Notes of Faith May 18, 2025

Notes of Faith May 18, 2025

It’s Going to Turn Out All Right

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” — Matthew 14:27 NLT

God’s call to courage is not a call to naïveté or ignorance. We aren’t to be oblivious to the overwhelming challenges that life brings.

We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. — Hebrews 2:1 NASB

Do whatever it takes to keep your gaze on Jesus.

When a friend of mine spent several days in the hospital at the bedside of her husband, she relied on hymns to keep her spirits up. Every few minutes, she stepped into the restroom and sang a few verses of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Do likewise! Memorize Scripture. Read biographies of great lives. Ponder the testimonies of faithful Christians. Make the deliberate decision to set your hope on him.

As followers of God, you and I have a huge asset. We know everything is going to turn out all right. Christ hasn’t budged from his throne, and Romans 8:28 hasn’t evaporated from the Bible. Our problems have always been his possibilities.

Feed your fears, and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will.

We know everything is going to turn out all right. That’s the promise of Romans 8:28. But it’s hard to remember when all the possibilities of what could go wrong are swirling around us. When fear is plentiful, let’s fix our gaze on Jesus and remember this:

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. — Romans 8:28 NKJV

God’s Promise to Me

The Lord is in control. He knows how it all turns out. And He promised it will be for my good. He will give me the courage to keep going and the hope to hold on.

Do whatever it takes to keep your gaze on Jesus.

Believe He Can

Don’t be afraid; just believe. — Mark 5:36

The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. Even Christ was afraid (Mark 14:33). But make your fear a visitor and not a resident. Hasn’t fear taken enough? Enough smiles? Chuckles? Restful nights, exuberant days? Meet your fears with faith.

Do what my father urged my brother and me to do. Summertime for the Lucado family always involved a trip from West Texas to the Rocky Mountains. (Think Purgatory to Paradise.) My dad loved to fish for trout on the edge of the white-water rivers. Yet he knew that the currents were dangerous and his sons could be careless. Upon arrival we’d scout out the safe places to cross the river. He’d walk us down the bank until we found a line of stable rocks. He was even known to add one or two to compensate for our short strides.

As we watched, he’d test the stones, knowing if they held him, they’d hold us. Once on the other side, he’d signal for us to follow.

“Don’t be afraid,” he could have said. “Trust me.”

We children never needed coaxing. But we adults often do. Does a river of fear run between you and Jesus? Cross over to Him.

Believe He can. Believe He cares.

Does the path ahead look uncertain, even frightening? Maybe this image will help. When a father leads his four-year-old son down a crowded street, he takes him by the hand and says, “Hold on to me.” He doesn’t say, “Memorize the map.” Or, “Take your chances dodging the traffic.” Or, “Let’s see if you can find your way home.” The good father gives the child one responsibility: “Hold on to my hand.” When fears threaten your faith, remember this:

My Scripture of Hope

You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. — Psalm 139:5 NLT

God’s Promise to Me

I don’t have to live afraid. Because God cares. He holds my hands and leads me safely to Him.

Excerpted from Calm Moments for Anxious Days by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Our Bibles are filled with encouraging words, perhaps the most encouraging is…

Matt 28:20

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Psalm 23 tells us that God goes before us, walks beside us, and is also our rear guard! He could not be more with us. He is everywhere we are at all times. Wherever you are, God is there! Do not fear! For Almighty God is with you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 17, 2025

Notes of Faith May 17, 2025

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7

Some of the flowers mentioned in the Bible are unknown to us in the West. Hyssop is an example of a flowering plant known in the Middle East and southern Europe but unfamiliar to us. It is a shrub-like plant up to two feet tall with woody stems which grow upright, producing leaves and small fragrant flowers in the summer. Cutting and bundling the stems with their leaves intact produces a brush-like tool for dipping and “painting” liquids.

In Egypt, on the night of the first Passover, the Hebrew slaves were instructed to take “a bunch of hyssop,” dip it in a basin of blood from a sacrificial lamb, and spread the blood on the doorposts of their house (Exodus 12:22). The blood would be a sign to “the destroyer” to pass over that house (verse 23). David recalled that imagery when his own sins were found out and he needed to be cleansed: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.”

Thank God today that Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

‘Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb, who all my sorrows took.

Philip Doddridge

Ex 12:21-22

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 "You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. (The death angel would “Passover”.)

