Introduction: to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. -Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV Putting off the old self…putting on the new self. This will be a central theme in…
What was the last thing you were so excited about that you couldn’t stop talking about it? Maybe it was a movie you saw, a book you read, or a milestone moment in your family—like the birth of a child or grandchild, or perhaps a big wedding. For me, it was the 2024 Detroit Lions season… which was amazing—until it…
Introduction: “Your will above all elseMy purpose remainsThe art of losing myselfIn bringing You praise “ “In my heart and my soulLord I give You controlConsume me from the inside out Lord” These lyrics are from the song: “From the inside out”. This song has always remained close to me for many years. When I think about why this song…
Have you ever considered the relationship between how we treat people and their receptiveness to the Gospel message? I struggle with tone — how you say something matters just as much to me as what you’re saying. If you approach me “too fired up”, it doesn’t matter how right you are or how strong your argument is; the second your…
“Embrace the chaos” I’m sure we’ve heard this saying before. Typically, we use this saying in situations that are confusing, challenging, messy or overwhelming…chaotic! Not only that, but when we take a step back and look at the situation, we often are telling ourselves that we need to accept the fact that there is nothing we can do to control…
Introduction: “Jesus, the Name above any other name…” Earlier this year we had spent some time in a previous devotional looking at lyrics to the song ‘Build my life’. We are revisiting this song this week, looking at more Biblical truths from the lyrics. Unity as a church body and opening ourselves up for what God has for us, have…
How do you respond when things don’t go your way? One of the sobering things about being a parent is that you see yourself in your kids, and sometimes, you don’t like what you see. Our children can often act as a mirror revealing to us what we are really like. When it comes to hard or disappointing times I’d…
“I have ceased from my wandering and going astray, since Jesus came into my heart” -Since Jesus Came Into My Heart Last Sunday, we sang the hymn “Come thou fount of every blessing”. ‘Prone to wander’ was one of the lines that we had focused on in our devotional last week. We saw a story in 1 Samuel 25 where…
The lyrics throughout the beloved hymn “Come, thou fount of every blessing” speak to different ways God shows his mercy toward us…Mercy that rescues us from danger and Mercy that rescues us from ourselves. From our own wandering. Mercy is something that King David had experienced on countless occasions. He wrote of God’s mercy all over the Psalms. Not just…
Introduction: There is a quote that I used all the time during my young adult years. You may be familiar with it. The quote is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi and it says: “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” I think the main point of this quote is valid…if all we do is ‘talk’, and…