Dear Cornerstone brothers and sisters,
The psalmist says, “Clap your hands all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth” (Ps 47:1-2). Indeed what a great king we have. Our Lord created us and redeemed us – he made us and saved us. Wherever the Lord has you today, remember these great truths. Ultimately, we belong to another; we are not our own, but we belong to our great God and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his life that we might have life!
A few reminders:
1. Prayer meeting tonight at the Arendale’s home. Dinner at 6:15, prayer at 7:00. Please let us know if you will be coming so we have the right amount of food.
2. Men’s breakfast this Saturday at 9:00 AM at Dennys. Join us for this time of good food and fellowship.
3. Be on the lookout for the next ladies’ ‘Mugs & Muffins’ later in June!!
4. Today’s devotional is a reflection on the glorious work of new creation in the heart of a redeemed sinner.
Looking for some new tunes that glorify God?
I look forward to seeing some of you tonight for prayer and Sunday for worship,
From the Pastor’s Desk
Mid-week Devotional
“The Light in our Heart”
2 Cor 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Last week we considered the very first verse in the Bible and the unashamed and absolute claim that God is creator – that he created the heavens and the earth. The one, true, and living God is the God who speaks, and it is done. He said, “Let there be light”; and there was light! One important implication we noted is what we might call a ‘polemical implication’; that is to say, the truth of Gen 1:1 stands in stark contrast to many prevailing views in our culture (naturalism, pantheism, polytheism).
A second important implication of creation is what we could term a ‘paradigmatic implication’; that is to say, creation serves as a paradigm or pattern of the way God works in a sinner’s heart. 2 Cor 4:6 makes this connection explicit, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Consider God’s action in creation: there was nothing – God speaks – and then there was a glorious creation. Now consider God’s actions in salvation: there was no spiritual life in the heart – God speaks or ‘shines’ the light of his glory and grace in a sinner’s heart – and then there is a glorious ‘new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17).
Consider further the ‘direction’ of the action. Was there anything that prompted or induced God to create? Of course not … there was nothing! God chose to create. It was his sovereign initiative. In a similar manner, we can ask the question: was there anything in us that caused or induced God to shine the light of his grace in our hearts? Of course not! The Bible says the unsaved heart is rebellious, wicked, wanting nothing to do with God. Salvation is God’s work! It is his sovereign initiative! He sets his loving gaze on sinners and gives them new life because that is who he is – a God of love, grace, and mercy!
And the application of this wonderful truth of God’s sovereign love and grace is a simple one: to fall to our knees in worship. May the Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 3 be our words: “…[that we] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:18-19). Just as creation is a theatre of God’s glory, so may our lives be testimonies to God’s glory!
Robert