The wages of sin is death. We earn death through disobedience to God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But God provided a sacrificial lamb. A perfect sinless sacrifice, to die in our place, that we might have His perfect life placed to our account, to redeem us, to save us, to give us eternal life. That sacrifice is Jesus. There is no other sacrifice for sin and salvation. Praise God for giving His Son and the Son for the glory that is His in those He saves through His blood! Death has lost its victory through life eternal in Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 16, 2025

Notes of Faith May 16, 2025

Skill for Living

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

1 Corinthians 2:6

In the Old Testament, what did the weavers of priestly garments, the builders of the tabernacle, a person regarded as shrewd, a diviner who could cast spells, tiny insects, a craftsman who built idols, and the pilots of ships have in common? They were all said to have hokmah, the Hebrew word for skill. This same Hebrew word is translated “wisdom” in the Old Testament. In other words, wisdom is skill for living that comes from God.

Wisdom is also the theme of 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 where Paul contrasts God’s wisdom with worldly wisdom. If we look around in our world, we see a definite lack of the skill of living. People are trying to figure out how to live successfully apart from relying on God’s wisdom. Everyone needs wisdom, and James 1:5 encourages us to ask God for wisdom when we lack the skills to navigate life’s challenges.

If you lack the skill to solve a challenge you are facing, seek out God’s wisdom in His Word and through prayer.

There is no wisdom but that which is founded on the fear of God.

John Calvin

Prov 9:9-12

9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

Prov 3:5-7

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

True wisdom comes from God. Man learns, sometimes proclaiming his own wisdom to be truth when it is not. Therefore, let us draw near to the Give of Life and Wisdom to know truth and live by that truth for the glory of God! Reading the book of Proverbs (as well as the rest of Scripture) every day may open your heart and mind to the truth of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 15, 2025

Notes of Faith May 15, 2025

Power outage from last night 11pm to 1 pm today. Sorry for the delay in the daily devotion.

The Quiet Time

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet.

Matthew 6:6, KJV

Karol Ladd said when her mother was growing up, she took Matthew 6:6 literally. “Mom grew up in Texas, and everything in Texas is big, including the closets. When Mom wanted to be alone with God, she went into her prayer closet. Her parents knew that if they hadn’t seen her in a while, they could always find her there.”

Newer translations render the word differently: your inner room… your private room… your inner chamber… a quiet, secluded space. The idea is finding privacy to spend time with the Lord. If we only meet Him when we have time or happen to think about it, our relationship with Him will be haphazard.

In order for God’s Word to be effective in changing our lives, we must make it a daily habit and an enriching appointment. We engage in talking to Him (prayer) and listening to Him (Bible reading). Remember, your connection with God is a relationship, and good relationships require time and tending. Tend to your relationship today.

Reading and studying the Bible is a basic requirement for the Christian’s growth, and happily it can be one of his most enjoyable experiences from day to day.

Irving Jensen

Matt 6:5-13

5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 "Pray, then, in this way:

'Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 'Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 'Give us this day our daily bread.

12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.']

I love the movie “War Room”! It is a great Christian movie about the power of prayer. God indeed, already knows our every need, but desires us to come to Him, to pour out our hearts, and for Him to use us in the very things that we are praying to Him about. I have not yet used a closet, but I tend to pray anywhere and everywhere and at any time. Sometimes just thoughts in my head, but I know God hears my concern. He is teaching me to pray and to grow in His grace and mercy through all of the interactions He puts me in. May we seek to be more like Jesus and always have a mind that communes with God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 14, 2025

Notes of Faith May 14, 2025

Lose No Time!

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16, NLT

According to Guinness World Records, In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust is the world’s longest book, with more than 1.2 million words. Depending on the edition, it can span more than 4,000 pages. To read it, you need a sturdy lap, a strong pair of glasses, and rare determination.

Why not study God’s Word instead? It’s small enough to hold in your hand, yet we never tire of its ever-fresh words. The reason the Bible constantly renews us is simple—it was inspired by the Holy Spirit who also indwells us and enables us to understand its message. It’s possible to devote your life to studying the Bible without its transforming effect on your heart. To some, it’s just an ancient book. But to the Spirit-filled believer, the Holy Spirit tutors us. The apostle Paul wrote, “For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets…. We have received God’s Spirit…so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:10-12, NLT).

As you read the Bible, ask the Spirit to shine His flashlight on the truths He wants you to see today.

The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.

Charles Ryrie

1 Cor 2:7-13

we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written,

"THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,

AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,

ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."

10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

The greatest preaching is quoting the Word of God… for man’s words have no power or authority, but the Word of God is all power,

Heb 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

1 Thess 1:5

for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction

1 Thess 4:8

he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

1 Cor 2:14-15

14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

We must be given the Spirit of God to understand the Words and mind of God. Pray that God would open your mind through His Spirit to understand and apply to your life the things that He says to you through His Word. The power of God is over all things and gives life to those who listen and obey.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 13, 2025

Notes of Faith May 13, 2025

His 66 Books

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.

