To my Parkwood Family

“There is an appointed season for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

After diligent prayer, thoughtful consideration and seeking God’s will, I have accepted the call to be Senior Pastor of Warrenton Baptist Church in Warrenton, Virginia.  Therefore, at the Quarterly Business Celebration, Oct. 27th, I submitted my resignation as the Pastor of Parkwood Baptist Church with my last Sunday being November 17, 2019.

Over the last 12 years and seven months, I have been honored to serve as your pastor.  Lois and I have a long list of blessings that we are thankful for in our journey with Parkwood.  Together we have been a part of God’s Kingdom work in Northern Virginia.  We have ordained ministers to the Gospel ministry and sent missionaries around the world.  The heart of Parkwood is truly a ministry outside the walls…a genuine heart for missions, locally and internationally.

What a journey it has been.  Together we have celebrated baptisms, weddings, and baby dedications.  We have stood together in hospitals and at gravesides.  In the valleys or on the mountain tops we have helped each other find comfort and strength in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is the Gospel.

Personally, you have invested in our family and I have no doubt that you will embrace and support your next pastor in the same way.  As we follow the Lord’s leading to a new ministry, Lois and I want to say thank you from the depths of our hearts for your love and encouragement over the years.  We will continue to pray for you as you continue to fix your eyes on Jesus and fulfill your calling as the Body of Christ in Annandale.

Blessings,

Pastor Mike

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Happy Easter! He has RISEN!

“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man that He had formed.”                                – Genesis 2:8

“When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.” – John 18:1

“Now in the place that He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” – John 19:41

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’  So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.  Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.  He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.  Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead.  Then the disciples went back to their homes.  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.  They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’  She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’  Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking?’  Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’  Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ ” – John 20:1-16

God loves the garden.   In the beginning God started with a garden that He created for us to enjoy fellowship with Him and each other…until we betrayed Him.  Jesus loved to spend time frequently in the garden of Gethsemanie in conversation with the Father and fellowship with His disciples…and it was there He was arrested.  Betrayed in a garden again.

John mentions that the tomb was located in a garden.  It was to a garden that they ran that morning.  It was in a garden that Mary was reunited with the living Jesus!  It was in a garden that she heard Him speak her name!

Today, the resurrected living Jesus calls you by name!  Do you hear His voice?  I know, it’s hard to believe, but it is Him!  He is calling you back to the garden.  Not to lay flowers at His grave, but to be reunited with your Lord and Savior!  There is more than an empty tomb in this garden…there is Jesus!

He is RISEN!

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Famous Last Words – Day 40

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  – John 1:14

“After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took away his body.  Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds in weight.  So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had been laid.  So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.” – John 19:38-42

“We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united in a resurrection like His.  We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin.” – Romans 6:4-7

We have spent 39 days in the noise and chaos that surrounded the cross of Jesus.  We have heard Him speak seven times as He gave His life for us.  These words from the cross have shown us a great deal about our God and our Savior.  They reveal to us a very personal and compassionate God who shows mercy and forgives even when it is not deserved.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

He is a God who sees and is active in meeting our needs.  He makes sure we are taken care of…”Woman, behold, your son!”  He is a God who hears our cries for help and always answers the call of the repentant heart with a promise…even when we wait until the last minute.

Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Our God became flesh and lived among us and knows how we feel and what it means to be thirsty.  “I thirst”.  He knows what it means to be lonely and to feel abandoned.  He has been there.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

He is a God who is committed to save us and does not stop short in the process…”It is finished”.  He modeled for us a relationship of faith and trust that goes beyond the boundaries of this world.

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”

Now the crowd has left.  The voices of the scoffers are silent.  The dust has settled and the violent work for our salvation is finished.  It is powerful.  The sin that has separated us from our heavenly Father and has loudly accused us…has now been silenced by the Word of God.  It brings even fearful believers out of  the shadows and into the light.  Nicodemus had come under the cover of darkness (John 3) but now came boldly to the cross.  Joseph had followed in secret but now openly came to Pilate.  You cannot embrace the cross of Jesus and remain at a distance.  The cross calls us to step forward.  It causes us to ask, “How can I be ashamed of One who sacrificed His life for me?”

Today, we pause in the quietness of the garden tomb.  How has this Lenten journey drawn you closer to your Savior?  We are each called to come to the cross…out of the shadows and into the light.  Take time to think about it and make some commitments that take you beyond these 40 days and into a closer relationship with your Lord.

