Devotionals

There are many things that stand out to me when I think about Pastor Mary’s teachings. However, one thing that I absolutely love is how she makes sure that we understand the fear of the Lord and the importance it has on our current faith walk and our walk into eternity with Jesus.

In our passage today, the psalmist reminds Israel, the fear of the Lord is what brings good things to a nation, to God’s people. God is sovereign, faithful, and He protects His people. But God’s people must acknowledge that He is their God, and they must humble themselves and fully trust Him.

Friends, we are God’s people, we must trust Him and place all our hope in Him as His unfailing love truly does surround each one of us. Remember, God watches over you and me because we fear Him, our hearts are fully submitted to Him and we love Him beyond what our words can ever express.

Psalm 33:12-22 (NLT)

12 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

13 The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
14 From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
15 He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.

18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.

20 We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.

Prayer: Jesus, please forgive us for we have not always trusted You, and when we’ve leaned on our own understanding. We need You, Jesus, to be our hope and our shield, today, and every day after, until we come face-to-face with You. Thank You for being all that we need, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

If you were not able to join us for worship on Sunday, we looked at Luke 12:13-21 which was Jesus’s Parable of the Rich Fool. We know that Jesus was most likely teaching in an outdoor public setting in Judea, as He was on His way to Jerusalem, and a man asked Him to settle a dispute over an inheritance. Jesus refused and He warned against choosing earthly greed over a rich relationship with God. We talked about how earthly inheritances include money, property, assets, etc. and these are all things that are temporal and fleeting. We also talked about how a heavenly inheritance includes spiritual blessings that are passed on from God to His people as God always fulfills His promises, and His spiritual blessings are eternal, and they last forever.

Today’s passage follows Sunday’s passage. Jesus had just finished the Parable of the Rich Fool, and now we see that He is talking to His disciples. Friends, please keep in mind that Jesus’s message is the same today for you and me as it was for the disciples that walked with Him almost 1,900 years ago. We are Jesus’s disciples, and He does not want us to worry about anything. Jesus illustrates how God cares for the birds and flowers, to help us understand that God cares for all of His creation, which includes you and me. Jesus does not want us to chase after the securities of this world, as they are fleeting; rather, He wants us to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and to trust God with all of our needs. Fully trusting in God and resting in His hands as we pursue His plan for our lives is the highest and best for each one of us. So, let’s try and do that today with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 12:22-31 (NLT)

Teaching about Money and Possessions

22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

Prayer: Jesus, help us to not worry, but to trust in You. We know that You have our highest and best interest at heart, yet we allow worry to creep in. Forgive us, and help us to rest in You, to trust in You, and to fully submit to You. Holy Spirit, help us to seek God’s Kingdom first, and allowing everything else that we need to be provided by You. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Paul wrote his Letter to the Colossians while he was imprisoned. He knew that false teachings were threatening the Church. So, we see that the first portion of his letter (Chapters 1 and 2) emphasizes Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency. He wants believers to understand that we are complete in Christ Jesus. In the second, and final, portion of Paul’s letter (Chapters 3 and 4), he no longer focuses on doctrine but wants to provide believers with ways of practical Christian living.

Today’s portion of Paul’s letter includes his final instructions for our Christian lives. First, Paul talks about our devotion to prayer. Notice how he specifies that we are to pray with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Paul is instructing believers to connect with the Holy Spirit in prayer, meaning we are to attentively pray with gratitude and intention. God deserves our undivided attention, our entire heart, and our time with Him should be meaningful, not distracted and routine.

Next, Paul asks the Church to pray for him and his team so that God will give them many opportunities to speak about Jesus. Even from prison, Paul is focused on spreading the Gospel message about Christ Jesus and His eternal love. Paul’s example means that you and I should certainly have no problems sharing the Gospel message.

Finally, Paul guides the Church not to be weird, uninviting, disinterested, disassociated, etc. with non-believers. Rather, we are called to live wisely amongst non-believers, making the most of every opportunity that Jesus places within our time together. We are to be loving, gracious, meaningful, truthful, and attractive (meaning our interactions are seasoned with salt) so that non-believers are attracted to Jesus within us and want His light and are eager to learn more about Him and from Him.

Colossians 4:2-6 (NLT)

An Encouragement for Prayer

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for helping us to remain devoted to You in prayer. We want our prayer time to deepen so that we are growing closer to You and able to witness how we can pray more diligently for others. Holy Spirit, we need Your wisdom to guide our interactions with non-believers. Help us to led with Your grace and love in our actions, in-actions, speech, etc. Open doors for us today, so we can share about Your love, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

In Psalm 127, Solomon challenges us to consider wisely where we are placing God within every relationship that we have and in every circumstance that we face. If God is not the Builder of our house (our hearts), our relationships and circumstances are meaningless. With God as the Builder of all things, He watches over all things, and He is the One who gives all things. So, when we try and take over the building, the watching, and/or the giving, we are doing it all for nothing.

