Lessons from the Heart
No reservation required
By Pastor Tim Pohlman

Pohlman

I heard a preacher on the radio just the other day. In his opinion, none of us is pulling our weight. The church is lazy and overfed. Christians are all hypocrites. Preachers aren't preaching the truth anymore. Dads are distant, and moms only care about their careers. Kids are out of control and hell-bent. We eat too much, sleep too much, make too much, spend too much, work too much, and give too little.

As negative as that all sounds, it's not as if I can't see his point. I know we have a lot of changing to do. I'm not in denial. We could talk about sin and laziness in the church. We could talk about Christian kids being disobedient brats, and Christian parents that are distant and uncommitted. We're far from perfect individually, and collectively we don't love each other as we should.

But I also know that God's faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of his people. His love has never hinged on our ability to love each other. His salvation has never been reserved for the most obedient among us. God is faithful, even when we aren't.

The most beautiful part of God is that he is so much greater than our weaknesses. He takes the ugliest part of our character and covers it with the most pristine corner of his beauty. Where we are weak, he is strong. That's what makes him God.

"If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself," - 2 Timothy 2:13.

The only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary. In spite of all our flaws and inconsistencies, God accepts us anyway. He cannot and will not deny himself.

This new year, no matter what we may face, there is one thing that we can always be certain of: GOD IS FAITHFUL!

Tim Pohlman is pastor at Burlington Church of Christ.