Jeremy R. Geerdes Posts

In 2 Chronicles 11:13-17, the priests and Levites took their stand with Rehoboam because he was the lesser of two evils. Granted, he allowed them to worship the Lord, but in the end, he was just as spiritually bankrupt as his northern counterpart. The alliance was doomed from the start, and any such alliance we forge today is doomed, too.

On November 7, Ward 1 voters went to the polls to select a new city council member. As the results rolled in, however, I could not help but think that the real winner was the people of Ward 1.

Colossians 1:28-29 served as the what, why, and how for his work as an apostle, helping to guide what he would (and would not) do, reminding him of its importance when things grew difficult, and explaining how it was even possible. Today, this declaration serves a similar purpose for pastors and other ministers.

The differences between contentment and complacency are subtle but profound. As Christians, contentment is key to experiencing new and abundant life, but complacency must be avoided at all costs. This side of glory, we must always recognize that we are not there yet and make every effort to reach our goal. This means forgetting what is behind, both failures and successes, reaching forward, and pursuing Jesus with everything we have.

The truth is that, if we fail in all our earthly plans and the whole world comes crashing down around us, we will succeed if we have carefully followed and obeyed God. Conversely, if we succeed in all our grand schemes but fail in faith and obedience, we will have truly failed indeed.

More specifically, when God revealed that David would not build the tabernacle, David did not throw a tantrum. He did not grumble about the lost opportunity to magnify the Lord. He did not rail against the glory that he would not receive among the nations. He did not take offense that his plan was rejected.

We see throughout Scripture and history that life disruptions are often catalysts for the most significant transformations in our lives, and the darkest valley is possibly the most powerful of them all. Indeed, it is only in the darkest valley, where we are wholly stripped of our pretentious self-sufficiency and compelled to rely utterly upon God, that God finally proves and reveals himself to us. Certainly, this process is painful and disconcerting, but when we find ourselves in the dark and discover that God is there, we cannot return unchanged.

Come Sunday, everything will be different. We’ll go, find Jesus’ disciples and join them. We’ll study Scripture and his teachings, and we’ll put them to work in our lives, no matter what it costs. We’ll begin to tell people what we know: that Jesus was – that Jesus is – the Son of God, and he gave his life for our sin. And no, maybe we won’t have our names recorded in history books. But maybe, just maybe, we’ll make a difference that will be remembered by someone else.

Councilperson Sheumaker has resigned, and her resignation marks the end of a curious chapter in the history of our ward and city. Yet, there remains much work to be done. As we begin to look once again to the future, let us make sure to do these three things to ensure a vibrant future for Ward 1 and the city of Des Moines.

In this world, we have all sorts of relationships demanding our allegiance. Examples include family, community, nation, and political party. While it is absolutely admirable to be loyal to such things, our ultimate allegiance should be to doing the right thing.