Devotions (Page 59)

Isaiah 11:1-5 (NIV) A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,    the Spirit of counsel and of might,    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and He will delight in the fear of the Lord.He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes,    or decide by what He hears with His ears;4 but with righteousness He will judge the needy,    with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the…

John 13: 34-35 (NLT) 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” As I was reading John 13 this passage stuck out to me in verse 34 and 35. Jesus tells his disciples to Love each other. He tells them to love each other not by their standards…

Dear Brothers and Sisters from Life-Spring, So much has changed in the past months and weeks. From Covid-19 to the death of George Floyd,  these ongoing events have unsettled me. It seems that chaos is the order of the day. Although I rarely face racism on a regular basis, the death of George Floyd has caused me to search my heart. If not for my own benefit, then for the benefit of my children and grandchildren. To allow Holy Spirit to shine…

Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” There has been SO much going on lately. And, I don’t know about you, but it seems like everybody and their mother has advice for how to respond. Pause from posting your regular life on social media but do NOT remain silent.Elevate the voices that have…

Last Wednesday, after sharing and repenting of my own judgmentalism, prejudices and racism with MissionGTA, I felt led to do the same for Life-Spring Family at our time of intercession. This is an extension to the rest of the Family with a closer look at the passage in Ephesians 2. 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—…

Probably for many of us, we’ve been following what’s been going on in the US and globally around the death of George Floyd. There have been floods of information and opinions around the issue, and it can definitely be overwhelming. So what are we supposed to make of all this? First, it can be easy to see these events as something happening “over there,” that doesn’t have much to do with us. But I think we need to challenge that…

Luke 23:34 (NLT) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. This scripture has never been so powerful to me then right now. Jesus in the midst of His crucifixion calls out to God not to save himself but to plea for forgiveness for what the people have done. The most humble thing Jesus could do is ask God to forgive us for sending His…

As we prepare for this Sunday’s Holy Communion,  allow me to share what God reminded me recently. In his book, The Prodigal God on pages 127, 128, and 129, Timothy Keller shared the following. “A meal fuels growth through nourishment. The Lord’s Supper, also called Communion or the Eucharist, represents ongoing growth in God’s grace. In order to survive and grow, individuals must eat and drink regularly. That’s what we must do with the gospel of the grace of God. We…

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”Proverbs 13:12 Sometimes I get lost in the practical needs of a situation or the tangible changes that need to take place. I forget about how vital hope is for making it through difficult times. It’s almost as though, because I can’t see it or touch it, I lose sight of how important it is… at which point, it’s only a matter of time until my heart…

Devotion – May 29, 2020 – John 15:1-11 (Prune to Fruit)“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit…

Matthew 22:36-39“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Though this was our memory verse from only 6 months ago, it feels like an eternity since we recited it together at church. This verse really has a new meaning for me though…

Psalm 96:1-2 (TPT)“Go ahead—sing your new song to the Lord!Let everyone in every language sing him a new song. Don’t stop! Keep on singing! Make his name famous!Tell everyone every day how wonderful he is.” As we focus on maturity this year, it can easily become a very inward journey. Which makes a lot of sense! How else are we supposed to track maturity other than to pay attention and consider how we have grown? How have we developed and…