Whatever looks triumphant—the people and things we hold out as the absolute measure of concrete, dependable success—still meets death that tramples it. Isaiah warns that rebels and sinners will together be shattered, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. What then are we going to hold onto?
We know we217;re going to die—it217;s as inevitable as buttered toast landing face-down—but Romans 6:5 asks whether that death has to mean the same thing it did before Christ.
What looks successful is not always healthy, especially when everyone depends on one gifted leader. In Exodus 18, Jethro watches Moses carry the people’s disputes from morning until evening and warns that both Moses and the people will wear themselves out. How does God actually intend his people to serve together?
Paul left a wide path of destruction as he went city to city persecuting God217;s people, and yet in 1 Timothy 1:15, even as he names himself the foremost of sinners Jesus came to save, he can say that last part: Jesus came to save him. And He came to save us, too.
Music has a way of dealing with all sorts of struggles, even the ones that come while trying to create with the gifts God gave. You end up feeling like heaven is being forced to marry hell, wondering if God is near or far as you wait. Psalm 10 meets us in exactly that cry.
Deep down, even people who come to God carry a fear that He will eventually give up on them — that sooner or later they217;ll be shown the door. That fear is exactly what Jesus meets head-on in John 6.
We often wait for someone else to step into the work God has placed before us. In Matthew 9:37–38, Jesus calls us to recognize the harvest, pray for laborers, and listen for where the Lord is sending us.
When every headline seems to confirm that the world is bending farther from truth, outrage and hopelessness can feel more natural than faithful witness. Philippians 2:12–16 places Christians in the midst of a crooked generation and calls them to shine without murmuring or retreating. How can a believer hold forth the word of life when darkness seems to dominate?
Learn more about who we are, our story and our vision for a new church plant in the heart of the City of St. Charles.
Pastor Tim continues our series, 220;the Weary World Rejoices.221; This week, we will look at the hope we discover in the Shepherds217; story.