Friends, think about how God allows each of our physical systems to operate even while we are sleeping, providing all that is needed to sustain our physical lives. So, why is it that we do not trust Him to provide all that is needed to sustain our physical lives when we are awake? Far too often we attempt to take control, rather than rest in our Builder’s Hands and to trust Him.

As you read Psalm 127, these words were written for the community of Israel as they made their way up to Jerusalem and to the temple, reminding them (and us) of God’s covenant promise to His people and His many blessings. We know from history that we must have faith and trust in God to build, watch, and give us each what we need. Let’s surrender to the Builder today and step back to witness all that He has planned when we rest and trust Him.

Psalm 127 (MSG)

1-2 If God doesn’t build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the plans that You have for our lives. Help us, Lord, to submit our own will in order to allow Your will to be done in and through our lives. We want to walk out the plan that You have designed especially for us, because we know that it is the best plan. Please forgive us for not always trusting in Your plan for our lives. Help to bring us closer, each day, to walking out Your plan. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

In the Old Testament, even though Gentiles were often seen by Israel to be outside of God’s covenant, we know that God’s plan from the very beginning was to bless all nations (Gen 12:3 & Isa 49:6). It isn’t until the New Testament, and through the Gospel message of Christ Jesus, that we witness the Gentiles, who were anyone that was not Jewish, being grafted into God’s Family. “And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same Body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus”. (Eph 3:6)

In today’s passage, Paul was urging Gentile believers to no longer live their old Gentile lives, when their minds were filled with darkness, their hearts were hardened, and they wandered far from God. He wants them to recall how within this place they were lustful, shameful, and living impurely for their own selfish desires. Paul encourages them to remember what they learned about Christ Jesus, and how they are to throw off their old sinful nature and former way of living. Instead, Paul points them back to the Holy Spirit, Who lives within them, and Who wants to renew their thoughts and attitudes. Paul tells the Gentile believers to put on their new nature, in Christ Jesus, and to live out their righteous and holy lives.

Friends, we are Gentile believers, and Paul’s message is alive and well today, as it is meant for you and for me! When we feel hopelessly confused, that is NOT because Jesus is causing hopeless confusion within us, that is the work of the enemy stirring within the darkness of our former lives and attempting to disconnect us from Christ Jesus. Remember Paul’s prayer for us, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit”. (Rom 15:13) As believers, we need to ask the Holy Spirit, daily and sometime many times throughout each day, to renew our thoughts and attitudes to come into alignment with the thoughts and attitudes of the Spirit, because that is all a part of our Christ nature, where we are righteous and holy, because He is righteous and holy and we are welcoming Him to live in and through us.

Ephesians 4:17-24 (NLT)

Living as Children of Light

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for helping each one of us to turn away from our ways of living. Through our salvation in You, our minds, hearts, and lives are renewed. Holy Spirit, help us to reflect Your Truth, as we want to live out Your righteousness and holiness. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

As many of you may know, the Book of Psalms is traditionally divided into five sections or “books”, which mirror the five books of the Torah. Today’s passage is from Psalm 107 which is titled “Book Five” as it begins the final section of Psalms 107 – 150. Let’s not forget that Book Five contains a plethora of praise, thanksgiving, and faithful endurance. We witness God’s love for His people and how His love restores all hope. Within this last book we are blessed with the Hallel Psalms, which are Psalms 113 – 118, these are often sung with praise to the Lord during Passover (Seder), Shavuot, Sukkot, and other Jewish holidays. Psalm 119 is not only an acrostic poem, where each section begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it is also the longest chapter in the entire Bible, and it points to how God’s Word actively expresses His eternal love through wisdom, strength, and joy when we obediently apply His Word to our lives. Psalms 146 – 150 are knows for beginning and ending with Hallelujah. These five Psalms end Book Five and conclude the Book of Psalms with the most powerful way of celebrating the Lord, which is praising His Holy Name.

Friends, you and I should “erupt” with great thanks and praise for all that Jesus has done in and through our lives. He is the most loyal Friend that you and I have, and His love goes beyond what our human minds can even begin to comprehend. Jesus has redeemed us from our sins, His steadfast love holds us in times of deep trouble, and we should be giving thanks and erupting in praise for all that He has, is, and will do for each one of us. Let’s praise His Holy Name, JESUS, today for gathering our hearts to connect to Him, and ask that the Holy Spirit continues to stir within the hearts of others who still need Jesus’s eternal love.

