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  Read Philippians 2 https://www.biblegateway.com/ passage/?search=Philippians% 202&version=NLT   Philippians 2:12b-13- Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.   In the verses just preceding this call to action, which was probably an early hymn of the church, Paul encouraged the people in the church at Philippi to have the very mind of Christ and to act with humility and love toward one another. Good works are very important on our journey of faith, but they aren't a substitute for sinners like us receiving God's grace and forgiveness. Paul wanted people to experience growth and fruit as a result of their faith. Grace precedes good works, but good works matter...a lot, and it all begins with a "go low" attitude as exemplified by Jesus Christ.   On the one hand, the Bible teaches that our good works don't change our status be...

  Read 2 Chronicles 26 https://www.biblegateway.com/ passage/?search=2% 20Chronicles%2026&version=NLT   2 Chronicles 26:4-5, 15-16- He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.  And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.  But  when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.    Today in all of our worship services we begin a Lenten sermon series on humility titled, "Go Low," and we'll ...

  Read Matthew 28 https://www.biblegateway.com/ passage/?search=Matthew+28& version=NLT   Matthew 28:17-19a- When they saw him, they worshiped him- but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore..."   In the final verses of Matthew's gospel we have the Great Commission, which serves as our marching orders as Jesus' church that as we are going through life we will help Jesus make disciples. But I am always struck by what happens before that call as well. The disciples- all of whom by now had been in the presence of the resurrected Lord- followed the directions of Jesus to get to the mountain where He told them to go. Obedience by definition is listening carefully to God and following through faithfully. They were in just the right place at just the right time, but as they saw Jesus, the resurrected Lord, Matthew tells us some of them doubted. Take note that it tells us they all worshiped Je...

Read Psalm 34 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034&version=NLT S Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”   O As I sit and watch my father slip into the darkness of dementia and see my mother valiantly caring for him and trying to pull him back into the life that they have shared for more than 61 years, I wonder how someone who does not have a relationship with God can cope with the weightiness of this situation. I think about how frightened my father must be as he knows, but doesn’t know who my mom, sisters, brother and I are. And then, sparks of recognition come through. A memory shared and a smile on his face that say “I am still here” even if for a brief moment … those small rays of light, that clarity are a blessing and a remembrance that God is still close to my broken heart and crushed spirit, especially when life is heavy and difficult.   A We all have moments, sometimes whole seasons, where we...

  Read 1 Thessalonians 5 (The Message)   1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 “May God of peace himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! Friends, keep up your prayers for us. Greet all the followers of Jesus there with a holy embrace. And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don’t leave anyone out. The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you!”   In this passage, Paul reveals God’s heart for His people: peace that brings wholeness. This is not a shallow peace or merely the absence of trouble, but a deep restoration of everything that has been fragmented by sin. God’s salvation reaches the whole person—spirit, soul, and body—bringing integration, healing, and completeness as our lives are centered on Him. Paul makes it clear that sanctification is not som...