Calling all saints!

The Bible describes those who submit themselves to Jesus Christ...those who believe Jesus is the Son of God and the one who died for our sins...those who seek direction from the Holy Spirit as Saints. The apostle Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus with these words..."Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:" This past week as we see the world holding up individuals who have lived in direct contradiction to God's Word as people to be idolized, I have found it disheartening to be reminded that saints...those who love Jesus and live their lives for His glory...are settling for much less than sainthood. Paul tells us that we are to live lives that would bring attention to the goodness of God in our lives, a life that would be noticeable to those around as a life that has character, a life that embraces truth, a life that has integrity. Whether it is U.S. Go" v. officials having affairs, or people like you and me stepping out of God's will and allowing disobedience to win in our lives, even if for a moment, I want to call all of us again to a description that captures the essence of those who are Christians...... those who have been called saints. I was reminded of Micah's writings this week as a friend spoke of how helpful those instructions from Micah really are. Micah 6:8 reads like this from the New Living Translation.... No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." For ease of use we broke it down to these phrases... "Do the right thing, love mercy, and walk humbly with God." If you and I, as people who love Jesus and desire to do the right thing, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.....then we will live as saints. Living life in complete dependence upon our Almighty God. Go to church tomorrow, ask for forgiveness for the things you messed up with this week, and allow God to empower you to live the life of a saint. It's Biblical.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian