Devotions (Page 52)

The last 2 weeks we have talked Why we need to persevere and How to Persevere. The emphasis in both is that maturity requires perseverance. The calling God has for the house of Lifespring requires perseverance. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and run the race… all the way until the end. Consider the cloud of witnessesSometimes we take privilege and spit on it. We need to recognize that we have truly been blessed. When much is given, much…

Genesis 4:4-16(NLT) Cain and Abel4 Now Adam[a] had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced[b] a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4…

Over the course of 2020, we did 3 memory verses together as a church (10 commandments, fruit of the Spirit, 2 Peter 1: 5-8). The pastoral team also did a few extra verses together. Here are some highlights: Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace… gentleness and self-control.2 Peter 1:5-8: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness… and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance.2 Timothy 1:7: For God…

I’m not quite sure how we already got back to the first day of a new year… or how it took SO LONG all at the same time! With 2020 finally in the rearview mirror, there seems to be a certain amount of closure taking place – a certain type of relief. We’ve made it through one of, if not THE most difficult year, many of us have known in our lifetime. As challenging as it has been, I really…

Dear LifeSpring Family, Praying this will encourage you today as we celebrate Christmas and prepare for the New Year. Sharing from the Youversion Bible app devotions. Isaiah chapter 12, but focusing on verse 2 “Behold, God is my salvation;I will trust, and will not be afraid;for the Lord God[b] is my strength and my song,and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 (ESV) The Hebrew word for Salvation is “yeshuwah” which means deliverance. God is your Deliverer. No matter what…

At the start of 2020 we sought the Lord and felt Him put on our hearts the 3 Gs. Give, Go, Grow. As a church we set our plans in alignment with these directions and God directed our steps along the way. Corporately as a church family we wanted to be intentional about the 3 Gs. God was speaking to us and it was our job to follow his guidance. However, like the people of Israel who had to paint…

This week as I was reading the word, I came across a verse in Romans 3:17(NLT) that said “They don’t know where to find peace.” As I sat there asking myself, where do you find peace? I was reminded of something Donna said last Sunday. She talked about Naioth – the dwelling place – a place of refuge, safety and comfort for Samuel and David. I believe that when we search for peace we will find it in the dwelling…

Christmas 2020 is turning out to be a Christmas like no other. I’m probably not alone in having some mixed feelings about Christmas this year. On one hand, Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and the miracle of Jesus coming to be with us. Like we’re reminded about in John 1:14, “the Word became flesh and lived among us,” and that is real reason for joy! We should celebrate this Christmas season, and what it means…

Christmas has always been my favourite day and time of the year. Who doesn’t love coming together with loved ones, sharing gifts, eating food, playing games, and all the memories we create laughing with one another. I’ve always known Christmas as the time we celebrate Jesus’ birthday, but admittedly, with all the lights, food, and fun the focus really has not been on Jesus. We celebrate Him by saying a prayer before eating – but once that is done… Christmas…

A few months ago I was feeling especially sad… tragedy had hit the home of a very dear friend and the weight of pandemic realities seemed unbearably heavy at times. I found myself crying way more than usual and for a little while I wondered if something was wrong with me. After all, depression and anxiety had been very real struggles for me in the past… but this sadness was different. The best way I could describe how I felt…

York Region is now in lockdown. It seems that we are trending the wrong way in our fight with Covid-19. As I wake up this Monday morning to the positive news of the arrival of the vaccine. Our country leaders remind us that it is only the beginning of a long journey in what has been already too long of a “journey”. In fact, our leaders are saying that it will be around the fall of 2021 before we can…

Over the past 2 years, God has been taking us on the following journey: 2019: Intimacy (3 Ps – Prayer (Persona), Prayer (Corporate), Prayer (Earnest)) 2020: Maturity (3 Gs – Give, Go, Grow) As we look to 2021, this is what we felt the Lord put on our hearts. 2021: Make Every Effort God continues to call the Lifespring family to be the Huios (mature sons). We have seen tremendous victories in hearing God and growth in the spirit. But…