Month: December 2025

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

-James 1:12

As this year winds down, our attention naturally turns to the start of a new twelve months. And with this renewed outlook, opportunities abound to make some life alterations. Many people take this time and “resolve” to make some positive changes in their life. This usually involves quitting something, losing weight, starting an exercise routine or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Hopes are pinned to a New Year’s Resolution and inadvertently those ambitions fail in the coming days and weeks.

A resolution without resolve will always cause regret. 

In many ways New Year’s Resolutions are doomed from the start. Many times little thought is put into the decision and even less planning. On the other hand, if we really want to stick to something we should look more at our habits. And yet, habits can go either way. Habits are like consequences in many forms and are ultimately tied together. The choices we make have the ability to result in positive habits and good consequences or negative habits and bad consequences. 

Habits are not formed by chance, good ones or bad. They are formed through repeated behaviors. Behaviors we choose to take part in and prioritize in our life. Many times, when we talk about habits it is in a negative aspect. Bad habits cause us to make bad decisions and ultimately a cycle of unhealthy behavior is established and the consequences are a heavy burden to carry. Alcoholism, chronic drug use, gambling, pornography, procrastination, poor nutrition choices are the notable ones we hear about, but any repeated behavior that has a negative impact on one in a physical, emotional, financial or spiritual way is at its core a bad habit. 

On the other hand, the opposite is true when we choose to practice and prioritize behaviors that are healthy and uplifting in a physical, emotional, financial and spiritual way. The encouragement of practicing positive habits are too often overshadowed by the warning against bad habits. However, we should never forgo the practice of building good habits in our life.

Paul is a wonderful example who had a habit of worshipping the Lord in all things. Philippians 3:13-14 says, Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul could make this statement because he prioritized keeping his eyes on Christ and what lay ahead. Instead of being hindered by past habits, regrets, hurts or mistakes, Paul made it a good habit to stay true to his faith in Christ.

As the new year approaches, we should forgo the resolutions and simply put in the effort to build good Godly habits in our walk.

Merry Christmas and a Habit New Year!

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:2

It’s the best. I only buy the best. Are you ready to have the best? Don’t you want the best? Is it a measure of stature? Is it a marketing ploy? Is it a must have in every situation?

There is always discussion and debate as to what is the best? It doesn’t matter what we are talking about, inevitably we want, even need to rank something as the best. The best car, the best pair of shoes, the best quarterback, the best Bible. Unfortunately, at its core, this is often just a powerful marketing strategy. Gilet, the best a man can get; Benson & Hedges, when only the best will do; Avis, the best is yet to come. Really? The best? 

If we can be convinced that something is the best, then we will want to be associated with or own the best. Why? Because we make the false assumption that if we have the best it will automatically make us better.

However, the subjective labeling of the best when used to unrealistically ranking things never actually takes into account what the best is for us personally. So does it really matter what the masses deem as the best? And shouldn’t the most important criteria to take into account be my needs and preferences?

When we bring this to a personal standard, the best whatever boils down to the things you have the most confidence in. For me personally, I can relate this to flyrods. My confidence is measured by how well I can cast a particular rod, which is dependent upon my casting style and ability as well as past experiences catching fish. Therefore, brand, ratings or overall cost do not necessarily determine what I deem as best. It is the confidence I place in it, which only comes through experience.

Think about a best friend. What makes that friend the best? Isn’t it because you have confidence in that friendship that has been established through a close relationship? That friend is not the universal best friend, rather they are the best friend to you.

As Christians we can talk about the greatest or best decision we have ever made in our life. But what actually makes turning to Christ the best? Is it because I was raised in a family that ingrained this idea in me from a young age? Is it because I feel that this mindset is expected of me? Might it be because I am simply mimicking the other Christians I see? Or is it because I actually have confidence in Christ and who I am in Him? 

One again, how do I build confidence in anything in my life including my faith? It’s only through the active usage and experience that build trust that results in confidence. In the sense of my faith, active use and experience translates to my relationship with my Savior and Lord as well as the time I spend in the Word with the leading of the Holy Spirit. This does not change who Christ is, but it does change who Christ is to me. 

In everything in our life, especially in our faith we need authenticity. We need to move away from a consumer driven mentality of needing what others deem the best and actually with that authenticity draw near to Christ. It is at that point we realize just how far we as well as this world is from the best. The enemy will always try to convince you to settle for a counterfeit best. To chase what this world has to offer. To compare ourselves with others and seek to be more like them. And yet, it is God who fearfully and wonderfully made us each unique. Only Jesus offers what is genuinely the best for each one of us personally. Only Jesus has the ability to lead us to what truly is the best, our Father. And this is the only thing you can truly find confidence in.

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

But thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

-Romans 6:17-18

Sometimes I wonder what motivates most people. Is it the notion that obedience is correct or simply because of obligation. An obligation boils down to something we have to do, not necessarily something we want to do. Obedience on the other hand is the willingness to simply obey. 

Take for example stop signs and speed limits. There is an obligation to come to a stop at every red octagon and to drive within the determined safe speed for whatever highway, road or street I am on. I am obligated to do so because of the consequences I will face if I don’t. Therefore, I follow these rules not out of obedience, but rather out of obligation. I know this simply because if there is a police vehicle anywhere around me, my stops are overly complete and my speed is a few mph below the limit. In the absence of any law enforcement, well let’s just say things can look very differently.

In contrast, I do not have to be forced or fear the consequences of those things I want to do. Spending time with my family is the obligation of a husband and a father that is a pleasure to partake in. Why? Because I enjoy and am fulfilled in the things I am obedient to.

How we see God and treat our faith and therefore see sin and righteousness can either be from a perspective of obedience or obligation. I think a lot of this has to do with how we were raised. Just like speed limits and stop signs, I can treat my faith including my actions and attendance upon the negative consequences I may endure. I may feel obligated to my religion based on fear and consequences. This has been a major hindrance to many because it stems from a misguided view of an angry God who seeks to enforce His will through condemnation. Just like we fear a speeding ticket, we fear punishment if we get out of line. This obligation overshadows and limits the realization of the true heart of God which Jesus states in John 3:17, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

To truly follow Christ in a born-again relationship naturally brings a desire to extend obedience. Our heart has become consumed with God’s truth and love and an unexplainable desire to obey Him and His teachings, including those about sin becomes who we are. As a result, I follow God simply because He is the loving priority of my life and not because I fear what He might do to me if I don’t. The true love God extends to me and the love I extend back to Him and others is not out of obligation, but rather obedience.

How about you? In what ways has obligation kept you from obedience toward Christ? 

This brings up the question as to how we are representing Christ to those around us and in this confused, hopeless world? This includes my perception, worldview, words and actions. We are to be ambassadors of Christ in this foreign land in which we live. Am I representing Jesus in an authentic and accurate way? We can only do this if we know Him through the personal relationship He extends to us and through His Word. 

So, as we enter a season where the holiday of Christmas is accepted, will we extend the One who is to be exalted?

Jason Metz, lead Pastor