Jesus Called You | March 18th

 “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ’Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

  Mark 1:16-17

  Beloved, while we have not been called as Apostles, Christ has still called each of us by name into salvation, just as He called these men.

  Jesus met these men right where they were, in the middle of their daily lives. Simon and Andrew had no idea that morning that Christ would step into their lives and call them by name. In the same way, we were lost in sin and living in a broken world, but the Lord came to us like a Good Shepherd searching for the lost. We were busy with our own lives when He found us.

  We were unable to ascend to heaven or fulfill any requirements to enter into fellowship with God. Only grace in Christ could reach down to us and call us by name. This demonstrates the power, beauty, and majesty of the Gospel: God has initiated contact with us in our fallen state.

  Let this truth be your comfort. Be assured that God is with you and that you belong to Him. You have heard your name called, turned from sin, entered into fellowship with God, and now follow Christ. All of this has occurred by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone. We have no grounds for self-reliance. Let us therefore express gratitude and worship the One who entered our daily lives, saved us from sin, and called us His own.

In Christ Alone.

Pastor Wight

Confession | March 17th

 “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!”

  Psalm 19:13

  Beloved, we are not preserved from sin through our own efforts, but by the same grace that brings salvation. In salvation, we acknowledge our status as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. Through Christ, we are reconciled to God, His righteousness is imputed to us, and we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We become new creations in Christ.

  Confession remains part of sanctification and living faith. We do not need to be saved repeatedly, but we confess before God our need for His sustaining mercy. We admit our tendency to stray and our need for the Holy Spirit to live in us, enabling us to overcome our sinful nature and the spirit of this age.

  Confession is essential to the believer’s life. The psalmist asks the Lord to guard him from sin and prevent its dominion. This petition should shape our daily prayers, grounded in the security we possess in Christ. We must continually present the state of our hearts before God, even as His children. Acknowledge your ongoing need for Christ today and seek the Spirit’s power to free you from the rule of presumptuous sins. The Lord is faithful to preserve you to the end.

In Christ Alone.

Pastor Wight

Working the Garden | March 16th

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

    Genesis 2:15

  Beloved, spring is almost here. Buds at the tips of branches are coming to life with color. What looked brown and lifeless is starting to show new life. Soon, many of us will be outside, clearing away winter’s debris and getting the soil ready for flowers and seeds.

  The Garden of Eden was created by God, yet He placed Adam there to tend and care for it. Eden served as a place of fellowship with God for Adam and Eve, but it also required their active stewardship.

  Our salvation is a gift from God. Through Christ, we have been born again, restored to right relationship with God, and granted eternal life. Just as Adam was placed in Eden, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of God. Although our citizenship is founded on grace, we must still allow God to work within our hearts.

  As we notice the needs of a yard cluttered with debris and the remnants of winter, we begin the work of tending and restoring it. We desire to witness the beauty of spring and the abundance of summer in our gardens and flower beds. Let us approach the garden of our hearts with the same intention. As the Spirit and scripture reveal the remnants of our sinful nature, let us remove all that is unlovely, relying on the Holy Spirit to cultivate His fruit within us. Remember, beloved, that whatever we do for the Lord is never in vain. Time spent tending the garden of our hearts is never wasted. God will send showers of blessing upon a dry and weary land, filling it with abundant life.

In Christ Alone.

Pastor Wight