Devotions (Page 42)

Dear LifeSpring FamilyAs we have been on this journey of maturing together, scripture memory is one key tool and exercise that helps me in my growth.  Not too long ago, Andrew suggested and submitted 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to the pastoral team to memorize. Looking back, it might be Andrew was preparing for marriage when he submitted this verse to the team. While 1 Corinthians 13 is often associated with weddings and marriages, it is actually God’s directions on how to live…

Romans 10:17Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ Hebrews 11:1Faith is the assurance (confidence) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen Faith (belief) has the power to change your behaviour. If you invite me over for dinner – please do – and I agree to come to your house on Saturday at 5pm – based on your confidence in my word, in my character, in my trustworthiness – , you will either believe…

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 14:11 Last week in our pastoral meeting we had a good conversation about pride and humility. In some ways, humility can feel like a moving target. The moment we think we’ve mastered humility, is probably when we’re falling into pride! Growing in humility is a journey we’re all on, and one that never really ends. But it helps to have some pointers…

Dear LifeSpring Family, This past Sunday, I was given the privilege to preach at Mississauga LifeSpring Christian Fellowship. It is always an encouragement to Dorothy and me to attend and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ there. As I shared on the Three Biblical Thanksgiving Principles of : It is a choice It is unconditional It is good for you. We were encouraged by our brothers and sisters there. Encouraged because we get to witness over many years…

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…