Author: Pastor Doug

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 139:23-24 (NASB1995).

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

God knows every intimate detail of our existence, so nothing we can share surprises Him and likewise, nothing is hidden from Him. Earlier in this psalm David writes “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb” (Psalms 139:13). He asks God to search him and know his heart that God might help him identify any issues.

In Jeremiah 1:5 God reminds the prophet (and us) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves because He made us. If we listen to His guidance we can use the gifts we are given according to His plan.

David asks God to lead him “in the everlasting way.” God wants all His children to be saved, but we must choose His way for ourselves. By accepting the forgiveness Christ brought us we can be part of what God is doing in the world.

Loving Lord, we are grateful You made a way for us to be saved and wait for us to choose to follow Jesus. Send us to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Peter 2:24 (NASB1995).

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Peter quotes from the prophet Isaiah to remind us “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus accepted a punishment that was not His own, in order that we might be made right with the Father.

Peter could be the poster boy for all of us – a mixture of belief and doubt, confidence and confusion. He went from the high of proclaiming “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16) to the low of “I don’t know him!” (Luke 22:60). Yet Jesus forgave him and made him a leader of the early church.

It is easy for us to ignore our sin, or to despair that it could never be forgiven. God says both are the wrong way to handle it. Jesus came to be the way to the Father, and when we believe in Him, “by His wounds we are healed.”

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we have gone our own way instead of the path we have been shown. Forgive us and send us in Your strength to share the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is 2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB1995).

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

Paul sends what were likely final greetings to his protégée Timothy from a Roman jail cell. He sounds confident even though his words speak of the end of his life. Paul shows us the joy of putting our trust in the Lord and not worrying about the future.

Jesus spoke of His death in much the same manner, not defiantly or fearfully, but with the confidence of faith. He taught us that we can have this same assurance from God the Father. Then, by following His example we can share God’s love with the world.

Paul had certainly “fought the good fight”, bringing the Gospel to many places and people who then further shared the Good News. We have the same call today and God offers the same promise of salvation to those who like Paul have kept the faith.

Gracious God, we are amazed that You love us so much, even when we fail. Bless us to carry Your love to everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NASB1995).

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah had prophesied about God’s coming discipline for many years. The people forgot the warning of Moses in Deuteronomy 8:14 “then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” They had become full of themselves rather than full of God.

God had given them a “timeout” in the desert where they learned to trust Him after some missteps. Now in the promised land they had forgotten Him and another “timeout” in Babylon was coming. Jeremiah now begins a series of lessons about the hope for the future.

Most parents will say they take no pleasure in giving children a timeout, but it is a necessary action to prevent greater harm. It allows the disobedient party to consider their behavior and their relationship to their parent. God is offering the people a blessing in disguise: an up close look at a society that lives without God, and a chance to renew their connection to our loving God who wants only the best for us.

Gracious God, we can’t see the entirety of Your plan, and our shortsightedness often leads us away from what You offer us. Forgive us and help us to trust when we do not see, walking by faith, not sight. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 16:9 (NASB1995).

The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Often the Hebrew word translated as “plans” in Proverbs has a negative connotation, but God blesses our plans when they are actually His plans. This is the lesson from this verse, that God doesn’t want mindless obedient robots, He wants us to think for ourselves, but as Paul says “with the mind of Christ”, transforming our minds from earthly things to heavenly service.

Proverbs 3:5 warns “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.” (This is my life verse and I wish I could say I have always followed it.) “Our own understanding” means without consulting with God over our plans, the sad story of humanity doing it our way. God gave us intellect and curiosity to use for the good of all creation, but too often we are foolish and selfish with our gifts.

God wants to be there for us in our endeavors when they align with His plan. That means He is in control and we are His instruments, working for the good of all His children. When we allow the Lord to direct our steps we help bring the joy of His kingdom to all.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for all You have provided for us to do Your work here. Bless us to be productive disciples, sharing the Gospel with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture today is 1 John 2:6 (NASB1995).