Psalm 119:101

Izaak Walton (1593-1683) wrote a poem about the power of the Bible to strengthen his moral life:

Every hour

I read you, kills a sin

Or lets a virtue in

To fight against it.

Reading and listening to God’s Word is the first step to understanding it, and understanding it leads to self-examination, self-correction, growth, maturity and to a wiser, stronger life. When God’s Word takes root in our minds, it produces fruit, resulting in a change in our conduct and our conversation.

Allow the words of Scripture to penetrate your heart and mind and lead to lasting change in your words and actions. Read the Bible actively, asking yourself, “In this passage, is there a change to make, a sin to confess, a habit to strengthen, or a weakness to correct?” Let God shape your mind and clarify your life by an active daily engagement with His 66 books! Begin today!

By the instrument of the Scriptures, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, God cuts away the corrosion from the template of His glory. Miraculously we are thus conformed to the peculiar shape of God’s glory.

John Piper

Ps 119:97-104

97 O how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

For they are ever mine.

99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged,

Because I have observed Your precepts.

101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,

That I may keep Your word.

102 I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,

For You Yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste!

Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 From Your precepts I get understanding;

Therefore I hate every false way.

Being in the Word of God daily will transform your life, changing and unbeliever into a believer, changing the believer to be more like Jesus. This transformation happens as we spend time with God through His Word, in prayer, and intimately walking through this life with Him. Let’s draw closer to Him today and even closer tomorrow. For those who believe in and follow Jesus there is a day coming when we will not walk by faith but will see our Lord and Savior face to face! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 12, 2025

Notes of Faith May 12, 2025

Fingers in the Dust

The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

Acts 16:14, NIV

Leading someone to Jesus is the most wonderful thing in the world, but we do less than one-half of one percent of the work. Others have almost certainly come before us, planting the seed. That’s the other one-half percent. Ninety-nine percent belongs to the Lord, who opens the heart of the one who responds. Obviously, of course, He does the whole work; though, thankfully, He uses us along the way. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”

(1 Corinthians 3:6).

As we share God’s Word with others, we need to remember that God is the One who will work in their hearts. Our responsibility is to make sure that we are actively sharing. We want to present the Gospel as best we can, but it doesn’t depend on our knowledge or powers of persuasion. People can find Christ from as little as a verse written by a truck driver’s finger on the dust of his or her eighteen-wheeler if that’s the means God chooses to use.

Simply say a word to someone today on behalf of our Lord!

[Lydia] did not open her own heart…. Paul did not do it. the Lord Himself must open the heart…. We can get at human brains, but God alone can arouse human affections. (hearts! Pastor Dale)

Charles Spurgeon

Acts 16:11-15

11 So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

The joy of bringing someone to Christ that hears truth and believes is the greatest of all eternal joy! God has chosen to use His children to share with others that He is drawing to Himself, giving them faith to believe, and becoming one of our eternal brothers or sisters. Rejoice with the angels at each opportunity. God will always do His work. Will we do ours?

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 11, 2025

Notes of Faith May 11, 2025

Praying and Dreaming for Our Children

(And all people that God places around us!)

Happy Mother’s Day to all our wonderful mothers, grandmas, aunties, step-moms, stand-in mothers, and mother figures. We are thankful for you and we pray you know how much you are loved.

I can still remember that first kick.

After weeks of barely there flutters in my belly, that initial kick of my pregnancy might as well have been a wrecking ball. All at once, the wonder of what was happening in my body collided with my heart, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude and hope for this new life.

Before you were born, I dreamed for you.

For the remainder of my pregnancy, I often dreamed about who my child would be. What would she look like? How would it feel to hold that tiny form in my arms for the first time? Parenting books and mommy blogs do their best to prepare us for the practicalities of a newborn, but nothing readied my heart for that first glimpse of her face. My daughter, Aimee, arrived with a shock of black hair, two rosy lips, and a wail that awakened something new in me. In that moment, the dreams in my heart were changed forever.

And then, you arrived! It was love at first sight. And my dreams turned from “Who” right into “What might?”

To be clear, my dreams didn’t change overnight. Well after her arrival, I still thought about things like ballet recitals, shared ice cream cones, and tiny braided pigtails. But there was a new kind of dream in my heart now too — the kind that came with teary eyes and a lump in my throat that I couldn’t quite swallow down. She had barely made her appearance into the world, and I already longed so deeply for this heart that I was just getting to know.

