Church Blog (Page 27)

DEVOTIONS HOME “RELIGION ALONE DOESN’T MAKE YOU HOLY” BACKGROUND INFORMATION In Jesus’ day, religious people were consumed with following rules and laws that were impossible to keep. They were obsessed with outward appearances and looking good to other people. But in Matthew 15:11, Jesus taught, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” This was a radical idea at that time because Jesus was challenging the idea that…

DEVOTIONS HOME THE PREREQUISITE FOR FORGIVENESS Forgiveness is a common theme in the pages of scripture. This is appropriate because it is an on-going process throughout life for all us to give forgiveness and receive forgiveness. It’s not easy to forgive, but it is a requirement for all of us as we grow in our faith. C.S. Lewis poignantly said, “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.” In his famous sermon titled…

DEVOTIONS HOME This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I was in my mid 30’s before I understood why people used the phrase “You can’t have your cake and eat it to”. In my head it didn’t make sense for this phrase to be used to explain to people that they had to make a choice. In my mind If you had cake of course you would eat the cake, why else would you have cake! Then I realized…

DEVOTIONS HOME You, Too, Can Be Great! “When everybody is somebody, then nobody is anybody — We know this is true” (John Steinkamp). The above saying was written in my high school yearbook by my history professor (not in parchment!). Although written decades ago, its meaning rings true today. It seems everybody wants to be somebody, and everybody is a winner. The race is on to get the most number of “likes” — And speaking of races, commuting on Route…

DEVOTIONS HOME A Message from Jesus: Having the Right Priorities cuts out Worry. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” — Matthew 6:25 ———————————————————————————————————————— If asked whether I worry, I might say “Of course I worry about my life and the things that keep me alive;…

DEVOTIONS HOME Be Content [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ – Hebrews 13:5[/perfectpullquote] If you had to take a guess as to how many songs there are about money, what would it be? A quick Google search shows at least 110 songs about money, and I’m sure that there are quite a…

DEVOTIONS HOME “NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ‘THE KINGDOM OF GOD’” In my preparation to write this devotional, I discovered that the words ‘The Kingdom of God’ never appears in the Old Testament. ‘Kingdom of the Lord’ does appear in 2 Chronicles 13:8 and Daniel 6:26. God’s people in Old Testament times understood the concept of God’s kingship. It is this knowledge of a ‘Kingdom’ helps us to understand why John the Baptist was proclaiming Jesus’ arrival by preaching ‘Repent…

DEVOTIONS HOME Life lessons from Jesus. Loving Others… In these times we are going through right now, it seems almost impossible to love others. Everyone is taking offense to anything and everything that people say and are doing. We do hear the message from some people that we do need to have more love to combat the hatred that is going around. But what does that love consist of? Is it love as the world defines love or is it…

DEVOTIONS HOME Love God With All That You Are I read a study a few years back that basically said multitasking is a myth. Those who think they are good at multitasking are really just good at switching between tasks. I guarantee you some of you just said “Hey! I’m great at multitasking.” That may be so, but even if you think you are good at multitasking I don’t think the question should be ‘CAN I multitask’ but rather, ‘SHOULD…

DEVOTIONS HOME Goodness Gracious! [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).[/perfectpullquote] “Goodness gracious!” is an old-timey saying exclaimed in surprise or alarm. In the 1700s, the phrase alluded to the goodness and grace of God. I would like to think Moses may have uttered those words at the end of our chapter. Have you ever longed for God’s presence? Have you felt abandoned by God, especially when life didn’t go…