Video Devotionals

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Kinder is Better

| 1:14 MIN READ |

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I would suggest that one of the biggest wins we can experience in life is improving our attitudes. It’s likely that some of your biggest problems can be traced back to a needed attitude adjustment.

An attitude is your mindset about something. It’s the way you think about God, yourself, others and life. Your attitudes drive and direct your behavior.

In many different places in the Bible, we find lists of attitudes that are critical to spiritual, psychological, relational and work success. Here’s an example in Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

One attitude we’re told to develop as Jesus followers is kindness. What is kindness? Kind people are generous, friendly, considerate, helpful and warm. They treat others with respect and stand ready to assist in practical ways. Kindness is an attitude before it’s an action. When kindness is in your heart, it will come out in your words and actions. Kind people are rare. When you are kind, you set yourself apart. You also help others get to know God. Kinder is better!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Improving Your Harmony

| 0:51 MIN READ |

All successful and productive relationships have one thing in common — a real connection. The lifeblood of fulfilling human connections is meaningful communication.

The root word for “communication” is “common.” Communication is interacting with someone in ways that create common connections, building harmony. Harmony is a beautiful thing!

Good human connections and communication start with a relationship with God. The more you harmonize with God, the more meaningful your relationships with others will be. Take a look at this verse in Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God wants you to know His heart, and He wants to know what’s on your heart.

Take time today to open your heart to God. Let your heart harmonize with His heart, and all your other relationships will improve!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Are You Connected?

| 1:02 MIN READ |

How connected are you? In the world of modern technology, connection is something we’re familiar with. It’s also something we struggle with. With easy communication access to others, some psychologists tell us that we’re lonelier and more isolated than ever.

Real connection has to do with developing meaningful relationships. You were created by God to be connected to other people. We’re social creatures. We flourish, grow, and work best when we’re connected.

God made this observation about humanity following His creation of man in Genesis 2:18 (NIV) “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”

After all affirmations of His creation, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone!” The absence of relationships is the only thing God said wasn’t good! God created us to be connected!

You were created by God for connections with others. You need people, and people need you. This is the reason connecting with a church family is so important. Are you connected?

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 15, 2019

Loving and Serving

| 1:43 MIN READ |

All of us have unique ways of letting people know that we care. Caring is a vital part of good relationships. Caring is often shown by serving.

Jesus showed us how to love and care for others. One example of this happened on the night before Jesus was crucified. That evening Jesus called His disciples together in Jerusalem for a special dinner. After the evening meal, Jesus showed them what love and caring are all about. John 13:4-5 (NIV) “So He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”

Jesus noticed a need in the room that evening. No one had volunteered for the customary washing of feet. It was apparent that none of the twelve disciples felt it was their responsibility. They thought it was too menial a task for such “important” people.

Jesus handled the situation differently. In humility, He got up from the table and did what no one else was willing to do. He washed everyone’s feet! Why? Because He understood the connection between loving and serving. He wanted His disciples to learn this lesson too.

Once the foot-washing was over, Jesus summarized the lesson for His disciples. It applies to us also. Look at His words in John 13:14-15 (NIV) “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

What’s the lesson? Loving others isn’t complicated. It’s merely a matter of taking time to humbly serve people in practical ways. That’s something you can do, and you’ll be blessed as you do!

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 12, 2019

Healthy Habits

| 0:55 MIN READ |

Every new year, we often start new and hopefully healthy habits. According to an article by Forbes, studies have shown that less than 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8% accomplish them. We need a reset when good, healthy habits have been neglected.

The good thing about good habits is the incredible blessing they are to your life. The bad thing about good habits is that they must be managed and maintained if we’re going to benefit from them. As surely as we can gain good habits, we can also lose them.

The Apostle Paul worked hard to keep good habits as we see in 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT) “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Sloppiness in our habits is a pathway to problems.

When good, healthy habits are neglected, it’s time for a reset!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Are You Hurting?

| 0:43 MIN READ |

Human hurt happens in many ways. We are hurt by the evil and meanness of people, misunderstandings and misperceptions with people, disappointed expectations with people and circumstances, losses in life and deferred or denied dreams.

