Hi Church, 

I Hope you are doing well this week. We are doing well as we welcome little Emily into our family.

Maybe you have stood at the top of a waterfall watching the water go over the edge and plummet to the depths below. I remember being amazed as I looked at the water flowing over Niagara Falls. The current was so swift and powerful. If anything fell into the water, it would be quickly taken over the edge and dashed on the rocks below.

It feels like many times we are on the edge of a waterfall as Christians in this world. There is a strong current which is trying to sweep us away. This is why the reminder from last week’s message is so important. Last week, Dave shared with us that it was all in the clinging. He took us to Joshua 23 where Joshua reminded the people of Israel that they need to cling to the Lord their God and not to the nations around them. It’s a simple and yet profound theme that goes throughout all of Scriptures including our study in Galatians. Salvation comes from God alone! We need to be reminded that all other things which we might try to cling to or put our hope in will only end in leading us to destruction. 

Everything around us in this world is telling us the opposite. Put your hope in elections, put your hope in science, put your hope in humanity, put your hope in yourself. Live for yourself. These voices enter our very homes in many ways: it may be by entertainment, news, or friends and family. Like Israel was surrounded by nations who were worshiping and clinging to false gods, we are surrounded daily by voices that are inviting us to cling to and hope in other things outside of Christ. Slowly but surely like a frog in boiling water our hearts can be captured by the things of this world and we can be swept away. 

I love the resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made to stand in the tide of our world. “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.” These resolutions show the kind of spirit that we as Christians need to have – ‘I don’t care what everybody else is saying and doing. God has saved me, and he is the one who I will live for.’ These word’s echo Joshua’s own words, “But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” (Joshua 24:15) Joshua was saying to Israel, ‘I’m serving the Lord and putting all my trust in him regardless of what you are going to do.’ The simple call is for us to have this unswerving and simple devotion to Christ. All other ground is indeed sinking sand.

Let us then hold fast and cling to our God this week.

In Christ,

Taylor Ewert
Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church
taylorewert@friendship-bc.com