“Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” – Psalm 121:4
Last night I had the wonderful privilege of accompanying Alyssa, our middle daughter, to WCSG’s Annual Father/Daughter Banquet where Christian singer Heather Williams was the featured speaker. At one point in the program she talked about how we often take for granted how amazing it is that through prayer we have access to God.
Also last night (actually at 1:30 this morning), I took Annika, our oldest daughter, to the middle school where she boarded a bus to depart on her 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C. As I was driving back home, I prayed that Annika and the rest of the 8th graders would have a fun and safe trip. As I prayed I thought about how great it was that even at 1:30 in the morning, when most people were sound asleep, I could come to God in prayer, because as the psalmist says God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Isn’t it wonderful that we have this access to God not on his timeline, or only when he is ready, but whenever we need him 24/7? Heather Williams was right, prayer is amazing!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the gift of prayer and for being available to hear my prayers at anytime. Help me to remember how amazing prayer is and not take it for granted. Amen.
Faith Tip: Prayer is a powerful Christian tool. Take the time to pray to God today. Pray for the 13 men from our church who will be leaving for the Spring Men’s Retreat this evening.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” – Matthew 5:42-44
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today we celebrate an Irish holiday that is more than just wearing green and drinking Shamrock Shakes. It is a day to celebrate the life and ministry of St. Patrick. St. Patrick was a Catholic priest who took Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 to heart.
St. Patrick grew up in Britain and when he was sixteen he was captured by Irish invaders and taken back to Ireland where he was held as a slave for six years until he escaped and returned to Britain. There he trained to become a priest in the Catholic Church and then returned to Ireland as a missionary to bring the love of Christ to the very people that had enslaved him. By loving his enemies he brought Christianity to Ireland and is thought to be the first to speak out against slavery which was a commonly accepted practice in those days.
Although loving those who persecute you is often a difficult thing to do, imagine what God can do when we put aside our disagreements, resentment, anger and bitterness and reach out with Christ’s love and forgiveness.
Prayer: Loving God, I thank you for people like St. Patrick who are able to love those who persecute them. Help me to work toward loving those who persecute me and to pray for them so that they can see the love of Christ in me. Amen.
Faith Tip: Do you hold a grudge against someone, are you unable to forgive? If so pray for that person today and take a step toward moving closer to loving them.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today we celebrate an Irish holiday that is more than just wearing green and drinking Shamrock Shakes. It is a day to celebrate the life and ministry of St. Patrick. St. Patrick was a Catholic priest who took Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 to heart.
St. Patrick grew up in Britain and when he was sixteen he was captured by Irish invaders and taken back to Ireland where he was held as a slave for six years until he escaped and returned to Britain. There he trained to become a priest in the Catholic Church and then returned to Ireland as a missionary to bring the love of Christ to the very people that had enslaved him. By loving his enemies he brought Christianity to Ireland and is thought to be the first to speak out against slavery which was a commonly accepted practice in those days.
Although loving those who persecute you is often a difficult thing to do, imagine what God can do when we put aside our disagreements, resentment, anger and bitterness and reach out with Christ’s love and forgiveness.
Prayer: Loving God, I thank you for people like St. Patrick who are able to love those who persecute them. Help me to work toward loving those who persecute me and to pray for them so that they can see the love of Christ in me. Amen.
Faith Tip: Do you hold a grudge against someone, are you unable to forgive? If so pray for that person today and take a step toward moving closer to loving them.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Make Your Day Count
“She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.” – Mark 14:8
What a wonderful statement Jesus makes of Mary, “She did what she could.” As we begin a new day we should begin with the thought, “What can I do today to glorify God, so at the end of the day Jesus would say the same of me as he said of Mary?”
These words of Jesus remind me of one of my favorite poems by George Elliot. I share it with you below.
You May Count That Day
If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done
And counting, find one self-denying deed on word
That eased the heart of him who heard –
That fell like sunshine where it went
Then you may count that day well spent.
But if, through all the livelong day
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay –
If through it all you’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face –
No act most small that helped some soul and nothing cost –
Then count that day as worse than lost.
What can you today to make your day count for the Lord? At the end of this day will Jesus be able to say of you, “He/She did what he/she could.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord for blessing me with another new day and for all the blessings that come with this day. Help me to do what I can in this day to bring praise and glory and honor to you. Amen.
Faith Tip: Do what you can in this day to make it count and to brighten someone else’s day.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
What a wonderful statement Jesus makes of Mary, “She did what she could.” As we begin a new day we should begin with the thought, “What can I do today to glorify God, so at the end of the day Jesus would say the same of me as he said of Mary?”
