Visitor Devotion

 

 

September 2021: Dress yourself with…Kindness

Dress yourself with…Kindness

They often embarrassed their mother by the way they acted in public. It seemed to her that her sons were always arguing.

At the supermarket, the brothers would fight about which cereal she should buy. When they were home they could never agree which movie to watch. Sometimes she doubted that her two boys would ever survive their childhood together.

While they often bickered, the brothers were also fiercely loyal to each other. If another child from the neighborhood made fun of one of them, the other was sure to come to his defense. It baffled their mother!

How could they quarrel so, yet a short time later seek to protect their would-be rival? Blood truly must be thicker than water!

This scenario is a reality for many of us. Sibling rivalry, it seems, is universal. And for the most part, defense of one’s own family is equally universal. Playground conversations usually prove this true.

God has another scenario he wants us to follow. He encourages us in the

Bible to treat all people as though they were family. “Make every effort to add to your faith … brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:5,7).

There are dozens of things that make each of us different from everyone else in the world. They include where we live, the color of our eyes, our talents, the size of our paycheck, and so on.

Even though we enjoy associating with people who are like us, God wants us to treat everyone the way we would treat an idolized brother or sweet sister. After all, God’s love prompted him to send his Son, so that everyone who believes in him has life in his name.

Blood is not always thicker than water.

Every person who is made a child of God through his Word and the water of baptism also becomes our brother or sister in Christ. They are family.

Why don’t you stop by for a visit at church some weekend and meet some of your spiritual family?


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July 2021: Our God is…Faithful

Our God is…Faithful

The headline read: “Faithful guard dog unfaithful.” The story provided the details. A store owner was robbed. The wily thief tested the guard dog’s faithfulness with a juicy steak, and the dog failed the test.

Faithfulness is questionable in pets and humans. “Dog bites child.” “Spouse deserts partner.” “Employee accepts rival company offer.” “Cat destroys owner’s furniture.”

Is anyone trustworthy? Is anyone ever completely faithful to his word?

The Bible says, “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

God’s faithfulness can be seen in his daily preservation of the world. He makes grass grow and trees bud. He sends sunshine and rain. He provides plants and animals as food to keep us alive. He even does all this without our asking.

God is faithful to his promise: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22).

God’s faithfulness is what comforts us when we are feeling guilty. He promises that he forgives us because of what Jesus did to rescue us from our sins.

God’s faithfulness is what comforts us when we are afraid of death. He promises us eternal life because Jesus defeated death when he rose from the grave.

Whatever you are facing or afraid of, you can take comfort in God’s promises because he is always faithful.


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June 2021:Our God is…All-Knowing

Our God is…All-Knowing

Mr. Know-it-all has bad manners. You start to say, “The Mariners have a good chance to win it all this year because….” Mr. Know-it-all butts in, proclaiming loudly, “But their veterans get too tired, and they don’t have a home run hitter.”

You can’t have a normal conversation with Mr. Know-it-all. He wants to interrupt every sentence.

We don’t like know-it-alls. We realize that one person cannot be an expert in every subject. Nobody can know it all.

There is someone who does know it all! Jesus’ disciple Peter said to him, “Lord, you know all things” (John 21:17).

Wasn’t Jesus a man just like us? How could he know all things? Peter understood. Peter was talking to Jesus after his resurrection. Can an ordinary person do that? How could Jesus rise from the grave after the brutal treatment he endured?

Peter knew. Jesus is true God and true man. As God, he knows all things.

Does that comfort you or terrify you? Peter felt terrified that Jesus knew he had denied him three times. Peter longed for comfort. Jesus also knew how to forgive. He knew his death paid for Peter’s sins.

Jesus truly knows every evil thought that comes from our hearts. He knows every secret sin that burdens our conscience. He has the knowledge that can damn us.

Jesus also knows that he came to rescue us from that punishment.

Thank God if you can say with Peter, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you” (John 21:17).

We invite you to gain more knowledge about your Savior. Our church offers free classes for every ability and background.


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April 2021: Our God is… Almighty

How strong are you?