One early morning, a handful of years ago now, a 5-year-old Aimee handed me a scribbled note with a crayon drawing of us. Just above the stick figures, she wrote “I love you, mom. I ben jreming fo you.” Through teary eyes, I took in her squishy, wonderful face, and considered all the dreams I have for her — dreams for her heart, her future, and her spirit. Dreams about the potential I saw in her, and the gifts deep within her that I knew would leave a beautiful mark on the world. How could I possibly explain to her all the dreams I’ve been dreaming?

Now I dream for you, what you’ll make of your story, that your life will be sprinkled with hints of God’s glory.

Looking back, I know that the dreams bubbling up in my heart were prayers. Parents have the front row seats to the lives of the children they are blessed with raising, and praying for their hearts and futures is one of the ways we get to partner with God in raising them. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God already has good plans for each one of our lives, but where do we begin? How do we tap into the Father’s heart when praying for our children?

For since the beginning, far long before me, God mapped out a plan for the life that you’ll lead.

While praying to the Father in John 17:17, Jesus says, “your word is truth,” and I believe that’s precisely where we begin. God’s Word, the Bible, is our road map for praying for our children, and it’s a powerful one too. Hebrews 4:12 says

The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,

and Isaiah 55:11 says God’s word does not go out without effect. As parents, we can align ourselves with the Father’s heart for our children simply by praying Scripture.

We can fear less tomorrow than we do today.

In our home, there’s a few go-to verses we pray daily. We put on our armor (Ephesians 6) each morning on the way to school, and we pray that we’ll all be salt and light wherever we go (Matthew 5:13-16). We pray each evening that the children will grow in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52), and my kids find comfort in Psalm 4:8, knowing they can rest peacefully because God is their safety.

In my own quiet time, I pray my children would have an identity rooted in the love of the Father (1 John 3:1), and that God would plant His dreams deep within their hearts (Psalm 37:4). I pray for Godly influence in their relationships (Proverbs 27:17), for physical, emotional, and spiritual safety (Psalm 121:7-8), and for a lifetime of days lived for the glory of the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31).

On days when this kind of intentionality feels overwhelming and I don’t know where to start, I’m comforted (and beyond thankful!) to remember Romans 8:26–27 which says,

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Hallelujah!

It’s never too soon (or too late!) to begin praying for the young people in your life. This is not a call exclusive to women with small children under their roof; instead, it’s a gift we all can freely offer to ones within our reach. If you haven’t already, start dreaming.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Kate Wood,

Children bring great joy to my heart. They do not have to be my own, although I do love them dearly. The heart of a child is open, desiring to love and be loved. They have great hope in their heart for each day, to be blessed, encouraged, challenged, appreciated, and successful. May we use the Word of God to each person God places around us to bless them, lead and guide them, give them hope.

Josh 1:8-9

8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 10, 2025

Notes of Faith May 10, 2025

Rest is a Gift from God

On the seventh day — with the canvas of the cosmos completed — God paused from His labor and rested. Thus God blessed day seven and made it special — an open time for pause and restoration, a sacred zone of Sabbath-keeping.

— Genesis 2:2-3 The Voice

Do we really think our all-powerful, all-knowing God needed to rest after just six days of work? Possibly, but it seems more likely that God chose to rest to show us the importance of resting from our labors. He knew that we would need an example to follow, and that lesson is just as important today as it was all those years ago.

Our culture places a lot of emphasis on working hard, earning your place, and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, but a close reading of the Bible reveals a very different message.

God doesn’t love you because you work harder than anyone else.

You can’t earn your place in heaven through good works. And God certainly doesn’t determine your value by your use of your bootstraps — quite the opposite.

After all, the Bible isn’t full of stories of independent go-getters who won accolades all on their own by working around the clock. No, the stories are of people who leaned on God to achieve great things by saying yes to Him and following His path, which includes good work, but also always includes rest.

The Sabbath was the first day specifically set aside for something established by God. More holy days and holidays and feasts would come later, but the Sabbath has been with us since creation. It is one of God’s first gifts to us, a sacred time to give our bodies and minds a chance to recharge and anchor our weeks in rest and communion with Him. Resting regularly isn’t being lazy and doesn’t mean that we are shirking our responsibilities. It is simply accepting God’s generous gift. Building our lives around weekly rest is the first step in accepting the rhythm of life God laid out for us at the beginning, and it only brings us closer to Him.

Rhythms of Rest

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven. — Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

The entire world runs on cycles. Day becomes night. Night becomes day. Winter melts into spring. Spring blooms into summer. Summer fades into autumn. And autumn freezes into winter.

