From the Blog
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A Surrendered Life
There is a gap in every human heart between what we know is right and what we actually do. We make promises we don't keep. We set standards we don't meet. We know what God says, yet we often choose our own way instead. Many people point to hypocrisy in the church, and certainly there are times when that criticism is deserved. But the deeper issue is not really hypocrisy, it's surrender. Most Christians genuinely want to follow Jesus, yet they find themselves in a daily battle between God's will and their own.
That is why Paul commands believers to "present your bodies" to God. Not part of yourself. Not your Sundays. Not your spare time. Your whole self. Because partial surrender is still self-rule. And as Jesus will show us today, the only way to truly follow Him is through complete surrender. In chapter 9 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus taught that all who would come after Him must completely surrender their lives for His sake. -
The Prophecy
Simeon was waiting for something, longing for the Messiah. Every single person is living in expectation. We chase what we think will console us, but instead of relief we often find more pressure, more disappointment, and more emptiness. What if we are longing for something far greater? What if, like Simeon, we are longing for the true comfort for our souls? We are all longing for Jesus.
In the Gospel of Luke, Simeon rejoiced when he saw God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. We too can see God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. -
Judgment in the Kingdom
Does our country feel more polarized today than in the past? Do you know what happens a lot when there are issues that divide groups of people? Most times, people identify with that issue. They make that issue part of their identity.
Jesus continued His Sermon on the Mount by addressing judgment as He transitioned His message towards more interpersonal issues. In Matthew 7, Jesus continued the Sermon on the Mount and taught His listeners to avoid harsh and hypocritical judgment while also maintaining spiritual discernment. We can avoid harsh and hypocritical judgment and practice spiritual discernment. -
Seeking First in the Kingdom
Anxiety is a topic that dominates the narrative today. You may not be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but are there stressors in your life that you are anxious about? Have you lost a job or looking for a new one? Are there final exams coming up, college decisions, financial aid or other academic stresses? How about relationship stress that causes anxiety? Marriage issues, dating problems, friendship relationships that are not “two way” can all cause anxiety.
Jesus, with the crowds on the mountainside, guides us away from a life of anxiety, stress and worry and guides us towards a life of freedom with their Father. In the Sermon on the Mount, after Jesus called His listeners to make God their master, He then challenged them to not be anxious by freeing themselves from the worries of the world. Having made Jesus our Lord, we can free ourselves from the worries of the world. -
The Way is Through
In this life there will be difficulty either physically or spiritually. Where there is greater physical difficulty, people tend to turn quickly to the Lord spiritually and where there is little physical challenge the people struggle to see God. We are beyond blessed physically but this means we have to actively and intentionally pursue the Lord and His will.
Some of us are asking God today, “Can I avoid those challenges, Can I just be a spectator, Can’t someone else do the hard stuff?” But God wants to reveal Himself to us and change us in those times. When He calls you into deep waters will you pursue Him?
In Isaiah 43, the prophet shared an encouraging word from the Lord that His people could fearlessly go through the difficulties ahead as they pursue the Lord. We can fearlessly go where God leads us too. -
With Thanksgiving to the Lord
So you probably feasted this week and enjoyed family, but did you do this with thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God? We have tendency to separate the physical from the spiritual and we would do well this morning morning to reconnect Thanksgiving to our Lord. Perhaps today, you feel like you have much to be grateful for. How might you turn that into gratitude and prayer unto God? Perhaps for some, though, it has been a terribly hard season. In those times, thanksgiving can feel completely foreign. However, it is in those times that thanksgiving is all the more necessary for your healing.
In Psalm 9, King David wrote of how he willed himself to be thankful to the Lord with all of His heart. We can choose to be thankful to the Lord with all our hearts. -
A Shared Family
People today are starving for true and lasting relationships. Yet, Americans are struggling with loneliness more than ever. To attempt to cure our loneliness, we’ve turned to social media. But a 2023 study in the National Library of Medicine concluded this: “This study found that more time spent on social media was associated with higher levels of loneliness… in particular for people who used social media as a means for maintaining relationships.”— National Library of Medicine
In the book of Acts, Luke described the “authentic community” of the first century church. He said they were marked by four “devotions.” We can experience this community when we pursue these four devotions. Today, we’re going to focus on the second devotion, “A Shared Family.” -
God Is Father
What do you know about God as Father? What do you believe about him? Are you focused on knowing our Heavenly Father in Greater way? We live in a world determined to maneuver life, put a successful outcome together without the instruction of the God who created life in the first place.
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Rome that they had been adopted into the family of God and could now know God as Father In Christ. -
Resolved 2023 – To Do One Thing
Do you have a singular focus? If you are anything like me and the majority of people around you then you are probably overwhelmed by a multiciplity of priorities. Wife, kids, friends, family, work, health, bills, school … and the list goes on. Most of us have so many priorities that they are competing for our attention and maybe none get our best effort. Do you ever walk in a room and forget why you went in there? So many of us are living life this way, going from focus to focus with complete chaos in the mind.
What if we had one singular purpose as Christians? What if that one purpose could change everything? In Philippians chapter 3, the apostle Paul encouraged the church in Philippi to make attaining Christlikeness their one priority just as he had. We can make attaining Christlikeness our one priority. -
With Thanksgiving
Perhaps true thanksgiving doesn’t come from better circumstances. Maybe thanksgiving is a spiritual muscle that has to be worked out. Perhaps it's possible to be truly thankful all the more in those dark days. Perhaps it's possible to be joyful and thankful even in a prison cell, unsure whether you will be released or executed.
In Philippians chapter 4, while imprisoned in Rome, the apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Philippi to put their faith into practice and the God of peace would be with them. We can put our faith into practice and the God of peace will be with us.