Posts by SFNAZ Devotional Team

Eph. 6:10-17   I recently had the opportunity to attend the NW District Assembly and heard some amazing preaching.  One sermon that hit home was preached by our District Superintendent, David Mowry.  It dealt with withstanding the pressures of the world (my summary and meaning).  In his sermon he mentioned the forces of gravity which really struck home for me. In college I was enrolled in the Air Reserve Officer Training Corps, preparing for commissioning as a Second Lieutenant.  In…

Matthew 28  2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just…

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  ~ Psalm 139:1 – 3 Many of us were assigned George Orwell’s sci-fi thriller “1984” to read in school. In 1949 Orwell penned a cautionary tale warning that Big Brother is always watching. Over the last seventy years, we’ve transitioned…

A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Wes preached on Luke 5:1-10, the story of the miraculous catch of fish.  It is the story of a once in a lifetime catch of fish, that happened as a miracle of Jesus.  It is even more the story of the conversion of three fishermen.  It is easy to get caught up in the miracle of verses 1-10 and miss the greater miracle in verse 11.  I have added Luke 5:11 to my list…

How many times have you been reading the scripture that you have read multiple times and all of the sudden a particular verse jumps out at you? As I was reading in 1 Corinthians the third chapter, all of a sudden, the 16th and 17th verses caught my attention.  What does it mean we are the temple of God? I have read this passage many times over the years and never thought much about it, but this time it grabbed…

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Very few places in scripture says what or who God is and yet the Apostle John writes in 1 John that God is light and then a few chapters later says that God is Love. Recently I read a book…

The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16–17 I’m sure we all know someone whose life circumstances just don’t seem fair.  We might say, “they’re such a good person.  Why do things like this happen to such good people?”  Even within our own congregation, I can think of…

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of participating in my mother-in-law’s memorial service.  As is true of most funerals, several people shared stories from her past.  It was great to remember fun shared times together.  I chose to spend my time looking to the future. I was thinking about the parable of the talents the other day.  I thought about how the master gave varying talents of money to his servants.  At the end of the parable the…

Ephesians 4:17, So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. Galatians 2:14, When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it then, that you force Gentiles…

Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father  who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like  the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.   James 1:17       Think back to the weeks leading up to Christmas when you were a little child. The anticipation grew each time a new present appeared under the tree.  For me, I’d sort, shake, try to peak and take wild guesses at…

Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good Psalm 107:1; 136:1  This Thursday we take time to offer prayers of thanksgiving, before diving into a feast of turkey with all the fixings and a day of football.  The next day we begin the hunt for presents that most people don’t need and exercise our bargain hunting license looking for those extreme deals.  When we were growing up, we always got one toy for Christmas, and you hoped that you…

Love your Neighbor After months of the house next door being vacant, we finally got new neighbors.  Only… except… well, to be honest it has been quite a struggle adjusting to them. They brought a lot of clutter with a boat, construction trailer, and multiple trucks and cars that block the sidewalk.  They have many friends/co-workers who spend much of their time on the back deck while they smoke, which we smell in our back yard. Oh, and they love…