When the destructive power of evil attacks and leaves us in desolation, it is easy for us to become discouraged and disconsolate. But God never lost hope for us and for his creation. God the Son, Jesus Christ, entered into our desolation and made it his to give us new life with a new purpose as one of his people in this world. Therefore we have hop…

We think, speak, and act in the short-term reality of the present, yet our life spans years of human history and leaves an impact that is eternal. What view should we take as we live our lives? A short-term view of the world can result in momentary happiness or dismay. But a long-term view of God at work in human history reveals that he has been at…

We humans tend to assess a person’s suitability for greater things based on their appearance. God does not. Instead he looks at our heart. And God is not looking for perfection or performance. It’s our brokenness and frailty that qualifies us for God’s grace and acceptance. (Based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13.)…

Loss and disappointment can leave us feeling empty with no hope of every being filled again in sight. Helpless and hopeless, we need someone to come and bless us with lovingkindness, redeem us from our desperate situation, and restore us to fullness. And the Good News is that we have Someone who will do this for us, the ultimate Redeemer, Jesus. (B…

Facing a great challenge in weakness and inadequacy goes against our nature. Our overwhelming preference is to have strength in advance before we engage. Yet God calls us to live in a different way--by faith and not by sight--trusting in the God who calls us forward to bring us victory through our weakness. (Based on Judges 7:1-8.)…

Fear is part of life. There are many things that could be real or imagined threats to us. But we need to face our fears or they will crush us. Where do we find the courage we need to face our fears and live life with confidence? In our Lord God who promised to be with us wherever we go. (Based on Joshua 1:1-11).…

Living a self-directed life is like assembling a complex piece of furniture without the instructions. The end product will not be as functional or beautiful as the manufacturer intended. Our affections need to be focused on the epitome of greatness, goodness and love: Yahweh. And when we love him with all our heart, soul and strength, we want to li…

The ability to feel fear is something that God put in us to help protect us, but he did not intend that it control us. When fear is directing our thoughts, feelings, and actions, it can negatively impact our health and keep us from stepping into the abundant life that God wants to give us. But how do we overcome our fears? By remembering that the L…

There are times in all our lives when we come up against challenges that are too great for us to handle. We are helpless and it seems like things are hopeless. But then God steps in and rescues us in a surprising way: a defenseless lamb gives up its life to save us and set us free. (Based on Ex. 12:1-13.)…

A common misconception about life with God is that everything is awesome once you begin your journey with him. It isn't. In fact, following God can lead you into times that are harder than anything you have ever experienced before. But it is in those hard times that we are drawn deeper into our relationship with God and we are then better prepared …

It is easy for us to become so preoccupied that we live as if God has nothing to do with our lives. We may say that we believe in God, but we rely entirely on natural forces to make our way in this world. And with a "head down" perspective, we miss out on better knowing God and what he is doing in and around us. Thankfully, God does come into our o…

We tend to measure success by results, but when we chase results, we can miss what is truly important. The place to start is by finding our purpose, a purpose that fits with who we are and which we can fulfill regardless of whether our circumstances go up or down. Through the life of Joseph, we can see that God wants to give us a purpose that will …

Sometimes we get to choose the path we are on and sometimes we don't. But what about those times when God calls us onto a path that's different from what we would have chosen? We remember God's faithfulness and the many ways he blesses those who follow him down through the generations. (Based on Gen. 12:1-9).…

Untethered from God and the roots he gives us in creation, we can feel formless and empty with darkness enveloping our soul. But the same Holy Spirit that was present at creation is freely available to us through Jesus, and the Spirit can recreate our inner being so that we see God and our life in a new and better way. (Based on Gen. 1:1-5, 1:24-2:…

A courtroom, a hospital and a graveyard are all places that confront us with human corruption, brokenness and mortality. These things are easy for us to recognize in others, but it can be terrifying when we see them in ourselves. Thankfully, Jesus came into the world to be our Savior! With the forgiveness and new life as a child of God that he give…

In times of suffering, sorrow, loss, or regret, it can seem like there is no possibility of joy in the future. But Jesus came into the world to change everything for us. Instead of despair, shame and death, we have life, forgiveness and salvation in Jesus. And the future looks bright for Jesus will come again one day to make us and all things right…

It is difficult to listen to the news these days. There are so many reports that cause us to be worried, sad, discouraged and even frightened. Today, the children of our church want to share the best news ever. They will tell us the story of Jesus' birth, when the Saviour of the world came to save us. This is the true meaning of Christmas that give…

