Dear Church Family,

May is a month filled with life events. We dedicate parents and their babies, we recognize graduating seniors, and we remember those who gave their lives for their country so we might be free. Thank you for being a part of these events and praying for those mentioned.

Also, I wanted to thank those of you who have given to our preschool renovation. We just made it to the halfway mark in our offerings to have it paid in full. If the LORD puts it on your heart to give, I promise it will be a blessing as you see young families bring there young ones to a beautiful place to learn about Jesus!

Finally, I always love to share things that speak to my heart during the week. This is an article that reminds us to trust in the LORD and no one or nothing else:

Whose sin is mentioned most in the Bible?

-Adam? No.

-Judas? No.

-David? No.

It’s the sin of Jeroboam. His rebellion is referred to throughout the Scriptures more than anyone else’s.

And what was Jeroboam’s transgression?

We read about it today in the Bible in One Year (1 Kings 12-13). After the nation of Israel split into the northern and southern kingdoms following the death of Solomon, Jeroboam was the first king of the north.

To keep his citizens from worshipping at the Jerusalem temple, Jeroboam set up two golden calves. One was in Dan and one in Bethel, at the northern and southern borders of the kingdom.

He told his people not to go to Jerusalem anymore but instead to go to these golden calves. “These are your gods,” he said, “who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

These calves were idolatrous, infested with the worship of Baal, and they set Israel on a path of destruction. That destruction came in 722 BC when God finally wrecked the northern kingdom, sending them into exile in Assyria.

The sin of Jeroboam was idolatry. And that sin lurks within each of us. Because idolatry—fearing, loving, and trusting in anything besides the one true God—is the cardinal sin. It is what pulls us away from God more than anything else.

So let us daily pray for forgiveness for whatever idols have taken root in our hearts, and ask God to keep us faithful. Let us also pray that we may fear, love, and trust in him alone—our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He is faithful.

He is forgiving.

He is merciful. Now and always.