Years pass by, and people are born and eventually die, but these cycles that God created remain the same.

He set each cycle moving at creation, including the ones that govern our days.

The Bible models this cycle for us. It is a rhythm of work, play, worship, and rest. Days for work, nights for rest, Sabbath each week, and everyone pausing to come together to worship and celebrate for holidays and feasts. Everything in balance to keep us healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. The seasons have always played a role too. Work was limited by daylight and the weather until very recently. There was less outdoor work to be done in the winter and more time to rest. Now, of course, thanks to technology, we can work anytime and anywhere, even when we shouldn’t.

Our modern, busy, go-go-go, I’ll-rest-when-I’m-dead mentality doesn’t truly disrupt or circumvent the cycle God provided us, even if it feels like working around the clock is some sort of cheat code to getting to the good life. It may lead to financial success, but it always comes at a cost — usually our health and overall well-being. We’ve turned away from living in community and working together to carry the load in favor of doing it all on our own, in our own ways. As a result, we’re a society of people who are sick, unhappy, burned out, lonely, and overwhelmed. And that is definitely not God’s plan for us.

Prioritizing rest is about more than catching up on sleep. It’s about living our lives in sync with the rhythms God laid out for us that are designed to bring us closer to Him.

The Sabbath Was Made for Man

Then He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” — Mark 2:27 NIV

Keeping the Sabbath has always been an important part of Jewish culture, and as stated in the Ten Commandments, no work was to be done on the Sabbath in order to keep it holy. But in Jesus’ time, that had been taken to extremes. It was considered work to put food on the table, to gather water, to do almost anything at all. For many people the Sabbath was not restful; it was stressful.

Jesus was revolutionary in many ways, but at the time, one of the most controversial things He said was, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The Jewish leaders had turned the Sabbath, the day of rest, into a series of rules to be followed. Jesus recognized that for what it was: a perversion of God’s original gift of a day of rest. His simple statement said volumes. The Sabbath wasn’t some divine test where God was watching for every infraction. It was a generous gift, a sacred day to pause from the hard labor of the week and be refreshed.

What hobbies do you have that refresh you?

How can you incorporate those into your plans for the Sabbath over the next few weeks?

Excerpted from The Weekly Rest Project, copyright Zondervan.

Our minds and bodies need regular rest and when they don’t get it, all too often they break down, crash, and demand time to gather strength and energy. How are you doing with Sabbath resting. Work and even family activities sometimes don’t allow for resting on the Sabbath, but we need to make sure we are giving our bodies adequate time to revive from the expense of the week or even day. Get a good night’s rest. Spend time with God to relax in His loving care and be prepared for each day.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 9, 2025

Notes of Faith May 9, 2025

The Results Are God’s

I [Paul] planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:6

The late William R. Bright, cofounder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), offered a biblical definition of witnessing: Witnessing is sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. Many Christians worry about being rejected when they share God’s Word. But when we leave the results to God, it takes the focus off of our performance and results.

The apostle Paul shared this perspective when he wrote to the Corinthian church. He said that he planted the seed of the Gospel, Apollos nurtured the seed, but it was God who brought forth the fruit of salvation. When Jesus told His parable of the sower, seed, and soils, He illustrated how seeds do not always fall on fertile ground. Likewise, when we share the seed of God’s truth, we are not responsible for the condition of the heart in those who hear the Word. In Jesus’s parable, only one in four soils was prepared to receive the Word and bring forth fruit (Matthew 13:3-23).

Don’t let fear of rejection keep you from sharing God’s truth with others, whether it’s the Gospel of salvation or just a word of encouragement, today. Leave the results to God.

Faithful witness is truth telling, not head counting.

Don Posterski

Matt 13:18-33

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

Tares among Wheat

24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29 "But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

The Mustard Seed

31 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES."

33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

As a pastor, I have always worried about those in the congregation believing that they are responsible for getting people saved, and if it appears that their sharing of the gospel is not effective, that they are not bearing fruit. They forget that there is great fruit bearing in their own life, that God is working through His Spirit, transforming their heart and mind, to be able to share the gospel with power. That is our call to evangelism, to share truth, and let God bring to Himself those He has chosen from before the foundation of the world. We are to be faithful witnesses of Christ, for Christ and His glory. We do not earn some fruitful reward for how many people come to faith…since that is God’s responsibility. Just step out and share Jesus, who He is, that He died and rose from the grave, that we might have forgiveness of sin and eternal life with Him. That is our responsibility. Go! Be the church!

Pastor Dale