“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Who knew that when I started writing these Verse of the Day entries that I would be at it for a couple of years! Starting on Monday of next week, Pastor Brad and I will take turns writing the Verse of the Day every other week.

We are committed to doing our part to keep you connected with God and his word. Thank you for your faithfulness in spending a few moments with God with us every day.

Now for the Verse of the Day.

Whatever you are facing today, whatever you’re going through in your life, know this: God did not bring you this far only to bring you this far.

God is at work in you. God is not done with you. Whatever is happening today is not how your story ends. God is still writing your life story through your obedience. God is not done working through you.

The ending of your story, the lives you will touch, the impact you will make for the kingdom of God is still yet to be determined. God is at work in and through you. Trust God and keep obeying God to see where he is taking you.

God did not bring you this far to only bring you this far. The God who began a good work in you, he will bring to completion what he has started.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

God is love. God loves me just the way I am.

That’s absolutely true. God is love, and God does love us just the way we are.

The reason for this is that we cannot do anything to earn or deserve God’s love. God’s love is all grace. It’s all mercy. It’s all God. God loves us just the way we are because God is a God of love.

Because of this, many people understand this to mean that God approves and validates us just the way we are. Since God loves us just the way we are, that must mean that God approves us just the way we are.

That is absolutely false. Because God loves us, God cannot leave us in sin. In fact, the reason why Jesus is called Savior is precisely because he saves us from sin. Jesus did not come to die on the cross to approve or validate sin. He came to rescue us from sin.

Because God is love, God cannot leave us in sin. God cannot leave us in darkness, depression, addictions, oppression, and in bondage to sin. That Jesus is Savior means that Jesus frees us from all that once bound and enslaved us.

That’s why Jesus commands us, “Leave your life of sin.”

So, here is what we can declare with certainty:

• God is love. God loves us just the way we are.
• And, because God loves us, God cannot leave us just the way we are.

God’s grace does not mean we have permission to do as we please. God’s grace gives us the power to do what pleases God. No, we cannot do this perfectly, but we can do it better today than we did yesterday.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Individual’s rights.

Individual’s responsibilities to others.

Which is greater? Which is more Christian? What happens when one’s individual rights are in conflict with one’s responsibility to the welfare of others? Which wins? Which value is greater?

It is impossible to read the New Testament and advocate for a position where individual’s rights usurps one’s responsibility for the welfare of others. It is IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Jesus made it clear:

• “Many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:31).
• “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for man” (Mark 10:43-45).

The Apostle Paul made it clear:

• “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Christians, the church ought to lead the way in placing the well-being of others. The church ought to lead the way in protecting the most vulnerable amongst us.

I too wish we could fellowship the way we used to. I too wish we could worship without our masks. I too wish we could open up the church fully to activities.

But the reality is that we have people in our church who are immuno-compromised, people who are medically unable to receive the vaccine, children who have not been vaccinated. Therefore, we will mask up even when most of us have been vaccinated. Why? Because that’s what Christ would have us to do.

It is impossible to read the New Testament and advocate for a position where individual’s rights usurps one’s responsibility for the welfare of others.

Let us all do our part to love and honor the most vulnerable in our midst. Thank you all for doing your part to share Christ’s love and grace with others.

God bless you!