LIKE A WATERFALL

 JULY 5, 2022

ROMANS 5:5

this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

EPHESIANS 3:18

may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Perhaps this summer, or in a summer past, you have visited Niagara Falls. It is amazing isn’t it? I am talking about the volumes of water that pour over the edge of the escarpment and crash down on the rocks below. I have read that 2580704.48 litres (681,750 gallons) of water goes over just the Horseshoe Falls section of Niagara each and every second. Every Second!! I can’t figure out how that is even          

measured. I have been there is Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter. I have been there in the morning, afternoon, evening, even late at night. Do you know what I noticed? The water just keeps coming, it just never ends.

That is the image I think of when I read the promise that God continues to pour His love into our hearts by His Holy Spirit. His love for us is a rushing river of compassion, goodness, grace that never ends. I must tell you that is a great image of God’s actions toward me and you, but I still struggle to comprehend the greatness of God. I often struggle to find the words to sufficiently describe this love. I figure we are all a little that way.

That is why we need the help of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 3, Paul prays that we would be rooted and grounded in love and that we would have power to grasp how big and wide and high and deep is His love for us in Jesus Christ.


My prayer for us today is that by the Holy Spirit we would indeed comprehend God's Amazing love for us, and live out of that love every moment.

"SURE FOOTED" Strength

 JULY 4, 2022

Habakkuk 3:19

19 The Eternal Lord is my strength!
He has made my feet like the feet of a deer;
He allows me to walk on high places.


1 Corinthians 2:9

9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”





Have you ever watched a deer or a mountain goat walk on the side of a mountain? It is really an amazing sight to see. They are so sure-footed that they can walk on ledges so thin that it seems impossible that such a feat could be carried out.

In this promise, Habakkuk says that since the Lord is his strength, God will make his feet as steady as those of a deer so he can walk in high places. I believe that God wants to take us all to greater heights and walk in the confidence that only comes from walking not in our own power or self-effort, but from the strength that God gives us.

In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul says that eye has not seen, nor has ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him. I take that to be saying that there is a great adventure that God is calling each one of us to experience through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Through his strength we will not fear the journey, but lean into the spirits flow.


May we not allow any fears to prevent us from going today where God is calling. REMEMBER, He will equip us with the strength we need to go where He is calling us to go.

WHO ARE YOUR PEOPLE?

 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 remind you that intimacy with God doesn’t mean shutting yourself off from other people. In fact, at times it means making space for them. Rest is the perfect time to celebrate life with people you love. We’re not made to do life alone. We need each other. An important part of the experience of rest is to be in community. When we celebrate life with such people, Don’t set an agenda. Just show up and enjoy one another’s company.

God is community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and God invites us into the awesome benefits and blessings of resting with others.

Think about the kind of people you want in your life, people who inspire you to be better, to be more like Jesus. I don’t think it is a secret to any of us that we are directly influenced by the people we spend the most time with. For times of rest, we need those occasions to hang with the people around us who are helping us grow.

REFLECT

This is Canada Day weekend, might be a great time to reach out today and invite a few friends to get together in person. If in- person isn’t possible, connect on a video or voice call.



REMEMBER

Don’t set an agenda. 

Just show up and enjoy one another’s company.

Afterwards, write down anything God showed you during your time together.

OPEN MY EARS, LORD

 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 say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

 

Listen—to actively engage in hearing, giving thoughtful attention.


All Scripture is inspired by God. When we read or listen to God’s Word, and when we then actively reflect on what it says, over time, we learn to recognize God’s voice. That is a great outcome don't you think? However, focused time in the Bible requires making it a priority to focus on just being with God and his word.

Hear is a little hint I have found helpful. When you read or listen to Scripture, give it enough time and space to really let the words, the meaning, the tone, and the story sink in or wash over you.

Biblegateway.com  offers several audio versions of the Bible, so it’s easy to just put your headphones in, shut out the noise around you and press Play and listen.

Reflect

Set aside 10 minutes today to read or listen to God’s Word. During that time, snooze your calendar and notifications. Take notes and journal your thoughts.

https://www.biblegateway.com/ 

FINDING YOUR SOMEPLACE

 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 pattern of the world, go, go, go, …. Busy, busy, busy …. And we are drained physically, but maybe more importantly we are drained mentally and emotionally. When this kind of exhaustion hits us, we are often filled with worry and anxiety, we speak to others of frustration and maybe anger, we in these moments have nothing left to positively give to those we love, including our Creator. I am going to state the obvious this is NOT God’s intention for us. Remember God rested after the work of creation setting an example, God in the giving of the law gifted us with a day of rest – a sabbath. Most of us need a makeover, a change, a conversion in the structure of our lives.

