Mountain View Church

06/01/2026

Not the Right Ticket
“There is none righteous, no, not one.”
—Romans 3:10
Do you know people who are trusting in their good deeds to get into heaven? If so, you might want to ask them this important question: “By what standard do you think God will judge you?”

Their reply might run something like this: “I’m a good person. I may not be perfect, but I’ve always tried to do what’s right. Isn’t that what God expects?”

But God’s standard is higher than that; His standard is nothing less than perfection. That means we can’t make it into heaven on our own, for no matter how good we are, we still aren’t perfect. Even the best person sins in words and actions as well as in thoughts and motives. God’s standard is perfection, and even one sin will keep us out of heaven.

So if you know someone who thinks good deeds are their ticket to heaven, urge them not to gamble with their soul. Instead, urge them to repent of their pride and trust Jesus alone for their salvation.
Wisdom for Today

Father, we could never be good enough to deserve heaven, and that knowledge is freeing to those of us who accept and believe it, because we don’t have to try to earn Your favor. We can stand before You only because of Christ.

06/01/2026

A Reason to Do Right
“There is no creature hidden from [God’s] sight.”
—Hebrews 4:13
Do people who have died and gone to heaven know what happens on earth? The Bible doesn’t give us an absolutely clear answer about this, but it does hint that they may be aware of what takes place here on earth.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of some great Old Testament heroes who lived for God, often despite great opposition (Hebrews 11). Then he concludes, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Here the writer paints a picture for us—a picture of a stadium filled with spectators, perhaps watching us as we live out our lives and cheering us on as we stretch toward the finish line. So perhaps those who have entered heaven are watching us, even now.

What we do know for sure is that God sees us—and that should be enough to encourage us to live for Christ and do what is right.
Wisdom for Today

What a comfort to know, Father, that You see us in both our trials and our triumphs. May all we say and do be pleasing in Your sight and bring glory to Your name.

06/01/2026

Mysterious Evil
“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
—John 16:33
I have to admit that I do not know why some people suffer more than others do. There is a mystery to evil that we will never fully understand this side of eternity; the Bible speaks of “the mystery of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

But I do know this: we live in a world that is in the grip of evil, and in this present age God’s plans are often blocked by Satan’s supernatural force. This world is not the way God meant it to be; it is in the grip of “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

In light of that truth, we must not blame God for everything that happens in our lives, especially the bad things. Instead, we need to remember that God has already entered the battle against evil—and someday His victory will be complete. In His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ confronted Satan—and won! That is our hope—and that is our comfort.
Wisdom for Today

Help us, Lord, to trust You when we don’t understand why certain things happen. Teach us to focus on and have faith in You, the One who is ultimately in control and will reign victorious in the end.

06/01/2026

Learning from Bad Examples
“All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition.”
—1 Corinthians 10:11
I find it very encouraging that God included real-life, flesh-and-blood sinful people in His Word. David committed adultery, Abraham lied about his wife—the list goes on and on. Why are they in the Bible? So we will learn from their wrongdoings.

One lesson is that sin always has consequences. Take David. He was a great leader and a good man in many ways. But over the years he became complacent, and instead of carrying out his responsibilities, he fell into immorality (2 Samuel 11–12).

And consider the tragic consequences of his sin. Not only did the child born of that illicit union die, but David committed other sins—lying, murder—in a vain attempt to cover it up. Furthermore, his influence for good was lost, and his latter years as king were marked by rebellion and tragedy.

God has much to teach us from the examples of His people who failed. But most of all His Word points us to Christ, who alone can forgive us and set our feet on the right path.
Wisdom for Today

Every Word of Scripture is useful for teaching and correcting. Help us, Father, to learn from the mistakes of others who have gone before us and to see Your grace at work in their stories.

06/01/2026

Loving People into the Kingdom
“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
—Colossians 4:6
Have you noticed that you can seldom argue a person into the kingdom of God? That’s because the real reason for disbelief in God usually has nothing to do with logic.

Instead, the real reason usually has to do with their emotions and their will. In other words, people don’t believe in God because they don’t want to believe—and they don’t want to believe because they want to run their own lives. If they admitted God exists, they know they’d have to humble themselves before Him and yield control of their lives to Him. They don’t want to do that.

We must do our best to answer—with gentleness and respect—any question we’re asked, even if we think it isn’t sincere or is only meant to put us on the spot. But the most important thing we can do is to show by our life and love that Jesus is real. Our actions often speak far louder than our words. Do others see Christ in you, both by what you say and by what you do?
Wisdom for Today

Help us approach each conversation, Lord, with a desire to honor You and not simply to make our own opinions or desires known. May our gentleness be evident to all who come in contact with us.

06/01/2026

June 1
Give Your Fears to Jesus
“I know the thoughts that I think toward you, … thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
—Jeremiah 29:11
What are you afraid of?

A young person I know would like to get married, but she is afraid of getting into a serious relationship because her parents went through a bitter divorce. She is afraid her marriage will also fail.

Intellectually, she knows that just because her parents failed in their marriage doesn’t mean she is also destined to fail. In fact, she knows she can learn from their mistakes and be better prepared for marriage than they were.

Emotionally, however, this woman feels trapped by fears and insecurities that are constantly telling her she will always be a failure. But it isn’t necessarily true. Our emotions can lie to us, and we need to counter our emotions with truth.

And the greatest truth you can use to counteract your fears is the truth that God loves you and His plans for you are good. So give your fears—and every aspect of your life—to Christ. Then let the truth of His Word, the Bible, take root in your soul every day, and trust your future to Him who knows your needs and loves you deeply.
Wisdom for Today

If we don’t fill ourselves with Your truth, Lord, we could easily succumb to all the fears the world throws at us. When we meditate on Scripture, we are more able to choose faith over fear and worship over worry.

05/31/2026

05/31/2026

MAY 31st. 2026

Sunday School. 9:30 am
Coffee and Donuts. 10:15 to 10:30
Sunday Service. 10:30am

Community Dinner after service. Please join. Us

05/29/2026

Sunday. MAY 31ST. POT LUCK LUNCH AFTER SERVICE

05/25/2026

What a glorious Sunday. Two lovely women took membership Sunday: Joy Hypes and Barb Taylor.
We are overjoyed by their choice. We also had a rededication . The spirit of God is powerful.