Ephesians 2:17

When we are at church, we immediately think of inclusivity. Anyone can come to Jesus, be saved, and have peace with the Lord! But, I think once we leave church, we can forget exactly what Paul is telling the Jewish believers in the above verse. Jesus did not come only for the Jews who were near, but also to those Gentiles who were afar.

God’s desire is for us to walk with Him, not just near Him and certainly not far from Him. Consider those in your life that seem afar off and even those that seem near knowing that the peace that Christ offers is available for all who are willing.

Resting in Him,

Pastor Sean Boehm

John 15:7

How often is it when someone is telling us a story that we just want them to skip to the end? That would be dangerous to do with this verse and yet, sadly, many have. We read that we can ask what we desire and it will be done for us, but there is a stringent condition to that promise. We must not only have our hearts occupied with Christ but our lives must be regulated by the Scriptures. When we know the Word of God, we will know the will of God and in His will, we can ask those things that are in our hearts.

When our hearts are filled with Jesus and His Word dictates our lives, our first desire will be to have more of Him. And the more we get of Him, the more we’ll ask according to His will. What a glorious exchange.

In His Word and His will,

Pastor Gerard Deleeuw

Jeremiah 46:27

As the time I wrote this, there was an uprising going on between Israel and the Palestinians. It continues to be a reminder the end times are coming.

One of the greatest signs of the last days was Israel being restored into their land on May 14, 1948 after over 1,800 years of not having its own homeland. This was predicted by Jeremiah and other prophets throughout the Old Testament.

God’s word continues to be proven true and since it is true, we need to follow it faithfully. May we take the Bible seriously!

God’s word is faithful and true,

Pastor Ron Kitchell

Luke 9:57-60

In Luke 9, we are given a series of encounters between Jesus and various individuals who profess a desire or commitment to follow Jesus anywhere, before finding an excuse to delay following at all. The excuse here is needing to go to a funeral for his father, a needful action if his father had died. It appears from Jesus’ words that this was a request to stay at home until his father died and then follow as He promised, a request to delay His commitment.

Jesus’ words in response are powerful, saying in essence, let the world deal with worldly issues, BUT you go and preach the kingdom of God, the Gospel, that Jesus has come to save and rule in the hearts of those who would look to Him. So to us Jesus would say: don’t allow your time and life to be consumed with worldly pursuits, you have a calling to reach the Kingdom of God! Don’t delay or find a reasonable excuse to delay His call to share our faith now!

No delays!

Pastor Jack Abeelen

Acts 16: 14- 15a

Lydia is not the most well-known name in the Bible, yet she was a woman of both faith and influence. At a time when career women were rare, Lydia was a respected and successful businesswoman. She was also the first European believer and host of the first European church. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me.

Paul first met Lydia while she was praying with a group of women. Although not Jewish, Lydia was searching for God. That’s when Paul began sharing the good news of the Gospel – that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, dying on the cross and rising again in three days. As Lydia listened, God opened up her heart, convicting her of the truth, and at that moment, she gave her life to God in faith. But her transformation didn’t end there; her entire household followed her example and became believers, forming the region’s first church in her home.

Lydia then used her gifts and talents for God’s glory, impacting the lives of those around her. So what about you? How do you use your resources and influence? What is your motivation for your work? Ask God to show you how you can leverage your resources and influence for God’s glory – just like Lydia.

Pastor William Del Casale

Paul had certainly seen more than his fair share of affliction in his life. An extensive list of what he experienced included whippings, beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, hunger, and a multitude of perils found in 2 Corinthians 11. He concludes that list by stating that at the end of it all, his daily concern does not regard his trials, tribulations, and fears but instead a “deep concern for all the churches.” Why can he look beyond these afflictions and essentially shrug them off? Because Paul has an eternal perspective.

He goes on to say in verse 18 that he focuses on the things that are seen rather than those that are not seen, since the things that are seen are temporal while those that are not seen are eternal. With this mindset, Paul knows what we experience in this life cannot begin to compare with eternity.

