Category: Uncategorized

We had some hot and thirsty days this summer. We did a bunch of work on our property out in the heat, and there were days when I needed not just a glass of water to drink, but a gallon. I know what thirst feels like. I love all the ways that water is us ed in the bible to as refreshing to us. There is the well of salvation, there is the water of the Word, there are rivers of living water flowing through us, etc. The things that speaks to me so plainly about all of this symbolism is that we never have to be thirsty and dry. The drought is over once we meet Jesus. We have enough water to be fully hydrated, and we never have to thirst again. Unfortunately, I know thirsty Christians. They have all this water at their disposal, and they walk right on past. If we want to stay hydrated, we have to drink the living water. Let’s be in the Word everday. Let’s let the rivers of living water flow through us. That’s when we become effective for the kingdom of God. Let’s give some of that water away too. Jesus is Living water to us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

When you see me, you have seen the Father. Jesus said this to Philip, when Philip asked to show him the Father and that would be all he needed to be content. Jesus said that they are One. You ask for God, you get Jesus, you ask for Jesus you get God! Jesus said that the words he speaks are not even his own. They come from Our father.

Wouldn’t that be powerful if we could say the same thing? We become one with Christ. We have His mind, His nature and His ability. So in actuality we should be able to say, you see me, you see the Father. Well, we have humanity to deal with, but day by day, we can be more and more like Jesus. Our actions, our lifestyle, our character, our integrity should be like our Father. When we want to know how God would act, all we have to do is look at Jesus. So the beautiful circle goes around and around. Jesus reflects the image of God, and we should reflect Jesus. Who do you resemble? I think you look a whole lot like Jesus. Jesus is….the closest representation of the Father we will ever see.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11 was such a beautiful example of total forgiveness. I do think it is interesting that she was caught in the act of adultery, and the religious rulers brought her in, and the man wasn’t even accused! After Jesus asked the one who was sinless to throw the first stone, and they all went away one by one, Jesus had an opportunity to talk just to her. He asked her who was there to accuse her now, and she replied that there was no one. Jesus said to her to go on her way, and sin no more. As believers, we know our past. Everyone of us know we have sinned. We know the wrong things we have done. We know what we really deserve, and yet, Jesus offered us total forgiveness. So often I find myself thinking that loving and serving God is the best life ever. We can’t go wrong! He loves us imperfections and all. It seems all too good to be true. But it is true. When we follow God, Jesus tells us to live for him. Walk away from sin, and live life full on for God. The biggest sermon on sin we could ever hear is just this, Don’t Sin. We do have a choice. Nobody forces us to sin. And let’s make our choice to sin not! Who is Jesus to you? Jesus is….total forgiveness.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

I am a strong advocate for healthy living. I believe is eating right and getting fresh air and exercise, everyday. I also believe that we can use our faith for good health, for now and into old age. Old and sick don’t have to be words that go together. There are some great examples in the Bible of people who lived long, healthy lives, and died with good eyesight and vigor. Moses was an awesome example. Good health is something we can believe for and most definitely be thankful for. Jesus knew that its not the healthy that need the doctor, but the sick. He knew that it was the ones who were sin-sick that needed Him. He knew it was the sinner who needed a Savior. It was the helpless who needed a Helper. It was the hopeless that needed Him. What has become so obvious is that it doesn’t matter what your problem or issue is, Jesus is…..the answer. He wants us to be whole. He wants us to be well. He wants us to find hope. He wants us to receive all we need from Him, and then start giving it away. What a privilege to be on His team, working along side Him as His hands and feet to bring healing to the sick, and hope to the hopeless. Jesus is….healing for spirit, soul and body.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

During this month, many people in our church studying the book Jesus Is by Judah Smith. I would encourage you to read it yourself, because each page helps you find out exactly who Jesus is to us, right here, right now. I hope you are beginning to see God’s character through the person of Jesus. If you want to be more like Him, let’s go about doing what He told us to do. It starts by loving God, and then loving people! In the process, life gets a whole lot more fun! Here is your daily eword.