Psalm 107 (Voice)

Book Five

1 Erupt with thanks to the Eternal, for He is good
and His loyal love lasts forever.
2 Let all those redeemed by the Eternal—
those rescued from times of deep trouble—join in giving thanks.
3 He has gathered them across the earth,
from east and west,
from [north and south].

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us. We hold firm to You and ask that You continue to fill and surround us with Your unending love. Holy Spirit, burn brightly within us so that more hearts may long to connect to You through Your loving Spirit within us. Guide and use us, today, to share Your love with others. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, we witness David’s trust and surrender to the Lord as he cries out for the Lord’s help. Within the first 15 verses of Psalm 55, David shared his overwhelming distress with the Lord. Many theologians believe that David wrote Psalm 55 when his third son, Absalom, rebelled against him and attempted to dethrone him with the help of Ahithophel, who was David’s most trusted advisor and who turned on David to join in his son’s rebellion. In verses 16-17 there is a shift from David describing his distress to now expressing his trust in the Lord. In verse 22 there is another shift from David expressing his trust in the Lord to now fully surrendering to the Lord.

Friends, no matter where we find ourselves, we need to allow our faith to lead each and every moment. By his faith, David chose prayer, trust, and submission to Almighty God in his time of distress, and that is a great example for us to follow. We need to remember that we are never alone. When life is too heavy for us to carry, we need to remember to invite God in so that He can carry us through each and every moment until we are reunited with Him in eternity.

Psalm 55:16-17, 22

16 But I will call on God,
and the Lord will rescue me.

17 Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress,
and the Lord hears my voice.

22 Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

For our prayer today I chose one of my favorite prayers:

Footprints in the Sand Prayer

One night I dreamed I was walking
along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed that
during the low periods of my life, when I was
suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,”You promised me
Lord, that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods
of my life there have only been
one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”

Thank You, Jesus, for carrying each and every one of us. We lift up this devotional time, this prayer, and our lives to You, Jesus. Amen.

Today, we are going to continue with Paul and a part of his message to the Romans. Despite the fact that Paul wrote this message approximately 1,970 years ago, we need to remember that the Word of God is alive; and by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God speaks directly into our hearts today. All we need to do is simply submit to the Holy Spirit and allow God to speak to us so we can follow His path.

Throughout Scripture, Jesus is referred to as the Rock of our salvation, the Cornerstone of our faith, and the Foundation of God’s Church. In today’s passage, we see the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, yet by their faith they were made right with God. At the same time, the people of Israel were trying extremely hard to be seen as right with God by keeping the law, yet their good works caused them to stumble right over the “Rock” in their path, “Jesus”, Who fulfilled the law. We see Paul quotes Isaiah, whose prophetic message, from approximately 700 years earlier, spoke of Jesus and warned Israel not to miss Him.

Friends, God’s righteousness in our lives comes directly from our faith in Christ Jesus, not by our works. Yes, you and I need to be people who are connected to Christ, who are actively growing in our faith, who are operating by the Fruits of the Spirit, and who are proactively sharing the love of Christ and the message of His saving love with others, but none of that is by our own good works. You and I can actually be just like Israel and miss operating by the work of the Spirit in faith. Think about it, we can rely too much on our good deeds to make us look or feel good, we can use our religion to make us sound good, or we can leave Jesus out of conversations and/or actions and become self-righteous. We need to be constantly examining our faith, by ask the Holy Spirit to stir within us Truth, to reveal areas that are secured to Jesus, our Rock, and giving praise for those areas; then, we also need to be asking the Holy Spirit to reveal areas within us that need change and refinement because they are secured to ourselves. We want to be made right with God all of the time.

Romans 9:30-10:4 (NLT)

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,
a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”

10:1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for softening our hearts so that each one of us could come to You for our salvation. Holy Spirit, we need Your wisdom and daily guidance, so we operate by faith, and not by our own good deeds. Help us to live by the Fruits of Your Spirit so that we are producing more and more of them within our lives so that we are able to share them with others. We want to be vessels that share Your love and Word with others today, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, if you’ve been reading along these past couple of weeks, you know that I love digging into the original meaning of the Biblical text and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance to apply the meaning to my life (which is called Biblical hermeneutics). At the same time, and as I mentioned in Friday’s devotion, I know that I must hang on to Jesus at all times and in every season of life as I want to witness more of His miraculous work. So, even when I can’t physically see what God is doing in the natural (earthly) realm, I still must trust and have blind faith that He is working all things for good (Rom 8:28). His divine connections are truly miraculous, and I love when He allows me to bear witness to them.

