Devotional (Page 17)

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 (NIV) Each one of us needs other people to watch out for us – to defend us, protect us, and help us stay on track. In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us that we should look out for each other’s interests, not just our own. What a counterculture verse! In America today, it’s all about me –…

A few years ago I realized that I spoke often of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the church, etc.  One day it occurred to me that not everyone I talk to would consciously think about the fact these present in us are “living”.  They are alive, and I decided that I should refer to them as such.  Through a process in my own life, I began to say, “The Living Christ”, “The Living God”, “The Living Church”. It seems to…

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:8-10) On Sundays, both in the worship service and in the…

During these days at the start of this year, I am sure many of you have felt like I have.  When the year started I was looking forward to a new start and leaving 2020 behind me.  The problem with leaving 2020 behind me is that I am not reflecting on what happened, how to learn from it, and what I am called to do moving forward.  During 2020 many of us felt as if we were just trying to…

A prayer of Moses, the man of God:  “Lord, you have been our help, generation after generation.  Before the mountains were born, before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world- from forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God.”  Psalm 90:1-2 This is the only “song of Moses” in the Psalm, but there are two others (Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32) as well as the blessings he gives the tribes of Israel, also in Deuteronomy.…

I hope that your week has been blessed abundantly by God the Father and the Living Christ.  We were so pleased to be able to share the Lord’s Supper with so many of you last Sunday either in person or through live stream. It has been a while since we gave an update on Pastor Bill’s health, so I thought I would do that today.  He finished 3 days of chemotherapy on Wednesday, January 6, and will now have 21…

Comfort the discouraged. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone… Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:14b, 16-18) As we close out what will be a year that most of us will never forget, I have felt the Spirit challenging me to evaluate all the reasons we have to be hopeful about the coming new year. Here in this passage, as the Apostle Paul moves…

As we approach Christmas day this year many of us have experienced more loss, heartache, distress, and confusion than any other year. As we head into the Advent season it is revealed that we as Christians can simply rest in the truth of the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that Christ’s birth provides us.  It is comforting to know that even though the world can fall apart around us we know that these things are already provided for us. As…

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15 (NIV) Let’s pause and think back to the first Christmas. Have you ever stopped to put yourself in Joseph’s shoes? Here was a guy who found out his fiancé was pregnant, claiming she was visited by an angel and it’s God’s baby. And she wanted him to believe her! In an instant, Joseph’s whole world was turned upside down. This was not the way his life was supposed…

34 “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. 35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:34-35 CEB) John Wesley was a pastor and theologian who lived in the 1700s. Many affirm that the Church of the Nazarene grew out of the evangelistic movement originally started by Wesley. In Wesley’s teachings, he often emphasized the idea of…

With information at our fingertips, it is so easy to feel like we are well informed, we have the answers, and we are all a part of the bigger picture. While we are certainly a part of the larger story of what happens in our larger world, wouldn’t it be great to simply look to our left and right and make a difference for Christ in our own small world? In a time when our world is tracking who we…

“I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.  I will be filled with joy because of you.  I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”  Psalm 9:1-2 This particular year requires that I cook a turkey.  It won’t be pretty.  It may not be ugly, but I can promise you that it will not look like any turkey advertisement you may have seen in the last…