Devotions (Page 41)

In life, there are many important moments where we Make Every Effort to prepare for. When we get married or go to a wedding we make sure we smell good, we do our hair, some of you paint your toenails – we prepare for moments that we value and that are important. Yet when we go to meet with God (in prayer) it is usually under 2 minutes and we simply give God a list of wishes we want. We…

After hearing Jerry’s Message on Biblical Thanksgiving, the story he shared of Mr. Wong and giving thanks in all circumstances seemed to resonate with me. Just like Mr. Wong, I found myself looking at some of the blessings in my life as curses. Being swayed by the circumstance rather than giving thanks to God. In the context of blessings, I was reminded of how so easily our blessings can be viewed as a curse when we lose our gratitude. What…

I keep coming back to kairos time versus chronos time lately… Even in writing this devotional, it’s taken f o r e v e r to write. I’ve been thinking about it and praying about it for literal days and not until half an hour before my alarm did I suddenly wake up with everything clicking into place. As annoying as it has been, I can see how the Lord was using this moment as another practical lesson/teaching moment for…

Phil 2:3-4: “Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.” Last weekend, I was driving through the Parkdale area in Toronto. For many years Life-Spring sent teams down to Parkdale to serve the community there. Being in Parkdale brought back fond memories of visiting International Christian Centre (ICC) all those years. I remember pulling…

Dear LifeSpring Family, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” Colossians 3:23 (NIV) In the middle of preparing my sermon for this coming Sunday’s Thanksgiving service, the Lord brought Colossians 3:23 to mind. The question of quality and excellence in my preparation challenged me. Am I going to practice this skill and attitude in my preparation or am I going to be a “game player” that relies and…

We had the privilege of hearing from both Rodney Lau and Peggy Leung at Toronto Lifespring yesterday. As they shared and spoke on Residential schools and the impact of the horrors that occurred that still last till this day. In a world where there are atrocities all around us – from murders, to abortion, to riots, to theft, to basically everything against the 10 commandments… honestly, sometimes it feels like TLCF & MLCF are going to heaven, but everyone else…

2 Samuel 6:1-15 (NIV) – The Ark Brought to Jerusalem 6 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah[a] in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name,[b] the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the…

We have a really beautiful opportunity to collectively put into practice what Pastor Gabe preached about on Sunday! As we learn more about what it means for us to be part of God’s Family and to be a Kingdom Family at LifeSpring, we are learning about the importance of our families being places of learning. And who knew we would have a chance to apply this teaching to our lives so soon?! Tomorrow, September 30th, Canada will be celebrating the…

Families can be a source of life; yet families can also be a source of much pain. Lifespring has been called to be a Kingdom Family: Genuine Love for God and Genuine Care for Others. The emphasis here though is that we are called to be a KINGDOM family, not a dysfunctional family. A Kingdom family is one that aligns and represents God – not our own thoughts, opinions, and desires. If Lifespring is to be a Kingdom family, then…

Matthew 4:19, “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” During a discipleship meeting with my life group recently, some of us were sharing how busy life had become over the past few months. Whether it was new tasks at work, packed schedules, or preparing for some kind of change, it seemed like many of our plates were full to the brim. I, for one, was definitely feeling the challenge of change in…

Today is election day! If you haven’t already, please take the time to educate yourself and go out and vote! Lifespring is called to be the huios (mature sons). We are called to grow in maturity. The challenge with this call, however, is that with maturity comes responsibility. As we mature and take on new and more difficult tasks – the reality is that everything comes with greater responsibility. When you work full time and receive a salary – you…

As a Pastoral Team, we are reading the book Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen. In the beginning of the book she gives us a look into some of the ways in which the enemy tries to derail you from what God has for you, what He’s saying to you, and who He’s calling you to be. I would like to share the excerpt that got me examining my own life. As you read this, ask God to speak to…