Remember Lot’s wife!

03 Mar Remember Lot’s wife!

3 March 2026

Happy Tuesday y’all! And “Thank you Lord for the rain!” It’s been nice to see things greening up some after the prolonged hot & dry spell. Maybe my pumpkins & peppers will make it after all…?

Speaking of “making it”…Thank you & thank God again for generously leading us over the financial hurdle this month. I’ve always known you to be a generous people who serve a generous God…proved again! That’s a great way for us to move into the future mission toward which God called us 13 years ago.

Speaking of the future…In my daily reading this week I was stopped by one of those really short verses in the Bible. One of those you’d almost miss if for some reason the Holy Spirit didn’t say, “Slow down here & read it again.”

Luke 17…you can turn to it if you’d like…toward the end of the chapter, Jesus is asked about the arrival of God’s Kingdom (which he has said is breaking in even now in him). He describes the mystery of God’s final work on earth & the need to be always prepared for God to call “time.” He reminds those around him that the “final horn” will sound & catch many unaware. The basic truth he lifts up for those who trust in him & trust his hands to lead them joyfully into God’s presence for eternity is that everything on this earth will be either transformed by him for the Father’s purposes, or lost forever. We know…we hold loosely to the things of this earth so that we may be held securely by Jesus.

Then he says, “Remember Lot’s wife!” Having given examples of how one should live holding loosely to this world & its attractions, Mrs Lot stands as the negative example. It struck me like never before…If God tells you your destiny in him is not where you are now & sends angels to lead you to safety…you go & don’t look back. If God tells you the circumstances of your life need to change & sends helpers to take you where he needs you…you go & don’t look back. Whether it’s curiosity – grief – nostalgia – regret…you go & don’t look back. And I wondered…how many of us are stuck because we simply won’t follow the angels or the word from God that says “don’t look back…just go.”

As Paul writes to the church in Philippi: One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14 In your life or mine, whatever “was” was. Tomorrow is not that & God calls us to something radically new & beautiful as we allow him to lead us. Jesus finishes that part of Luke 17 with a caution: If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. The lesson is…Everything on this earth will be either transformed by Jesus for the Father’s purposes, or it will be lost forever. So we hold loosely to the things of this earth so that we may be held securely by Jesus.

Here are some things we can find that security in over the next week…

• Sunday 8^th March – We continue our Lent worship & teaching series: Closer to Jesus: From Sunday to Every Day. When we share our “Take it Home” thoughts every Sunday at the end of the Message…Do you? Do you “Take it Home”? How is that most faithfully & effectively done? Well…we’ll talk about that this week.
• Last week’s GBO was a wonderful blessing to the Esencia Life Centre in Wagga. Our newest unexpected pregnancy helping organization that operates to value every life. Their local leader, Clare Enever, was deeply touched by her conversations with so many of you & they were blessed by your gracious generosity.
• Christian College Open Night is Thursday, 5^th March from 4-6:30 p.m.
• World Day of Prayer Service at Pilgrim Uniting is Friday, 6^th March starting @ 10:00 a.m. & ends with morning tea.
• Ladies Bible Study is next Thursday the 12^th of March at 10:00 a.m. @ Maryam’s house on Tamar Dr.
• Lent continues & Holy Week isn’t that far off…so let me put this out there again & again & again so you can invite someone who might otherwise miss out…We’ve printed some handy flyers for you to give to your friends so they can have the details…or direct them to this part of our website!
• Maundy Thursday – 2nd April @ 7:00 p.m.
• Good Friday – 3rd April @ 9:00 a.m.
• Easter Sunday – 5th April @ 10:00 a.m.

Finally…thanks to everyone who said they’d help feed the UniChurch AFES group at their weekly worship & learning services on Tuesday – 31st March. I’ll be in touch over the week with details. Thank you all again!

See you somewhere along the way this week!

John