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Service (Luke 4:39)

So [Jesus] stood over [Peter’s mother-in-law] and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them. (Luke 4:39) ...

TOPICS: fruit, gratitude, healing, Luke 4, response, salvation, selfishness, service, thankfulness, works, worship

Running Again

Running Again (Or, “How the Worst Itch Ever Reminded me of the Best Fix of All”) The itch was so bad I could barely stand ...

TOPICS: Galatians 6, goals, patience, perseverance, persistance, progress, quitting, relationships, steadfastness, Work

Jesus is your better hope

For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on ...

TOPICS: confidence, foundation, grace, Hebrews 7, hope, salvation, works

Defending Jesus (Luke 4:29-30)

[The people] got up, drove Him out of town and brought Him to the edge of the hill their town was built on, intending to ...

TOPICS: apologetics, calling, evangelism, faith, witness

Jesus is the anchor of your soul

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus ...

TOPICS: assurance, Hebrews 6, security, stability, strength

The Father’s Delight (Luke 3:22b)

You are my beloved Son. I take delight in you. (Luke 3:22b) The steadfast, unchanging posture of God the Father toward God the Son is ...

TOPICS: acceptance, family, favor, forgiveness, hope, love, Luke 3, redemption, salvation

God has greater truths for you

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews ...

TOPICS: growth, Hebrews 5, insight, power, scripture, wisdom

Consistent Fruit (Luke 3:8)

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourself, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is ...

TOPICS: conversion, discipleship, faith, fruit, Luke 3, obedience, redemption, salvation

Jesus wants to set you free from works

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as ...

TOPICS: freedom, habits, Hebrews 4, obedience, peace, rest, Sabbath, Work

Prepare the Way (Luke 3:4b)

Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight. (Luke 3:4b) John’s job was to ready the masses to receive the Messiah. His task ...

TOPICS: calling, evangelism, John the Baptist, Luke 3, mission, purpose, witnessing

Jesus has given you a holy calling

Therefore, holy brothers [and sisters], you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession… (Hebrews 3:1) Jesus ...

TOPICS: calling, destiny, discipleship, Hebrews 3, membership

Wisdom, Stature, and Favor (Luke 2:52)

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people. (Luke 2:52) Would you increase in your stature and standing ...

TOPICS: advancement, blessing, growth, Luke 2, people, practicality, priorities, progress

Jesus understands your struggle

For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18) Do you ever struggle with ...

TOPICS: empathy, failure, greed, Hebrews 2, lust, pride, sin, strength, struggle, temptation

The Time Came (Luke 2:6)

While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for [Mary] to give birth. (Luke 2:6) We live in a world of instant weather reports ...

TOPICS: destiny, faithfulness, fulfillment, Luke 2, patience, prayer, trusting, waiting

Jesus will surely hold you up

[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God, and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of ...

TOPICS: courage, Emmanuel, Hebrews 1, hope, pain, presence, sovereignty, suffering, trials

Time to Treasure (Luke 2:19)

But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. (Luke 2:19) Wonderful things were happening to Mary, and she ...

TOPICS: blessing, Holy Spirit, insight, Luke 2, meditation, memories, prayer, reflection, solitude

Jesus has a crown of righteousness for you

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and ...

TOPICS: 2 Timothy 4, forgiveness, judgment, mercy, reward, salvation

Working Within the System (Luke 2:22-24)

And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, [Joseph and Mary] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present ...

TOPICS: Christmas, humility, Luke 2, obedience, responsibility

God’s Word prepares you for God’s work

God’s Hope for Your Heart from 2 Timothy 3 GOD’S WORD PREPARES YOU FOR GOD’S WORK All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable ...

TOPICS: 2 Timothy 3, bible, good works, power, qualification, scripture, training

Let’s Go (Luke 2:15)

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has ...

TOPICS: blessing, Christmas, class, entitlement, initiative, perseverance, Work

RADIO: The Catamaran – Heritage Hour 05/19/12

Do you ever feel like you’re just not going anywhere? Stability. It’s someone almost everyone wants, but what about when you’re stable, but don’t seem to be going anywhere? Join Pastor Phillip Gonzales for the conclusion of “The Cat, the Ketchup, & the Catamaran: unlocking the power of the Christian …

TOPICS: cat, catamaran, faith, Holy Spirit, ketchup, radio, The Cat the Ketchup & the Catamaran, the heritage hour

Water and Faith

Have you ever felt like your spiritual life was under water? For some, this is their sad reality. Drowning in the depths of despair and fear, pain and confusion, there is no clarity or strength in their belief. There is no substance to their faith, no hope in their heart… …

TOPICS: faith, faithfulness, outposts, spiritual life, water

The “Achievable” Exchange

To the young and the young-at-heart: It is a sad and subtle thing to exchange big dreams for achievable goals, and to do so often results in a life that finds its hope and answers in list-based follow-through, rather than life-giving faith. Beware the shrinking of your horizons and do …

TOPICS: dreams, faith, prayers, vision, youth

Bridges and Surf Boards

Sometimes I wonder, “what does ‘standing on God’s Word’ even MEAN?” The older I get and the more I study both Scripture and life, the more I’m discovering that the life and faith that Jesus invites us to are much more “fluid” than I grew up believing them to be. …

TOPICS: confidence, Emmanuel, Emmaus, faith, prayer, surfing, trust

Careful Who You Count On

“We were counting on Egypt to protect us from Assyria…” Over and over again the the Scriptures, we find this theme of people relying on something other than God, only to have it fail. Most often, that object of reliance is simply another person or group. How easy it is …

TOPICS: Assyria, Egypt, faith, Isaiah, provision, trust

Timidity or Trust?

“Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.” -1 Chronicles 19:13 Often we find ourselves so fixated on a particular outcome that we become slaves to our own expectations. In this, we open ourselves up to fear …

TOPICS: 1 Chronicles, confidence, courage, faith, trust

Faith and Trust

I am struck by the way the New Living Translation renders Numbers 20:12… “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel…” Somehow in the midst of crisis, Moses and Aaron’s response was to use God’s PRINCIPLES, but neglect His POWER. They took …

TOPICS: faith, Numbers, scripture notes, surrender, trust

Scripture Notes: Exodus 14 (pt.2)

Needing answers? Maybe you’re praying the wrong prayer… “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me?’” -Exodus 14:15 What strikes me in this account is that God is essentially saying to Moses, “Why are you asking me for something you’ve already been given? I already …

TOPICS: Exodus, faith, perspective, prayer, provision

Scripture Notes: Exodus 14 (pt.1)

In times of trouble, take heart. It may be that the reason you are faced with great opposition is that God is gearing up for a great deliverance on the other side! In the midst of this, be careful to not assume that God’s primary goal is your happiness. His …

TOPICS: deliverance, encouragement, Exodus, faith, glory, provision

A Generous Revolution

Jesus fed the multitude by having His disciples pass out the food. Don’t miss this. If you know the story in Matthew 14 (also in Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6) you probably know it as the story of how “Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand”. Think about this, though. …

TOPICS: faith, feeding, generosity, hunger, miracles, provision, revolution