3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:…I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.

5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

3: 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:…15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

There are wonderful books filled with the “Promises of God.” There are fewer that are filled with the “Warnings of God.” Probably that is because they don’t sell as well. For new Christians shaking off their chains, the more promises they can get of new life, the better. But if we are mature and devoted followers, we need to read and learn and dig in on those warnings. As Jesus says, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Pastor Andy

Rev 3:7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: …10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

In the song, “Live Like You Were Dying” a terminal cancer victim shares what he did about his impending end; “”I went skydiving. I went Rocky Mountain climbing. I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu. And I loved deeper. And I spoke sweeter. And I gave forgiveness I’d been denying. Someday I hope you get the chance To live like you were dying.” I’ll admit I love the song and some of the sentiments. But in reality, this is not the answer of a faithful person. The absolute and only thing we can answer to the question “How do you live like you were dying?” is “By doing God’s Will.” And if that is what we would say with 24 hours to go, how can it become our answer for the way we are to live everyday until he comes?

Pastor Andy

Rev 2:18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: You tolerate that woman

Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.

When we do not have a firm foundation of truth, we become vulnerable to all manner of new and exciting “truths.” Have we accepted the “truth” that we don’t need to go to church to be Christian? Have we accepted the “truth” that our moral life is “good enough” or that our commitment to God’s will is “above average?” Have we accepted the “truths” that worshipping only the Lord, loving our neighbor and enemies, caring for those in need, giving sacrificially and serving faithfully are optional? The scariest truth of all is when we think that being saved is easy when it cost him his life. We can debate doctrines, but one thing is not up for debate, Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Pastor Andy

Rev. 2:8 “To the church in Smyrna write….Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer…be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Rev. 2:12 “To the church in Pergammon write…you did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”

I often wonder if we would be more faithful if it was harder to be a Christian in this country. Or would persecution and hardship cause us to turn away? The next time we feel like sleeping in instead of worshipping, skipping our offering, ignoring the needs of the church for volunteers, or leaving the Bible unopened and the TV on, it might be worth considering how others are so committed to their faith that they are willing to suffer for it. 

Pastor Andy

Rev. 2:1 “To the church in Ephesus write:…2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

It is possible to be faithful as a church (and as Christians) yet have lost the passion that was so powerful in the beginning. How do we return to that love? First, we need to take the praise Jesus gives those who persevere. He knows and appreciates the efforts we make as only he can! Second, we can remember that in the midst of all that hard work, he was always with us and always will be. He ends this letter with a great promise, “To all who overcome, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life!”

Pastor Andy

It is funny what God puts in our paths.  I first was attracted to a particular musical setting of this Psalm, then I lost my Dad and this was the piece that popped out of my heart when I chose the music for his funeral.  A few years later, I lost a job and really felt alone and beaten.  This prayer called to me again.  Then there was COVID and the lockdowns: no Palm Sunday, no Holy Week, and no Easter celebrations, a spiritual desert, and there was my old friend Psalm 63 to comfort me. 

I love the Book of Psalms.  It is such a blessing to know that when I don’t have the words to pray, the Psalms are there; a rich source of prayer for every human emotion and experience.  

Thank you for working through Psalm 63 with me this week.  This meditation helped me to do a mini reset and reflect on where I am today in my journey towards a deeper relationship with the Lord.  I hope in some small way, for those who might be their own desert you are encouraged to seek The Way, The Truth, The Power and The Glory that comes from God alone.

Soli Deo Gloria

In a dry and waterless place, David looks inward and upward.  He finally realizes that when he ties his life to God he prospers.  He recognizes all the blessings God bestowed upon him and living within the Lord’s covenant is better than life itself.  David is moving towards reconciliation with God.  This is when the poet and the musician in David takes over.  He can’t help but lift his hands and rejoice.  

I too rejoiced because I was able to reconnect with my ministry, and by working through Psalm 63, I was able to start to reconnect in a deeply personal way with our Lord.

The Psalms have survived thousands of years as one of the vehicles by which the faithful can connect to the divine.   Psalms 63 in particular calls us to continually seek the Lord; to not become complacent in our prayer life; to recognize that if God is our priority and we consciously seek to place him in our lives, we will have satisfying and full lives despite the challenges, hardships, hurts and disappointments that this life can sometimes bring.

Be a seeker!

Cecilia Carroll
Advent Square Director Humble Servant and Handmaid of the Lord

We Americans are programed to continually seek the success and wealth of the world.  We even call it “The American Dream.”  It is hard to recognize that we need help and even harder to ask for it.  I suppose I should not be so bold to speak for all “Americans” or even all of you reading this devotion.  I find it hard to ask for help.  I find it hard to give up control.  I’m still not sure what that expression “Give it up to God” really means much less how to do it.  

David was driven into the desert by his behavior.  I was driven into the desert by my complacency.  What drives you into the desert?  No matter what got us there, God is always at work.  Sometimes he is waiting for us to cooperate with Him so we can leave our exile and return to Him.

To God be All Glory and Praise!   

Cecilia Carroll
Advent Square Director
Humble Servant and Handmaid of the Lord

I’ve told you that I am a music minister, so I regularly lead sung prayer, but it became such a regular thing for me, that I was on auto-pilot.  This was a slow realization that crept up on me and shortly after this realization, Ps. 63 came up scriptures for Sunday.

As I first read the Psalm to re familiarize myself with the text and the melody, I recognized what I had been feeling.  I understood that I was in a sort of spiritual desert, going through the motions of prayer.  I felt empty, lifeless and without the nourishment that comes only from God.

It is a great comfort to know that even in a time of spiritual dryness, the Lord is there.  He will not turn from us, and all we have to do is turn back and “knock” for the door to open and we will then be able to once again rejoice in the shadow of his wings.

More on that journey to a state of rejoicing to follow.

Cecilia Carroll
Advent Square Director
Humble Servant and Handmaid of the Lord

For many when we grieve Ps. 23 “The Lord is my Shepherd” is a source of comfort.  When we feel alone, we might say: “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me.” Psalm 22.  In times of uncertainty, Ps. 16 “Lord show me the path for my life.”  In times of joy and thanksgiving we might proclaim “Let all praise the name of the Lord,” Ps. 148. One of my favorites is Ps. 63 “My Soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”   It is a long story of how this became my favorite Psalm, and this week I hope to share some of that story with you, but for now a little background and a question: 

It is believed that David wrote Psalm 63 during a time of exile.  He had lost the throne of Israel and was feeling spiritually separated from God, wandering in the Judean wilderness.  David recognizes that in order to have fulfillment he must reconcile with God.  In Ps. 63, he expresses his, and by extension our, desire to seek after God; to have a deep and personal relationship with our creator.  There is no greater, thirst, hunger, or longing that we can experience then when we are feeling separated from God.  

When you are experiencing a thirst that a simple glass of water will not satisfy, where do you go?  

Cecilia Carroll Advent Square Director Humble Servant and Handmaid of the Lord