CHAPLAIN’S CORNER Betty and I live on the beach. It is so awesome to see the families, especially the kids, playing in the ocean, cooking out and just enjoying “island time” together. No restraint, no 6 feet separations, no masks!! Starting Line to Checkered Flag… “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 Restoration, Freedom, Celebration! What a difference a year can make! People are out and about enjoying life, their families and friends, together! Are lives have been restored. We are back to our original, normal condition. In other words, where we should be. As I write this it’s Memorial Day weekend. We honor those who paid the ultimate price so we can have our freedom. The dictionary defines freedom as “the condition of not being in prison or captivity”.
We see the happiness on their faces as we pass by on our walks on the beach; truly a celebration, a time of festivity and rejoicing. It is heart-warming and wonderful to see and be part of. When we trust in Jesus as our Lord and best friend, we too are restored. God’s perfect plan to bring us back to Him required our sins to be washed away. Jesus died and paid the ultimate cost for our sins. Through His love and grace, we are restored to God in full relationship with Him; just as He always wanted. 2 Corinthians states it this way, “God put the world square with himself through the Messiah (Jesus), giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.” That forgiveness, the removal of our sins, gives us freedom. In John 34-38 “Jesus said, “I tell
JUNE 2021
you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So, if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.” Which certainly gives us cause to celebrate! Luke 15:24 talks of a father whose son turned his back on his family. When he returned, his father forgave him and stated,” My son is here— given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ All of heaven rejoices and celebrates when someone who is lost finds that personal relationship with Jesus. You can too! “The Good Race” joy service will continue every Saturday night from 7:30 to 7:45 pm during the season. Blessings on and off the road, Jim and Betty Edleston CMA
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