Wednesday Devotions from Pastor Steve
The Muchness (Me’od) of God
The Shema – Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NIV) Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Did you know that the Jewish people have prayed these well-known words to express devotion to God every morning
The Christian life is not a 100-yard dash. It is a marathon race!
Can you imagine all of us standing together at a starting line, and the gun goes off, and with one big surge, we take off in a sprint. You’re feeling strong, your legs are working well, life is good, the wind is in your face, and you’re moving as fast as you can, and everybody
The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:9-13 says, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us
Priorities
One day a Rabbi brought out a large jar and put it in front of the students. Next to it was a bucket with fist-sized stones. They sat there for a while. All the students wondered how these rocks would be used. Do you think the stones would fit in the jar? The students answered:
Yom Kippur
Tonight, at Sundown starts the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur that is a symbol of God’s grace through the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world. Therefore, there is great significance to us who are believers in Messiah. Hebrew: Yom: Day of; Kippur (Noun) or (Verb): Cover or conceal.
Out of Fuel
The other day I was driving down the highway, and my truck engine suddenly turned off. I coasted to the right-hand pavement and safely stopped and turned on my emergency blinkers. I started to think, what happened? I examined my truck gauges. Electrical, okay, check. Temperature, okay, check. Engine warning, none, check. Fuel gauge, half-full,
Do Not Be Anxious
Matthew 6:25-32 Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor
Water Baptism is Coming
Jesus said He wanted everyone who had received His love and mercy to come to Him in the act of worship called baptism. Upon profession of our faith, upon recognizing that God, apart from our deserving it, saved us from ourselves and death for eternity, he invites us to stand in front of a group
Cleaning up our Spiritual House
Does anyone reading this devotional struggle with guilt? Guilt can destroy you or change you if you let it. How do we move on and get rid of guilt? We start by admitting guilt and deciding if it is real or false guilt. Either way, we don’t want to bury it, deny it, or ignore
Alone Time with God
Did you know that the Lord wants to spend time ALONE with you? Do you remember when you accepted the Lord and became part of His family? As a “child” of God, we call the Lord “Father.” A good Father wants to spend time with his children; sometimes He wants to spend time with them
I DID IT!
My son sent me a video clip (see below) of my 3-year-old granddaughter rock climbing. They were at a rock-climbing gym, and for the first time, she was going up the wall under the careful guidance and care of her dad (an accomplished rock climber). I watched her make her way up the wall, finding
Transformed by the Love of God and His Word
God’s Word reveals to us what it means to love God. The Lord cares about us. God has over and over proved His love. He knows what we need. God created us. God loves us enough to warn us. He instructs us. God died for us. He conquered hell and death for us. He rose
Healing Emotional Wounds
Everyone has emotional wounds and scars from our past. THINK JUNIOR HIGH! Emotional wounds are harder to heal than physical wounds. Physical injuries can heal in days, weeks, and months but emotional injuries often take years/decades to recover. BUT Jesus comes to heal our emotional wounds! Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages
Dealing with Anxiety as a Christian
Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
Coming Home to Church
“After you blatantly sin against me, you have the gall to entreat me for favors? You pray, and you expect me to come through like I usually do? You rebel against me. You shake your fist at me, and then you expect me not to be affected by your disobedience and waywardness?” Malachi 1:9. If we
The Church as a Family
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching” (THE MESSAGE). Believers in Jesus need to learn how to encourage one another toward love and helping each other
Unchangeable Truth
The COVID-19 crisis has created a worldwide unprecedented response to stop the threat and destruction of this deadly virus. The consequences of self-quarantining and social distancing have profoundly impacted our lives and the church’s design. How shall we live in our new normal? What does God’s Word give to us in the midst of panic
This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made!
TODAY is THE amazing DAY that the LORD has Made! And we have a choice to view each DAY as God’s gift. Psalm 118:1-24 says, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever…Let those who fear the LORD now say, His mercy endures forever….I called on the LORD