Lately, I have run into a number of Christians who have dropped out of the habit of regular church attendance. Most of them have done so as a result of COVID-19 and churches being closed for “in-person” worship. It is so easy to do a live-stream service from the recliner with a cup of coffee […]
Eyes fixed on Jesus
But, by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, we can look past the problems in the church and look forward to the day when Jesus will return to set everything right. We can walk in the confidence that Jesus will eventually fix the things we know to be wrong.
No wax fruit
I have a pear tree, an apple tree, and a cherry tree in my yard. If they were not producing fruit, I could go out and buy a bunch of wax apples, cherries and pears and hang them on the trees. This would make the trees look productive to those passing by, but wouldn’t fool anyone who took the time to take a closer look.
How do we choose our heroes?
Rather than desiring to do big things for God, perhaps we should just focus on being obedient in the small things and let God worry about the rest. We can be encouraged in this obedience by the example of Joseph.
Fulfill what you vow
Our culture wants to tell us that it is OK to walk away from something that was vowed. In our society, we are no longer astonished by how often marriage vows are broken, even among church leaders. We have too much evidence that a pattern of seeing vows as non-binding has crept into the church.
Shepherd vs. Leader
This is, after all, what the word pastor means. A pastor is a shepherd, or at least, is supposed to be a shepherd. Shepherds care for their flock, not just as a group, but as individuals.