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Famous Last Words – Day 39

“Then Jesus, calling out in a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this He breathed His last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.”               – Luke 23:44-49

“And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!'” – Mark 15:39

To express our faith in times of trouble and in times of celebration are acts of obedience to the Lord we serve.  However, our expressions of faith are more than a source of joy and contentment for us.  They are also a testimony to others of who we are in Christ.  It is a witness to those who are lost and seeking a Savior.  The six hours that Jesus spent on the cross…the way that He suffered, and the things that He said…gave a powerful witness to those that were around the cross.  It testified to who He was and revealed to them and to us a God who loves us beyond understanding.

The declaration of the centurion at the foot of the cross is living proof of the effect of the Gospel on someone who observed it being lived out.  His job was simple that day… oversee the execution of the criminal element in Jerusalem.  A  centurion made sure that all who observed this event knew that this was the fate of anyone who resisted Roman rule.  Normally the victims of such a death were thieves and little known rebels condemned to be used as examples…but, today was different.

The Scriptures tell us that this centurion was moved by the crucifixion of Jesus.  And it tells us that it was the way that He died that convinced this soldier that there was something different about this man.  He was there the whole time and most likely heard the same phrases that we have meditated on this last 39 days.  He was probably used to hearing curses and screams of pain.   He may have even occasionally heard criminals still pleading their innocence, but he had never heard words like these.  He had never seen a death like this one.

What was it about the death of Jesus that would have brought such a proclamation from the lips of this foreign officer?  Mark tells us that it was the way Jesus “breathed His last”.   The focus on the Father  and the unwavering commitment to trust Him no matter the circumstances.  This loyalty must have earned the respect of this Roman and certainly got his attention.

I offer this to you today, the world is watching you and, believe it or not, they are looking for how your faith impacts your attitudes and your actions.  In fact, it is how your faith  in God stands in the midst of suffering that has the most meaningful influence.  The skeptical and unbelieving people around us are seeking something that can give them strength in a world where sin and suffering are real and effect everyone.

In fact, the Scripture tells us that the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us was that “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  So, maybe it makes perfect sense that the centurion, who was there watching it all happen, recognized that Jesus was “The Son of God”.

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Famous Last Words – Day 38

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking on the form of a bondservant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…” – 1 Peter 5:6

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.” – James 4:7

“Your Kingdom come and Your will be done…”     – Matthew 6:10

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’  And having said this He breathed His last.” – Luke 23:46

In this last word of Jesus from the cross we have seen a deep trust that is founded in a personal relationship between Jesus and the Father.  He reveals to us that our God is compassionate and always there to lead us through even the darkest times of our life…even the valley of death.

This is both comforting and challenging.  It is comforting because our God is mighty and can deliver us by His mighty hand, but it is challenging because it requires more than “words of faith”.  It is more than “lip service” on a Sunday morning.  It requires a faith that changes our attitudes, our behaviors, and our loyalties.  This is genuine faith.  It is a faith that is revealed to us in this last phrase from Jesus.  It is the complete submission of our will to the will of the Father.  It is radical obedience that is dedicated to One Lord and Master.  It is a faith that stands true in life and death…”even death on the cross”.

This is the “act” of faith that is described in the Scriptures above and illustrated by the life of Jesus.  He not only instructed us to pray for the Father’s will to be done…He prayed it!  He not only commanded us to submit to that will…He did it!

…not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Does your faith and trust in God show itself in your attitudes and your actions?  Are you concerned about pleasing your heavenly Father or the world around you?  Is obedience and submission to your Lord more important than your own comfort and convenience?  These are the difficult questions that the Christian struggles with every day.  We are not perfect and we have trouble “submitting” to anyone…even our Creator.  We are a work in progress, but we are called to humble ourselves before a Mighty God who can give us the strength to get through whatever comes our way.  Paul gave us these encouraging words,

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”       – Philippians 4:12, 13

As we contemplate the cross in these last few days before Easter, let us be reminded that the cross was not only the wonderful act that brought about our salvation, but also the model of a perfect faith lived out in submission to the Father.

On this Maundy Thursday (as we commemorate the Last Supper) let us think about the obedience of Jesus and His great love for us.  Spend some time expressing your gratitude for His sacrifice on your behalf and renew your commitment to humbly submit yourself to His care today.

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Famous Last Words – Day 37

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” – Luke 9:24

“It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or death.  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”     – Philippians 1:20, 21

“I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

“Then Jesus, calling out in a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’  And having said this He breathed His last.” – Luke 23:46

A personal relationship with God through our faith in Jesus changes the way we see our life on this earth and our death.  Our trust in His divine promises to care for us in any and all circumstances bring us strength and comfort even in the valley of the shadow of death.  This is certainly where Jesus was when He spoke this last word from the cross.  His faith in the Father was all that He had left.  It is now a question of trust.