Any time hurt happens to us, we’re in a very vulnerable and potentially dangerous place. Hurts can propel you into great growth, or they can send you into a downward spiral of anger, resentment, bitterness and despair.

Look at what God says about this in Hebrews 12:15 (NIV) “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

To grow through your hurts you must learn how to reset your spirit and soul when they happen.

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Spiritual Antivirus

| 1:09 MIN READ |

As we go through life, our attitudes are continually exposed to contamination or poison. Your perspective can be warped and poisoned. Attitudes are the way you think that affects the way you feel, relate, respond, and react. In computer terms, think of viruses, malware, etc., that get into your system. Many times we “download” things into our thinking through unguarded thinking & influences.

If we don’t have the right filters in place, our attitudes and perspective — our thinking — is contaminated Spiritual contamination in us creates spiritual “diseases” in us, and is spread to others.

The Bible describes how the minds of people can be poisoned. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) Paul warns us “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When your attitudes and perspective have been contaminated, it’s time for a reset!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Spiritual Memory

| 1:25 MIN READ |

One of the main reasons computer operating systems need to be reset is because of user errors! Some mistakes are minor. They leave no lasting damage.

In life, there will be moments where we will need a reset when debilitating mistakes have been made. Mistakes are part of life and we all make them.

Similar to computers, mistakes often don’t have a major impact on our life “system.” There are other mistakes that are debilitating and even potentially destructive to us and others. They weaken us.

Peter needed a reset after his big failure of denying Jesus. Here we see how Jesus resets Peter’s life in John 21:15-17 (NIV) “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.””

When debilitating mistakes have been made, we need a spiritual, emotional reset. There is a spiritual “trash can” that needs to be emptied, spiritual “files” that need to be deleted, and a spiritual “memory” that needs to be overwritten!

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 8, 2019

More Abundant Life

| 1:22 MIN READ |

God has an amazing plan for your life. Jesus described it in John 10:10 (NIV) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. Jesus came so that you could experience a “more abundant life.” Experiencing this life requires our cooperation with God. To cooperate or experience this, sometimes we need a reset.

Most of us are very familiar with resets with electronic devices. Practically every device has a reset button or a reset process. According to one source in electronics a reset, “clears any pending potential errors or events and brings a system to normal condition or an initial state.” (Wikepedia) It’s also used to describe the process of restoring a gem in a piece of jewelry. In a spiritual sense, a reset means, “a new life; a fresh start.”

When you hit the reset button or initiate a reset process you wipe away the old and begin a new journey. You will never experience your best life Jesus has for you without learning something about resets.

You must learn when and how to reset your life. This is part of your life management responsibilities. If you don’t recognize the signs your “system” will continue to grind away with no results, or it will eventually crash.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we dive into the different times you will need a reset in your life.

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 5, 2019

Simply Complex

| 1:38 MIN READ |

Relationships are both simple and complex. They are “simply complex!” One of the major myths of relationships is that if they are real, meant-to-be, they will just happen. We have put relationships in the category of the unexplainable. When a relationship “works” it’s because of some mystical, magical kind of chemistry and “soul connection.”

While it certainly is true that chemistry and compatibility sometimes exist in relationships, and these elements make the relationship require less maintenance, not all relationships will have these elements, or should have them. The majority of relationships in your life will not happen automatically. They will require effort to build and maintain. Connecting with others in a relationship requires something from you!

God gave us relationship principles, truths, guidance, and wisdom. He told us how to build, grow, develop healthy relationships. In the book of Colossians 3:12-15a (NIV), the Apostle Paul notes, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

The sooner you recognize and admit that good, strong relationships do not just happen, somewhat mystically and magically — the sooner this romantic deception is broken in your life — the more prepared you will be to build healthy and fulfilling relationships.

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 4, 2019

How Maintenance-minded are you?

| 1:26 MIN READ |

Maintenance is a very important activity. To “maintain” something is, “to preserve it from failure or decline; to sustain it against opposition or danger; to uphold and defend.” But because maintenance involves work it’s often avoided. Many people would rather go for “low-maintenance living.” We like low maintenance homes, low maintenance cars, low maintenance jobs, and low maintenance relationships. The less maintenance the better!

