Loose Ends Living

 

It is very stressful to live with ongoing uncertainty. When we aren’t sure how important situations in our lives are going to turn out, we say we have “loose ends to tie up”. We’ve even developed a new term to describe tying up those loose ends – closure. We talk about getting closure when something tragic happens in our lives such as a death in the family or a major disappointment. Closure is the process of coming to grips with the way things are, accepting that new reality and then moving forward. Sometimes closure brings peace. Sometimes it leaves us unsatisfied. 

For many people, there are a lot of loose ends in their relationship with God. They have questions about his involvement in their lives on a daily basis, whether he really makes a difference and if it’s worth the time and effort to develop a relationship with him. The Ascension of Jesus which took place 40 days after his resurrection ties up those spiritual loose ends and provides for us the closure we need to be certain of God’s commitment to us and the benefit of vigorously pursuing a deeper friendship with him. 

Jesus ascending into heaven tends to be considered a footnote in the life of Christ when compared to his birth, crucifixion, and resurrection. But it is the Ascension which confirms three massive truths on which we Christians build our lives: 1) There is an end goal to human history and God is behind it; 2) We can be sure that divine forgiveness is real, valid, and available to all people; 3) There is a divine purpose and plan for each of our lives. 

Join us for one of our weekend services and start tying up some of those important loose ends in your life! 

Weekend worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm – Sunday: 10:00 am

A Portrait of Pride: The Human Disaster

 

Money has gotten a bad rap over the years due to a mistranslation of a Bible passage. The King James Version of 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” While greed has led a great deal of people away from God, it is not the singular cause of all sin. That distinction goes to the self-centered attitude of pride. Pride was the motivating factor in the first sin, and it has been part of every act of disobedience toward God since. 

We usually think of a prideful person as someone who considers themself better than other people. That’s just a symptom of something far more serious. Self-centered pride in its most basic form is the conviction that we know better than even God himself. When you think of it in those terms, isn’t that really at the heart of what is called sin and evil? We believe we know what is best and so we set God aside and take jurisdiction of our lives. 

Given how temporary human life is and then add to that the limited ability we have to manipulate much of what happens during the years we spend on this earth, it does seem rather presumptuous to tell God to step aside and hand over the reins. Even worse are the disastrous consequences of playing God. It just doesn’t work. He didn’t create us for that. 

Join us for one of our weekend services. You might just find that giving up control is exactly what brings your life under control! 

Weekend worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm – Sunday: 10:00 am