“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.” Ephesians 5:1-2 Our pastor usually walks around the church praying before the service, and often, we see his grandson walking in his footsteps. The pastor also makes a unique gesture with his hand when he is preaching or worshiping. Recently, I noticed the grandson doing the same thing when the children were on the platform singing on Family Sunday, Children imitate the actions of those…
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14, NIV. You’ve probably heard the quote, “Having a strong end is more important than having a perfect beginning.” Do you agree? When we look at the beginning of Saul’s story, it becomes clear that there was much more to Saul than failure. His story didn’t start in rebellion or pride—it began with humility, reverence, and promise. A HUMBLE BEGINNING When Saul first appears in Scripture, he is a respectful and humble young man. He worked faithfully for his father with a herd of donkeys. He also honored the things of God. When he sought Samuel for direction, he was troubled because he had nothing to give the man of God, not because he wanted to buy a blessing, but because he wanted to honor the office. (1 Samuel 9:7) When God chose him to be Israel’s first king, Saul responded with sincerity and uncertainty. “Am I not a Benjamite, of…
“They came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus… began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” Mark 10:46–47, KJV In this passage we meet Bartimaeus—a blind beggar sitting beside the highway. That roadside was known as a place where outcasts, the unclean, and the overlooked gathered. His daily routine was painfully predictable: “I’m blind… can you spare a shekel?” Nothing about his day suggested anything extraordinary was coming. But then he heard something; voices, footsteps, movement. And because he was blind, his ears were trained to pick up what others might ignore. He could feel something was shifting in the atmosphere. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, something awakened in him. He cried out: “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” Blind Eyes, But Spiritual Insight Though Bartimaeus was physically blind, he had a spiritual revelation of who was walking down that road. He didn’t call Him “Jesus of Nazareth.” He called Him “Son of David”—a Messianic title. He recognized the Healer before he ever saw Him. He had no physical sight, but…
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14. I’m one of those people who love a power outage; I think it’s fun to get off the grid for a few hours, playing a board game, reading a book to candlelight, or just being cozy with blankets acting like a shelter of protection. Even though there is darkness in the world, it doesn’t mean there isn’t something more powerful. Light will always prevail. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth…
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:8-11. This time of year evokes a deep sense of gratitude because I reminisce my childhood around Thanksgiving and Christmas. In past devotions I’ve shared how I did not grow up with a lot of monetary blessings; some Thanksgiving dinners were baked chicken breasts, rather than a Turkey, and many of my Christmas presents were from the Dollar Store. None of those memories bring me to a place of sadness; rather, I feel so blessed to feel a great depth of love interwoven with each meal and celebration. Fancy dinners are quickly eaten and forgotten, but the family traditions that are made and love shared are what make memories become legacy. Expensive toys are lost, ruined, or outgrown, but learning that love is more valuable than material items is priceless. Love is a treasured gift, and it is something we can all give and receive without needing a robust checking account. I love to give gifts, but when I begin to feel pressure to ‘deliver’ something spectacular, that is the moment I need to step back and…
Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. , ESV. For the sake of discretion, I will tell the story like this… in the last twenty years, between the north pole and south pole, there was someone who made my life very difficult. It seemed like their goal was to make my day miserable with their distasteful attitude. They had a problem with me regardless of how nice I was or how hard I tried to make “things right.” So, what did I do? With the prompting of the Lord, I invited them to dinner. There is something that happens when you break bread with someone. There is a calmness that saturates a dinner table when you sit down and enjoy a meal with other people. Time slows down and conversations flow freely. Most of the time, people’s walls are down. When you sit next to someone, you share your life with them and vice versa. When you share a meal, you share a piece of yourself with them. That, to me, is true fellowship. The Greek word for fellowship is ‘koinonia’…