If you want to see incredible physical strength, watch “The World’s Strongest Man” competition. To win, the competitors have to do such demanding feats as lift 300-pound, round stones onto a pedestal, flip huge tires over and over, and pull large buses—in the least amount of time.

Such strength pales in comparison to the almighty power of the one true God.

God’s power isn’t limited to a competition, and he doesn’t use it to win prizes for himself. God uses his power for our benefit.

The greatest proof of God’s almighty power is when Jesus was raised to life after being crucified.

Jesus had the weight of the world on his back in the form of every sin of every person for all time. We rejoice because he was willing to lift the heavy weight of sin off us and endure the excruciating pain of dying on the cross in our place.

Jesus was humbled, but only temporarily. Three days later, God showed his almighty power when Jesus became the only person to overcome sin, death, and hell.

The Apostle Paul writes, “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14).

Jesus won the victory of eternal life. He gives the hope of heaven to all people. Now that is a feat of strength!

God is not done revealing his almighty power. On the Last Day, Jesus will return to earth to raise our bodies back to life and to reunite them with our souls. We may be weak, but God uses his strength for us. Trust in the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Worship with us during the Easter season. Together we can rejoice in God’s almighty power.


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January 2021: Our God is…Infinite

Our God is…Infinite

“You are!”

“No, you are!”

“Yeah? Well, you are times a gazillion!”

Katie knew that gazillion was going to be tough to beat, but thinking hard she finally proclaimed: “Oh yeah? Well, you are … to infinity!”

His jaw dropped because Joey knew his sister had him beat. How could he compete with infinity?

Simply put, infinity means stretching on and on, without any end. When something is infinite it has no boundaries. It is unlimited and immeasurably great.

The Bible helps us understand the concept as it describes God. “‘Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:24).

There is only One who is everywhere, who always has been, who always will be, who had no beginning, and who will have no end. That is God. God wants us to feel good about him being infinite. As we begin a new year, it can be great to know that God is always with us. Wherever the year takes us, God will be there too.

The comfort of God’s unending presence is ours through faith in his Son, Jesus. As the Apostle Paul says: “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12).

God knows everything we think, everything we do, and most importantly, he knows everything we need. In fact, God already took care of our greatest need. He sent his infinite Son to be our Savior! Trust him.

Joey and Katie challenged each other with the concept of infinity. Come and visit us to learn more about the only one who can truly change your life so you have comfort that will last…to infinity!


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December 2020: Christmas—God’s Gift to You

Christmas—God’s Gift to You

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  Galatians 4:4,5

When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

It’s the moment for which children wait so excitedly: the time for tearing open Christmas presents. It’s thrilling to see their excitement and joy to find out what lies beneath the bow and paper. But often, just as quickly as the excitement erupted, it begins to disappear. When the flying bows and paper settle, feelings of disappointment and ingratitude so often start to surface. The moment everyone so eagerly looked forward to becomes yet another disappointment.

For so many, the Christmas season and celebration ends up like the boxes strewn across the floor—empty. Because, eventually, the decorations are taken down, the parties end, and life goes back to normal.

But this won’t be the case when we remember what Christmas is really about. Christmas is the celebration of the gift of God’s one and only Son, a gift he gave to the world. It’s the gift that I need, that you need, that this whole world needs. You see, this world—including you and me—is wrapped and covered in sin. It is this covering of sin that leaves us empty and disappointed and looking for more gifts and other presents that we hope will fill the void. But they can’t.

It is only through the gift of God’s Son, and his life and death that removes from you the ugly covering and wrapping of your sins. Jesus did not come to be placed under a Christmas tree, but to hang upon a tree, not as an ornament, but as the one who would die upon it to pay for all of your sins. His perfect, innocent life and death are gifts he offers to you to make you his perfect and holy child and heir of heaven.

Christmas is so much more than presents placed beneath a tree. It’s the sure and certain fulfillment of God’s most treasured gift to you—your Savior from sin, Jesus Christ. 


