Devotions (Page 50)

The last time I wrote one of our devotions, I was writing about the value of prayer – no matter what the outcomes may be. About how when we pray, we are connecting with God and being changed forever and for the better in the presence of God, even when things don’t go the way we hoped they would… Never could I have imagined how soon or how intensely many of us would be learning this lesson. How soon we…

2 Peter 1:5-85 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful inthe knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – ESV I am sure we all have our reason. Some, like myself, even…

Exodus 13:17-22 (NLT)Israel’s Wilderness Detour17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[c] Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army…

Mark 4: 35-40Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”He…

James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Trials are a regular part of being a Christian. The bible indicates time and time again that trials, tribulations and temptations will come. Before Jesus started his ministry, He came face-to-face with Satan and was tested by him, and this was right after a 40 day fast! It is God’s way of building…

As a Pastoral Team, we have been reading Unwritten together. It’s the story of John and Lorraine Baergen and what they learned/how they dealt with crisis. Tragedy struck their family in the form of a drunk driver and their lives were forever changed in the blink of an eye. Although none of us on the team have personally experienced tragedy in this way, or perhaps even on the same scale, so much of what they wrote is applicable for us…

Exodus 4 NLTSigns of the Lord’s Power4 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” 2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. 3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. 4 Then the Lord told him,…

At the end of last year, we worked on the memory verse 2 Peter 1:5-8 (“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness…”). Hopefully these are verses you’ve come to know and love, and even memorize. These verses are part of a bigger theme in 2 Peter, and the very last line of 2 Peter summarizes this theme well–“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).…

Dear LifeSpring Family, This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. We start the journey/countdown towards Easter, Sunday, April 4th. Dorothy and I observed Ash Wednesday with a meal consisting of vegetables and some fish. We also took some time to pray for those among us in the LifeSpring family. As we prepare for Good Friday and Easter, allow me to share with you a prayer for this Lent season. Lent “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and…

Back in October, I had the chance to speak on the topic of dealing with suffering and trials. From what I can remember, things were pretty different back then both for the church and in the world. We were allowed to have up to a hundred people join us live on Sundays, so it was nice to gather for those who were able even though we had to social distance and mask. The summer had just ended, where we’d seen…

I don’t know about you, but my family is FULL of all sorts of different characters… we have the clowns/jokers, the serious ones, the ones who need loads of attention and the ones who thrive behind the scenes! We have a whole slew of political and religious views, hurts and failures, life experiences and lessons learned. Despite us all being VERY different, there is a certain bond that exists among us that simply cannot be broken! We are family. Whether…

Genesis 40:8 NLTAnd they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.” When I was reading Genesis 40, God highlighted this verse to me. To give you some context, Joseph had been thrown into prison for being wrongfully accused of trying to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. During this time in prison, Joseph was given Pharaoh’s Cup-bearer and Chief…