The ultimate declaration of trust we can make of someone is…”I would trust him with my life.”  In other words, we are letting others know that there is nothing we wouldn’t trust that person to handle for us.  It is saying that we are convinced that they have our back in every situation and that they would never allow anything bad to happen to us.

In His final words Jesus declares His trust in the Father by taking that a step further.   He is not only saying that He trusts the Father with His life…He is saying that He trusts the Father with His death as well.  Jesus was dying.  It was coming and there would be no last minute rescue…this was it.  This word reveals a trust beyond this world and its limitations.  “Even in death I trust you and put myself in your hands.  In life and in death I am yours.”  Jesus is saying that even His death could not break His trust in the Father.

You see, our faith gives us more than anything this world  has to offer.  Our faith changes our perspective of this earthly life in light of our life in eternity.  We begin to see things in terms of God’s Kingdom instead of the kingdoms of this earth.  It is through faith that our mortal limitations are shattered and replaced with immortal possibilities.  This faith makes us a part of things beyond this world and its boundaries…including death!  It transforms the way we live our lives and the way we die.

As you can see from the Scriptures above, this faith…this trusting God with our life and death…changed the way the Apostle Paul looked at his life and his impending death.  He wrote the words above as he awaited his own execution.  However, his faith in Christ and his identification with Jesus on the cross gave him a unique strength to face life or death.  Paul was saying with Jesus, “Father, into your hands I commit your spirit”.

Can you pray that today?  You don’t have to wait until you are at the end of your life to make this declaration to your heavenly Father.  “O Father, today, I trust you with my life and death and everything in between and everything that follows.  Into your hands I commit my spirit!

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Famous Last Words – Day 36

“In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my Rock and my Fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my Refuge.  Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.”                        – Psalm 31:1-5

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’  And  having said this He breathed His last.” – Luke 23:46

These are the final words from Jesus on the cross before He dies.  He has been hanging there for six hours slowly dying.  He has spoken several times, but now comes the end…His final breath…His final moment.  He has given everything.  He has nothing left, but one final word with His Father.  What are His last thoughts?  What comfort can He find as He crosses the threshold that we all fear into the “valley of death”?

Yesterday we saw that this final statement reveals a certain childlike trust between a Father and Son.  But, it also reminds us again that the heart of Jesus was steeped in the Scripture.  This phrase is found in Psalm 31 when David turned to God the Father to find comfort.  Jesus used God’s Word for comfort…for strength…for guidance…and, on the cross, for a refuge.

In this particular Psalm we find a troubled David who is surrounded by enemies and neck deep in perilous circumstances.  Yet, he expresses an undying devotion and trust in the LORD.  “Blessed be the LORD, for He has wondrously shown His steadfast love to me…” (verse 21).

David believed that no matter what was going on around him that God was with Him and would always take care of him…even though he walk through the valley of death (Psalm 23).  He knew that he could trust the Good Shepherd with his very life and death…”into your hands”.

I believe that this word from Jesus teaches us at least two things.  First, Jesus was letting those around the cross know that even when we come to the end of everything that we understand…we can confidently put our lives in the Father’s hands.  He is the Rock and Refuge to all those who fear and are in trouble.  You can depend upon Him and He will not fail you.

Secondly, I believe that Jesus is directing us to find refuge in the Scripture.  Just as His cry of feeling forsaken pointed the crowd to Psalm 22, this word points them to Psalm 31.  In other words, Jesus is showing those around Him and us today that the written word is an anchor during the storms of your life.  It is the Bible that assures you that you are never alone!  It is the Bible that reveals to us a loving and compassionate Father!  It is the Bible that proclaims that death does not hold the victory and that it is not the end!  It is the Bible that declares that we are forgiven and that even our failures are not final!

Are you reading the Bible?  Are you filling the reservoir of your heart and mind from the eternal fountain of God’s word?  Jesus did.  It was on His mind to the very end.

 

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Famous Last Words – Day 35

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Teach us to pray, as John taught His disciples.’  And He said to them, ‘When you pray, say;  Father…‘” – Luke 11:1, 2

“So they took away the stone (from the grave of Lazarus).  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me…” – John 11:41

“When Jesus had spoken these words (in the upper room), He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come…'” – John 17:1

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this He breathed His last.” – Luke 23:44-46

We come now to the last word of Jesus from the cross.  Like the last two it is spoken at 3pm on that Friday evening.  Luke tells us that He spoke it “with a loud voice” with His last breath.  This word is similar to the first one because it starts with the intimate address…”Father“.

