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A Call to Sainthood Me!  A saint…?  You gotta be kidding!  Nope!  God calls us to Himself and He wants to purify us.  No, we won't be perfect, but He wants us to become more and more like Him. (We call that progressive sanctification.)  One of Webster's definition of saint is "one of God's chosen people."  Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:1-11 NIV We are all saints if we have received Jesus Christ as our Savior. Even during the times we do not feel very saintly.…  Matthew Henry writes, “Everyone who has received Jesus Christ as his/her Savior has received the highest honor possible.”  We have become children of God!  As God's children we are also His servants.  No rank or status that you or I could ever choose in this life is of greater value than doing the will of the Living God.  Far too often we focus on what we were, not on what we are and are becoming. Of a truth, we have moved from darkness into light – from being sinners to being saints. I know that it sounds humble to say that we are just sinners saved by grace, but God wants to do so much more for us.   I believe that focusing on what we were detracts from what God wants us to become.  Matthew Henry further stated that people who are not really a saint on earth will never be a saint in heaven!  He contends that “...out of Christ, the best saints are sinners, and unable to stand before God.” There is no peace without grace.  If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail or give me a call. Pastor Leon