Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Jonah 1:17-2:3 (NIV) 17  Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2  From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2  He said: “In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3  You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. Devotion: The story of Jonah is well-known to many of us. We know how he tried to run away from God's call to preach to the wicked city of Nineveh, how he boarded a ship that was caught in a storm, how he was thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish, and how he finally obeyed God and delivered his message. But do we ever stop to think about what Jonah felt and learned in the belly of the fish? The Bible tells us that Jonah pray...

 Scripture: John 14:27 (ESV) : “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (ESV)   In this verse, Jesus speaks directly to His disciples during the Last Supper. He knows that soon He will face betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. Yet, amidst these impending trials, He offers them a profound and transformative gift: peace. This peace is not just for His disciples, but for each one of us, a personal and intimate gift from our Savior.   The peace that Jesus bestows is not a fleeting or superficial offering. It transcends the peace that the world can provide, as it is not limited by time or circumstance. The peace of Christ is more than a mere facade of tranquility, more than a warm smile and a firm handshake on a Sunday morning. It's like a calm sea that remains undisturbed even in the midst of a storm. Once you have this peace, it becomes an inte...

  Scripture: Psalm 121:7-8 (KJV) 7            The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. 8            The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Devotion: Life's journey, with its uncertainties and challenges, often leaves us feeling vulnerable and anxious. Yet, in the midst of our travels, we find solace and strength in the promises of God, as beautifully encapsulated in Psalm 121:7-8. These verses offer a profound assurance of God’s unwavering protection and guidance, speaking directly to the struggles and fears each of us faces in our daily lives. As we delve into these verses, we are reminded that the Lord is not just a distant figure, but our Keeper, a vigilant guardian who neither slumbers nor sleeps. His watchful eyes are always upon us, shielding us against the myriad form...

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:16 (ESV) 16  And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. Devotion:             Today’s scripture verse, the pinnacle of the prophet Nathan’s oracle about King David, holds profound significance. Consider the historical context: imagine how David and his contemporaries in 1,000 B.C. would have perceived these words. Would they have assumed that David’s descendants would always occupy the throne and rule over Israel? This seems likely. Yet, the reality that the kingdom would be divided soon after David’s death, with no direct lineage of David to rule, might have led them to believe that this prophecy had failed.             Other prophets throughout the ages saw this and bemoaned that David’s offspring were not worthy to occupy the throne. They might have thought that God would...

  Scripture: Acts 2:1-4 (ESV) 2  When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Devotion:             Today, as we gather in the church, we commemorate the significant event of the Holy Spirit's outpouring on the disciples. Just as Jesus had instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit arrived, we too are reminded of the importance of patience and readiness for the Spirit's work in our lives. On the Jewish feast of Pentecost, Jesus' words were fulfilled as the Spirit descended upon them. The full extent of their newly found power woul...

Scripture: 1 John 4:18 (ESV) 18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Devotion:             This scripture proclaims a truth that is not just relevant, but crucial in today’s culture. If there is one quality that is desperately needed in America today, it is true biblical love. We seem to have forgotten how to love and trust one another. Such love and trust are not just the glue that holds society together, but the very foundation on which it stands. This decay of love for one another has occurred gradually over many years. The Covid pandemic really accelerated this loss by instilling fear and caution in our interactions, telling us that every person we met was a potential carrier of the disease and should be avoided.             Fear drove us to extraordina...

  Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7 (ESV) 7  casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Devotion:             This brief scripture contains a powerful truth. God wants us to cast all our fears and anxieties on Him. This sounds simple, but in reality, it may be one of the hardest things to do found in all of the Bible. For some reason, we humans can become very attached to our fears and the anxieties that they produce. We would rather take medication to calm our fears and anxieties than deal with them by giving them over to God. We like the illusion of control this gives us over our bodies.             As a result, we are among the most medicated people in the world. We pop anti-depressants and anti-anxiety pills as if they were candy. It gives us a feeling of control over these unwanted feelings. I am not saying that there are no legitimate uses for the...