This time we are almost uncomfortable as if we are listening in on a private moment that was meant only to be between a Son and His Father.  Yet, Jesus speaks it out loud…with a loud voice!  Once again, this was not the first time that Jesus had spoken to His Father loud enough for others to hear.  All during His life He prayed to His Father openly and frequently.  He was not ashamed to reveal that God was not only the Almighty King of kings, but also a kind and loving Father.

I wonder if John was reminded of all the times when he heard Jesus pray with such passion and intensity.  These tender moments were so powerful and made such an impression on the disciples that they asked Him to teach them how to pray that way.  Could it be possible for us to have a relationship like that with the Father?

Yes.

Jesus said that when you pray, begin with…”Father.”  It all starts with a relationship.  To address God as Father is to tear through the curtain that has separated the Creator from His Creation.  It is coming directly into the throne room due to a personal relationship to the King!   Jesus was saying to His disciples that this kind of relationship is possible.  It was the purpose of His coming.  It was the purpose of the cross!   At 3pm on that Friday the curtain that had separated us from the inner court was torn in two and access was granted.  Our sin has been forgiven and the barriers are removed.  We can speak to the Father with the same intensity as Jesus did from the cross;

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”

This simple statement reveals to us Jesus’ complete trust in His compassionate Father.  Wholly putting His life into His loving “hands”.   O Believer, today you too can trust the Good Shepherd.  Commit yourself and your circumstances into the hands of your heavenly Father and allow Him to take care of you.

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Sixth Sabbath

“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, the Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.  This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.  The disciples went and did as Jesus directed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and He sat on them.  Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!’  And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’  And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’  And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.  He said to them, ‘It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.’  And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant, and they said to Him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’  And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, have you never read, Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have prepared praise.'” – Matthew 21:1-16

What are you expecting on this last Sabbath of our Lenten journey together?  Today we celebrate Palm Sunday which commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem for His final Passover.  Finally He is here!  This was something that had been anticipated for thousands of years.  This was not a surprise.  This grand entrance into the Holy city of Jerusalem was not something that just happened.  It was planned…prophesied…expected.

Sometimes I hear people talk about this event as if Jesus and His disciples were just the victims of a first century “flashmob”.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus organized this event.  He knew exactly how it would go.  He planned for this grand entrance.  He wanted people to know who He was without a doubt.  He had made the arrangements from the beginning.

He also knew that some would rejoice and some would not.  The keepers of the temple (the Church) were not happy.  Jesus showing up messed up everything!  The blind and lame came into the temple, the children were running around singing…with no supervision, and Jesus starts moving the furniture!  This will not do.

What are you expecting this Sabbath?  Jesus is here.  How will you welcome the Messiah?  Today is as much His plan as the first Palm Sunday.  Will you shout with the children and welcome His presence or will you be annoyed that He has interrupted your schedule?

Let’s praise!

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Famous Last Words – Day 34

“And He (Jesus) said, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

“It is finished.” – John 19:30

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:12, 13

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…What good is it , my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? …For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”                                                – James 1:22/2:14, 26

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

The work for our redemption was completed on the cross when Jesus gave His life for our sin.  “It is finished”.   The Scriptures have made it very clear that there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation.  It is the work of the Father through the Son…the Lamb of God.  It is “by grace” we are saved “through faith”.  But, this is just the beginning of our salvation story.

Once we have come to faith in Jesus, our lives are transformed…it is an act of God.  Then we are called by God to live for Him!  To be a follower of Jesus is more than a lofty belief in a supreme being.  It is not simply a set of moral codes to better live with the people around us.  This is a new birth!  This is a relationship with our Creator that changes everything about us.  It changes how we think…it changes how we act…it changes how we work!

That’s right!  We receive the free gift of new life when we come to God through faith in Jesus and then the new work in us begins!  We are called to be a part of the working out of our salvation in our lives through obedience and discipline.  We are also commissioned and empowered by the Spirit to be witnesses of the good news of the Gospel to others.  Whew!

This is all made possible by the work of Jesus on the cross.  It was completed…finished, but WE are not finished!  Now the work begins and the process of becoming all that God has created and intended you to be.  The Scripture says that God created us for good works and to do them.  In other words…work!

It is a wonderful, challenging, and, sometimes painful work as we seek to grow in our relationship to the Father and to look to Him for guidance.  Paul called it “working out your salvation”.  It can be a daunting task, but the Scripture also tells us that we are not alone.  The same Jesus who completed the work on the cross is committed to complete that work in you.

“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

So, before our final Sabbath rest of this Lenten season, let us rededicate ourselves to the hard work of following Jesus and experience the abundant life that He has set before us!

 

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