These words of Jesus remind me of one of my favorite poems by George Elliot. I share it with you below.
You May Count That Day
If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done
And counting, find one self-denying deed on word
That eased the heart of him who heard –
That fell like sunshine where it went
Then you may count that day well spent.
But if, through all the livelong day
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay –
If through it all you’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face –
No act most small that helped some soul and nothing cost –
Then count that day as worse than lost.
What can you today to make your day count for the Lord? At the end of this day will Jesus be able to say of you, “He/She did what he/she could.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord for blessing me with another new day and for all the blessings that come with this day. Help me to do what I can in this day to bring praise and glory and honor to you. Amen.
Faith Tip: Do what you can in this day to make it count and to brighten someone else’s day.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Where is God?
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 20:20
Horrible scenes of the devastation in Japan caused by the earthquakes and tsunami fill the news reports; scenes of cars and boats being tossed about like toys, a wall of water wiping out entire neighborhoods, fires and explosions burning away what the tsunami and earthquake left behind. As the death toll continues to rise, survivors seek adequate shelter and the threat of a nuclear disaster lingers, some might look at all this and wonder where is God in the midst of such a terrible tragedy.
It is in times like these that Jesus’ words to his disciples speak to us so clearly. Jesus knew that terrible tragedies, wars, natural disaster and suffering were to come and so his final words to his disciples included these words of comfort, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is a promise that is as true today as it was when Jesus said it. In the midst of the suffering that is happening in Japan, in other parts of the world, right here in the U.S., in our community, even in our own lives, this promise provides the comforting knowledge that even in the midst of suffering Jesus is there and will always be right there.
Prayer: Lord, we pray for the people in Japan who are suffering today. Many have lost everything; family, friends, homes, jobs, possessions. Please let them know that you are present with them and by your presence give them comfort and peace. Amen.
Faith Tip: Today continue to keep the people of Japan in your prayers.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Horrible scenes of the devastation in Japan caused by the earthquakes and tsunami fill the news reports; scenes of cars and boats being tossed about like toys, a wall of water wiping out entire neighborhoods, fires and explosions burning away what the tsunami and earthquake left behind. As the death toll continues to rise, survivors seek adequate shelter and the threat of a nuclear disaster lingers, some might look at all this and wonder where is God in the midst of such a terrible tragedy.
It is in times like these that Jesus’ words to his disciples speak to us so clearly. Jesus knew that terrible tragedies, wars, natural disaster and suffering were to come and so his final words to his disciples included these words of comfort, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is a promise that is as true today as it was when Jesus said it. In the midst of the suffering that is happening in Japan, in other parts of the world, right here in the U.S., in our community, even in our own lives, this promise provides the comforting knowledge that even in the midst of suffering Jesus is there and will always be right there.
Prayer: Lord, we pray for the people in Japan who are suffering today. Many have lost everything; family, friends, homes, jobs, possessions. Please let them know that you are present with them and by your presence give them comfort and peace. Amen.
Faith Tip: Today continue to keep the people of Japan in your prayers.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Monday, March 14, 2011
Rivers of Living Water
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” – John7:38
Living water is given to us from the Lord. We are to be filled with living water so that it literally flows from within us, like a river flowing to nourish a fertile land.
The Niagara River flows along the border of Cananda and the US and is the source of water for the Niagara Falls. The power of the Niagara River is displayed as it tumbles over the falls. On average 4 million cubic feet of water flows over the falls every single minute making Niagara Falls the most powerful waterfall in North America. It is amazing to think that this flow never stops and continues falling night and day. The Niagara Falls are definitely a wonderful display of nature’s beauty and power.
Jesus uses the metaphor of a river when describing how the Holy Spirit is to flow out of our lives. We are to be like the Niagara Falls with an ever flowing supply of God’s Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit and allow it to flow in us and through us God’s power and beauty will be revealed to the world and will nourish a land that is thirsty for living water.
Prayer: Lord, fill me with your living water. Allow me to become a river of living water so that you will be glorified in my life. Amen.
Faith Tip: Pray for the Spirit to fill you today and then allow God’s Spirit to flow from you to others so that God power and beauty will be displayed in how you live.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Living water is given to us from the Lord. We are to be filled with living water so that it literally flows from within us, like a river flowing to nourish a fertile land.
The Niagara River flows along the border of Cananda and the US and is the source of water for the Niagara Falls. The power of the Niagara River is displayed as it tumbles over the falls. On average 4 million cubic feet of water flows over the falls every single minute making Niagara Falls the most powerful waterfall in North America. It is amazing to think that this flow never stops and continues falling night and day. The Niagara Falls are definitely a wonderful display of nature’s beauty and power.
