Most days I come into the office in the morning with a plan on what to write for the daily devotion.  I did today as well but when I told Alexa to play worship music the song, “Wait on the Lord” was playing and then when I opened my Bible app Psalm 27 was the verse of the day.  I figured maybe God had another plan for today so let’s look at a few verses from Psalm 27 together today. 

Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Waiting is no one’s favorite thing.  Waiting on God means that we know that He has our best in store and even if we face challenging times He is with us and will bring us to something significant on the other end.  David knew this truth well.  He faced lots of adversity with Saul before he became king and faced it with other nations throughout the time he was king.  He faced challenges in his own family.  Yet God was with him and led Israel to times of peace and prosperity.  David was the king that all other kings of Israel were compared to.  Perhaps you are waiting on God now.  The trick to navigating those times well is what we are focused on.  During times of waiting are we focused on the trouble or challenge around us or are we focused on the God we are waiting on.  When we are focused on God, the tough times are easier and we find we have strength we never realized.  Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

The book of Micah is filled with prophecy and judgement against Israel for their unfaithfulness.  Yet, in the midst of this God throws in a promise.  Not just a small one but the promise of the Messiah to come.  Let’s look at a few verses from Micah 5 together today. 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

In the midst of hard times in life.  We always have the promises of God don’t we.  The book of Micah is tough.  It’s filled with hard times and yet right there in the middle is this amazing promise for the people of Israel to hold on to.  Scripture is filled with great promises from God.  The next time you find yourself in a difficult season remind yourself of some of the great promises of God!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Have you ever had the ending of a book or movie spoiled by hearing others talk about it?  Everyone knows etiquette demands you say, “spoiler alert”.  I kind of like having the end spoiled when it comes to God though.  We know what is going to happen and we know that even when things look lousy in the end God wins.  Let’s look at one of the many accounts of this in scripture from Micah 4.

“In that day,” declares the Lord “I will gather the lame;
    I will assemble the exiles
    and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame my remnant,
    those driven away a strong nation.
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion
    from that day and forever.  As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem. “Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king?
Has your ruler perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor? Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem you
    out of the hand of your enemies. But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat over Zion!” But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.“Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

God sort of ruins the Hollywood surprise ending for us as He tells us how he leads the underdogs to victory in the end.  There is something amazingly comforting and emboldening in knowing this though.  It reminds us of the significance of the mission He left for us to share His love and message with the world.  It encourages us that our efforts will pay off in the end.  It also helps us to continue to press on in our own journey of following Him.  Today and every day be encouraged by God’s great spoiler alert.  Jesus wins!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Throughout the Bible there is lots of talk about false prophets and teachers.  It is not something that we talk about much today but perhaps we should.  In an era with almost limitless information at our fingertips, we should certainly be concerned about what is false and can lead us in the wrong direction.  Let’s look at God’s words in Micah 2 together today.

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace will not overtake us.”

You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good
    to the one whose ways are upright?

Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.

You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.

Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,
because it is defiled,
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.

If a liar and deceiver comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’
    that would be just the prophet for this people!

In this case the false messages were easy to spot.  They were doing things and teaching things that were directly contradictory to the law of God.  Today false messages can be more subtle.  Perhaps they are based in truth and sometimes even use scripture in wrong ways to get their message across.  That is where we have to rely on scripture and the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives to make sure the messages that we are following are the right ones.  The next time you hear or read something that doesn’t quite sit right with you take a moment and ask God for wisdom and discernment.  Look to scripture to guide you and even seek the council of other followers of Jesus that you trust.  May God guide and lead us all into truth and increased wisdom as we walk through the journey of life.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Have you ever had to give someone bad news?  It is certainly not a pleasant thing.  Imagine being one of the prophets of Israel in the Old Testament.  Your job is to go to the King or ruler of the land and tell them how they have fallen short and then tell them how God was going to judge them.  Every once in a blue moon the prophet would bring good news but mostly it wasn’t pleasant.  Let’s look today at the words of Micah found in chapter 1.

 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem Hear, you peoples, all of you,
    listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you,
    the Lord from his holy temple. Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place;
    he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth.  The mountains melt beneath him
    and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. All this is because of Jacob’s transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
    Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
    Is it not Jerusalem?  “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,  a place for planting vineyards.
I will pour her stones into the valley
    and lay bare her foundations.

