A Holy, Loving God

Psalm 18:25-27 (NLT)
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
26 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
27 You rescue the humble,
but you humiliate the proud.

I read this passage earlier in the week as part of my One Year Bible reading plan. These words have stuck in my head. God is a loving God, and most people like to dwell on that part of Who God is. God is also and foremost a Holy God. We generally like to sweep that part of Who God is under the rug. David wrote and sang this Psalm on the day he was rescued from his enemies and from Saul. David is praising God for Who He is.

God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. God shows His integrity to those who live with integrity. To those who are pure, God is pure.

However, God is hostile to the wicked. Hostile! God does not tolerate wickedness in the name of keeping the peace, or of being politically correct. God is HOSTILE towards the wicked.

While God rescues the humble, He HUMILIATES the proud! Humiliates them!

There have been plenty of times in my life when God needed to humiliate me and to be hostile towards me. My desire is to have those days behind me, and to be pure in Christ. Just as my sins were washed away in the watery grave of baptism, may my life be awash with faithfulness, integrity, purity and humility.

Only then, can I have true fellowship with a Holy, Loving God.

Welcome to...

During our college age Bible study last night we were talking about the importance of service, and the opening question dealt with stores that impress us because of customer service. As we discussed this thought-provoker, we wanted to apply our ideas to the church setting. First impressions and friendly, smiling customer service is not just concerns for businesses, but needs to be a major concern for the church.

As we prepare to move into new facilities, we have the opportunity to make a great first impression on our community. Our building is beautiful. Our covered drive up and drop off area lends itself to "doormen" to open car doors and escort folks to the front door of the building.

At one point we were discussing eateries like Cici's Pizza, and Moe's Southwest Grill. One thing thee places have in common is a greeting for everyone who walks in the door: "Welcome to..." It is our desire to create an environment that welcomes all who walk through our doors at Vero Christian Church. To truly engender a welcoming environment, we need to remember that Jesus welcomes everyone. We need to treat others with all the love, care, and commitment that Jesus does. It cannot be a rote greeting with a fake smile, it must be a genuine Christ-centered, and Christ-powered love expressed through the members of Vero Christian Church.

I was greatly encouraged by the discussion and the enthusiasm expressed from our college age group. I look forward to seeing the practical application of that discussion, and the enthusiasm put into action.

Fell off the edge of the planet

But, I am back. Over the past several months life has been crazy busy. the kind of crazy busy that can separate a man from his passion for the Word purely for the sake of the Word. Capital Stewardship Campaign, preparation for a move into our new church facilities, change in ministry focus to encompass the worship end of things, family upheavals, illness (Peggy had walking pneumonia, but is doing much better now), the Holidays, you name it.

However, I have done much better in my personal devotional time. For several years I sent out my daily devotional thoughts to a a privately maintained email list but stopped doing that nearly two years ago after someone took my thoughts out of context and put me in a bad spot with the elders of the church where I serve. Now, I keep those devo thoughts to myself. Of course the downside is that I don't have any accountability partners to keep me on track. 2007 was a year that was spotty at best with my daily devos, but 2008 is off to the start it needs to have.

As I type this while sitting on my couch this morning working at home because the Internet is down at the office, I am determined to not just take care of my personal devo time each day, but to post to this blog whether anyone reads it or not. Writing soothes my soul, and I need to soothe it more and more these days. If you stumbled upon these ramblings, I am sorry to put your through my thought processes today, but I hope to to more stimulating with each passing post this year. Join me for the ride God has planned out!

Be God's,
Scott