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 JULY 1, 2022 Proverbs 13:20 20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Galatians 6:2 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Hebrews 10:24 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds . . . . Community:   a body of individuals who unite together in fellowship, sharing attitudes, interests, and goals. Most of this week’s devotions have likely left us with the impression that to “rest,” to feed our souls in the presence of God we have to be alone, withdrawn from the world. There are times when we do need that solitude to refresh and renew. Today, I want to rem

 JUNE 30, 2022 2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. John 10:2-5 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Romans 10:17 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Psalm 116:7 7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 91:1-2 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will

 JUNE 29, 2022 Luke 6:12-13 12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles . . . . Luke 5:16  16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Romans 12:2 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Philippians 4:6-7 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. _________________________ This resting stuff sounds wonderful, but it sure is hard to practice, don’t you find? This resting stuff is good for us, and we believe that, but too frequently we are squeezed into the

 JUNE 28, 2022 Leviticus 23:3 3“ ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord. Mark 2:27 27Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. James 1:17 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Ephesians 2:8-9 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. Rest is a Gift. Rest—to relax, pause, breathe, and be at ease Sabbath—a time set aside for rest, typically one day per week. In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to observe a Sabbath, one day a week when they would rest. In the New Testament, Jesus makes it clear that God intended the Sabbath more as a gift than as a law. It’s important to God that we re

 JUNE 27, 2022 Genesis 2:2-3 2By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body…” Study after study tells us that rest is critical for our physical, mental, and emotional health. Rest matters so much to God that He even made it one of His commandments. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made

 JUNE 25, 2022 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

 JUNE 24, 2022 SURELY GOD IS IN THIS PLACE! HELP ME NOTICE. HELP US NOTICE TOGETHER. We have been saying these words over the last month during worship as our prayer and acknowledgement and desire to notice where our Creator is at work around us. After all, Jesus promised that through the Holy Spirit he would be “with us always.” As we close the week, I wanted to just share a personal experience of how this truth of being in God’s presence and noticing that we are in that company, gives comfort and strength. First, let’s read todays scripture. Isaiah 40:28-31 The Eternal, the Everlasting God, The Creator of the whole world, never gets tired or weary. His wisdom is beyond understanding. 29 God strengthens the weary and gives vitality to those worn down by age and care. 30 Young people will get tired; strapping young men will stumble and fall. 31 But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run—

 JUNE 23, 2022 I can not tell you how many times in my life, this verse has been a genuine comfort and hope to me. In my view, this is an astonishing promise! What a picture of the love and kindness of God! Even when we struggle in our faith, He will remain faithful to us because we belong to him, we are God’s children and He can't deny himself. In other words the Faithful God cannot be unfaithful. The New Living Translation says ... If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. In 1 John 4:16 we read that God is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes for us the characteristics of love. “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.” God will remain faithfu

 JUNE 22, 2022 Jeremiah 24:6 After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten. 3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give

 JUNE 21, 2022 Psalm 40:5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. A Psalm of David we are told, here David declares to God how wonderful His works are! Sometimes I forget that worship is a dialogue. You know it is a conversation between the Creator and His people. That means God doesn’t do all the talking, God listens as we speak of his worth and works. So, David words to God are Your works are amazing!! He goes on in Psalm 40 to talk about the many good things that God has planned for us. Let's read again Psalm 40:5 our textual focus today, Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. The goodness of God has no end. Many times throughout the Bible, the phrase..

 JUNE 18, 2022 Let us Review God's Promises  from this past week.  MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THIRSDAY FRIDAY  

 JUNE 17, 2022 Isaiah 61:3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, ... 3 To console those who mourn in Zion , To give them beauty for ashes , The oil of joy for mourning , The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” If you read all of Isaiah 61 you will find it is loaded with abundant and amazing promises from God to his people. If you listen to the words there you will no doubt notice that these promises were filled full of meaning and reality through Jesus. Well look at Verse 3 above, this one verse alone contains at least four promises that could occupy our thoughts for the rest of today. However, I want us to consider the one promise that says that God “will give us a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” It seems that no matter what Bible translation you read this verse from, there is widespread agreement among translators that what God promises is a beautif

 JUNE 16, 2022 Ephesians 3:20  Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.... If you have read our Bible verse for today, I invite you to take a moment and try to imagine the biggest, out-of-the-box far reaching thing that you could possibly think of for your life. Do you have it?Now read on. No matter how enormous you think, God's plans for you are way greater! The NLT Bible translates the bigness of God's plans as 'infinitely more' and the NASB Bible says 'abundantly beyond'. The teaching of this scripture verse, regardless of the Bible translation you read in in, says God can do way more for us than we will ever be able to comprehend according to His incredible power that is at work in us...right now! This is present moment stuff. Many of you know that we also read in our passage a little further on that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us and how that

 JUNE 15, 2022 Psalm 25:14 The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant. King David is the author of this psalm. Today's promise teaches us that God shares His secrets with those who fear Him. It is important that we know that the word 'fear' isn't intended to mean that we are afraid of God, rather that we revere Him and deeply respect His awesome power. As another translation puts our verse “ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him and He will reveal His covenant to them.” This promise captures a very intimate picture. What picture comes to mind for you? A parent taking time out from a busy day to put their arm around one of their little ones to share a secret with them. For me, the picture I have is of sitting in my Dad’s garage, just the two of us, having heart to heart conversations. Isn't it incredible to think that this verse is saying that our God and Father wants to share His intimate

JUNE 14, 2022 Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Parents and Grandparents know that young children are the most enquiring people on the planet. While at times their questions maybe never ending they do ask some toughies. What is so wonderful about this, to me, is that children are filled with awe about their surroundings and continually asking their questions about what, where, when, why, how, etc. Every time  I witness this I am reminded that I have lost that sense of awe and wonder in my life. On the weekend, we had a birthday party for my granddaughter Elina, and I noticed the interaction between her brother, Mateo and their loving family members. For Mateo, the question seemed be mostly why (?) for example, Why can I hear the airplane but not see it? I was impressed by the patience of us all answering these kinds of questions. I wonder if the answers are not what is important. Quite honestly, I am not su

  JUNE 13, 2022 Matthew 17:19-20  19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. In this promise, Jesus tells us that even if our faith is as tiny as a mustard seed, we are able to tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea. I often wonder what Jesus meant when He said these words to His disciples. After all we do not witness too many mountains being pitched in the ocean or seas, do we. We all have many figurative mountains in our lives that we face on a daily basis. Perhaps it isn't the literal mountains around us that need moving, but these figurative ones? Maybe one day we will see literal mountains cast into the oceans, but in the meantime, what are the mountains in your life where you need a mirac

JUNE 10, 2022 This week in our devotions we have looked at passages of scripture that are often read on Pentecost Sunday. I pray that the truths about the God we worship have put a bounce in your step this week. With God's people of the Old Testament we exclaim "who is a God like our God!" Today I invite you to take the next 4 mins and watch the video below of God's beautiful promise to us and our world through his Holy Spirit.  

 JUNE 9, 2022   JOHN 3:1-17 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodem

 JUNE 8, 2022 ACTS 1:4-5, 8-14 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” 12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s wal

 JUNE 7, 2022 ACTS 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Pentecost is the Greek name (meaning “50th day” after Easter) given for the ancient Jewish festival called, Shavuoth. Shavuoth is the God-ordained celebration of “First Fruits” during the Festival of Weeks, commanded to Moses in Exodus 34:22-43. The time of the year and event is roughly equivalent to an early wheat harvest that still occurs today in Israel. So, what is so important about an early wheat harvest? An early wheat harvest would have been planted is plant