Are you like most Bible readers who skim past the genealogies?  Sometimes we call them "the begots."  Here at Christmas, the genealogies of Jesus give us insights.  Matthew 1:6, in tracing Jesus's legal lineage, makes this point: "David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah."  Those familiar with the Old Testament know the story well.  Have you ever heard Jesus' family called "the holy family?"  Go back a bit more, and you find that His ancestors weren't all that holy.  David was king of Israel, and at a time when kings should have been at the battlefront, David was on the roof of his palace.  He happened to see a woman named Bathsheba bathing, and in his lust over her, he committed adultery with her.  Not only that, he also had her husband Uriah essentially executed by ordering him into a certain-death frontline situation.  The sin would be found out, though, because Bathsheba became pregnant.  That child perished, but a future child of the couple was named Solomon.  This child became king and - get this - part of Messiah's lineage.  
We've heard Romans 8:28 many times.  We have it on paperweights, greeting cards, bumper stickers, and more.  What God did in the birth of Christ, though, is an example of His Romans 8:28 ability.  God endorsed neither David's murder of Uriah, nor his adulterous union with Bathsheba.  But He did work David's tragic mess together for good - to bring us Christ.  
The message is clear and powerful.  "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." (Rom. 5:20).  That's what Christmas is all about.  God is so wise, magnificent and gracious that He took a situation as shattered and horrific as what we created through sin and brought out of it the spotless Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.  Glory to God in the Highest! 

You may be happy to learn that I have the same church attendance trends in my church that you have in yours.  I have a handful of people who attend every week (and two of us are paid to be there).  I have Chreaster Christians - those who attend Christmas and Easter.  I have everyone in between.  On average, it is safe to say that my people attend a couple of times a month.  When I mentioned this to my Assistant Pastor, who joined our team a few months ago, he helped me learn that this is a nationwide trend.  It didn't use to be the case, when I was a child.  To be sure, there are cultural trends that have driven much of this, but it feels like there is more.  To show my cards a little bit up front, I sense that we need a fresh look at our theology of corporate worship.  So as I go through answering this question which headlines this blog, I hope to do so in a way that gets us thinking about the bigger picture.

Gaining God’s approval has concerned people since the beginning.  Genesis Chapter 4 tells the story of the jealousy that arose within Cain’s heart, when God had respect for his brother Abel’s offering but not his own offering.  This jealousy drove Cain to commit the first and probably best-known murder.
The first step toward meeting with God’s approval in this life and the next is to accept Christ as your personal Savior.  The question above begins “as a believer,” which assumes that you have already trusted Christ.  Scripture is very clear that “no one comes unto the Father but by [Christ]” (John 14:6).  It is through God’s saving grace and the redemption we have through the blood of Jesus that “He has made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).  As a believer, it’s not like you would meet with God’s disapproval in the next life.  Your eternity is secure.  There is no such place as purgatory.  God doesn’t love you less when you sin (Romans 5:8).  
Having trusted the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for payment for your sin, you may still wonder whether God will approve of your life.  Here are some insights from the Bible to guide your thoughts on this.​