When conflict is personal, establishing peace is easier said than done. That’s because peace always comes at a cost and we are not usually willing to lose in a conflict so that others can gain. Thankfully, Jesus came and paid the cost for us to have peace with God. With that peace at the center of our lives, we then seek to live in peace with those…

When things are bad and getting worse, we can wonder why God is taking so long to straighten things out, especially when others say we are foolish for having any hope in God. God views time differently than we do, yet he is at work in all time, even now, orchestrating events according to his divine plan which will lead to the glorious new heaven an…

Go to any major sporting event and you will see people that identify with their team. They cheer, shout encouragement and perhaps even wear their team’s jersey. All with the hope of being on the winning side. But what does it look like to be on the winning side of life? Though rejected by people 2,000 years ago and today, Jesus won the victory for …

Faith is often thought of as believing that what we want to happen will happen. But the “Hall of Fame of Faith” in Hebrews chapter 11 paints a far different picture of faith. Faith is believing in God’s promises for the future and aligning our actions with those promises, even if those promises are not fulfilled in our own lifetime. How do we know …

A builder is known by the greatness of the buildings they create. As profound as a beautiful bricks and mortar building can be, gathering and giving life to a redeemed and restored community of humans is infinitely better. That’s what Jesus is doing. Therefore, we can bring our broken hearts and lives to him and know that he will make us part of th…

The idea that we have to earn the good things of life is hard wired into human nature. But it won’t save us from the destiny of destruction our sin sick soul is leading us toward. Any attempts at repairing our life are insufficient. We need a totally new life, and that’s exactly what Jesus has given us as a completely free gift. Therefore, we live …

Insecurity makes us tentative. It is hard to be strong when our weakness is so evident. But Jesus has joined his life to our and, in our weakness, we have his strength. Faith is what connects us to Jesus and helps us to live in his strength. Therefore, with God’s help, we fan the flames of the faith that has been given to us. (Based on 2 Timothy 1:…

When the hope we have for a better life is being ground down to nothing by persecution or life-stealing circumstances, it’s time to re-examine our foundation for hope. A hope foundation built on the things of this world will never last. But a foundation built on Jesus’ promise to return and restore us and all things will give us the hope we need to…

We tend to become what we focus on. Broken as we are, we humans tend to focus on the baser aspects of life in this world thinking that they will satisfy the appetites of our heart, but they never do. Thankfully, Jesus came into this world to redeem us lost and broken souls and give us a greater life with him that will last forever. Therefore, we di…

One of the important ways to grow into becoming the kind of person we want to be is by choosing a mentor and patterning our life after theirs. We are making such choices whenever we click on “Like,” “Follow,” or “Subscribe.” But are we being thoughtful and intentional about who we allow to influence us and the depth of influence that we give to the…

There is a lot of emphasis on rule-based living these days. While having some basic rules for our life can be helpful, for we all need some structure in our lives, it is important for us to remember that the rules are not our life, and neither is living without any rules. What we really need for fruitful living is to be enlivened, empowered and dir…

God is on the move. He is always on the move! Can you see what He is doing around you? Did you know that the Holy Spirit is working all the time as He continues to work in your life and mine. He is working on all those people in your sphere of influence. Can you see Him working and how He equips you to be His mentor to others as He is working in th…

The standard human operating system is to live life in this world guided by what we see and for our own personal enrichment. The hollowness of this OS is revealed when we come to the end of life in this world and end up with nothing. But Jesus paid the full cost of our forgiveness so that we could be reconciled to God and have life with him. Theref…

We usually think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we want, but that kind of freedom can lead us to harm others and ourselves. With Jesus, we have been freed from feeding our sinful, self-centered desires. In the freedom we have from Jesus, we mold ourselves to connect with others so they might know him and the freedom he gives. (Based on 1 …

A lot of the challenging issues in our society these days, such as sexuality, gender, and abortion, pertain to the human body and who controls what we do with our bodies. Is it the government or the individual? A common response is to say, “It’s my body and I can do whatever I want with it!” As we look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we …

With all the challenges we face, it is easy for us to become discouraged and cynical about life. Our hearts are empty, and we have no use for other people, unless they can give us what we need. But Jesus gives us the endurance and encouragement we need to keep moving forward in this challenging world. He makes sure that all our needs are met and hi…

