“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21)
This morning I sit and try to sort out my day. It’s one of those days when a lot of things are scheduled in. I wonder how I am going to do it all, and wonder if I am being faithful to God in all of these things. Are these the things he wants me to do today? This is a good question to ask ourselves and to seek God’s guidance on. We all desire to hear those words from Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
God has a plan for us today. He has entrusted us with talents to invest in his kingdom. We need to make sure that we are being prudent in the use of the talents given us. It is our responsibility to be connected to God through prayer so that we can see what we are to do. It is his plan after all.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for the talents you give me to use each day for your kingdom. I pray that I keep focused on you in all I do, knowing it’s your plan being lived out through me. Amen
Faith Tip: What is the talent God wants you to invest today? Seek the Master who will give you wisdom and direction.
Written by Kathy Bruins
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Who’s coming to dinner?
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left (Matthew 24:39-41).
It’s always a shock when someone appears or returns unexpectedly. Sometimes that is good and sometimes challenging depending on the situation. For example, if a person is being interviewed at a coffee shop for another job and their current employer walks in and comes up to your table to say hello. How about when dating someone and someone else who you have dated appears. Those can be challenging situations. You feel caught in something that they probably wouldn’t approve of.
When Jesus appears again, it will be a grand day for those who follow him. For those who don’t, it will be not only challenging but devastating. Jesus is going to return. What will he find us doing? What will be the condition of our heart? There will be no time for a last minute clean up time in our spirits. The time is now to be ready and expectantly waiting.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your promise in coming back. I look forward to seeing you face to face and watching the fulfillment of your guarantees of victory. I pray for perseverance in waiting and being ready. Amen
Faith Tip: What area of your life isn’t ready for Jesus’ return? Ask for help in getting ready…Jesus will help you.
Written by Kathy Bruins
It’s always a shock when someone appears or returns unexpectedly. Sometimes that is good and sometimes challenging depending on the situation. For example, if a person is being interviewed at a coffee shop for another job and their current employer walks in and comes up to your table to say hello. How about when dating someone and someone else who you have dated appears. Those can be challenging situations. You feel caught in something that they probably wouldn’t approve of.
When Jesus appears again, it will be a grand day for those who follow him. For those who don’t, it will be not only challenging but devastating. Jesus is going to return. What will he find us doing? What will be the condition of our heart? There will be no time for a last minute clean up time in our spirits. The time is now to be ready and expectantly waiting.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your promise in coming back. I look forward to seeing you face to face and watching the fulfillment of your guarantees of victory. I pray for perseverance in waiting and being ready. Amen
Faith Tip: What area of your life isn’t ready for Jesus’ return? Ask for help in getting ready…Jesus will help you.
Written by Kathy Bruins
No Need for Alarm
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:6-8).
Whenever I fly, there is always the ritual of going through the small training of what to do in case there are problems on the plane. The oxygen mask will fall, what position to take, where the emergency exits are, and so on. This is so the passengers won’t experience total chaos because they know what to do. This is true in other drills for emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes. When we know what to do, there is calmness and ability to move ahead with what needs to happen.
Jesus knew this and that why he told us how we would know that the end is coming. It will seem like chaos around us, but inside we see the things Jesus told us about and know that he is in control. I believe we are experiencing some of those things today and getting closer to when he will return. What a glorious day that will be! All we need to do is continue to trust Jesus and follow him. That is where peace will be found—in his arms.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you that you ready me for the birth pains of your second coming. I pray that I may just look to you when the world looks chaotic. Amen
Faith Tip: It’s not don’t worry, be happy. It’s trust God and be wise.
Written by Kathy Bruins
Whenever I fly, there is always the ritual of going through the small training of what to do in case there are problems on the plane. The oxygen mask will fall, what position to take, where the emergency exits are, and so on. This is so the passengers won’t experience total chaos because they know what to do. This is true in other drills for emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes. When we know what to do, there is calmness and ability to move ahead with what needs to happen.
Jesus knew this and that why he told us how we would know that the end is coming. It will seem like chaos around us, but inside we see the things Jesus told us about and know that he is in control. I believe we are experiencing some of those things today and getting closer to when he will return. What a glorious day that will be! All we need to do is continue to trust Jesus and follow him. That is where peace will be found—in his arms.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you that you ready me for the birth pains of your second coming. I pray that I may just look to you when the world looks chaotic. Amen
Faith Tip: It’s not don’t worry, be happy. It’s trust God and be wise.
Written by Kathy Bruins
Friday, February 4, 2011
How Do You Define Love?