It is hard to grasp this concept from a human standpoint, but when we switch our perspective to the eternal it becomes easier to imagine. Lord, may we see our trials and tribulations from your perspective and like Paul may our anticipation of the coming exceeding and eternal weight of glory lighten the load of our affliction.

Jeff Mericle

The Apostle Paul had heard about what was going on in the Colossian church and he was excited about it, so he wrote to encourage them. He told them that he was always praying for them. I like that! How we ought to pray always for each other!

Here Paul says he was always praying for these brothers and sisters even though he never met them. Do you think that he was exaggerating?

It is the Spirit of God, the heart of God, that wants the best for others and prays for others always. God uses our prayers.

When the Lord puts one of your brothers or sisters on your heart, there is that opportunity that God has given you to pray for them. Our example, Paul, said he was always praying for his brothers and sisters in the Colossian church. That is what the body of Christ is all about!

Praying for you,

Rich Kikuchi

John 6:12

Here we have a biblical mandate to not waste leftovers after a meal. Or did Jesus have other intentions when instructing the disciples to gather the leftover food after He miraculously supplied a meal for 5,000 plus people from a measly five loaves of bread and two small fish?

Had Jesus not instructed them to gather the leftovers, the disciples would not have known that there were 12 baskets of food left over. What is the significance of 12 baskets of food leftover you ask? It’s to communicate that Jesus doesn’t just meet the bare minimum of a human need, He goes over and beyond. He supplies supernaturally in a way that leaves you full and marveling.

The lesson then is this: don’t short change what Jesus is able to do and don’t miss the opportunity to fully reflect on what Jesus accomplished. Sometimes we pray for something and we get that need met, but don’t take the time to gather the full story and we miss how Jesus not only met the need but went over and above it.

We don’t want to lose out on the opportunity to see how great our God is by not getting the details and miss seeing or telling the whole story. Our God is awesome, and in our fast paced, instant gratification tendencies, we don’t always allow ourselves to see just how awesome He truly is. Take some time to gather more often, that way nothing is lost and you don’t miss out!

Pastor Jason Witt

Judges 6:10

Chapter 6 begins with the children of Israel again doing evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years (Judges 6:1). The result of their disobedience was that Israel would be greatly impoverished. During this time, they cried out to the Lord. So the Lord sent them a prophet. The prophet gives them a reminder of what God has done. I brought you out of the house of bondage, I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you.

The children of Israel knew what the Lord would require of them, yet they still disobeyed. There comes a point where you decided to do what is right in your own eyes and the Lord will allow it. He will essentially give you what you are asking for. Until you come to the point of spiritual bankruptcy and to a point where all you can do is cry out to the Lord. The children of Israel spent an unnecessary seven years under the hand of Midian before they cried out. Let’s learn from them and trust that the Lords ways are better than ours.

In Isaiah 55:8 we are told “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.”

Joshua Navarro

Ephesians 5:1

It only makes sense that we should follow after the One who has done everything for us; that we should seek to do the things that He did, love the way He loves, and speak the way He speaks.

The Greek word here for “Imitators” is the word, mimetes.It means “to follow or mimic someone’s actions,” but this means much more than doing what someone else does. Jesus said in John 5:19-20, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does.”You see it goes much farther that just copying someone’s movements, just mimicking them as they move their arms or legs and say, “Look I’m just like them!”

No, this kind of “imitation” is only accomplished through a relationship with the one we are following. “As dear children,” imitate your Father, Paul tells us. Kids always take on the characteristics of their parents, the good and bad. It’s just what happens as you are around someone a lot. As we abide with Jesus, spending time with Him, enjoying our relationship with Him, we begin to take on His characteristics. Then we will truly mimic God, not just in our outward actions here and there, but with a changed life, from a changed heart within.

Pastor Doug Hardin