Devotions (Page 23)

Dear LifeSpring Family, This past Monday, in our Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) group, we were studying the weeping prophet, Jeremiah. In all the doom and gloom of the situation that Judah and Israel found themselves, we have the famous Jeremiah 29:11 verse: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. While the BSF group of men were discussing how many of…

This past Sunday we heard from Pastor John Park of Compassion Canada. He shared that he sponsors 4 children from 4 different countries with the goal of not only being a beacon of hope in their lives and providing tangible support but also that one day he would get a call saying that they no longer needed his support anymore. This idea of receiving a call that the person you have been sponsoring no longer needs your help is bittersweet.…

Rather than writing out my own thoughts about Good Friday or trying to come up with a genius new way to talk about how Jesus needed to lose his life in order for us to gain True Life… I want to encourage all of you to check out the Scripture passages in the Gospels that outline for us what took place. Take your time as you read through them and pay attention to the parts that stand out to you.…

Let’s say you go on a trip to the Rockies. When you arrive, you’d probably be really excited about seeing it and taking lots of pictures. In contrast, the locals, who see the Rockies from their backyard, take almost no notice of it. It’s become so normal and familiar to them that it doesn’t deserve extra attention or recognition. Similarly, we often skip parts of the Bible that we’ve heard and read many times. I’ve definitely thought, “Oh, I’ve seen…

This week, we started a new memory verse for the spring season. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” If you haven’t been able to memorize the longer passages we’ve done so far for memory verses, now is a great time to start! We can better understand what this verse may mean for Lifespring when we understand Proverbs 22:6 in the context of…

Dear LifeSpring Family, As we get closer to Easter Sunday on April 9th, the most important event on our Christian calendar, it got me thinking of our Gospel truths. What are the truths that I believe and base my eternity on? In his book, Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt reminds us of the principle of the “fruit to root and root to fruit”. This principle simply states that the fruit we see in our lives is directly connected to our…

I began reading/listening to a new book about prayer called Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton and despite only being a few chapters in, it’s already been such a source of encouragement! Prayer is something that shaped him as a 12-year-old when he prayed through his grade 8 yearbook. He would go to his school at 6:30 in the morning and pray through his class, name by name. The small Bible Study he launched at his school…

If you’re reading this on your Sabbath and wondering whether or not this qualifies as work or rest, perhaps you need to ask yourself: What does Sabbath mean to you? Ray reminded us that although we are “Heroes” in God’s Kingdom, we must be careful not to fall into the traps of the world, where we are meant to do God’s will. John 17:14-18 (NIV) 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they…

Blessed is the one    who does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners take    or sit in the company of mockers,but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,    and who meditates on his law day and night.That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,    which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither—    whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 When I was…

The Potter and the Clay is an analogy in the Bible about God and the relationship between Him and us. One instance of it is found in Romans 9:20-21, and says, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for…

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:2 While I was researching and preaching about Grace, I came across this phrase called “The Law of Christ” in Galatians 6:2. This phrase is only mentioned once in the New Testament. The Law of Christ is the new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples in John 13:34-35 at the last supper after Judas left the room. 34 “A new command I give you: Love…

Every now and then, I sense the Lord reminding me to, “Take account”. And this used to seriously freak me out. Because as soon as I heard God saying this, I figured I had done something wrong! Maybe I had splurged on one too many bubble teas, maybe I had spent too much time watching Netflix … no matter which area of my life God was about to begin speaking into, I automatically assumed I had done something wrong and…