Transformation—a process of profound change in character, condition, or composition.

Above, in Romans 12, Paul urges us to let God transform us, to allow His Spirit to renew our minds. We need to recognize that renewal is an ongoing process. Transformation and renewal happen when we make space and remove ourselves from the distractions and influences that surround us every day—just as Jesus modeled for us in our scriptures above. "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed," we read.


It’s important to find our someplace where we can slow down, stop even, and focus our hearts and minds toward what God is doing.

Where do you focus best?

Nestled in a corner of your kitchen with a cup of coffee?

Out for a run, listening to music?

Early morning or late day walk by the river? A stroll through Ojibway? Kayaking to Peche Island?

Sitting in your backyard, or in one of our many local parks?

Find that somewhere that makes you feel close to God.

Then make it a habit to get in that space as often as you can to refocus your mind on the Creator.


Reflect:

Today in your focus space, take 5 minutes to think of things that may be distracting you. Things like circumstances that weigh heavy upon you, decisions you are struggling to make, ….. Maybe you will want to write them down, or punch them into your note app.

I want to invite you to do this: Each time you think of one of those disturbing, disrupting issues, offer it to Jesus in prayer just as we are invited to in Philippians 4:6-7,

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

.

 

A GIFT FROM THE CREATOR

 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 rest.

Busyness often makes us feel like we’re accomplishing something important, but that feeling can be counterfeit. Take for example, a principle of muscle building and strength and conditioning, MUSCLE IS BUILT WHILE RESTING, NOT WHILE TRAINING. In fact, trainers will tell you that without resting the body, the chances of injury and fatigue rise. So, “Pumping it out,” without building rest into one’s routine can have negative consequences.

I believe the same is true for us when we think about our lives. Focusing on activity, keeping busy may feel like we are really producing, accomplishing more. Many suggest without proper resting the opposite is true.

I was challenged by these words in a conference I participated in, “We often use activity to numb ourselves of our need for intimacy with God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift.” Including the gift of rest. We must take deliberate action to establish healthy boundaries around the different parts of our lives, work, family, rest, etc.—so that no one area becomes an idol in our lives.

Reflect: 

Do you have a specific time set aside each week when you don’t work? 

What would it look like to begin to create a space like that in your life?

 

MY FRIEND "REST"

 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 it holy. Exodus 20:8

The Hebrew word translated as “rest” means “to be at peace,” “to be still,” “to be quiet or calm.”

Rest is a gift that we tend to push aside. But life without rest is not sustainable. Rest refreshes our bodies, giving us the energy, we need to honor God and to love, care for, and interact with others. Learning to practice rest is a spiritual discipline that helps us enjoy God’s presence and rearrange our priorities.

God Himself modeled rest for us from the very beginning. Immediately after He finished creating the universe—and everything in it—he gave Himself a day to look back on the goodness of all the work that He had just completed.


Reflect: When was the last time you slowed down, unplugged, and relaxed?

What steps might you take today to build moments of stillness and rest into your living?

Help me to rest in You, Lord. AMEN

MORE PROMISES, PROMISES, PROMISES

 JUNE 25, 2022

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

TRUST and SOAR

 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—never winded, never weary.
They will walk—never tired, never faint.



There is a backstory to what I want to share with, and it is this, My Father-in-law passed away on October 1, 2021, and just last weekend (June 18, 2022) we held a Memorial Service to Celebrate his life. The above verses are the verses he wanted as the text for his Funeral. He highlighted vs. 31 as the key verse, “those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run—never winded, never weary. They will walk—never tired, never faint.”

Great verse and promise isn’t it!!

In my preparation, to officiate the service I was reading about Eagles. That line of promise struck me that those who hope and trust, (some translations say wait) upon the Lord “They will soar on wings like eagles.” Now I have seen Bald Eagles in flight in New Brunswick while heading to Nova Scotia, its an awesome sight. This word picture in Isaiah 40 illustrates the effect God’s strength can have on a person. Some of you know this, an eagle relies on rising currents of warm air, called thermals, to soar and glide. Once an eagle locates a thermal, it spreads its wings and circles around within the thermal, rising higher and higher. Moving from one thermal to another, eagles can stay in the air for hours, expending a minimal amount of energy while flying to a chosen destination.

