SEARCHLIGHT

  June 28, 2024 Psalm 25:14   “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” We are at our week ’ s end and preparing for the Canada day weekend. What are your plans?  I was thinking how this long weekend has become a time to appreciate our Country, while it is far from perfect, it is an awesome country. Canada Day weekend has become also a time of gathering with family and friends and celebrating the people in our lives and the blessing they are to us. These thoughts led me to think about “friendhip” in the Bible and in keeping with this week's theme, today I would like us to think about our Friendship with the Holy Spirit. In friendship with the Holy Spirit we experience a sense of wholeness and joy that is beyond our reach i

  June 27, 2024 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit,  brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.     God’s desire for you and me is that we would be informed about the incredible gifts of his Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. Bottom line is that God longs for us to receive all he has to give.  God seeks to teach us about the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so that we may live with a deeper purpose and greater affection for Him and for others. The first aspect of spiritual gifts to note is that they are indeed a gift . 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 says, Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good . For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge accordin

  JUNE 26, 2024 Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”   The fruit of the Spirit reading in Galatians 5:22-23 offers us tremendous hope for our lives. We read that " the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control ...."   Don't you long to be a person full of love, joy, and peace? Don't you long to have patience, kindness, and goodness? Don't we all long to be known by faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Of course we do! These characteristics are the marks of a fully abundant life that Jesus promised to us. I see Jesus in these, do you?  I find it is one thing to want something in my life, like these characteristics, but it is quite another thing to see these as a reality expressed in my actions and words. Truth is I all to aware of the fact that my lif

  JUNE 25, 2024 Jude 1:20-21 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” God responds to the prayers of his people. In the Bible we read of God's response, to the desire of Adam for a helpmate with Eve, the prayer of Abraham in saving Lot and his family, the prayer of Moses in the salvation of his people, the prayer of Elijah in sending down fire upon an altar, and the cry for a Savior in sending his only son, Jesus. And through Jesus we have received the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father as our Helper. Our Helper not only longs to guide us, as we noted yesterday, but the Holy Spirit also wants to help us pray and, listen to this, will pray for us. Jude 1:20-21 says,  “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for th

  JUNE 24, 2024 Romans 8:14   “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”     Where do you need leadership in your life?  What challenge, decision, or circumstance is weighing on you?  Where do you need a word from God today?  We possess the ideal guide to help us navigate the complexities and challenges of life.   The Bible says in Romans 8:14,  “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”  As children of God, we have received the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, and leads us daily. This is good news for us. For you see, we do not earn God's Spirit by our own actions. God has given us all the gift of the Holy Spirit because he loves us. He has filled us with his Spirit because he longs to lead us into the abundant life he has planned for us.  John 16:13 says,  “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to y

  June 21, 2024 John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”     “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, says Romans 14:17. Our loving Creator is the one who throws a massive party for the prodigal returned home (Luke 15:11-32). He’s the God of the angels who rejoices over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). He’s the God who celebrates with us, sings over us, and rejoices in us (Zephaniah 3:17). And at the end of the age he will throw a wedding feast in celebration of the joy he has over us, his bride (Revelation 19:6-9). Here is the amazing message of Scripture, God doesn’t desire to keep his joy to himself, but longs to fill us with it to overflowing. Toward the end of the John 15:1-17 Jesus says,   “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you , and that your joy may be full”   (John 15:11). God’s plan is to fill us wi

  June 20, 2024 John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."     John 15:2 tells us that the only way for us to bear more fruit, to become what our loving God intends for us to become, is to surrender to his pruning process. If you are like me, you have likely noticed that the pressures and cares of the world are like weeds that crowd out and rob us of the nourishment our lives need from the fruitful branches rooted in God. God’s plan is to carefully and lovingly, prune, heal and transform us into the children of light.   How can we engage in his process of pruning? I believe it   all starts with seeing the depth of God’s love for us. Psalm 103:2-4 says,  “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”  God’s pro

  June 19, 2024 John 15:9-10   “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”     Our culture doesn’t like to hear about obedience. Generally, when people around us think of obedience they normally understand it as a task to be done that they have no desire to do. Isn’t that what the saying “nobody is going to tell me what to do” reveals. In our society we associate obedience with obligation rather than fulfillment. By the way, even those of us who are Jesus’ disciples have a negative view of obedience. However, when Jesus walked among us he carried out a very different lifestyle of obedience than our culture resists. You see, Jesus’ life demonstrated for us what obedience to our heavenly Father is meant to look like. Through Jesus’ example we learn that Obedience to God is choosing to live a lifestyle of love and devotion to the

  JUNE 18, 2024 John 15:7-8 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” Jesus makes us an almost unbelievable promise in John 15:7-8. Scripture says,  “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”    Passages of Scripture like this one are vital for us to understand. So, today, let us seek to understand what Jesus was teaching to his followers, and how we should apply this "ask whatever you wish" to our lives. In John 15: 7-8 Jesus is teaching us a "How to Pray." Jesus' model for prayer in these verses involves remaining in His presence, living by His words, and then presenting the desires of our hearts to God. Ths is a rather simple model for prayer , however, it calls

  JUNE 17, 2024 John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” I wonder have you ever noticed the ways creation teaches important spiritual principles? Romans 1:20 says, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Job 12:7-9 says, “ But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” Throughout the Gospels, Jesus compares spiritual principles to the surrounding creation. From the parables of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32) and pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46) to his teaching on the grass of the field and birds of the air (Matt

  June 13, 2024 PSALM 30:11-12 “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” I have learned that God loves to exceed our expectations and break open our boxes. For example today let us think about our Father in Heaven as a God who is "Fun". I was talking with a friend recently and we were talking about the varied perceptions of God that many people have. Sadly, the notion of God most common is that God is not loving toward all he has made, but a God waiting to exact some form of retribution for our actions that he might deem "sin". You know "God is out to get you" kind of thinking. My friend and I felt that this is a terrible misconception and distortion of the Bible's picture of God. I am convinced that the Bible contains evidence that God desires to reveal to us the immense joy of havi