Jesus uses the metaphor of a river when describing how the Holy Spirit is to flow out of our lives. We are to be like the Niagara Falls with an ever flowing supply of God’s Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit and allow it to flow in us and through us God’s power and beauty will be revealed to the world and will nourish a land that is thirsty for living water.
Prayer: Lord, fill me with your living water. Allow me to become a river of living water so that you will be glorified in my life. Amen.
Faith Tip: Pray for the Spirit to fill you today and then allow God’s Spirit to flow from you to others so that God power and beauty will be displayed in how you live.
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
Friday, March 11, 2011
Supersizing Today
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions (Mark 12:28-34).
Today if you are reading this devotion, you have been given a special gift of another 24 hours—another day. Think about what you will do with this gift. We want to make sure that we don’t waste gifts, so we put a little thought in its use.
For me, I will be going out for breakfast, running some errands, mentoring a student, doing some writing, answering emails, and so on. The day I have been given today will easily fill up, and I am sure yours will, too. So what is most important for us to do today? Jesus says to love God with all you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. These very important commands (yes, they are definite) can be done in all we do through our day. Our special God assignments are already lined up and waiting for us today. Enjoy and be blessed!
Prayer: I thank you, Lord, for this day where I can truly rejoice in it because you are there. I pray that I fulfill the kingdom assignments you have for me today to your glory. Amen
Faith Tip: Look over your schedule for today and apply the most important commands to it all.
Written by Kathy Bruins
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions (Mark 12:28-34).
Today if you are reading this devotion, you have been given a special gift of another 24 hours—another day. Think about what you will do with this gift. We want to make sure that we don’t waste gifts, so we put a little thought in its use.
For me, I will be going out for breakfast, running some errands, mentoring a student, doing some writing, answering emails, and so on. The day I have been given today will easily fill up, and I am sure yours will, too. So what is most important for us to do today? Jesus says to love God with all you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. These very important commands (yes, they are definite) can be done in all we do through our day. Our special God assignments are already lined up and waiting for us today. Enjoy and be blessed!
Prayer: I thank you, Lord, for this day where I can truly rejoice in it because you are there. I pray that I fulfill the kingdom assignments you have for me today to your glory. Amen
Faith Tip: Look over your schedule for today and apply the most important commands to it all.
Written by Kathy Bruins
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Concepts of Heaven
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” (Mark 12:18-27)
I’ve read that people have lost the battle in their fight with cancer. I do not agree with this statement at all for it gives all the power to cancer, while we imagine God with his hands in his pockets not knowing what to do. We know that is not true. God has all the power, and while we don’t understand why someone dies from a disease, illness, accident or other, we can still know that God is in control. There is always a purpose and the purpose is God. Spiritual healing is a lot more important than physical healing. God wants his people to be healed.
What happens when we die? It is a question we all ponder because it is something we will all experience. We try to imagine it through our human minds and experiences in life, when in reality it will be something ultra experiential. Jesus is clear in saying that dying is not the end, but a new beginning that will go for eternity. “You are badly mistaken!” if you think that dying is the end.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power you have over death. The gift of eternal life is ours as we follow you. It will be better than we can imagine. I pray that I can be used to share this good news with others. You are the God of the living. Hallelujah! Amen!
Faith Tip: Consider those you love who have gone before you to the Lord, and imagine the wonder of it all and how it will be when you see them again.
Written by Kathy Bruins
Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” (Mark 12:18-27)
I’ve read that people have lost the battle in their fight with cancer. I do not agree with this statement at all for it gives all the power to cancer, while we imagine God with his hands in his pockets not knowing what to do. We know that is not true. God has all the power, and while we don’t understand why someone dies from a disease, illness, accident or other, we can still know that God is in control. There is always a purpose and the purpose is God. Spiritual healing is a lot more important than physical healing. God wants his people to be healed.
What happens when we die? It is a question we all ponder because it is something we will all experience. We try to imagine it through our human minds and experiences in life, when in reality it will be something ultra experiential. Jesus is clear in saying that dying is not the end, but a new beginning that will go for eternity. “You are badly mistaken!” if you think that dying is the end.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power you have over death. The gift of eternal life is ours as we follow you. It will be better than we can imagine. I pray that I can be used to share this good news with others. You are the God of the living. Hallelujah! Amen!
Faith Tip: Consider those you love who have gone before you to the Lord, and imagine the wonder of it all and how it will be when you see them again.
Written by Kathy Bruins
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