The Life and Happenings of ECC

“Praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD, my soul.  I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.  When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.” –  Psalm 146:1-4

This Psalm is a part of the final section of Psalms known as Psalms of praise.  Praise is an important part of the life of the body of Christ.  Praise is a demonstration of our deep love and adoration of God in any circumstance.  Praise honors Him, His ways, and His plans for us.  Praise puts God in His proper place…Exalted Over All. 

As we continue to prepare our hearts for the vote on Sunday, I want to encourage a spirit of praise to our God.  In the verses above, the psalmist praises God because he can place his trust in Him.  The psalmist also warns us to not place our trust in man or the things of man.  Churches can easily get caught up in placing trust in man’s plans, man’s methods, or man’s vision for the body of Christ.  This is a temptation we must constantly battle as we live as the church.  Man is temporary, God is eternal. 

God has given Eaton Community Church a clear vision to become all that He created us to be in this season.  The vote to leave the denomination is vitally important to following His vision for us to stand firm in a solid understanding and interpretation of Scripture.  In saying that, we must remind one another that the vote is not the vision.  In other words, when the vote is complete on Sunday afternoon, our responsibility to live into God’s vision for us is not complete.  We have spent much time, prayer, and energy in preparing for this vote.  It was necessary.  When it is complete, we can move forward without it being a distraction to us, but we still have the shared mission to “Share Life, and Share Christ”.  We still have to make choices each day to collectively follow Jesus Christ as His church.  God’s vision must be alive and well in us and through us beyond the vote.  His vision for us is greater than we can imagine because it will make an impact for eternity if we live it out well.  That is a reason for praising God! 

Join me in a prayer of praise to God:

We praise you Lord!  We praise you because you have saved us.  We praise you because your have established your plans, purposes, and a vision for your people.  We praise you because our identity is in your Son, Jesus Christ and not in man.  God, we call upon you to help us to set our minds and hearts on you and your ways as we place our votes.  Help us to see your greater work in us and through us as we follow you.  Lead us in the days ahead as your people.  We will praise you God, no matter what.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN