Our history as God’s holy people is laden with countless individuals who failed at life. Even the so-called greats in Bible had their mishaps and misteps. They were afflicted with crises of doubt. Considering St. Paul, he went from being “enemy #1” of The Way to planting congregations and being the most significant apostle of the early age of Christianity. He did not toot his own horn, but gave credit where it was due. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (I Cor. 3:6). We seek not our own pat on the back, but simply to be obedient.

The words of Jesus in his “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke were the Gospel text in yesterday’s worship. When we act out of vain ambition, truly we have received our reward; that’s all we will get. When our hearts are humble and penitent before God, that is when the Father smiles approvingly.  The unconditional love is always a given, and our attempts to achieve that or win that are pointless and useless. Is that bad news or good news to you? Thanks be to God that His is no graded system. Nothing we can do to earn the life that is truly undeserved, because the one who did NOT deserve to die, did so that we may have life in him

Pastor Art