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. – 1 John 4:10
This morning I received an email advertising an upcoming sale. The subject line of the email read, “Nothing Says ‘LOVE’ Like 10% Off.” “Really,” I thought as I looked at the email, “is that what our consumerist society has boiled love down to?” As Valentine Day approaches advertisers will try to help us define love with whatever product they are trying to sell, whether it be flowers, cards, chocolate, etc… However, love has already been defined for us by God.
As John writes, God defined love by first loving us and then showing us this love by sending his Son to die for our sins. I think I would rather prescribe do this definition of love then the one the email was proclaiming. Wouldn’t you agree that the love of God is much better than 10% off? Maybe I should send the advertiser a reply email stating, “Nothing Says ‘LOVE’ Like The CROSS.”
Prayer: Thank you God for loving me unconditionally and showing that love by sending your Son to die on the cross for my sins. Help me to truly understand that kind of love and share it with everyone. Amen.
Faith Tip: Look around you today and be aware of the many ways that our society tries to define love and then remember that God has defined the greatest love of all and go and share the love of God with others!
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
This morning I received an email advertising an upcoming sale. The subject line of the email read, “Nothing Says ‘LOVE’ Like 10% Off.” “Really,” I thought as I looked at the email, “is that what our consumerist society has boiled love down to?” As Valentine Day approaches advertisers will try to help us define love with whatever product they are trying to sell, whether it be flowers, cards, chocolate, etc… However, love has already been defined for us by God.
As John writes, God defined love by first loving us and then showing us this love by sending his Son to die for our sins. I think I would rather prescribe do this definition of love then the one the email was proclaiming. Wouldn’t you agree that the love of God is much better than 10% off? Maybe I should send the advertiser a reply email stating, “Nothing Says ‘LOVE’ Like The CROSS.”
Prayer: Thank you God for loving me unconditionally and showing that love by sending your Son to die on the cross for my sins. Help me to truly understand that kind of love and share it with everyone. Amen.
Faith Tip: Look around you today and be aware of the many ways that our society tries to define love and then remember that God has defined the greatest love of all and go and share the love of God with others!
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Thursday, February 3, 2011
We Can't Shovel Sin
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
Yesterday, after the storm, my driveway was covered with four-foot snow drifts. I was glad that I had just gotten my snow blower back from being fixed. However, after just a few passes with the snow blower something in it snapped and the auger stopped working. There I was facing a driveway full of snow with just a shovel. After two and a half hours of hard work and a lot of help from the kids we finally had the driveway cleared.
Hard work and determination can clear a driveway full of snow, but they are useless when it comes to saving us from our sin. Our lives are kind of like my driveway; they are covered with a lot of sin. If we try to clear out the sin in our lives, more sin will soon drift right back in. No matter how hard we work or how determined we are, we will never save ourselves from our sins. It is only by God’s grace that sin is totally taken away from our lives. Therefore, we need to stop relying on ourselves and start relying on God. Praise God that by his grace we are saved, and by his grace he also gives us the strength, ability and endurance to shovel snow!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for saving me by your grace. Thank you that you did not leave me to wallow in my own sin with no way out. Help me to stop relying on myself and start relying more on you. Amen.
Faith Tip: Stop trying to earn, achieve and attain your salvation by your own works, because it is useless. Instead rest in the freedom of knowing that God has already saved you by grace and use your good works to glorify God!
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Yesterday, after the storm, my driveway was covered with four-foot snow drifts. I was glad that I had just gotten my snow blower back from being fixed. However, after just a few passes with the snow blower something in it snapped and the auger stopped working. There I was facing a driveway full of snow with just a shovel. After two and a half hours of hard work and a lot of help from the kids we finally had the driveway cleared.
Hard work and determination can clear a driveway full of snow, but they are useless when it comes to saving us from our sin. Our lives are kind of like my driveway; they are covered with a lot of sin. If we try to clear out the sin in our lives, more sin will soon drift right back in. No matter how hard we work or how determined we are, we will never save ourselves from our sins. It is only by God’s grace that sin is totally taken away from our lives. Therefore, we need to stop relying on ourselves and start relying on God. Praise God that by his grace we are saved, and by his grace he also gives us the strength, ability and endurance to shovel snow!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for saving me by your grace. Thank you that you did not leave me to wallow in my own sin with no way out. Help me to stop relying on myself and start relying more on you. Amen.
Faith Tip: Stop trying to earn, achieve and attain your salvation by your own works, because it is useless. Instead rest in the freedom of knowing that God has already saved you by grace and use your good works to glorify God!
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Breaking Down the Walls
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Romans 1:16
This morning a strong winter storm is moving through West Michigan.
The snow is heavy, the temperatures are cold and the wind is blowing. When the storm was at its strongest, I could hear the wind blowing against the side of the house and rattling the window panes. As I listened to the wind I was glad that I had a house to keep me protected from the forceful power of the chilling wind.
