What a great day we had yesterday at RCC!!!

What a great day we had yesterday at RCC!!! The cool thing is, as I was praying for our services this past week, I was praying (as were many of you) for churches all across America. I'm hearing wonderful reports from pastor friends all over the country who had amazing Easter times together. Praise God for that, for the second largest crowd in our brief history and for the five we baptized at Ridgeview yesterday. I was encouraged by some of you to recount my points from yesterday's message. Here they are. I hope they bring continued encouragement to you.

1. Realize it’s always easier to go back to what’s comfortable.
Believe me, you will be tempted to. And Satan will make it easier for you to. It’s more comfortable and much easier than dealing with change or trying to make the right choices. But going back requires no faith and it surely does not require a trust in God. Our God is a God of forward progression. Don't slide back to what is comfortable

2. Don’t let your failures keep you from seeing God.
Our next message series at Ridgeview will deal with this. You and I can get so caught up in what the past has done to us that we don’t see hope staring us right in the face. The Bible says God removes our sin as far as the east is from the west to remember it no more. So, why do we remember our sin when a holy God refuses to?

3. Know that faith in God won’t always make sense.
Lots of people refuse to believe the stories of Christmas, of Easter, of a Christ who came to live and die for us because it just does not make sense. Why would a perfect God love us that much? But I submit to you that it makes more sense to entrust your life into the hands of an awesome God than to believe that anything on this earth will secure your life for you.

4. Accept the restoration offered by Christ’s resurrection.
The empty tomb of Easter changed everything. Through the power displayed that first Easter, you and I can know peace and freedom from our shattered lives. Embrace the Cross and the empty tomb--not just on Easter--but every single day of your life.

Have a blessed week. Looking forward to the days ahead with my family at Ridgeview.