September 7, 2025

Born to Serve - Ephesians 2:8-10, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Upon receiving the gift of salvation, our hearts were transformed and changed by the spirit of the Lord. We were not transformed and changed just to wait for the return of Jesus, but we were given a purpose and a ministry to fulfill. Don’t think of ministry as something done only in a church building by a select group of people. Service to God is the responsibility of every believer. It’s a matter of doing the “good works, which God prepared beforehand” for each of us to accomplish. A believer’s goal should not simply be to attend church, listen to a sermon, and receive enough spiritual food to get through the coming week. The goal is to serve God with our whole being, reflecting the love of Jesus through who we are. Our worship of God and instruction from His Word is what edifies and equips us to serve one another and go into the world to share the gospel. Your entire life is meant to be an act of service to God. If instead you are living for your own happiness and goals, you will eventually be disappointed. But when you walk in the good works God has prepared for you, you’ll have the satisfaction of doing exactly what you were created to do. 

September 14, 2025

Heart of Gratitude - Psalm 100:1-5

The Bible instructs us, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18). This might seem easy when life is going well. But if painful circumstances arise, expressing gratitude can become difficult. It’s interesting to note that this instruction to thank the Lord in all things was written by Paul—the apostle whose loyalty to Christ earned him severe persecution. You might wonder how he was able to be grateful to God. While many situations weren’t to his liking, Paul knew that His riches in Christ Jesus far outweighed any earthly discomfort. Consider the blessings he so valued, which are available to all believers. First of all, we are invited to have a personal relationship with the one true God—the sovereign, omniscient, and omnipresent Lord of all creation. Second, our Creator loves us with an everlasting and unconditional love. Third, He sent His Son to die as payment for our sin-debt so that we could spend eternity with Him. As a result, when we place trust in Jesus, we are freed from the fear of death. And the list of blessings keeps going: God adopts believers as His children. He has a plan for every life—and bestows special gifts and empowerment to make it happen. He also promises to meet every need through His limitless resources (Phil. 4:19) and provides His Word and indwelling Spirit to guide us. No wonder Paul was grateful! Count his blessings as your own, and let God know how appreciative you are.

September 21, 2025

Here I Am, Lord, Send Me! - Isaiah 6:8

Being available for God’s purpose is crucial and necessary for the building and growth for His kingdom in this age! Oftentimes we can come up with a number of reasons and excuses why we can’t. Moses didn’t want to go to Egypt to be the spokesman for leading the Israelites out of their Egyptian captivity. Gideon questioned why God would choose him, when he came from such a poor tribe, to head up the means for freeing his people from their oppressors. Jonah ran away from the responsibility God called him to, and there’s many more examples found in the word of God that offered excuses not to fulfill the plan of God! God is looking for available people to do his work. Jesus said the harvest was full, but the laborers are few. When it comes to investing our time, talent, and treasure for a life that will echo into eternity, we need to ask ourselves, “Am I available?” Isaiah in the presence of the lord was overwhelmed! He was exposed to the glory and power of God, he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Isaiah like us, could have come up with a multitude of excuses, but he relinquished and said “here am I, send me! Today, God is searching, He’s calling out for those that will give their time, talent, and gifting for the advancement of the Kingdom! Let’s make ourselves available to the service of God. Jesus is soon coming, let’s work while we can!