From the Pastor…
“Here’s the bottom line. The Christian life, the church, our faith are not about us, they’re about him – his plan, his kingdom, his glory.”
– Paul David Tripp
This quote reveals the one thing that every Christian must come to terms with. Perhaps the most counterintuitive truth of Christianity is that “it” is not about us! The world tells us to “look out for number one,” but Jesus says “the first will be last and the last will be first.” The world tells us to do whatever makes us happy, but Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him.
Sadly, it seems that modern churches have devolved into feel-good support groups or outlets for elaborate entertainment. Don’t get me wrong… we need to support one another and we should have great joy. We should also give our very best when it comes to anything we do for the Lord, including fellowship, worship and praise. But we cannot loose sight of the fact that what we do and who we are is not about us. As God’s people, we must remember that it is all about Him! Our time, our finances, our words, our actions – in short, our number one priority must be our God and our Lord, Jesus Christ! If it is, we may become unpopular or even hated by the rest of the world. However, we are not living for the approval of the world. Our lives are to be lived for an audience of One!
As we begin this new year, let us admit that there is nothing less natural for us than to live for the glory of another. In doing so, we connect ourselves to the grace we need to live for the only One worthy of our total allegiance. As difficult as this sounds, it must begin with us recapturing a healthy sense of Awe for our God. If we are not genuinely in awe of God and do not have a healthy fear of His righteousness and justice, we cannot truly die to ourselves and live for Him.
I encourage you to read Psalm 115 as you enter 2020. The psalmist begins with these words: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory,” and he concludes this psalm by emphatically proclaiming, “But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!” I pray that this will be the heart’s cry of everyone here at Roberdel in 2020! May we be faithful in sharing the love of Christ and the good news of the Gospel this year.
Happy New Year!
In Christian Love,
Billy Dennis
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