Central to the Christian journey is the faithful reading of Scripture and fellowship with Jesus and his followers. This is vividly illustrated in the dramatic encounter between two disciples and the risen Jesus on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The disciples recognize who Jesus is, and are able to proclaim the gospel, only after…

We humans inherently try to justify ourselves on the basis of what we do, who we are, or what we have. But none of those human-centered approaches work. Thankfully, because of his own goodness and love, God has reconciled himself to us by sending Jesus to pay the full cost of humanity's forgiveness for our sins and give us his righteousness in retu…

In times past, the surrounding society supported and encouraged faith in Jesus. But not anymore. In times of pressure or persecution, we may forget the power of the Gospel and be tempted to hide our faith to preserve our life in this world. But there is more power in the Gospel than there is in us. The Gospel message about Jesus has the power to cr…

Human life is like a funnel. When we are younger, we have lots of opportunities to make choices. As we grow older, our opportunities to make choices narrows up to the point that, at the end of our life, we have almost no opportunities left. Without help, we will inevitably have regrets at life's end. But Jesus forgives us for all our failures, rede…

In our part of the world, we live in a time where Christianity seems to be in decline and there is resistance to the Christian message. But God has placed within each culture a connecting point for the Gospel message. So we nourish ourselves with the true Christian faith and also learn about the surrounding culture. With the guidance and power of t…

There is no one who is beyond God's grace. Even Paul, a former enemy of Christians, was transformed by Jesus to become the most prominent Christian missionary in New Testament times. Regardless of how deep or dark our sin may be, Jesus invites us to come into the light of his forgiveness. Like Paul, it is there that we find new life, new hope and n…

For some of us, having someone tell us not to worry is like telling us not to breathe. It is so ingrained into our lives that we cannot imagine life without it. What is needed is a shift in what our heart ultimately trusts. Worry happens because we trust in ourselves or our circumstances to preserve and protect our lives. Jesus invites us to live i…

Confirmation Sunday is an opportunity for young people to publicly confess that the faith into which they were baptized as infants is indeed their own personal faith. This is a momentous occasion in the lives of each of these four young people for, from this moment on, they will be taking responsibility for the Christian faith in which they were nu…

We live in a time of great change and uncertainty, a time when the foundations of the institutions and shared beliefs that used to support society have started to crack and crumble. In a search for "salvation," most people take an individual perspective and focus on themselves. But Jesus brings salvation in a communal sense, for love always finds i…

As Jesus got ready to leave the world, he prepared his followers by making them aware of the persecution that will come. The Source of strength and truth that will help them endure will be the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to send to them. As Jesus' followers share his love with the world, the Holy Spirit will do the inner work of convincing peo…

Before Jesus went to the cross, he assured his followers that he would send another Advocate, a Helper who would continue the work of Jesus by dwelling within his followers and reminding them of all that Jesus had done and taught. That Advocate is the Holy Spirit who fills us with overflowing life, love, joy and peace from God. With our spirit attu…

All human problems tend to be rooted in our bodies or our spirits, and sometimes both. Left to our own devices, there is no way for human beings to fully resolve and heal the problems we have. But the God-human Jesus has. His suffering and death on the cross, and his resurrection that followed on the third day, point to the culmination of our journ…

Because we are deeply rooted in this world, it is easy for us to primarily hunger for the things of this world. Sometimes we even try to use Jesus, with his power and authority, to get the things that we want. But Jesus went to the cross, died and rose again, to satisfy much deeper hungers in our soul. With him as our king, for now and forever, mor…

Without new life from the Holy Spirit, we prefer to live in darkness instead of the light of God's Kingdom. But Jesus died on the cross and rose again to pay the cost of a new and eternal life for us. Through trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit brings that new life to us personally. Living the new life the Spirit has given us, we live by God's truth an…

We are so used to looking at life through the framework of the world, that we miss seeing Jesus at work in our lives and in the world. But when we become willing to humbly receive, then we can see Jesus and what he is doing. Therefore, with our eyes on him and confident of his love and redemption, we are able to live our lives with the hope and joy…

We all need to make value choices. But how do we make those choices? By what gives us status, power or money? Jesus shows us that none of those valuations will secure our life forever. Instead, he invites us to make him, the rejected one, the chief cornerstone of our lives. In his eyes, we are living stones which he will build into a beautiful home…

Far too often our actions indicate that we underestimate what God can do in our life & in the lives of others. So we use the resources and opportunities he gives us to try to keep ourselves safe. But that self-made security will be stripped away before God when we have to answer for what we did with what God gave us in this life. Jesus is offering …