I hope you are beginning to see that the reason we are on planet earth is to be more like Jesus and to bring God glory. God put us here as to receive His love, and then love others. His love came to earth in the form of a baby, and that baby came to fulfill His destiny by finding the lost, and offering them salvation. He came looking for hurting humanity and found us. What an amazing God we serve.
I bet in your own life, you don’t have to look very far to see someone who is hurting. Perhaps you work with someone who is going through a divorce, or with someone who is losing their home, or maybe just someone who is lost and needs direction in life. Hurting people are all around us. In just actual percentages, 5 out of every 7 people you meet world-wide don’t know Jesus yet. Praise God approximately 2 billion of the 7 billion people on the planet call themselves Christians, but there are a lot of people who still need to know Jesus. And you know if you have served the Lord for any amount of time that, being a Christian doesn’t filter us from hard situations. We just know how to get through them! So just like Jesus was out looking for the lost, find a way that you can help someone who is lost, by giving them hope. That’s what Jesus did, and that’s what we are called to do. Who is Jesus? Jesus is…the one who finds the lost.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Hebrews 4:16 tells us to enter boldly into the throne of grace to find mercy in time of need. We can boldly enter into God’s presence and be encouraged. I encourage you to let these words encourage you to experience grace to help!
Jesus is Lord over my spirit, soul, and my body (Phil 2:9-11). I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.(Ps 23) My God supplies all my need according to Hs riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19) I do not fret or worry about anything. I cast my cares on the Lord. (Phil 4:6, I Peter 5:6,7) I am redeemed from the curse, and by His stripes, I am healed. My body functions the way God designed it to function. I honor God and bring glory to Him in my body. (Gal 3;13, Matt 8:17, I Peter 2:24, I Cor 6:20) I have the mind of Christ. (I Cor 2:16) I am a believer, not a doubter, I decide to walk by faith, live by faith and practice my faith. I hear God’s Word, and my faith grows. Jesus is the author and developer of my faith (Heb 4;14, Heb 11:6, Rom 10:17, Heb 12:2) Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. I am seated with Christ in heavenly places. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (I John 4:4, Eph 2:6, Romans 8:2) I do not fear because God has given me a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind. God is on my side (2 Tim 1:7, Rom 8:31) I am God’s sheep and know His voice, any other voice I will not follow (John 10:27) I am God’s workmanship and a member of the body of Christ. I represent Him well! (I John 5:4,5 Eph 2:10, Phil 2:13) I let the Word dwell in me richly. He who began a good work in me will complete it (Col 3:16, Phil 1:6) I will accomplish what God has for me on this earth, because I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and my prayers are powerful and effective. (II Cor 5:21, James 5:16).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

I love that we serve a God who is generous. He is generous in love, generous in grace, and generous in favor. II Corinthians 8:9 actually talks about how rich we are in Christ. We know that applies spiritually, but it also applies naturally as well. So, how are you doing financially? Where ever you are on the economic scale, I want you to remember this….if you are a Christian, you are blessed! We may be seeing things that look dire economically, but in the big picture, life in our part of the world is much better than ¾ of the world. Almost 20 % of the world is underfed and undernourished. Most of America is over fed and over nourished! In that one area alone, we need to count our blessings. If you are struggling right now, my heart goes out to you. I want you to remember that our God is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He graciously sees a need and meets it. I want you to believe that God has more for you and that your financial situation get better, so that you can be more gracious and generous. Let’s confess about our generous God together:
I put my faith and trust in God
He is my Jehovah Jireh, the God of more than enough
My soul is prospering and so are my finances
I live to GIVE, and I love to GIVE
I sow my finances in God’s kingdom
Where every dollar produces for God and for me
I have more than enough to be generous
I hope that encourages you! God’s grace in our lives, gives us the ability to be generous with others!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

God has given his grace to us. We know it is undeserved, and unearned, but how often do we get caught up in trying to work our way into His grace? We have this tendency to feel like if we have anything, we have to work for it. Thankfully, God doesn’t think like we do. He gives grace undeserved. Let’s thank Him for His undeserved grace today. Father, we are so grateful that you don’t give us what we deserve, but you bless way beyond because of your great love for us. We know that you see beyond our failures, and our mistakes, and you believe for the best in us. Today we ask that you help us extend your kind of grace to others in our life. Help us to see beneath the surface, and see the treasure in each person that you see. Thank you for helping us to be gracious like you are. Thanks you for your amazing grace, in Jesus Name, AMEN!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Where sin abounds, grace increases more and more. Jesus is…. increasing grace to us. How often do we give God every reason to give up on us? We do the same dumb things over and over, we say we will do better next time, and we don’t. We make a commitment to change, and then we go back to our old ways. We are human in every sense of the word. What is so amazing about God is that even when we mess up, time after time, He still gives more grace. That is his grace increasing in our life. Just because God is gracious doesn’t give us permission to keep on sinning. Let me say that again. Just because God is gracious doesn’t give us permission to keep on sinning. We are human, but humans can change! And we can change for the better. That God for His increasing grace for us. We know that because of the fall of man, Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, we all became sinners. But through God’s amazing grace, and the obedience of Jesus, we are made righteous. We have to remember who we are because of Jesus’ obedience to death on a cross. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Let’s live in the consciousness of the cross.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

During this month, many of us at our church are studying the book Jesus Is by Judah Smith, and looking at who Jesus is to us. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. There are many attibutes and adjectives that describe Jesus, but who is He to you? To me, He is faithful, trustworthy, full of grace, loving, and my friend. He is life to me and He is with me and for me. Each day you can add to your list of adjectives of who Jesus is to you. Here is your Dailyeword.

Perhaps you were like me and memorized Romans 6:23 as a kid if you grew up in church. It says “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We deserved death, but God gave us a wonderful gift! It is eternal life. That is amazing grace! I have always heard the definition of grace as underserved favor. What this verse reminds us is that we don’t have to get what we deserve. That is a wonderful thing! Have you ever been giving a warning by the police when you really deserved a ticket? I’ve had that happen to me. It happens to my husband all the time. I say he has favor and grace all around him whenever he drives. He has been stopped many times, and he never ever gets a ticket. He even has petroleum angels, because he rarely watches his gas gauge and God graciously provides a gas station just before his gauge hits empty. I think you would call that undeserved favor. My husband and I both have experience grace, right here on the earth! I hope you can see the grace of God on your own life, perhaps even in little things like God providing a parking space, or any other small thing. I know if you are a believer, you have experienced His grace because we didn’t deserve heaven, but it is our home. We did deserve punishment, and Jesus took it for us. That is God’s gift to us. Than is amazing grace.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS