“I will make you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant- this is the Lord’s declaration- and make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.” (Haggai 2:23)
 
Pick-up games for basketball make me nervous there is always the anticipation of which team is going to choose you. Are you going to be picked first or are you the person that the team gets stuck with because you are the last one standing there? I dislike having to stand in the lineup and just wait for someone to say I pick them. Maybe your super tall and never have to worry about getting picked for a basketball game. No one likes being picked last it is the worst feeling.

God says that he has chosen you not only are you chosen but like his signet ring. A signet ring was used by kings to mark their seal on documents. The seal stated that the document was genuine. It is comparable to a notarized document today. It carried the authority of the kings’ commands. God gives Zerubbabel honor and authority that will not be removed by making him like his signet ring. Today that same signet ring of authority is in each one of us the Holy Spirit that lives in us is a sign of authority and honor that was placed on us through God. Zerubbabel’s honor and authority continued through the Davidic line giving hope and encouragement.

Through this promise not only do we have continued hope and encouragement because of Jesus but God sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal that we are chosen by God and have honor and authority from him. It continues to lead us and guide us in all that we do.
 
Lord, I thank you that not only do you see us and have chosen us. Lord, you did not choose us because we are strong, clever, or great but because of who you are and because you love each of us.
 
Praying for you,
Stacy Watkins

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Psalm 139:7-10
 
Ever feel like everyone is watching out for themselves and no one is really thinking of others? I have felt like that a lot lately. Now, When it comes to human leaders I would like to think that when it really comes down to it they are making decisions believing they are the right ones for the most people. I hope.  Even if I don’t like the decision, my hope is that they really believe it to be the right one and that is not just based in selfishness. I also hope that when we complain and disagree with things it comes from a genuine place of love for others and not from a place of self-serving interests. 

​What it really boils down to is as humans we always end up being a little selfish and we don’t always look out for the interests of others. The only one we can trust to always be looking for us is God.  He is always with us and is always for us. We can rest assured that when God makes a decision it is always with our best in mind and when we trust Him, will always lead to a more abundant life and healthier relationships. 

All throughout the Bible we hear about God dwelling with His people, something even this Psalmist alludes to. God is always with us. He stays with us, thinks about us, and know us better than we know ourselves. I mean, He knows the very number of hairs on our heads (and exactly how many hairs we have lost). He proves it, not just with words, but with actions.

Consider all the ways God has interceded in this world. He found His people in captivity in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. He did that for them. Jesus left heaven and came to this world, for us. Jesus lived, died, and rose again all for us. Jesus promised to not abandon us, but to come back for us. Do you see? It is all for us. 

It is easy to become selfish in this life because no one is looking out for me – so I have to. That leads to a life of incredible worry and frustration. Why not live with God as King – who dwells with you, cares about, and is for you. People will let us down. But God never will.

Pastor Matt

… Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel….
Luke 24:19-21
 
How do you define a win? What does it look like for you to win? In sports it is easy to define a winner – it is the one with the most points at the end of the game or the one who crosses the finish line first. That’s pretty easy. But, when it comes to life defining a win isn’t always that easy. When we don’t find the win we have been looking for it is easy to fall into despair. When we let despair have its way in us we can miss the actual win God has for us.

Take for instance these two guys who were on their way to Emmaus after the death of Jesus. These guys were walking along talking about everything that just happened and Scriptures describes them as being sad. In this sadness they missed recognizing the risen Jesus! They were sulking in what they thought was a loss and missed the victory standing (literally) right in front of them!

They had decided that victory meant their political redemption. Jesus, if He really was King, would take over the Roman empire. He would defeat them and Israel would be set free. But, how can that happen when instead He is crucified and buried. Now, three days later they can’t even find His body! They were sad because what they wanted to happen didn’t. So, they assumed they lost. 