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2020 November: Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  Psalm 118:1

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalm 118 is an “Hallelujah” psalm, meaning “Praise the LORD!” Long ago, God’s people sang the words of this psalm toward the end of their Passover meal. It was a special occasion time for the God’s people to remember how he had rescued their nation from slavery in Egypt; it was a picture of God’s rescue of all people from their slavery to sin. The Passover meal reminded each generation how much God truly loved them.

Would disaster continue to interrupt their lives? Would prosperity be withheld? Would earthly death continue to pick away at their loved ones? Yes, yes, and yes. Yet the people sang out praise and thanks to their merciful God for deliverance from all these trials of life. . . and more: “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4,5).

It is the custom in North America to gather this time of year to celebrate Thanksgiving. Whether you are with family, friends, or celebrating alone, take the time to give thanks to our Savior-God for his mercy and deliverance from death through Jesus. Jesus shows us that God is good. Even when times are tough, Jesus proves that his love for us endures forever.


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October 2020: Take Out the Trash!

Take Out the Trash!

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

If you were asked to write down your top-ten favorite places, it’s hard to imagine a landfill making anybody’s list. There’s nothing pretty about a landfill. There’s nothing attractive or inviting about a place where trash is piled high and deep. It’s no fun to be at a landfill; all you can do is watch the pile get bigger. And you certainly wouldn’t want to take home any souvenirs!

But in 1 Peter 5:7, God is inviting us (if it can be said this way) to treat him like a landfill. “Pile it up!” he says. “Keep it coming! I can take it! Cover me with it!”

What kind of trash is God asking us to cover him with? Anxiety. Worry about the future. Stress of the present. Burdens from the past. All the things that pile up and make life feel like an endless slog through a murky, mucky swamp. All the things that press hard and cause pain, on the inside and the outside.

God says, “Throw it all on me!” He wants to take away all those burdens. He wants to remove the guilt from the sins of the past. He wants to hold us up under the stress of the present. He wants to assure us about the future.

But, as ugly as it sounds, he does this by taking our burdens onto himself. In fact, he already has taken our burdens when Jesus Christ bore the sins of the whole world. He carried all of them when he died on the cross. He didn’t drop anybody’s burden of sin. He didn’t leave anybody out so that now they’re stuck carrying their own.

Do you know people who help others so much that they hardly have any time left for themselves? You can marvel at how much they give of themselves, how many burdens they carry for other people. But if you would ever ask them how they can possibly do so much to help others, the answer might come back so plainly, “I just love them.”

God’s attitude toward you is so full of love—so overflowing with love—that no matter how many of your burdens you pile on him, his love will still spill out for you through Jesus. So take out the trash! Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.


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September 2020: Sure and Certain of the Unseen

Sure and Certain of the Unseen

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

It is amazing that with only a few clicks on a computer, we can dramatically alter photos. Such capabilities have led us to be a bit more wary. We find ourselves saying, “Unless I see it with my own eyes, how can I believe that it hasn’t been touched up? I’ll believe it when I see it.”Often this cynical attitude can touch our spiritual life. How can I believe that God loves me and knows what is going on in my life considering all troubles and disappointments I have to deal with?

The Bible tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” How can we be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see?

Think of a father and child playing the game where the father stands behind the child and tells him to fall backwards. The child, unable to see his father, still trusts that he is there and is certain that his father won’t let him hit the ground. The child leans back and falls, fully convinced that his father will keep his word and catch him, because his father has always proved trustworthy.

This is the kind of trust we can have in our heavenly Father. Though we did not see the creation or the crucifixion, though we were not present to witness Jesus rising from the Easter tomb, though we have not heard his actual voice forgiving our sins and promising his return, we believe.

How can we be so sure and certain? Because God’s Word is true and trustworthy. Our forgiveness is certain because Jesus did die and rise from the dead. God’s love for us today and every day is sure. Every promise our Father has made about our eternal future, he will keep.

Faith is sure and certain of unseen things because it takes God at his word.


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August 2020: Can God take my guilt away?

Can God take my guilt away?

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  2 Corinthians 5:21

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God.”

