Every new year, people make all kinds of brand new resolutions to do things differently. We plan to eat better, exercise more, work harder, make more money, or maybe try and be a better person. This “resolution making” is true for churches, too. There are fresh new goals and plans to do more, serve more, love more, and a host of other “mores”!
Sometimes, however, it’s not really a new resolution that we need, it’s simply a commitment to the things we already know are important. The challenge for our church is not to find some new “thing” to commit ourselves to, but to hold tightly to the plumb lines of truth that we already know. So, today, let’s be reminded of what the Lord has already taught us:
The church is measured by what we do once we LEAVE the building.
The gospel alone produces the passion that sustains our mission.
Every member is a minister.
The point of everything is to make disciples.
Love on display is our most convincing witness.
These are the “plumb lines” that we talked about in 2016. The truth of the matter is that our priorities, just like the Word of God, never really change. We sometimes just forget what we are really supposed to be doing. May 2017 be a year in which every plumb line of truth is burned deeper into our lives and deeper into the soul of our church. There is no doubt: The best is yet to come!
As your pastor, I am so grateful and I celebrate all of the prayer and hard work that made 2016 so awesome. You are a joy to pastor, and I’m looking forward to pressing on together!
-Bro. Steve