Don’t let despair take over. Just because life doesn’t turn out the way you want doesn’t mean you have lost. When your prayers aren’t answered the way you pictured it doesn't mean God doesn’t care. God is King and has promised you victory. When things don’t work out the way we want, we just might need to redefine what victory looks like and be willing to see beyond our little boxes. God didn’t just want to redeem Israel, He wanted to redeem all of Creation. Victory was won, it was just a bigger victory than they expected. God has a victory for you, it just might be bigger than you expected.  Keep hoping and trusting in Him, don’t let despair win.
           
Pastor Matt

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Luke 17:20-21
           
God’s Kingdom is here!  After a week of watching this country argue and fight over an election I just want to say – God is still King!  This election has become very personal for many people as they feel like over man vs. another is going to strip them of their rights and their freedoms.  If we keep putting our hope in human leadership we are never going to find what we are looking for.  We will always live with a sense of fear and uneasiness.  Now, maybe more than ever, is when we need to realize that God is King and His Kingdom is in our midst.

This statement from Jesus reminds me that I do not need to wait for this Kingdom, but that I can enjoy this Kingdom today, if I want to.  We should not just be waiting for a future Kingdom, we should also be living in a present Kingdom.  Jesus says this Kingdom is here and in fact when you pray, ask for this Kingdom to come.  For God to reign supreme in this place just as He does in heaven.  So, let’s look for this Kingdom and watch for ways it is breaking forth in our lives and in this world.

When asked what to look for in Matthew 11:4-5 Jesus answered with look for healing, look for life, and look for hope among the hopeless.  God’s Kingdom is here healing our lives, giving us life, and bringing us hope.  Fear not – God is King.  Let’s put our faith there and live in His Kingdom and not get so dependent on the kings of this world.

​Pastor Matt

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
 
Once God’s chosen people, the Israelites, rejected Him as King things got worse.  It wasn’t long after their decision that their Kingdom experienced disunity and was eventually divided into two different kingdoms.  Both of those kingdoms would be conquered and they would be taken into captivity.  When they were finally given the opportunity to return from exile, to go back to the promised land, they found it under someone else’s rule.  So, they were no longer slaves in one land, but now found them under someone else’s authority and rule in their own land.  So, when Jesus’ birth was announced they viewed it as their opportunity to finally have their kingdom back, to finally be home.

For us, when we read about Jesus’ birth we immediately think of Savior.  Jesus came to die for our sins, to save us from eternal death, and to give us eternal life.  We don’t usually think of Him in terms of King.  But, for the Jews, He was King first.  What we need to realize is Jesus is both of those things.  He is Savior and He is King.  He came to save the world from sin and to also give the world an opportunity to come home, to live in His Kingdom.

In His Kingdom we find freedom.  In His Kingdom we find reconciliation.  In His Kingdom we find comfort and security.  In his Kingdom we can find all the things we long for and hunger for in “home.”  The Israelites longed for the day when they could truly return home and with the arrival of Christ they were given that chance.  Let’s all take advantage of this opportunity and go home by letting Jesus be King.

Pastor Matt

The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
1 Samuel 8:7
 
God is King. That is a simple and universal truth. But, it is a truth that we often struggle actually living in. We often struggle accepting it and submitting to God as King. It isn’t a new struggle, it is one that has been going on since the very beginning. I believe it all started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.

When God first created He was King. Adam and Eve started off by living in His perfect and good Kingdom. But, as temptation came to them, they stepped out from that Kingdom and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then, through Abraham, God gave humanity another chance to live in His good Kingdom and called out a people (The Israelites) to be His people. They rejected that, stepped out from under it and asked for a human King.

Every time people have rejected God as King they have gone looking for someone else to be their king. It isn’t even that they don’t want a king, they just don’t want God to be it. So, they run somewhere else looking for what only God can provide. We run to other “kings” in hope that they will give us safety, security, healing, and redemption in the way we want it. But, they always fail to give us what we need and rarely give us what we want.

Just like the Israelites, we eventually come to our senses, and turn back to God. It is then that we realize though we rejected Him, He never rejected us. He sent Jesus here to give us yet another chance to be a part of His Kingdom. To, once again, gather a people to Himself. What will be your choice? To reject God only to be let down by someone else or accept Him and live in the goodness only He can provide?

Pastor Matt