 “I wish I could take it all away,” Mom whispered to her suffering five-year-old son. He had the flu for a couple of days now, and Mom’s heart was broken. As he lay in his bed suffering from the chills and a fever, there wasn’t much Mom could do except give him some children’s flu medicine and just be there for him. Mom felt helpless and wished she could take it all away from him. She even wished she could have the flu instead of her son.

When children are sick, the love of Mom and Dad really starts to shine through. In a heartbeat, parents go to extra lengths to make sure their kids are feeling as comfortable as possible. If you’re a parent, you’ve been there. You make sure their pillow is extra fluffy. You bring their favorite juice box. You provide their favorite movie to watch. And any time you hear them call, you quickly respond with, “What can I do for you?” The love of Mom and Dad goes so far that if they could take the sickness away, even become sick instead of their child, they would. But they can’t, and it hurts.

Has there ever been a time when you wished you could take it all away? Not just a sickness of a child, but something you did that you really regret? Maybe it was something you did to end a close relationship with a friend. Maybe you said something to a family member that you wish you could take back. Maybe it was something that only you know about, but it haunts you each day.

It’s at moments like these that God’s love really starts to shine through. He knows your sin, your guilt, your regrets. But he doesn’t just wish he could take them away. He did take them away. He forgave them all! He took your sin and guilt away when he put them on his only Son, Jesus. He loves you so much that he had Jesus die for your sin so that you wouldn’t have to. God forgave your guilt and now considers you right with him because of what Jesus did for you.

Wish your guilt and regrets could be taken away? They were. In their place, he gives you forgiveness and eternal life. Now that’s a love that shines through!


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June 2020: Is God Up There?

Is God Up There?

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:
  Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

“God, if you are up there, please show yourself to me.” Have you ever said that to God? Wouldn’t it be great if God just came down and showed himself to us?

God does show himself. In the first line of the Bible, God reveals himself to us. He tells us that he made all things. He made the huge galaxies of the universe. He made the tiniest atoms. He made you and me. His creation demonstrates his power, creativity, wisdom, and tender concern for us.

Take time to notice and to marvel at all God made—the colors of the sky, the light of the sun and stars, the mosaic of leaves outside your window, the beauty of the landscape within your view. Consider how God made you. Think of how your body works—your eyes and ears, your arms, legs, fingers and toes, your brain.

However, God did not make the world and then stand back as a disinterested observer far removed from it all. He is watching over it all. He continues to care for us by providing for all our needs.

Sadly, we often don’t thank him for what he has done for us. We forget him. For that, God has every right to turn his back on us. Amazingly, he still cares for us. More than that, he came down to us and saved us from our wayward ways. He came down in love in the person of his Son, Jesus, and rescued us. Jesus lived the perfect life of thanks that we should live. On the cross, he died the death we should die for our sins. He promises a new and perfect world where all who believe in him will live forever in perfect joy.

Is God up there? Yes, he is! And, thankfully, he was willing to come down here to save us so that, one day, we will see him face to face.


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April 2020: Easter is Reason to Celebrate!

Easter is Reason to Celebrate!

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:
  John 14:19

“Because I live, you also will live.”

“Happy Holidays!” Does this sound out of place in April? It doesn’t have to. This month marks, arguably, the most important holiday of the year—Easter. Why? Because at Easter we celebrate that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This miraculous event is certainly a reason for celebration. It proves that Jesus has power over even death.

And, what’s more, he promises that he has power over your death. You may not be thinking about death at Eastertime. You may not like to think about death at all. (Who does?) Still, we are all facing that reality. Sooner or later, our lives will end.

Then what? Plenty of people have plenty of ideas about what happens after we die. But there is one person who can tell us with certainty what will happen because he has already been there and done that. Jesus experienced death…and came back to life! Now, listen to what he promises all of his followers, “Because I live, you also will live.”

Could there be any better news? Could there be anything more worth celebrating? Through Jesus, you do not need to be afraid to die. You can be sure that one day he will raise your body back to life. And you will never die again.

What a reason to celebrate!


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