So, I felt, like my Father-in-law was wanting to remind us that if we will trust God’s loving promises and lean into the warm currents of his strength and care for our lives will be like the picture of the Eagle in flight moving from thermal to thermal, “expending a minimal amount of energy” in the day to day stuff because we are under God’s amazing watch. We will know, what Isaiah 40:28-29 says, 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.


That’s powerful truth to live by.

That’s the back story. When I walked into my office earlier this week for the first time since Dad’s Memorial my eye caught something that has been on my office wall for several years now. It was a gift, by a Church member and friend, something they saw, and they thought of me. What was hanging on my wall?

That picture on that day, was the comfort and strength I needed, it was as though God was saying remember what your Father-in-law lived by that “those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run—never winded, never weary. They will walk—never tired, never faint.” That was for me my “SURELY GOD IS IN THIS PLACE” moment and I noticed.

Thanks Dad!!

 

NOW THATS ASTONISHING

 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 faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him because that is who He is. Love believes all things, hopes for the best, never gives up. If you are struggling today with your faith, don't give up because God won't give up on you! He loves you with all His heart and He has promised to be faithful even in the times when you are not. Do you understand why I say this is an astonishing promise?


Think about how we treat those around us who have done things to us that are disrespectful, or hurtful, or trust betraying. My gut reaction, and I hope yours is different, but my gut reaction is to push them away, to disconnect relationally from them. Yet, God is devoted to us, and patiently loves us through our spiritually weak times. Please, Please let the image of God that sticks in your mind be of a God who in friendship sticks close to you, not the image of “lightning bolt God” we mentioned yesterday, or a God who acts like I too often do. I read a post that other day, that said a friend is known by what they will go through with you. They don’t walk out when things get messy. God is like that, as proverbs puts it “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother or a sister.”

My longing for all of us is that today we would know our God and Father for who He really is. God is the complete expression of love, and His longing is that we would surrender to His relentless pursuit of our hearts, and simply let God love us more today than He did yesterday. What an astonishing promise!

I WILL BUILD THEM UP

 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 them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.




I believe we are likely all aware that one of the ways a self-doubting person builds themselves up is by pulling other people down. By making somebody else look inferior, the person doing the 'pulling down' might feel superior, at least temporarily. While this is a very unhealthy way to go about life, many people think that God is waiting to do the same thing to us. He is just watching for an opportunity to criticize us and point out all shortcomings, to pull us down. You know God with the Lightning Bolts in hand ready to launch them at the slightest misstep, like the Roman God Zeus. While God’s servants have sometimes, by their words and actions portrayed God in this way, that is not who God is.


The exact opposite is true of God. God is not waiting to find fault in us, God is looking for every opportunity to pull us up! In today's promise, we read of God's heart for His people and His desire for only good things for them. Now notice this promise comes after some hard places for his people. He promises to only do good things for us, to build us up and to plant us in solid fertile ground and God uses our experiences to do just that.

You know what I really believe? That God is always looking for new opportunities to encourage us so that we might fulfill our calling as His beloved community. My prayer today is that we would simply believe that the Jeremiah 24:6 promise is true and that means God is FOR us in every way!

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

GOODER THAN WE THINK!!

 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... The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever is declared. These are uplifting and encouraging words, don’t you think? I was thinking as I write about the facial expressions of our congregation when we say in response in our worship “GOD is GOOD all the time, and the response is All the time God is Good.” It is a joyful reminder of the one we worship.

I recall reading a story of a family giving thanks to God for God’s goodness, they went around the room and listed the many things, family, friends, crops, flowers, lakes, Jesus, and the list went on …. Finally one of the youngest members of the Family blurts out “Wow, God is “gooder” than we think!”


I think David would be in agreement with that child’s declaration. David had it correct when he declared that the good things that God has planned for us are too many to count. The truth is that God is for us... not against us. (I never get tired of that truth) He loves us with all His heart and He only wants the absolute best for our lives.

This does not mean that we will be shielded from trials and hardships along the way, but even in the middle of our hardest experiences and struggles, there is nothing in all creation that will ever separate us from His amazing love. (Romans 8:35-39)

Today, lets let the words of Psalm 40:5 take root in our lives, let this be our truth to live by today and everyday. What a promise!! Our creator has planned such wonders for us they are too many to count! Yes, God is "Gooder" than we think!!

Romans 8:35-39:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PROMISES, PROMISES, PROMISES . . . .

 JUNE 18, 2022

Let us Review God's Promises 

from this past week. 

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THIRSDAY

FRIDAY