Morning devotions

To See You

/ The Pastor

To see You face to face,
is the goal as I run this difficult race.
I dodge and I weave.
I stumble but to You I cleave.
So…
Help me, oh Lord, to see Your way.
Help me, oh Lord, to follow You each day.
For You are my life,
even in the midst of much strife.
For You are my way,
so please guide and mold this big lump of clay.
Oh Lord, I do want to see You.
Oh Lord, I do want to trust you.
For to see You face to face,
is indeed my goal; thank You for Your amazing grace.
In Jesus amazing name I pray,
Amen!

The Pastor -|—

The Word

/ The Pastor

Oh God,
Your Word is a lamp to my feet.
Your Word is a light to my path.
Your Word is profitable for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
that I may be complete and equipped for every good work.
You Law is perfect,
and sure,
and right,
and pure,
and clean
and true.
Oh God, why would anyone despise the learning of it.
Your Word is much to be desired.
It’s more precious than gold.
Sweeter than honey.
More valuable than anything.
Your Word is salvation.
Your Word is Jesus.
May I desire it more and more.
May I receive it with an open heart.
May I live it each and every day.
May I proclaim it with every breath.
May I not twist or distort it.
May Your Word sustain my life.
Oh God,
teach me and lead me and transform me.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen

The Pastor -|—

Morning Chuckle and Promise

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. [Psalm 119:105]

The above verse was the verse of the day on the YouVersion Bible app for Sunday, January 6. A good verse for Epiphany Sunday but that is not why I am sharing this. You see, Sunday at 1:30 AM began a 23 hour power outage for us.

[Read the verse again] 🙂

You can’t make this stuff up ~ at least not with a straight face. This is simply God with a sense of humor. Got to love Him, right? The other funny thing about it was when I shared this verse on Facebook on Sunday morning I didn’t catch the connection until someone commented on it. Either the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet or the outage had dampened my sense of humor.

Either way, no matter what happens in life, God’s Word is a light to our path. Power outage, cancer, illness, job loss, kids out of control, marriage problems, etc. No matter the situation, at the very least you have God’s Word ~ which is A LOT. For you see, If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. [Psalm 139:11-12] Basically, there is no hiding from God in the darkness AND darkness can not overtake you to hide you from God. Take joy in this fact.

God is:
Sovereign
Mighty
Powerful
Omnipotent
Omniscient
Lord
A strong Fortress
etc…

AND…

has a sense of humor 🙂

Thank you God

The Pastor -|—

Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid?

/ The Pastor

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
[Psalm 27:1]

Fear is irrelevant unless, of course, that fear is holy awe of our most awesome and amazing God who loves you with a love that is beyond comprehension. Then fear is a command because of what God has done FOR YOU. And what has God done FOR YOU?

God is your light in this dark world.
God is your salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
God is your stronghold.
God is your fortress from the enemy.

In light of all of this, why would I fear anything or anyone of this world? Why would I fear any situation that is thrown at me? Why would I fear opposition, challenges or road blocks? My friends, do not let Satan drive you to fear, but rather direct your attention to God and fear the one who is bigger and more powerful than the fear of this world.

There is nothing that surprises God.
There is nothing that can foil His plans.
There is nothing that God can not handle.
There is nothing that God can not use for His glory.

Whom shall you fear? Whom shall you be afraid?

NOTHING and NO ONE.

Fear God and worship only Him; for He is FOR YOU and not against you. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Rise

/ The Pastor

Rise and shine like the sun;
For the Son shines in you.
Rise and face this new day;
Knowing you don’t face it alone.
Rise and be bold;
For the Lord your is Rock.
Rise and be confident;
For the Lord is your refuge.
Rise and praise Him;
For God almighty has redeemed you.
Rise and worship Him;
For He is worthy.
Rise and be forgiven;
For Jesus has died for you.
Rise and rise again;
For Jesus lives and so shall you, forever.
Rise and shine;
For this is indeed a glorious day.

The Pastor-|—

To Begin My Day…

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

To You, oh Lord,
I place my trust.
To You, oh Lord,
I cast my eyes.
Hold me tight in the midst of the storm;
In the midst of enemies who claim victory.
Wield Your sword to defend me;
Your mighty arm is powerful.
Hedge me in on all sides;
Oh Lord, You are my fortress.
May I not fall into despair;
May I always see You.
To You, oh Lord,
I place my trust.
To You, oh Lord,
I give my praise.