The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

In his first letter John reiterates what Jesus warned us about – practice what you preach. Ok, I’m still working on it too. It’s easy to repeat what Jesus taught, it’s harder to live out that teaching.

In Matthew 23:3 Jesus says about the Pharisees “therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.” Ignoring God’s plan for us while saying we are obedient doesn’t fool anyone but ourselves and certainly not the Lord.

God has wonderful gifts and opportunities for us, but we have to choose them for ourselves. Then we can use them for their primary purpose – sharing the Good News and caring for one another. We must say and do what He teaches us!

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times our words and actions don’t match, and don’t reflect Your love. Bless us to be good stewards of Your gifts and Your word. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 6:19-21 (NASB1995).

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus explains that we are worth more than our wealth, possessions and position. He reminds us that those things can be lost or taken away, and they are only temporary. God values us in a much different eternal way.

He knows and cares about each of us equally. John 3:16 says it plainly: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” That’s the promise, “whoever believes in Him”, no bar to meet on what we’ve accomplished, no failure that can’t be forgiven.

Storing up treasure in heaven means acting on that belief out of love and gratitude for salvation. God wants us to use all His gifts to care for His creation. Again, its not a competition and there’s no scorecard. We are called to be part of the mission to share the Good News everywhere.

Forgiving Father, bless us to let go of our desire for things and look after each other as You intend. Help us to be aware of those around us and reach out with Your love and care. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 56:3-4 (NASB1995).

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

David had reason to fear “mere man”. King Saul wanted him dead and David fled to the land of the Philistines, who still remembered the shepherd who felled their giant warrior. However, David’s faith sustained him in his fear. He sings “In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.”

Jesus tells us this as well, saying “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). It reminds us that no matter what we face here, God is with us. Our “temporary affliction” as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:17 is nothing compared to the promise of salvation and eternity with God.

God has always wanted only the best for us, but we choose our own way all too often.  He is still there for us, waiting for our repentant return and acceptance of the saving grace He sends in Jesus.

Patient God, we are grateful for Your love and mercy that makes a way for us to be saved. Help us to be the heralds of Christ, carrying the Gospel to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NASB1995).

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

The prophet Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem with a number of others during the exile, but he wrote to those in captivity in Babylon explaining the situation and how important it was for them to look to God for rescue. The words he is given recall God’s promise in Deuteronomy 30:3 “then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.”

God’s actions in the exile confirm His plan for His people. This is not revenge for their unfaithful behavior, but a disciplinary intervention to return their hearts to Him. As with all our desert experiences, He has something for us to learn. God takes no pleasure in this, but we risk losing our eternal connection to Him when we go our own way.

These verses remind us that while we can’t save ourselves, we can always turn to the Father in repentance and be forgiven. His words encourage us to seek Him in all we do. We must remember that God loves us no matter what, and His love is to be shared with the world.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have failed You and each other. Still us and fill us, mend us and send us to all Your children everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Galatians 2:20 (NASB1995).

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Paul is attempting to protect the Galatian believers from the perhaps well-meaning but misguided attempts of the Jerusalem church to have new believers adopt Jewish practices in order to be a Christ follower. As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul preached as Jesus did, that nothing we can do for ourselves will save us. The only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus, nothing more, nothing less.

This separation between Jews and Gentiles was an ongoing issue, even after Christ’s ascension. Jesus had compassion on all people, and He taught and healed regardless of who people were. Paul was of the same mind and was sent specifically by Jesus to spread the Gospel among those who were not of the children of Israel.

It is important to note that these were not bad practices, they had been observed by Jews for a thousand years. However, belief in Jesus Christ as our savior is the only thing we need to be saved, and that is what Paul emphasizes here: “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” We have given up our former lives and by His Spirit we go to share His love.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You made a way for all Your children to be saved through Your Son. Forgive us and help us to bring the Good News to everyone. Amen.