If you’re asking how to trust and have blind faith, for me it comes from truly believing with every fiber of my being that God is everywhere at all times (omnipresent), and that His unlimited power can do absolutely anything (omnipotent), because He has all knowledge of the past, present, and future (omniscient). This belief doesn’t mean that my trust and blind faith are at some heightened level, please know that the enemy seeks to challenge my trust and blind faith in God all of the time. During the sermon that I offered on July 13, 2025, I talked about how faith requires action. If I do not remain in the Word of God and in communion (prayer) with Jesus every single day (and at various times throughout each day) I can begin to feel the enemy’s oppression seeking my soul (my mind, will, and emotions). I know I belong to Jesus, and so when the enemy seeks to try and convince me of anything different, I turn to Jesus (His Word) to validate what I know to be Truth about my existence as an invaluable part of His Creation, that I am His, and that He is my God. You are just as invaluable to God as a one-of-a-kind part of His Creation, He is yours, and you are His.

Friends, God talked about us through the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, and again He reminded us through the New Testament apostle, Paul, that we are all called His people. God is ours and we are His. In Hosea’s message, the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, were portrayed as a cheating wife and God as the broken hearted yet still ever-loving husband in an effort to reveal that God’s heart (like Hosea’s heart) was shattered by His wife’s unfaithfulness. It is within this passage where we see the prophetic message that we, as Gentiles, will be grafted into God’s Family. In Paul’s message, about 750 years after Hosea’s prophetic message, Paul explains that God’s love is extended to not only the Jews, but to also the Gentiles, and this had to be unbelievable for the first century Jews. Paul used the prophecy from Hosea 2:23 within Romans 9:25 to make sure that humanity understood and will continue to understand that God’s mercy, grace, and love is available to everyone, Jews and Gentiles, and that there are no more boundaries (traditional, racial, religious, lineage, etc.), rather only God’s unending love all and His promise to reclaim and save His people.

Hosea 2:23 (NLT)

23 At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites
and raise them for myself.
I will show love
to those I called ‘Not loved.’
And to those I called ‘Not my people,’
I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’
And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’”

Romans 9:25 (NLT)

25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,
“Those who were not my people,
I will now call my people.
And I will love those
whom I did not love before.”

Today’s prayer is a portion of Peter Talbott’s prayer during yesterday’s time of worship. It goes perfectly with today’s devotion and how we should begin our week. Blessings, dearest brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Lord, help us start this week with You by our side. Stir in us a deep desire to come into further connection with You. Remind us that it is not solely by going to Sunday service that we worship and come before you; rather, it is through our daily prayers and reading Your Word that allows us to form a deep relationship with You. We ask all of this within Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, I think we can all agree that it is often tough to see God’s bigger picture. I’m sure we’ve all gone through a time that felt terrible, but later we were able to see there were blessings in the midst of the difficulties. Or maybe we thought we missed out on something that seemed like the perfect plan for our lives, only to later see that we avoided what ended up being a disaster, and/or we gained something even better than we expected. As Christ’s Family, we are called to pause and trust in God’s perfect plan for our lives and for His eternal Kingdom. Miracles still happen when we can’t seem to figure out what God is doing, but we remain pressed into our relationship with Jesus, with immense blind-faith, and fully trusting in Him to bring His goodness to us, other, and the circumstance.

The greatest miracle was when Jesus died on the cross. Yet, the disciples who walked with Him didn’t see it as a miracle at first. Think about it, they found themselves in the midst of what seemed like the most difficult and painful time of their lives, and what did they initially do, they scattered. Even after the empty tomb was found, Peter and John could not believe it and had to see it for themselves; and Thomas had to put his fingers into Jesus’ wounds. The disciples came to the realization that the cross was not the bad circumstance they initially perceived it to be, but rather it was the greatest gift of all time and for all of humanity.

Think about their walk through all of that for a moment. Their worst day of witnessing the death of the Messiah on a cross ended up translating to the best day for all of humanity, and so they eventually allow the Spirit to reveal the worst circumstance they walked were absolutely necessary for humanity’s relationship with Jesus. David’s words (v.25–28) end up coming to life for the disciples. We have the same opportunity, in every circumstance there is potential for us to grow with Jesus, we just have to want it and to choose to allow Him to help us grow. God wants to release us from sin, from dead living, and from all that is painful, so that He can bring us back to life in Him. Keep holding onto Jesus and hang on through all that seems difficult to witness more of His miraculous work.

Acts 2:22-28 (NLT)

22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him:

‘I see that the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is glad,
and my tongue shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life,
and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your miraculous life, death, and resurrection. Even in our pain, we want to hold onto You so that You can bring us through it and bring more blessings and testimonies out of it. Holy Spirit, please keep flaming the light of our spirit. Bring us joy in Your presence today, as we cling to You in trust, faith, and hope. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.