Pastor Don and Karen are on vacation this week. If you have a need, please reach out to Sarah. Thank you! We hope to disconnect and recharge as we retreat to a lake house in the Poconos. Prayers appreciated for that and health. Thanks! Pray for our Maggie to have peace at pet sitter too.
Good Morning Children of the Most Hight God! rejoice and be glad in the day and celebrate your life in Christ! As I PREPARE TO DISCONNECT, God leads us into to tracks through our devotionals today. They do tie together because we are so loved that God made a way for us to be forgiven. then Jesus commands us ti live like Him which means forgiving as we've been forgiven. Check out the devos below and meditate on them as we begin this week at Jesus' feet asking to live and like like Him more in '24.
The Upper Room reminds us that we are filled with God's love. This week Karen and I are recharging and reloading our tanks with a spiritual retreat with Jesus as He bless us with His refreshing love. Our Daily Bread reminds us to abide, to dwell, to rest in Jesus and His love. They remind us of the importance of journeying with others as we seek to follow Jesus more and go share the Good news that brings our hope and joy alive. As we encounter worldly people or deal with those who have hurt us, The Word for You Today reminds us to leave the judging to God. We really don't know people's hearts, do we? Ask Him to help with that and to bring discernment too. As leaders, we are called to be discerning. Some of us are dealing with that with someone who wants to be part of our fellowship, yet needs to be under church discipline nd repent of some things before that can even be entertained as a possibility. God convicted me that I need to be discerning, loving and forgiving. Is He at work in her heart? yes. We await to see how she responds to that drawing and allow Him to have His way, judge and forgive when she repents. And we ask fo rHis help to love like that. Charles Stanley expounds on the thought of the power of forgiveness. Help us Lord to love, forgive, be discerning and wise and follow You always and your ways. Thanks!
That's enough to meditate on and apply today. may God speak to your heart this week and help you to live and love more like Him! I'll be praying and praising for you! Shalom!
Maggie says to have a great week! Dog spelled backwards is God! She reminds us that he is always watching, just like she is always watching Karen! Sometimes during Karen's quiet time, she lays on her Bible. May we abide in His Word, rest in Him and keep our eyes on Jesus always! Amen!
UR: Filled with God's Love
[God] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. - Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
When I was growing up, gas stations were called “service stations” or “filling stations.” When you drove in, an attendant would come out to your car and ask you what you needed. My dad would always answer, “Fill ’er up!” The attendant would then pump the gas, check the oil level, check the air in the tires, and clean the windshield. Dad would never let his car get below a half tank of gas. He said, “You never know what might happen, and you might end up somewhere without a filling station close by.”
Dad died two years ago. When I pulled into a gas station recently, recalling his care for his cars made me think about my spiritual health. Do I let my tank get more than half empty before I turn to God for spiritual nourishment? I realized that, at any time of day or night, wherever I am, whenever I’m feeling low, all I have to do is turn to the Lord. God will not only restore my spirit but also supply all my needs (see Phil. 4:19).
Today's Prayer
O Lord, our God, when we are down and our spirits are empty, remind us to turn to you for hope and strength. Thank you for being our rock and our redeemer. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
ODB:
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A fire burned Balsora Baptist Church to the ground. As emergency workers and community members gathered after the blaze subsided, they were surprised to see a charred cross standing upright amidst the smoke and ashes in the air. A firefighter commented that the fire “took the structure, but not the cross. [This is a reminder] that the building was just that, a building. The church is the congregation.”
The church is not a building, but a community united by the cross of Christ—the One who died, was buried, and rose again. When Jesus lived on earth, He told Peter He’d build His worldwide church, and nothing would destroy it (Matthew 16:18). Jesus would gather believers from all over the globe into a group that would continue throughout time. This community would face intense difficulty, but they’d ultimately endure. God would dwell within them and sustain them (Ephesians 2:22).
When we struggle to establish local churches only to have them stagnate and sputter, when buildings are destroyed, or when we’re concerned about believers struggling in other parts of the world, we can remember that Jesus is alive, actively enabling God’s people to persevere. We’re part of the church He’s building today. He’s with us and for us. His cross remains.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
REFLECT & PRAY
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In what ways might you support fellow believers? How does sharing the good news relate to God’s plan for the church?
Dear God, please strengthen Your people everywhere. Fill them with wisdom, protect them, and help them stay faithful to You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
How are we to interpret Jesus’ reference to “the gates of Hades” (Matthew 16:18)? The setting for Christ’s great question to Peter, “Who do you say I am?” (v. 15) is Caesarea Philippi, which lies at the southern base of Mount Hermon. The area in and around Caesarea Philippi had historically been known as Bashan, which scholars and the Scriptures connect to the worship of several false gods and to child sacrifice. People commonly believed this region to be the entrance to the underworld—the place of the dead. Jesus knew that the phrase “the gates of Hades” would be understood as our great enemy—death. Christ’s statement is a declaration that He’s the Messiah who overcomes even death. Peter answered Jesus’ question by saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Christ called Peter “blessed” for this response (v. 17).
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TWFYT:
CS:
Shalom!
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