The Gospel vs. "Good Enough"

The Gospel vs. "Good Enough" - Part 2

The lesson John Mulligan gave us on Sunday was Part 2 of “The Gospel vs. Good Enough - How to live without anxiety about God.” Last time we learned that doing our best isn’t enough for our salvation, but Jesus is - he’ll make up the difference in our shortcomings. The first thing we need to know is that accepting the gospel requires risk. We accept that we can’t trust ourselves to do everything right all the time. It can be a challenge to put all our trust in God. Human beings can have a hard time trusting in others, especially those of us who like to be in control. Secondly, accepting the gospel requires us to “Let go”. This implies letting go completely, for 100% obedience. We put ourselves entirely in God’s hands and submit to being faithful. Finally, accepting the Gospel requires us to live by faith. Galatians 2:20 tells us, “...Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Conversion, obedience, decisions, and involvement are the cornerstones of living God’s Word. Romans 12:1-2 sums it up, asking us to “...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” As hard as it might be, we need to abandon our misplaced sense of control and give our lives over into God’s hands, knowing that complete faith in Him will lead us to salvation.

In a Dry and Weary Land

Jay Mijares talked to us on Sunday about Psalm 63, entitled “In a Dry and Weary Land.” David had escaped into the Judean wilderness, afraid that the city was going to be attacked. Still, he had no regrets; he only longed for God. Psalm 63 (AMP) verses 1-2, “O God, You are my God; with deepest longing I will seek You; My soul [my life, my very self] thirsts for You… in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have gazed upon You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.” David had no doubts that God’s power would protect him even in the wilderness. Verses 6-8 continue about the richness of God’s love and safety in God’s protection: “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You… I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul [my life, my very self] is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises [to You] with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate and thoughtfully focus on You… For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings [where I am always protected] I sing for joy…” The final verses bring us back to the ‘wilderness’, to our own daily reality. God will fight and win our battles if we have a strong, daily worship practice. Jay listed the lessons we learned from this Psalm: Many of us suffer from a wilderness of the heart. But God will guide us out if we let Him. Inward worship is accompanied by outward praise. We can find a spiritual oasis in our hearts regardless of our outward circumstances. Our remembrance of what God has done in our past should encourage our future. Don’t let the noise of daily modern life make you forget all the blessings you’ve received. God satisfies us one day at a time. Blessings can’t flow continuously; we need a steady, daily worship practice, even in the times when we can’t see the blessings that are already there. Let us trust God to give us what we need. He will provide us a spiritual oasis where we can drink from His living water and be ever satisfied!

The Gospel vs. "Good Enough"

The lesson John Mulligan gave us on Sunday was “The Gospel vs. Good Enough - How to live without anxiety about God.” First and foremost, the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news! We should all be eager to share about God’s power to all who believe - all, Jews or Gentiles, all. His righteousness will be revealed to all who desperately need it. Let’s understand what that good news is. The ‘Good News’ is NOT “Do your best and you’ll be good enough.” Romans 3:22-23 tells us “...righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Doing our best isn’t enough because we’ll never be perfect. We may not overtly sin but have we ‘covertly’ sinned by some inaction? How is this Good News? The Good News is that your best is never enough -- but Jesus is! To continue the scripture quote started above (Rom 3:22-23), “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 1 John 2:2-3 reads “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.” So the answer can never be about how good we are - the answer is always Jesus. He is our safety net, keeping us secure. With a strong faith in Him, we don’t have to be more than we are.

When to Pray

John Mulligan’s lesson on Sunday was on “When to Pray -- Two Times You Need to Pray.” It should be no surprise that the first time to pray is during bad times. When we’re faced with despair, going to prayer might not always be our first step, but it should be: In times of pain -- when we’ve suffered a loss, such as a death, that situation may call for a lifetime of prayer. In times of uncertainty -- when we don’t know what’s going to happen, we need to stop wringing our hands in despair and pray. In times of temptation -- when Satan knows that we’re at our weakest point, we need to call on God for strength. In times of intense emotion -- when we’re overcome with bitterness or anger, we must step back before we react badly and pray for a peaceful heart. The second time to pray is in good times! Just like during the bad times, when we’re enjoying good times, the thought to pray about it might not be our first choice, but it should be: In times of prosperity: Give thanks and pray for guidance on how to use what we have. In times of happiness: There might be times when we’re so calm and content, we simply forget about prayer. Even then, we need to pray. In times of problem stability: When a previous problem has sorted itself out and we’re no longer worried about it, we need to give prayers of thanks. In times of spiritual stability: When we’re calm and handling situations well, that’s a spiritual success to be grateful for. Ultimately, the only answer about when to pray is ALWAYS. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but *in every situation*, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” As we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, *pray continually*, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Let us remember to go to our Savior in prayer, always, in every circumstance that comes our way.

The Anointing of the King

In the third chapter of Matthew’s gospel, we read that the Lord Jesus Christ went to John the Baptist to be baptized. But why would the Son of God Most High need to be baptized? It’s a question John asked and it’s a question we’ll answer in today’s lesson.