The Pastor -|—

Child of God

/ The Pastor

Oh, most blessed child of God,

Arise and meet the new day.

Know the love of the Creator,

Know His amazing grace.

Oh, most blessed child of God,

Arise and meet the new day.

Go and make disciples,

Go with confidence and strength.

Oh, most blessed child of God,

Arise and meet the new day.

Remember that God is for you,

So therefore who can be against you.

Oh, most blessed child of God,

Aside and meet the new day.

Though God reigns on high,

He is always close to you.

Oh, most blessed child of God,

Arise and meet the new day,

The Lord will be your shield and fortress,

He will be your God.

The Pastor -|—-

From Where?

/ The Pastor

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.” [Psalms 121:1-2]

Oh sinner;
weak,
and foolish,
and pride-filled;
from where does your help come?
Does it come from your self-determination?
Does it come from your wisdom?
Does it come from your advanced degree(s)?
Does it come from your many acts of service?
Does it come from your many friends?

From where does your help come?
Be honest, oh sinner;
from where does it come?
If it comes not from the Lord Jesus,
then you have no real and true help.

As for me;
a weak and foolish and pride-filled person?
My help comes from…

The Lord!

It is HE who made the heaven and the earth.
It is HE who knows my very frame.
It is HE who has every hair of my head numbered.
It is HE who knew me before I was born,
and knows me now.
It is HE from whom I have forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
It is the Lord.
My help comes from Him.

The Lord!

So I ask again, oh sinner;
weak,
and foolish,
and pride-filled;
from where does your help come?

The Pastor -|—

Away with Bad News

/ The Pastor

“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
[Psalm 112:7]

Oh Christian, why be afraid of bad news. Why fret when things don’t go YOUR way? Why become downcast when YOUR agenda doesn’t work out? Yet, that is what happens when many face bad news. We see many who are of the world thrown into such a tizzy when something happens that they don’t like. The worldly become angry and despondent and fall into despair and hopelessness. The worldly claim injustice and fight back when they don’t get their way. The worldly don’t trust the Lord but rather their own feelings and agendas.

May that never be with the Christian.

When we respond as though God doesn’t know what he is doing, we are drawn into a great many sins. When we fail to trust the sovereignty of God, we place ourselves upon a throne of paper. Trust in the Lord, oh Christian, even when things don’t go YOUR way. Worship the Lord even when YOUR agendas come to nothing. Praise the Lord even when YOUR ways fail. The Lord sits on the throne and rules rightly. Jesus died and rose for the forgiveness of your sins so that the bad news would not be your end but rather ended.

Oh Christian, bad news is of this world, but the Good News is from the Lord, and you are the Lord’s. Don’t let the bad news of this world define you but rather take great joy in the Good News. When things don’t go YOUR way, turn to the Lord and trust in Him. He knows what He is doing.

The Pastor -|—

Treasure

/ The Pastor

He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Hebrews 11:26 ESV

Dear Christian, what has greater worth to you? The treasures of this world or Jesus? The rewards that worldly treasures offer are nothing more than short-term pleasures that will quickly burn out if you don’t work hard to keep the flame stoked. As anyone knows, a fire only burns as long as it has fuel. You can’t start a campfire and then watch it burn without end. You have to keep throwing logs on the fire. You have to expand energy to ensure the flame does not go out. You might have to go out before hand to cut wood and prepare it for the fire, but for what? The fire consumes your work and then you have nothing to show for it. What have you then gained for your work? It’s a wasteful work that gives pleasure for a short period of time. As the author of Ecclesiastes said, it is vanity, a chasing after the wind.

Now, oh Christian, contrast that with Jesus and the reward that only he gives. It is a fire that does not go out. The work beforehand to prepare is Jesus’ work. The stoking of the fire? Not needed for the joy of the Lord is unending; it never burns out or diminishes in the least. But people want what they can see now and not what is promised later. They want immediate satisfaction. They are too impatient and thus willing to foolishly sacrifice eternity. Moses had it all; living in Pharaoh’s household, but he gave it all up for the sake of God.

Dear Christian, what is promised later is of infinitely more value than anything that can be created here. Look to the reward; eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Bear his reproach now as a follower and disciple; keeping your eyes firmly fixed on the reward already prepared for you. Be sustained by Him and enjoy a treasure that is forever more.

The Pastor -|—