SEARCHLIGHT

 SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.   I believe today’s passage offers an important encouragement: don’t give up! You might feel worn out, or you might wonder if you’re accomplishing any good thing for the Kingdom. But be reminded that outcomes are not in our hands and God has promised that good things are to come if we continue to be faithful. We are sowing the seeds  that God promises to harvest . We are  sowing the seeds  that God  promises to harvest . I just had to repeat that for us.  If you are finding yourself lacking the energy or strength to serve, take the encouragement from our verse today, and then tap into the source of all the strength we need. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I i

 AUGUST 31, 2023 2 Timothy 1:9  “It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan long before the world began.”   Have you ever reflected on the notion that we are not simply saved from something, but we are saved FOR something? According to today’s verse, we have been saved and chosen to do God’s work, the really powerful thing to me is that this role has been God’s plan all along. What a revelation that is! I don’t know if we grasp this as fully as we should. Just think with me for a moment, God provided a   rescue (salvation) on our behalf so that we could then turn around as Christ’s Ambassadors and do the same for others, tell them about God's amazing grace, help those around us to learn and see that God is the rescuer we need.   The best way for us to carry this calling out is to eagerly serve God for Kingdom purposes. What does that look like? Scripture demonstrates an abundance of ways that this can

 AUGUST 30, 2023 Romans 12:4-8 “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;   if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;   if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”   Romans 12 gives us a great picture of how God has designed us to operate as followers of Jesus, as the church, the Community of faith. He compares it to the body, which has lots of parts and various functions, but which all work together harmoniously to function in a healthy way. You will note it teaches us that if any part of the body is dysfunctional or not operational, the whole bod

AUGUST 29, 2023 Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.   Often, we can view serving as a duty.   But let us remember that the kind of serving God desires initiates from the heart. A heart of humility. I believe you will agree that humility is countercultural. If you think about it from an early age, we are conditioned to think and believe that “it’s all about me.” Child-centered parenting, a continual bombardment of media messaging, and our own natural inclinations shape us toward a “me first” perception. Jesus demonstrated a life that is always countercultural. A life that goes against the flow. And to follow Him faithfully, you and I must intentionally seek to cultivate humility in our lives. The humility that the Bible calls us toward is marked by these three characteristics, Complete dependence on God’s me

 AUGUST 28, 2023 Psalm 150 1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the LORD! Where? “ … in his sanctuary.”  Not in some confined place, but wherever we experience God in life, as we gaze from our own yards into the heavens; as we walk along the pavement by the river; on a excursion to Point Pelee, as we listen to a music as we do our chores; as we pray in the solitude of our homes or sing in a congregation of worshipers. We praise God whenever and wherever our hearts are inspired to do so. Praise the LORD! Why? “ … for his mighty deeds, according to his surpassing greatness!”  Pr

  August 25, 2023   Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”   Putting Our Best Foot Forward     The Bible makes it clear how we should approach new endeavors in our lives. Proverbs tells us to, “commit to the Lord whatever you do.” I believe what we are to understand by this is that considering God’s will in our lives and committing our actions to God, we can, as the saying goes, “put our best foot forward” and launch off on the right track. In Church life, we tend to think of a new year starting in September, many of our ministries rise up from a summer rest, and get ready to start fresh, new and revived. I feel that this is not just in Church Communities, we all step into September, with some new endeavors and maybe some dreams for a real change in direction. As we finish the week, I have been thinking about “new things”, my guess is you have been too. What new things are on your mind today? Maybe for you a new thing is

  August 24, 2023 Ephesians 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boas

  AUGUST 23, 2023 Isaiah 55:8-9   “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”   Giving God the Unknowns   Life is full of unknowns and question marks. I find it can be easy to fall into worry and even fear about the future. I have learned over time, that we don’t have to live life in a cycle of fear and worry, we can grow to trust God, and learn the practice of surrendering to him the unknowns in our lives. It is in these times that we need to call to mind who God is and what God promises to each of us. For example, we remember that God is all-knowing . God has knowledge of the past, present and the future. Truth is God knows more about the world and you and me, then we ever could. We sometimes say that “God knows us better than we know ourselves.” We can look at the unknowns in our lives, the uncertainties that cause us to

  August 18, 2023   Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”   Proverbs 17:17 (The Message) Friends love through all kinds of weather,   and families stick together in all kinds of trouble. I Will Be On Your Side   Loving one another is important to God. In fact, Jesus says it is the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39). Sometimes we may not know the how best to show love to others or even how we can be loving in a particular situation. Proverbs 17:17 says that a “friend loves at all times.” We should love others, not only during good times, but always. So, to end our week of Devotions, here are a few ways to consider as we seek to love at all times: 1. Carry Each Other’s Burdens “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”   Galatians 6:2 Carrying each other’s burdens might not look the same in every situation. Some people might just want a listening ear. Others mig

  August 17, 2023 Matthew 12:35-36   “A good person brings good things out of the good stored up in them, and an evil person brings evil things out of the evil stored up in them. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” Luke 6:45 “A good Person brings good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and an evil person brings evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”   WHAT IS YOUR HEART FULL OF?   Words have an impact on us and those around us every single day. This means each day we are confronted with a choice: how do we want to use our words? We know words are much more than a form of communication. They can be a meaningful way to build others up, or a damaging blow to others and us. I suspect we have all experienced both sides of words used in such ways. For this reason, it is extremely important to understand how to choo

  August 16, 2023 1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”   BE PREPARED with a STORY I believe that the followers of Jesus, we Christians have something that is valuable for our culture today, hope. We confess that our hope is found in Jesus Christ and his liberating sacrifice for us. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to “always be prepared to … give a reason for the hope that you have.” Sharing your faith story might not always be an easy task, especially if you are afraid of being judged or looked at differently because of what you believe. It may seem intimidating at times. Yet, sharing the Gospel does not have to be a source of stress or strain, rather it can be an exciting chance to share your story that illustrates what Jesus has done for you, and what Jesus means to you. That is what our role is, the Holy Spirit

  August 15, 2023 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’ 2 Corinthians 12:9 But 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. Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.     It is not often that we see boasting encouraged, especially in the scriptures. Boasting is usually full of arrogance and pride and let us be honest a boasting person can be annoying. However, in the scriptures above, Paul encourages boasting. He doesn’t encourage just any boasting, but rather he encourages boasting in the Lord. What Does It Mean to Boast in th

  AUGUST 14, 2023 1 Kings 19:11-13   “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”   Listening to God isn’t easy. We have our expectations for what we think he should sound like, and when those expectations aren’t met, we may question whether we heard God’s voice. With all the voices shouting at us — social media, television, friends, family or even the messages we hear in church — how can we be sure that we are hearing God’s voice rather than our own thoughts or the enemy’s lies? This is a overwhelming task, but by looking at Elijah’s experience we can get an idea of what God’s voice sounds lik