Many Christians hope that when they stand before the judgment seat of God that they will be declared righteous and allowed into His eternal glory. The great thing is that God declares us righteous at the beginning of our journey, not at the end. The moment we commit our lives to Jesus and trust Him to be Lord of our lives, God the Father, “justifies those who faith in Jesus” (Rom 4:26). In 2 Cor 5:21, Paul writes, “God made him who has no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Since we were made righteous in the beginning of our journey, we don’t have to worry whether our behavior has been sufficiently meritorious to win God’s divine approval. It’s not based on what I have done anyway! It’s based upon what He did at the Cross.

Shove Off!

I've heard it said, "You cannot discover new oceans while remaining on the shore." Last Sunday I preached from Mark's Gospel, the fourth chapter where Jesus and the disciples are caught in a storm on the sea of Galilee. I'm sure there are those that were in the boat saying, 'This would have never happened, if we'd of just stayed on shore." While assessing the situation, we must remember that Jesus is the One Who told them to get into the boats in the first place so that they could cross. Some folks are always wishing they could "go back." Go back to the way things were, because there is stability in what is known. However, if these men would have never shoved off from shore, they would have missed the miraculous calming of the wind and waves that Jesus performed. Sure, there is stability on the shore, but it's in the midst of storms where we get to know Jesus more intimately. Have you the faith to move forward? You cannot go with God and stay where you are.

Blessings,
Pastor Ralph