Micah faithfully delivered a difficult message to the people.  I think that is the biggest takeaway from this scripture for me.  God often calls us to do things that may be difficult or challenging.  I’m certain that Micah didn’t look forward to this task.  Yet, God called him to deliver the message and he did it faithfully.  What difficult task is God calling you to today?  Maybe it’s sharing your faith with a friend or neighbor.  Maybe it’s repairing a relationship that is broken.  Whatever difficult task God has in store for you, remember the example of Micah and other prophets who faithfully followed God and did difficult things.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever had to wait for something and it felt like it was taking forever.  Maybe something as simple as a package to be delivered.  Maybe you have waited on an answer about a job you were seeking.  We all have waited on a person to get ready, waited in line for something, or waited on a repairman to show up at the house.  What about waiting on God?  Have you been waiting on God for something?  While it may seem like a long time the beauty is that you know that God will never let you down.  Waiting on Him is a sure thing.  Let’s look at how God tells us to wait upon Him in Zephaniah 3.

Therefore wait for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
    all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
    that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
    and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers, my scattered people,
    will bring me offerings.

On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.

But I will leave within you
    the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust in the name of the Lord.

They will do no wrong;
    they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
    and no one will make them afraid.”

Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!

The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm.

God is telling Israel that while the process may take time and even be painful, He will bring them back to follow Him and He will protect them.  Perhaps you are waiting on God for something now.  Remember His promises and know that while the process can feel slow and painful He has your very best in His plan.  Nothing can separate us from His love and grace.  Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

Today is Columbus Day.  Christopher Columbus is a fascinating and controversial figure in history.  He often went back and forth between hero and outcast even in his own lifetime.  He died thinking that he had discovered a trade route to the Indies and a faster way to Japan and China.  He is credited with discovering the Americas which he never intended to do nor realized he had done.  He sort of reminds me of the disciples.  They also played an important role without really quite figuring it out.  Let’s look at a passage that illustrates this in Matthew 16.

5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The disciples were often confused and missing the point throughout the gospels.  They faithfully followed Jesus and of course were used in amazing ways to build His church once Jesus ascended to Heaven.  This proclamation by Peter is the first evidence of them sort of getting it.  Even after this Peter has his struggles and still doesn’t get it sometimes but God still uses him in amazing ways.  God wants to use you in amazing ways too.  Even if we don’t see the whole picture like Columbus or Peter didn’t, God wants to use us to do amazing things.  He just asks that we be willing, we abide in Him and we faithfully go where He calls us. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

This morning I am about to board a plane to head to Asheville, North Carolina.  I get to do a wedding for two people that I love very much.  I love weddings and all of the celebration involved in the whole event.  Sometimes I think that we don’t quite celebrate God the way that we should.  One of the things that strikes me as I read through Psalms is the celebration of God and His works.  Let’s look together today at Psalm 81 which is meant to be a celebration of God. 

Sing for joy to God our strength;
    shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
    play the melodious harp and lyre.

Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
    and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;

this is a decree for Israel,
    an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

When God went out against Egypt,
    he established it as a statute for Joseph.

I heard an unknown voice say:

“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
    their hands were set free from the basket.

In your distress you called and I rescued you,
    I answered you out of a thundercloud;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
    if you would only listen to me, Israel

You shall have no foreign god among you;
    you shall not worship any god other than me.

I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Celebrating God was actually a decree or law.  I’m not saying that should be the case for us but for Israel it was so significant that they made it a law.  Celebrating a wedding truly is a wonderful event.  I am excited to be a part of this weekend.  The next time you enjoy a celebration take a moment to pause and think about celebrating all the things that God has done for you and in your life. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

Have you ever been so thirsty that even a full glass of water doesn’t quench your thirst.  I can remember many times during a summer baseball double headers where you almost couldn’t drink enough water to keep from being thirsty.  Since our bodies are approximately 60% made up of water staying hydrated is very important.  As humans we may be 60% water but we are 100% created in the image of God for relationship with Him.  Do we “thirst” for God.  We often strive after many different things in life but it truly only God who will fill that need.  David speaks to this in Psalm 63, let’s look at it together today.

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

The truth is that when we develop this type of mindset and hunger and thirst for God other things that we might chase after in life become less important.  When we stay “spiritually hydrated”  life just functions better.  We respond better to struggle.  We share Christ’s love are regularly.  We are living the lives we were created tom live.  So take a nice long drink this morning.  It’s gonna be a hot day. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave