Author: Pastor Doug

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 1:7 (NASB1995).

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

We have talked before that some verses need context for a good understanding and some verses speak for themselves. This verse is pretty self explanatory. We used to sing an old hymn “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus” that expresses this so well. Only through His willing sacrifice for us can we be saved.

Paul is writing about the same thing in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The only thing that can separate us from God’s love is us! God’s love for us is eternal and unchanging, demonstrated by sending His Son to save us from our sin.

Jesus was obedient even unto death, and through His Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, we are freed from sin and called to service. He taught us to love God and each other and to share the Good News with the world. This is our loving response to what He has done for us.

Heavenly Father, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to save us. We are amazed at Your forgiveness and humbled that You call us to be part of Your kingdom work. Bless us to be good stewards of all we have been given. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 18:2 (NASB1995).

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

David overflows with words of praise describing God’s saving love and protection. Remember that David didn’t go from slaying Goliath to being king overnight. There were long years on the run from Saul, who was jealous of the blessings and public acclaim David received. In this psalm he thanks God for His strength.

He refers to God as his rock, one of the most permenant things that we know here on earth. However he wants us to know that God made the very rock and He is so much more powerful and eternal. As David had hidden in the caves and hills of the countryside, it was God who provided him real protection.

These poetic metaphors related to things from David’s life and times. What kind of examples would you use to give thanks for the hope and protection God provides for us all?

Gracious God, even when we fail, You welcome us back in repentance. Be the stronghold we need to accomplish the mission You have given us, to share the Good News with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NASB1995).

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

In this beautiful passage Paul is at his poetic best, explaining the qualities of love in a human way. In describing the ways of loving behavior, Paul mentions all the ways we fail to love, seeking our own desires rather than the things God wants for us.

In order to follow the example Jesus gave us we are called to bear, believe, hope and endure all things. We must remember that this world is only temporary and that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us with the Father. That must be our motivation in all things, to love God and one another.

In the opening verses of this chapter Paul tells us that when we do things without love as the driving force, we waste the gift we have been given. Nothing has any value if not done in love. We have been offered salvation; it is up to us to accept the blessing and share it with love.

Gracious God, You are the source of all things and only through Your love do we exist. Help us to be known as Your children by the love we show everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 10:9-10 (NASB1995).

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

We need to read the whole Parable of the Good Shepherd in this chapter in order to understand what Jesus is teaching. Jesus uses the example of shepherd and sheep yet again to describe the loving relationship He offers us. He stands as our guide and protector when we repent and accept His forgiveness.

A verse that faithful people of that time would recognize says “This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it” (Psalms 118:20). Jesus is that entry point to salvation. We know He speaks truly when He tells us “no one comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6). Once we enter through Him, we have a new connection to God and the promise of eternal life.

God’s love and mercy free us to be part of what He is doing in the world. We can see our gifts as more than just something for us to use, that they are intended to help us help others. This is the way to the abundant life Christ has for us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making a way back for us through the gift of Your Son. Through Him we are forgiven, and called to kingdom service in His name. Bless us to show others the blessing of abundant life in You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 1:9 (NASB1995).

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession is a difficult thing for most of us. It is often hard to admit we have sinned, much less go in to any detail confessing it. Yet this is a necessary step in order to be forgiven and resume our relationship with God and others.

Paul writes “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith” (Romans 3:23-25). That’s a fancy way of saying we’ve all fallen and the blood of Jesus is the only thing that can save us. God has taken the necessary action to redeem His lost children.

When we confess, we’re certainly not telling the Lord anything He doesn’t already know, but confession brings us into the process, asking for and accepting His forgiveness. This blessing should make us loving and forgiving toward others, sharing the gift we have been given.

Gracious God, You sent Jesus as our Savior, and His sacrifice for us allows us to return to You for forgiveness. May we be eager voices of the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 15:12 (NASB1995).

This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

I’m a big supporter of knowing the context of a verse and gaining an understanding of how it fits in the lesson we are being taught. Sometimes a verse by itself doesn’t tell the whole story. Satan cherry-picked verses to use to tempt Jesus, as we read in Luke 4:1-13. It didn’t work.

There are some verses however that pretty much speak for themselves. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-3) is pretty explicit. Our verse today is another example.

Jesus gives us a commandment to “love one another, just as I have loved you.” No clauses, no exceptions, no questions. It may be hard to love those who don’t love us back, but Jesus taught and lived this, and He expects us to live it as well.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to save us and show us how to spread the Good News. Bless us to be loving disciples who bring the Gospel to the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Galatians 5:24-25 (NASB1995).

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Paul teaches that through Christ’s sacrifice for us and His Resurrection we are able to “crucify” the desires of the flesh that lead us into selfish behavior and away from God. If we trust Him and let go of our incessant need to be in control, we can be freed from the “passions and desires” that distract us from living redeemed lives.

We have so many human things vying for our attention, it is often hard to find time for God in our busy lives. This is part of our problem, thinking we have to stop what we are doing in order to connect with God. Yes, the Lord deserves all our time and attention, but He understands and meets us where we are.

God wants us to rest in Him and keep His Sabbath, but He is there in all our activities. If we do these daily things without Him, we miss out on so much strength and love! If as Paul says “we walk by the Spirit” we can acknowledge God’s presence and guidance in everything we do.

Gracious God, we are grateful for Your presence with us always. Help us to put You first in our lives, that we may share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Romans 8:11 (NASB1995).

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Paul makes two points here – that God has sent the Holy Spirit to be His presence with us, and that because we have His Spirit, we can rise as Jesus did. God offers everyone the chance to accept His love and forgiveness, to live new lives and be part of His kingdom plan.

Paul writes of this promise in another letter telling us “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). When we receive Jesus as our Savior we die to sin and God’s Spirit comes to encourage us in everything we do.

In the Easter hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” we sing “made like Him, like Him we rise!” Through His Crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death, opening the way for us to be saved through faith. We rejoice in our call to bring the Good News to the world.

Loving Lord, You sent Your Son to save us and Your Spirit to be with us. Bless us to be energetic disciples, sharing Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 4:8 (NASB).

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

This Psalm of David goes through a cycle of offering thanks, asking for rescue, rebuking enemies and finally calm repose in the Lord – all in just eight verses! It culminates with a statement of trust in God’s protection and love for us, and the fact that He alone can give us this confidence.

David’s life was by no means perfect. Even after being called by God to be the king of Israel, he spent years on the run from King Saul, his own father-in-law! He faced challenges and temptations, not always successfully, but  to his credit, he repented and asked forgiveness.

Even though David made mistakes, God was willing to welcome him back in love when he came with a contrite heart. God is ready to offer us the same blessing, that we may be safe in Him forever.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for Your love and care. Forgive us when we come to You in repentance, and send us refreshed to share the Good News with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 7:8 (NASB).

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

This verse from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount reminds us of the need for a consistent and connected faith in God. Our Creator knows what we need most and while He is always willing to hear our version of our needs, He won’t give us things that are not good for us.

Jesus is telling us that our continual communication with God is essential, not that we can wear Him down like a petulant child, but that through regular conversation we may become more aware of His desire for us. God wants only good things for us but waits for us to choose Him and the gifts He has for us.

The promise here is that by staying in regular touch with the Lord we become more like Him, able to see the needs of others and think less about ourselves. God wants us to share this blessing with all our brothers and sisters, that everyone may have a personal and eternal connection to Him.

Loving Lord, we are grateful to be able to come to You with all our needs and worries. Help us to give them up to You, knowing You provide for Your children. May we go in Your name to share the Gospel everywhere. Amen.