Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
Most nights, before Portia and I head to bed, we try to prepare the house for the following morning. Not every night, mind you. Sometimes we drag our worn-out carcasses to bed without even thinking about a thing. And we wake up to a mess.
There are some evenings, though, when everything clicks. We pick up a bit, get the dishes done, clean the coffee maker, and wipe down the counters. We get to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep well.
When that happens, our mornings are a breeze: smooth and stress-free and enjoyable. It's nice to not wake up to a disaster of a house, right? It's so nice, that it actually makes it worth it to get the necessary stuff done the night before. And when we do, the fact that I KNOW that I'll be waking up to a wonderful home somehow makes me calmer, cooler, less stressed. I know things will be great in the morning.
As believers, we sleep with the knowledge of something far greater than a clean kitchen. We rest under the banner of something far more profound than a stress-free morning. In Christ, we not only have the knowledge of this truth, we have the ASSURANCE of it!
Christ breathes life into every believer's weary spirit primarily in three ways:
1- Freedom from the Past
All of us carry around some sort of wound, baggage, things that we've done, mistakes that we've made, sins that we've committed. Even if we've repented of these things, sometimes we don't feel forgiven, or we feel like we can't escape from under the shadows of our past.
The Gospel comes in and says that what you were does not define you. You are who God says you are in Christ. Understanding the rich truth of justification "by grace through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) gives us great freedom from the past.
2- Power for the Present
Through Christ comes the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. We really do have the Spirit working according to the Father's will to make us more like Christ. We do have the power to obey.
But when we fall short--as we often do--we know that we have the grace to forgive us so that we're not defined by our worst deeds. We really do have the Spirit's empowering presence for our present work and effort. We can work joyfully knowing we don't have to earn God's favor and knowing the Spirit is willing and working within us for God's pleasure.
3- Hope for the Future
The harsh truth of living in a broken and sinful world is that we have no guarantee of security. In fact, Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We feel that now more than ever.
But we do have the guarantee that our hope is secure in Christ. The hope that we have is not the same hope that we often refer to in everyday language -- "I hope something good will happen." Our hope in Christ is a sure hope -- a secure hope.
Every Christian can wake up in the morning with fresh mercies and with the understanding that whatever happens with our health or our finances or in our country or our families or churches or wherever, we are united to Christ and therefore as secure as Christ himself is.
Now, how secure do you think Christ is? I hope your answer is a resounding, "As secure as can possibly be!" You'd be exactly correct. And therefore, the same security applies to you.
Go to bed tonight -- and wake up tomorrow morning -- knowing you have much more than a clean house to wake up to. You have it ALL in Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Most nights, before Portia and I head to bed, we try to prepare the house for the following morning. Not every night, mind you. Sometimes we drag our worn-out carcasses to bed without even thinking about a thing. And we wake up to a mess.
There are some evenings, though, when everything clicks. We pick up a bit, get the dishes done, clean the coffee maker, and wipe down the counters. We get to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep well.
When that happens, our mornings are a breeze: smooth and stress-free and enjoyable. It's nice to not wake up to a disaster of a house, right? It's so nice, that it actually makes it worth it to get the necessary stuff done the night before. And when we do, the fact that I KNOW that I'll be waking up to a wonderful home somehow makes me calmer, cooler, less stressed. I know things will be great in the morning.
As believers, we sleep with the knowledge of something far greater than a clean kitchen. We rest under the banner of something far more profound than a stress-free morning. In Christ, we not only have the knowledge of this truth, we have the ASSURANCE of it!
Christ breathes life into every believer's weary spirit primarily in three ways:
1- Freedom from the Past
All of us carry around some sort of wound, baggage, things that we've done, mistakes that we've made, sins that we've committed. Even if we've repented of these things, sometimes we don't feel forgiven, or we feel like we can't escape from under the shadows of our past.
The Gospel comes in and says that what you were does not define you. You are who God says you are in Christ. Understanding the rich truth of justification "by grace through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) gives us great freedom from the past.
2- Power for the Present
Through Christ comes the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. We really do have the Spirit working according to the Father's will to make us more like Christ. We do have the power to obey.
But when we fall short--as we often do--we know that we have the grace to forgive us so that we're not defined by our worst deeds. We really do have the Spirit's empowering presence for our present work and effort. We can work joyfully knowing we don't have to earn God's favor and knowing the Spirit is willing and working within us for God's pleasure.
3- Hope for the Future
The harsh truth of living in a broken and sinful world is that we have no guarantee of security. In fact, Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We feel that now more than ever.
But we do have the guarantee that our hope is secure in Christ. The hope that we have is not the same hope that we often refer to in everyday language -- "I hope something good will happen." Our hope in Christ is a sure hope -- a secure hope.
Every Christian can wake up in the morning with fresh mercies and with the understanding that whatever happens with our health or our finances or in our country or our families or churches or wherever, we are united to Christ and therefore as secure as Christ himself is.
Now, how secure do you think Christ is? I hope your answer is a resounding, "As secure as can possibly be!" You'd be exactly correct. And therefore, the same security applies to you.
Go to bed tonight -- and wake up tomorrow morning -- knowing you have much more than a clean house to wake up to. You have it ALL in Christ Jesus, our Lord!
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MYG had their first gathering of 2021 last night -- what a great night!
Monday Prayer starts this Monday, January 11 at 10 AM.
Wednesday Night Connect will resume February 3 at 7 PM.
Monday Prayer starts this Monday, January 11 at 10 AM.
Wednesday Night Connect will resume February 3 at 7 PM.
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This Sunday, we'll start a new series: RESET.
Wouldn't it be great to hit the reset button on this past year? To take the good, forget the bad, learn some lessons, and forget it ever happened?
In this series, we'll talk about what the Word of God says about fresh beginnings and new starts: and lo and behold, it's everywhere! Our God is a God of fresh starts, in fact He says His inexhaustible mercies are "new every morning."
This week, we'll look closely at some lies we can believe about past experiences and failures and pain points, and how God's truth addresses them all. It'll be a good Sunday to listen in -- in person or online!
Join us this Sunday for Part 1 - Assess and Address.
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments! Have a Happy New Year!
Pastor Ronnie
Wouldn't it be great to hit the reset button on this past year? To take the good, forget the bad, learn some lessons, and forget it ever happened?
In this series, we'll talk about what the Word of God says about fresh beginnings and new starts: and lo and behold, it's everywhere! Our God is a God of fresh starts, in fact He says His inexhaustible mercies are "new every morning."
This week, we'll look closely at some lies we can believe about past experiences and failures and pain points, and how God's truth addresses them all. It'll be a good Sunday to listen in -- in person or online!
Join us this Sunday for Part 1 - Assess and Address.
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments! Have a Happy New Year!
Pastor Ronnie
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