, it seems we have all grown a bit in our understanding of God.  Not just about prophecy, the tribulation or the beginning of sorrows. What really impressed me was the different ways in which many of you were taking comfort by thinking about about who God is!

Some talked about how they've better seen and understood how God is our sustainer.  Others recognized more fully what a blessing his merciful nature is. And many took comfort in remembering that God is defined by love.

All these aspects of God's character are a wonderful reminder of who He is.  And more than that, what He does for us through His Holy Spirit. He doesn't give us a spirit of fear or worry so that hard times paralyze us.  Rather, He sustains us with His power, His love and His Spirit living in us to give us the sound mind we need to endure trials such as these!