SEARCHLIGHT

  MARCH 1, 2022   Philippians 4:6-7  6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.   Isaiah 26:3  3You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!     John 14:27 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.       PEACE, PEACE, GOD'S PEACE Today is the final installment of a series of prayers and reflections on the theme of Preparing for God’s New Thing in our life. The Bible reveals to us who God is, and one important aspect of His character is that the Lord loves peace and wants it to fill the earth. Read Jesus’ promise in John’s gospel: 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.

    FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Psalm 139:23-24  23Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!   Psalm 147:3  3He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.   Psalm 23:3  3He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake   Jeremiah 32:17  17‘Ah, Lord  God ! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. REFRESH MY HEART, LORD   The term ‘refresh’ assumes that a person was ‘fresh’ at some point. Refresh is a verb that means to restore something that has been lost or diminished. In this case, freshness. So, the first question we must ask is, does your spirit need to be refreshed? I will take the risk of believing that for many, perhaps most, alright, probably all of us, we thirst for a refreshment of our spirit. So let us seek with faith and joy the ref

FEBRUARY 25, 2022   Joshua 1:9  9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the  Lord  your God is with you wherever you go.”   Psalm 23:4  4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.   2 Corinthians 10:5  5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,   Isaiah 55:8-9  8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the  Lord . 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.     CLING TO GOD and BE ALERT   At first glance, Joshua 1 may appear to be commands to summon the strength of Superman and the courage of a lion. But digging into the original Hebrew of “strong” and “courageous” reveals an important truth.

  FEBRUARY 24, 2022  ISAIAH 2:3-5 “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.   PRAYING FOR PEACE A few Sunday’s ago, we looked at the above Isaiah passage and it’s call to learn the “ways of the Lord”. The way of peace. We acknowledged from the scriptures that God promises to do justice and to set things right among the nations, which implies eliminating the causes of war — causes like  aggression, oppression, greed, imperialism, the drive to dominate. As a result, nations will feel secure enough to turn their swords into ploughshares and t

FEBRUARY 24, 2022 Ezekiel 37:4-10  4Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the  Lord ! 5This is what the Sovereign  Lord  says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the  Lord .’” 7So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign  Lord  says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live agai

  FEBRUARY 23, 2022 Proverbs 16:9 9We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Jeremiah 29:11 11For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Romans 12:1-2  1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Ephesians 4:1-3   1Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Make every effort to keep

  FEBRUARY 22, 2022 Psalms 131:1-3  1My heart is not proud,  Lord , my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. 3Israel, put your hope in the  Lord  both now and forevermore.     2 Corinthians 12:9-10  9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.   MATTHEW 10:39 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”   FROM THE INSIDE OUT We often resist this idea of surrender don’t’ we? Surrender in the culture of our world results in defeat, giving up, losing. However, surre

  FEBRUARY 21, 2022 Isaiah 43:1  1But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Proverbs 3:5-6 5Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. LEAD M E, GUIDE ME The God who created you has called you by name! And no matter your situation, He is constantly inviting you to take part in the plans He has for you. This should be exciting, but when life gets overwhelming and problems keep mounting, it’s easy to start doubting if we can be the people God created us to be. When this happens, one of the best things we can do is intentionally slow down and seek God’s heart. A PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE God, You know my heart. You understand my deepest wants and needs, and You know my every intention. You know me better than I know myself. There is nowhere I co

 FEBRUARY 18, 2022 BIBLE READINGS Ephesians 4:1-6 4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Hebrews 12:14 14Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Let’s Choose the Big Picture It’s no secret that our world seems more divided than ever. We certainly know that from our own beloved Canada is recent times. Whether it is political parties pointing the accusing finger at one another, and attaching labels on each other, or division we have witnessed along the lines of race, religion, vaccinations, or mandates there alw

  FEBRUARY 17, 2022 BIBLE READING John 8:1-11 NLT 1Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10Then J

  FEBRUARY 16, 2022 BIBLE READINGS Romans 12:9-10  9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.   Philippians 2:3-4  3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. On Monday our devotion emphasized that 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, reminds us that simple gestures and gifts of love are to be our everyday gifts to others, not just on one day a year. On Tuesday our devotion emphasized that there will always be things in our relationships that we “agree to disagree on.” We concluded with loving others while disagreeing with them at the same time is possible, not easy, but with God’s help by the Holy Sprit we can learn to grow in this area. Today lets reflect on one important area for Growth. ____

  FEBRUARY 15, 2022 BIBLE READINGS John 13:34-35 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Romans 12:9-19 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18If possible, so far as it

  FEBRUARY 14, 2022 BIBLE READING I Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” SIMPLE GESTURES I Corinthians 13 is the famous biblical love chapter. It’s beautiful because it describes the kind of perfect love that God has for us and through him, we are able to love our spouses, children, extended family, co-workers, and neighbors this same way, yes even our enemies. It’s an active love; a love that is more committed to the other person than our own feelings at the time. It is important to notice that “Gift” giving isn’t even mentioned in this list, I believe the reason is that this love is worth so much more than anything we could ever afford to purchase. I like a gift as most of us do, I like to give

  FEBRUARY 11, 2022 I do not know how you all are feeling today, but as I sit to write our Friday devotion I am feely deep sorrow and grief over the situation that has and is evolving in our country. I have this deep sadness that I hardly can figure out what to write. So I am going to just post a prayer for our country.  I am thinking that maybe this is something I should have been praying everyday not just at a percieved crisis point. I love our Country. So join me in this prayer, today, tomorrow, ....  2 Chronicles 20:12                                  O Lord Our God,  we do not know what to do,  but our eyes are on you. Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility ______________________ LET US PRAY Lord God, we desperately need your wisdom. You have given us a great country, founded on principles and truths from Your Word. We need men and women who will honor You, trust You, and lead us onc