The connect devotional is a great way to stay connected spiritually to what our community is learning about God right now. It is in step with the current sermon series, studying the scripture through the lens of life application.
Clicking here to subscribe and receive the Connect Devotional in your inbox
To see past posts, click the "All Posts" button above
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption [into God's family]. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father," the Spirit himself testifying withour spirit that we are God's children (Romans 8:14-16). Welcome to a new w...
Keep ReadingSome men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on" (Mark 2:3,4). My father-in-law is a retired manager of a national wildlife refuge, and while there it wasn't uncommon for hiker...
Keep ReadingSome men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:3-5). My kids used to play with...
Keep ReadingMark 2:1-11 I'm fortunate to be in a small Bible study group led by retired pastor and devotional writer/editor Brian Emmet. Brian is never content to let our discussion stay surface level. He continually probes, forcing us to look deeper into scripture and into ourselves. His favorite phrase during our study is what else? And he will ask it over and over until we have pl...
Keep ReadingThey gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. Wh...
Keep ReadingA few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home So he said to the man,"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home" (Mark 2:1-11). Hope you're still enjoying good memories and swapping good stories from yesterday's Chatham Serves! As we continue thinking, praying and living our way into our Made on Purpose for a Purpose seri...
Keep ReadingDoes merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? (James 2:14 MSG) When the teenagers come home from school they will occasionally give me more information about their days than, "School was fine." On those lucky days they'll tell me something they've heard in a particular class, and I always enjoy watching their eyes light up as they tell me about wha...
Keep ReadingIn the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is deadI will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2: 17,18). James reminds us that Jesus calls us to love all our neighbors all the time. And there are few better ways to show your love than by putting faith into action. With Chatham Serves right around the corner, I wanted to share a particularly powe...
Keep Reading"What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds" (James 2:14)? As Christians, what should we do when we approach a red traffic light and see a person in the median with a cardboard sign, asking for help? Gather your answer(s), and I'll get back to you. In the span of just thirteen verses, James (the half-brother of Christ) reminds his Christian audience s...
Keep ReadingWhat good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ...
Keep ReadingBut someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faithwithout deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2:18). Happy Monday! We're in the middle of our Made on Purpose for a Purpose series, and gearing up for Chatham Serves on Sunday, April 21. If you've not yet signed up for a Chatham Serves activity, please go to www.chathamserves.org. "D...
Keep Reading"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lampand put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-6). My husband and I raised our family in ...
Keep Reading"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lampand put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good worksand give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16 NIV). If you attended college, do you re...
Keep Reading"You are the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13). When Jesus called His followers "salt of the earth," what did they make of that? What should we make of that? Jesus didn't explain the symbolism between salt and our lives. So let's talk about salt, shall we? We hear "salt of the earth" today to mean we're hard-working, reliable, down-to-earth folk. Perhaps that derives from ...
Keep Reading"You are the light of the worldlet your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 4: 14,16). What do you want to be when you grow up? If you're a young student, I'm guessing you're naming off some profession, like a doctor, fireman, astronaut, or Youtube mega-influencer superstar. Maybe you're in high school...
Keep Reading"You are the salt of the earthYou are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13a,14a). Nineties kids: raise your hand if you owned a copy of The Lion King on VHS! (A moment for Gen Z and Alpha to Google "VHS") :) For those of you who didn't spend the entirety of summer 1994 watching it on repeat, the plot of The Lion King in a nutshell is this: Simba is the crown prince of...
Keep ReadingBut because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ evenwhen we were dead in transgressionsit is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5). You want it. But you don't always get it. You try to take it. But then you lose it. And just when you think you have it, things get out of it. Control. I want control. I'm one of those p...
Keep ReadingFor we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). The good news just keeps coming. This past Sunday, we declared, "He Is Risen!" Jesus has conquered the grave. By His selfless sacrifice, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. We were once dead in our s...
Keep ReadingFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of Godnot by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10). I'm definitely not a green thumb, but I love having plants in my home, especially my favorite ...
Keep ReadingGod saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT). For the past 6 or so year...
Keep ReadingAs for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins following the ways of the spirit at work among the disobedient gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath ... For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephes...
Keep Reading