As I think about the power of the wind I can’t help but think of God’s great power. God’s power is more powerful than any power of nature. God is so powerful that he controls the wind, the storms, and the thunder just by the sound of his voice! With such awesome power God could easily break into our hearts and minds and force us to follow him. But he doesn’t, instead he gently and lovingly waits for us to open the door of our hearts and let him come in to our lives. Unfortunately, we often build walls around our hearts; walls that will not allow the power of God to enter our lives. These walls are often so thick that they are like the walls of my house that keep out the power of the wind. What walls have you put up that are keeping the power of God out of your life? Are their only certain areas of your life that you have built walls around?
Prayer: Thank you Lord for you awesome power. Thank you that you do not use that power to control me, but instead you wait until I open my life to you. Help me to break down the walls that are keeping you out of my life. Amen.
Faith Tip: Today begin breaking down the walls that keep God out of your life. Sometimes this can take time, but you can do it by taking one step at a time, just like taking a wall down one brick at a time.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
This morning a strong winter storm is moving through West Michigan.
The snow is heavy, the temperatures are cold and the wind is blowing. When the storm was at its strongest, I could hear the wind blowing against the side of the house and rattling the window panes. As I listened to the wind I was glad that I had a house to keep me protected from the forceful power of the chilling wind.
As I think about the power of the wind I can’t help but think of God’s great power. God’s power is more powerful than any power of nature. God is so powerful that he controls the wind, the storms, and the thunder just by the sound of his voice! With such awesome power God could easily break into our hearts and minds and force us to follow him. But he doesn’t, instead he gently and lovingly waits for us to open the door of our hearts and let him come in to our lives. Unfortunately, we often build walls around our hearts; walls that will not allow the power of God to enter our lives. These walls are often so thick that they are like the walls of my house that keep out the power of the wind. What walls have you put up that are keeping the power of God out of your life? Are their only certain areas of your life that you have built walls around?
Prayer: Thank you Lord for you awesome power. Thank you that you do not use that power to control me, but instead you wait until I open my life to you. Help me to break down the walls that are keeping you out of my life. Amen.
Faith Tip: Today begin breaking down the walls that keep God out of your life. Sometimes this can take time, but you can do it by taking one step at a time, just like taking a wall down one brick at a time.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Going Through The Motions
Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. – Luke 11:42
This past weekend my family escaped the cold temperatures by going to the Holland Aquatic Center. While we were there, we helped Joy, our seven-year old, learn how to swim. She is coming along quite well. Sometimes she gets the hang of it and can move through the water fairly easy, but sometimes she flails her arms and legs and doesn’t seem to go anywhere.
In our spiritual life we can often feel like a person just learning to swim. Sometimes things are going well and we feel that we are growing and making progress in our spiritual walk. And yet, there are also times when we seem to just be going through the motions and we feel like we are treading water and not getting any closer to God. In today’s scripture, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees because they were just going through the motions. They weren’t making any progress in their spiritual life, because they lacked the passion and love of God in their lives.
Do you feel like you have come to a point in your spiritual life where you are just going through the motions? Then stop just treading water, instead jump in and fully immerse yourself in God’s love!
Prayer: Lord thank you for your love and passion for me. Forgive me when I fail to love you with the same passion. Forgive me when I tread water in my spiritual life and just go through the motions. I want to live my life for you! Amen.
Faith Tip: Watch this video of Matthew West’s song “The Motions” and let it challenge and inspire you to stop just going through the motions.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
This past weekend my family escaped the cold temperatures by going to the Holland Aquatic Center. While we were there, we helped Joy, our seven-year old, learn how to swim. She is coming along quite well. Sometimes she gets the hang of it and can move through the water fairly easy, but sometimes she flails her arms and legs and doesn’t seem to go anywhere.
In our spiritual life we can often feel like a person just learning to swim. Sometimes things are going well and we feel that we are growing and making progress in our spiritual walk. And yet, there are also times when we seem to just be going through the motions and we feel like we are treading water and not getting any closer to God. In today’s scripture, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees because they were just going through the motions. They weren’t making any progress in their spiritual life, because they lacked the passion and love of God in their lives.
Do you feel like you have come to a point in your spiritual life where you are just going through the motions? Then stop just treading water, instead jump in and fully immerse yourself in God’s love!
Prayer: Lord thank you for your love and passion for me. Forgive me when I fail to love you with the same passion. Forgive me when I tread water in my spiritual life and just go through the motions. I want to live my life for you! Amen.
Faith Tip: Watch this video of Matthew West’s song “The Motions” and let it challenge and inspire you to stop just going through the motions.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
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