Onward | June 17th

"And we desire each of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Hebrews 6: 11-12

I think we are familiar with the feeling of being sluggish. This feeling can describe how we feel emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We become lazy and indifferent to what we should or could be doing.

This verse tells us to have no such feelings regarding God, His grace, and what He has called us to do. The believer must be earnest in seeking the Lord. May our faith be filled with passion and a deep sense of our need for the Lord. Let us have a burden to do something for Him and to make an impact upon those around us for Christ.

Through patient endurance, we progress by the mercy God supplies each day. His promises are before us, and we strive in His strength to lay hold of that which God has for us. The Lord is with us in all our days and will not forsake us, but let us move forward and be not sluggish.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight

Justified | June 14th

" For all of have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,.."

Romans 3:23

Beloved, all of us have experienced the reality of outgrowing something. We outgrew clothes as a child. Things that used to amuse us no longer do as we mature. We grow and move on in many different ways throughout a lifetime.

There is one thing we will never outgrow or add to in this life. We will never add to the justification that Christ attained for us. Though we continue to advance in our faith, we can never become more justified than the day Christ redeemed us from our sins. We do not mean we cease turning from sin or pursuing a holy life.

We must understand that as sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God, we can never reach Him by our righteousness, no matter how long we have been saved. The perfect righteousness of Christ has justified us. We stand in this justification from the moment of salvation into eternity. It is the justification of Christ that has put us in the right standing with God. It is sufficient in itself. We cannot add anything to it.

This is our peace and joy today. Relish in the gift of grace.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight

Chosen | June 12th

"You did not choose me, but I chose you..."

John 15:16

Beloved, have we chosen God, or did He choose us? We often think we have come to Christ when we ask Him to come into our lives. However, it seems inescapable throughout scripture that God has chosen us.

Christ calls us by name. The Holy Spirit convicts our hearts, and God has given us the witness of Himself within creation and our conscience. No one dead in sin could see, hear, comprehend, or receive any of this unless God, in His mercy, touches the life first.

The Lord is the only one who can make the heart of stone flesh again. We do not possess the will or power to do so. It is a work of the Holy Spirit in grace. Take comfort today that the Lord has chosen you. You belong to the Father and have received the Holy Spirit. Our position in Christ is sure.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight