News from November 2010

Taking the Cross for Granted

November 30, 2010

Jude 1:4 (first half)

“I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God’s forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives.”

How often do we live like this? How often do we take for granted Christ’s sacrifice? As humans we fall short of the glory of God, and therefore the cycle of sin and then repentance, sin and then repentance will always be one we live in. However, our purpose, our job as Christ followers is to strive to be Christ-like. God did not sacrifice His Son so that we can go about sinning and living life the way we want to.

So where does that leave us? It says later on in verse 20 that we “must continue to build [our] lives on the foundations of [our] faith. And continue to pray as [we] are directed by the Holy Spirit”. We all fall short and therefore we will sin but as people who love Christ we need to live lives directed by the Holy Spirit.

Father, I want to live a life that is so centred and focused on You. Lord, I pray that my life is a life directed by Your Spirit. That when people look at me, all they see is You Jesus. May I never forget Your sacrifice, may I never take it for granted. I love you.

Britt

November 29, 2010

Ezekiel 48:35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits, and the name of the city from that time on will be:
THE LORD IS THERE”

God mapped out the blue prints for this city. Everything was specifically designed just as God wanted it to be. And the bity would be called: The Lord is There”

God is everywhere. Sometimes it is hard to believe that God is everywhere in our lives. But He is still there when we can’t feel Him, when we don’t feel His presence. He never left. He never leaves. People leave, God doesn’t.

God is in Kelowna. God is in us. We can trust God because He never leaves. But it takes faith to believe that. And our faith is tested all the time. It takes a whole lot of faith when you pray a prayer and God doesn’t answer it they way you want Him to. Or when you ask for God’s presence and you don’t feel it, or when you ask for God’s hand and you don’t see it. There is no answer can be given as to why God does what He does. There is only a peace that comes when you truly believe that God is always there, His plans for us are good: even when we can’t see it. That is truth.

There is only one thing I can do today: cling to the cross, and trust that God knows what He is doing.

God, it says in your word that we should be thankful for the testing of our faith because it brings perserverance. Help me to perservere. Each day my faith is going to be pushed and tested: help me to cling to you, because it is only by your power that faith exists in my life.

I love you, keep me close,

Kelsey

November 26, 2010

2 Peter 1:5–8

”...make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It’s so easy for me to look at a passage of scripture like this and see a list of ‘do’s’ a list of behaviour modification…but that isn’t the point…the point is Jesus…

Yet, I get so caught up in the behaviour, I work hard to try to be a certain way, try to act a certain way, to try to be the person that I expect myself to be and the person I perceive others expect me to be…and in so doing I miss the point…I miss Jesus…

There is freedom in Christ that I know I have yet to fully experience, the freedom that would look at a passage of scripture like this and see that it is only by His grace, by His work in my life that I can even begin to supplement my faith with anything, even begin to experience having faith in the first place…

Jesus, work in my heart that I would not be so focused on behaviour, but that you would continually be doing the work in me that only you can do…Thank you for your grace, that by it I am free, that by it I can begin to live out in faith.

In your Name, Amen

Erin

November 25, 2010

Psalm 141:5

Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

I’m not sure if you would agree, but everything about this passage of scripture is contrary to my normal train of thought. To be completely honest – I don’t really want anyone striking me…no matter how righteous they may be.

And yet as I sit and reflect I realize…that I am so grateful for the righteous men and women in my life who have my permission, and their own strength to confront me when I need it…to rebuke me when I am out of line.

I am the kind of person who absolutely needs to have people around me who can set me straight because sometimes…I can make some pretty dumb decisions.

It never feels good to have someone call us out, it is a shot to our pride, a forceful interruption in the path that we really feel that we should be taking…

And yet it is so true that when I look back on my life I can see that more often than not…it has been those righteous people in my world who have had the courage to “strike me”....who have saved me from some serious pain.

Jesus thanks for blessing me with people who have the strength and the courage to set me straight, to speak words of truth, and who, when I push back…can push back harder. I need them, please bless them, and continue to use them to guide me to Your truth.

November 25, 2010

Who is it in your life?

Are you one in someone’s life?

This Sunday we will be introduced to one!

One what? An Encourager!

Story of Barnabas the Encourager and how he lived his whole life this way.

Sunday at 10:00
11.28.2010

November 24, 2010

“They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.”
Acts 8:11

In this passage, Simon is blowing people away with his sorcery. As a result, they all want to be with him. I think of what Simons motivation must be. Obviously he loves doing this because people love him for it.

So often I think to myself, “If only I went to school and got a degree, than I would fit in more and God could use me.” HOLD THE PHONE. Doesn’t God use the ordinary people to do his extraordinary works? Wether or not I have some crazy degree or gift doesn’t change the fact that I am a valued tool in Gods tool box. Later on in this passage, God comes to Simon and he forgets all about his sorcery! I WANT people to like me and to be popular, but I NEED you more than anything. I NEED to deny myself of my selfish desires.

Father, thank you for the reminder that I don’t need to have anything special to do your work. Just a heart to hear and feet that will go where you lead me. I can’t find my joy in schooling or popularity. Thank you for encouraging me and loving me. May you continue to receive ALL of the glory, I love you,

Amen.

November 23, 2010

Ezekiel 43:27
“On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people. Then I will accept you, says the Sovereign Lord.”

“Then I will accept you”. Wow. What strikes me about this passage is simply that one line. The chapter discusses the sins of the people and how they must atone for their sins. What strikes me about this is the fact that we do not have to do any of those things in order to be accepted by God. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, we do not have to offer up burnt offerings, we do not have to go through a list of traditions and rules in order to receive forgiveness. Christ died for our sins and therefore we are accepted.

No matter how many times I hear it, this does not get old. At the same time, I know that I take this for granted. How often do I think about the fact that the wages of sin is death and Christ paid that for me? How often do I actually stop and think of how absolutely mind boggling it is that when I sin all I have to do is ask for forgiveness? Forgiveness that I do not deserve.

Father, You are good. You are worthy of all my praise. Lord I pray that I never forget what you did for me on the cross. I pray that it continues to take root in my heart and grow. I pray that your sacrifice is not something that I gloss over but something that deeply effects the way I live my life. I love you.

Britt

November 22, 2010

Ezekiel 42:20
“So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits wide to separate the holy from the common.”

I will admit, I didn’t think I was going to get anything out from today’s reading: building blue prints aren’t really my fancy. But then these last 7, “to separate the holy from the common”.

Today, reading this, I got quite frustrated. What makes someone more holy than the next? Who even decides that? I know things like wisdom and knowledge can be measured, but holiness? Would that be graded on how many hours are spent in prayer, how they talk, how many big holy words they say, how about how many good deeds they do?
Segregation bothers me. Jesus tore the curtain when He died (Luke 23:45) this allowed ALL to be close with God.

Back then, people were segregated on their holiness, their gender, their income and their race. Has anything changed? Okay, it has improved, but still today we segregate ourselves, and we can do it without even realizing it. Ouch, how often do I?

Jesus, there is going to be a day, when we are all standing together, equal. We will be standing in front of you, clean of all sin, of all discrimination, of all hatred and all pain. How beautiful that day will be, the day when our sin nature doesn’t try and take over and cause us to judge, the day we truly love each other, the day when we can accept each other for who we really are, children in Christ.

I love you,
Kelsey

November 19, 2010

Ezekiel 39:28

“Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them among the nations anymore.”

God walks us through things we don’t want to be walked through, sometimes it may feel a little like we are being sent into exile…

I’ve been questioning lately the plans God has for my life, for our lives and the story of our lives…

If God is all about His glory, then how can I trust Him? How can I allow Him to walk me, to lead me where I don’t want to go?...

Maybe the greater question is…Do I trust Him? Will I allow Him to be my God, to lead me and guide me no matter where, no matter what that looks like…into exile and back if that is how His glory will be best revealed in my life?

“Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God…” Throughout the book of Ezekiel this phrase is continually present – through complete and total destruction, to the grace and love of God…God is about them knowing that He is God, that He is Sovereign, that He is Lord.

This is true in my life as well…and I need to ask myself: am I living a life that brings glory to Him, am I thinking, am I living in the perspective that it is about His glory, His Name and not my own? Will I be willing to walk through the unknown, to walk through the hard, to go after brokenness so that God’s glory will be best revealed, that He will be made known?

Lord, being about your glory scares me, the unknown scares me…I’m scared to be broken…But in the midst of my fear and in my (already) brokenness, I pray that you would help me to choose your glory above all else. That my life would be about your glory, that my life would be revealing your glory. Today, would you be glorified, today would you be made known.

In your Name Amen.

Erin

November 18, 2010

Ezekiel 37:11

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’

Have you ever felt cut off?

Dried Up?

That all hope….is gone?

I have.

I wonder what Ezekiel would have been thinking and feeling as he looked out over this valley full of dry bones….maybe pity…disgust….

Or maybe, his heart broke a little bit with that sudden realization…I feel alot like they do.

In my times when I feel the most empty, I look for something, ANYTHING to fill me up again. It’s almost a weird panic that takes over and in those moments all I want is to feel better. All I want is be comforted. ALL I WANT is to know that it’s going to be OK.

And in those moments I would do ANYTHING to feel better.

Even sin.

Even search for something other than God.

Have you ever felt like me?

Have you ever realized that when our dry bones thirst…we will do anything to quench them?

And yet later on in v. 14 God says

And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

My life…comes from Jesus.

My fulfillment…is Jesus.

And in Jesus, our dry bones will never be thirsty again.

Jesus I pray – in the times when I am most dry. In the times when I feel the most alone…when all hope is gone…

Would you bring the focus of my vision back to you…would I find my complete rest…my complete satisfaction…in you.

This song was playing when I was doing my Devotions this morning…and I wanted to share it with you.

November 16, 2010

Psalm 139

It is only fitting that on the day of my blog the reading guide passage happens to be Psalm 139. The entire passage is one that I am extremely familiar with yet today I am reading it as if I have never read it before. It speaks to ALL that I have needed to be reminded of lately.

In the past couple of days, the Lord has begun to peel back some layers in my life. He has begun to reveal things to me about myself and about my relationship with Him. He has also reminded me of things that He taught me long ago but I have seemed to have forgotten them…or maybe just chosen to ignore them.

While the Lord is teaching me, it may be challenging and painful. There may be days when I really do not want to face what He is trying to show me or listen to what He is trying to tell me. But I read a quote the other day that said “bask in the luxury of being fully understood and unconditionally loved”. I found this extremely comforting. He is revealing these things to me because He wants me to be the one He created me to be; someone who is fully enthralled with Him; someone who is fully satisfied in Him, and ONLY Him.

As I walk this journey, it will never get old to me to know that the Almighty and Glorious Creator’s thoughts about me are “precious and outnumber the grains of sand” (v. 17–18). What did I do to deserve that!?

So Lord, “search me and know my heart”, continue to peel back the layers! I know it is not always going to be easy, but Lord, I welcome the challenge. The depths to which You love me are unfathomable. It is comforting to know that I can “never escape Your presence” and that You have “chart[ed] the path ahead of me”. Father, You are so good. I love you. Amen.

November 15, 2010

Ezekiel 36:25
“I will give you a new heart and out a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

God wants us to have a heart of flesh; our hearts are to beat in time with God’s. We are supposed to feel emotions, God does. We need our hearts to break for what break’s His heart, and find joy in what brings joy to God’s heart.

I don’t like to deal with my problems. I will do all that I can to not face pain, I don’t like to be sad. I have hardened my heart against so many people and so many situations because I don’t like to seem weak. I do all that I can to forget about my pain, people’s pain, because it scares me to actually allow my heart to feel. It sounds a little cliché, but when you have been burned so many times you learn to “tough it out, and be strong”. But the problems never go away, they are never solved, and they just sit at the back of my mind as a self-destructing bomb, just waiting to go off.

Nothing is solved with a hard heart. Jesus doesn’t have a hard heart. He has the most real heart. A loving, compassionate, empathetic heart. If I am trying to look like you, Jesus, then why does my heart always put up its walls? A fear of emotion?

Jesus, this devotion is a hard one, even as I am writing these words to you, my heart is hard against the work you are trying to do through this passage of scripture. I guess I am just scared as to where this could go, and what kind of work you are going to do in my life. But I do know this: you are the only one who can break my heart, so I ask that you would break my heart for what breaks Yours. Give me a heart of flesh. Help me feel peace about this prayer, about that work You are doing, and will do in my life. I know you are walking right beside me.

I love you,
Kelsey

November 11, 2010

Values of SunRidge

Each church has a specific vibe or feel or culture about itself and much of this
has to do with the values that it holds..

What are ours?

Sunday 14.11.2010

November 11, 2010

Acts 7:31–32

When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look.

It appears that there is a difference between experiencing something amazing…and experiencing an encounter with the living God.

Amazing things catch our attention, they make us want to draw closer, they make us want to get a closer look, to see for ourselves and explore…because our senses are intrigued, our curiosity is piqued and simply put…we are entertained.

However something happens to Moses, when he sees this amazing thing and draws closer to get a better look…he realizes that this is not simply a wonder of nature…but this is the real, powerful, sovereign living God…and all of a sudden Moses doesn’t want to look anymore…in fact he doesn’t even DARE to look.

I think that in the times when I have most meaningfully experienced what I would call a genuine encounter with God…while my heart has been touched, and my spirit encouraged by my loving and caring Father…there also is a sense in which I realize just HOW perfect He is…and how IMPERFECT I am…and there is a part of me that is humbled…quieted….and subdued.

Maybe that’s what Moses experienced here…maybe that’s what was going on…confronted with the raw power of the living God Moses suddenly, starkly realized just how unworthy he was to be in the presence of the Lord of the Universe.

Now I don’t want to sound like I am writing off the power of those amazing experiences filled with deep emotion and joy where God by His grace ministers to our souls and provides encouragement and love…but maybe what I am saying is that if we are LOOKING for those times….we can miss out on some of the most beautiful encounters with God, where we are so aware of His power….so aware of our LACK of power, and so thankful…that the perfect God of creation chooses to call us His children.

May we always seek the living God…in power, in silence, in wonder and amazement but ALWAYS for a greater sense of who He is, and who He makes us to be.

Amen.

Take some time today and remember our friends and family who have fought, still are fighting, and have died fighting for the freedom we enjoy in Canada today.

Lest we forget.

November 10, 2010

“Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.”
Acts 7 : 25

In this passage, Moses takes the life of an Egyptian with the hope that the Israelites will all understand the he is there to rescue them. When I first read this passage the word “control” came to mind. I feel as though in that moment, Moses was trying to control the situation. But does he for one second have the slightest bit of control? No.

Oh the times I feel I have control of my life! Where in fact I am at the other end of the scale. I attempt to jump to conclusions and try to have life all planned out, but God works differently. He has such a way of revealing things so that it brings all the glory to him. It rocks my world to know that I have no control of my life but at the same time, I’m thankful I don’t. Father, you have a way of working that cannot be changed. May I submit to your working in my life and understand that your controlling hand is infinitely better than my own. Thanking you for reminding me that you set the agenda. To you be the glory, forever and ever,

Amen.

November 8, 2010

Ezekiel 28:1&2
“The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“‘In the pride of your heart
you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
in the heart of the seas.”
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god. ”

I’ll say it – honestly, I don’t think I could go to someone of such power as the king of Tyre and tell him how horrible he is that he will be consumed by fire and reduced to ashes. I am pretty sure that if God asked me to do something like that my answer would probably be, “Um, no thanks God, try calling on someone else, because I am way to chicken to do something like that.”

Evidently, most of the time I am more scared of people then God.

This is a pretty cliché time to be reminded of the verse: “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13. The truth is plain – God gives us the strength to do the things he asks is to do. I think back to the times where I have had so much weight on my shoulders: deadlines to meet, job to do, emotions to control, all while serving and helping others who have more problems then mine, bigger problems then mine. I could have easily thrown in the towel, said “see ya later God, this is too much, the calling I have is too big and I can’t handle it, I don’t want to do this anymore…” There is only one answer that explains how I get through those tough times: Jesus. He has given me a task, and he provides the strength for me to do what He asks.

God, each time I am faced with problems and tasks bigger than me, bigger than I think I can handle: remind me of you. Remind me that the work you did on the cross, Jesus. The cross has made it so I can have a deep, intimate relationship with you, and you can pull me through. People will fail me, that it a guarantee, but you won’t. You are the trustworthy God who loves me, cares for me, the one who lifts my burdens, and you have always and will always be the faithful trustworthy God you have always been!

I love you so much!!

Kelsey

November 2, 2010

Ezekiel 21:3–5
“Give her this message from the Lord: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people—the righteous and the wicked alike. Yes, I will not spare even the righteous! I will make a clean sweep throughout the land from south to north. All the world will know that I am the Lord. My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished”

I often forget about God’s wrath and anger. I know He hates sin; I have read countless passages about His punishments for sin. Still, I tend to focus on the other characteristics and aspects of God. I stand in awe of His Beauty, His Power, His Love. I look to Him for comfort and peace; as a source of Joy and strength. All of these things are easy for me to see; all of these things are good, all of these things are characteristics that I do need to focus on and remember. However, I do not that think that it is wise to forget about God’s wrath.

It is important to remember that the Lord hates our sin. It is important to remember His wrath. But it is most important to remember that we never have to pay for our sins, we never have to receive the punishment that is due to us. His sword has returned to its sheath because Christ died for us and paid our debt. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, I, the sinner, will never get the punishment that I deserve.

Lord, I pray that You continually remind me of this sacrifice. Thank you for loving me more than I can imagine, thank you for loving me even as I sin. I love you. Amen

Brittany

November 1, 2010

Ezekiel 20:17
“Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness.”

I often wonder how bad someone has to be for God to stop loving them. In this passage Israel does everything God tells them not to do, constantly defying God’s commands and breaking His heart to worship their man-made idols. Yet God’s wrath stays quiet.

I know God’s love is never ending, and His forgiveness knows no bounds. But if I am really truly honest, a lot of the time, my heart doesn’t believe it. I used to be really scared of people finding out who I really was, to find out all the secrets of my past. It was hard enough to let God in (even though He had been there the whole time). I used to think that people couldn’t love the real me. But God showed me His love: If the people in my life could continually love me through all my transgression, how could I ever doubt that the God that made the UNIVERSE could ever stop loving me.

Nothing is so big for God. No sin is too big for Him to forgive. No darkness is to dark for His light to shine. No one is too lost for Him to find. No idol is too big for Him to crush. For me, it all comes down to a simple an understanding that God is God; He doesn’t have a breaking point. I think about the stresses I currently carry, it is too big for me to carry. But it isn’t too big for God.

God, I can hear you whisper: “just lay it at the foot of the cross, where I took it ALL” How silly am I to think that “I can do it” no… only WE can do it. We’re a team; I can’t do this without you, mind if I lean on you for a while? I can’t stand on my own. Thank you for reminding me of how small I am, and how big you are. My problems are too big for me, and I fall when I try to carry them on my own- crush my independence, allow me to be completely dependant on you. I know that you will never stop loving me.

I love you,
Kelsey

This is Love...

Date Posted: May 18 2012 by Erin MacIntosh
The Secure Place.

Date Posted: May 17 2012 by Brian Hawkins
A challenge.

Date Posted: May 16 2012 by Kyle Dyck
Thoughts and Thanks

Date Posted: May 15 2012 by Alecia Klassen