Lack of maintenance comes at a cost. It’s the “pay now or pay later” principle. When we neglect maintenance, we pay through problems, pain and repairs. Neglecting duties and ignoring responsibilities will lead us to miss wonderful opportunities. How many marriages, friendships, businesses and careers have slowly decayed and disintegrated because of a lack of maintenance?

Great blessings come when we are maintenance-minded people in all areas of life. God calls us to live this way in Proverbs 27:18 (NIV) “He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit …” Notice that the rewards of enjoying the fruit of a tree goes to the one who tends it. Tending is maintenance work. It’s unglamorous, daily, routine, mundane work. But without it, forget enjoying the benefits. Investment always precedes increase!

What areas of your life, your marriage, your work, your health — your life — are suffering from a lack of maintenance? Start tending the “tree” and you’ll enjoy some fresh, new fruit!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

What’s Burning in You?

| 1:45 MIN READ |

What’s burning in you? I’m talking about passion. Passion is an important part of life, and a commonly misunderstood concept. It’s often mistaken as something only associated with romance or with someone’s strong feelings.

Actually, passion is all about deep dedication and devotion. It’s about rock solid commitment to something or someone. It’s a kind of fire that burns in us for people and causes us to genuinely love. Passion is very much like fire. It can wane with neglect. It can also be rekindled with purposeful care and attention.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about rejuvenating his spiritual passion in 2 Timothy 1:6, 7 (NLT) “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Timothy had real faith, and his faithfulness to God was unquestionable, yet, Paul realized that this young man was losing something essential. He needed to fire up his passion for God. Fear and fret had thrown water on the flames in his soul. It was time to get out the spiritual bellows and rekindle his passion!

If this happened to Timothy, it can certainly happen to you and me! We can lose our fire for God. Our passion for the Kingdom of God can be compromised and contained by our life choices and experiences.

How’s your spiritual passion? If it’s less than it should be, go ahead and start fanning the waning embers in your soul. Remember God’s calling and purpose for your life. Live a life of integrity with God and keep short accounts with Him, quickly repenting of sins and failures. God will add His breath to your efforts, and your passion for God will blaze brightly again!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Did You Say “Quit”?

| 2:04 MIN READ |

You’ve heard it before — “Winners never quit and quitters never win!” The famous American football coach Vince Lombardi frequently reminded his players of this life principle — you won’t win if you quit too soon.

Days, weeks, years, decades of working and waiting, with little to show for it, can take its toll on your heart and soul. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to keep going when everything inside you is screaming “quit!” While there are times to “throw in the towel,” there are many more times when we need to “remain in the ring.” Many people “leave and lose” when victory is right around the corner. The sad reality is that many of these pay-offs never come simply because people give up — they quit too soon.

There’s a great story in the Bible that reminds us of the power of persistence, especially in our obedience to God. It’s the Old Testament story of Naaman. Naaman contracted the deadly disease of leprosy. He was directed to the prophet Elisha for a miracle cure. Elisha gave Naaman instructions that he didn’t like. These instructions confronted Naaman’s pride and tested his patience. He was told to go and dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. God promised that in doing this he would be healed. After much protest, Naaman finally agreed to obey God’s instructions, 2 Kings 5:14 (NLT) “So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!”

It’s very important to see that Naaman’s healing happened after the seventh dip. Dips one through six seemed to make no difference in his condition. Nothing improved and nothing changed until Naaman completed his seventh immersion in the muddy waters of the Jordan. But his persistent obedience paid off. On the seventh dip, healing came, breakthrough happened, the victory was won.

What if Naaman had stopped on dip two, or four, or five, or six? His story wouldn’t be in the Bible. We know about this man because he didn’t quit too soon!

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 1, 2019

What Has a Grip on You?

| 1:22 MIN READ |

One of the things God consistently warned His people about in Scripture, and one of the things that quickly incited His judgment, was idolatry. What is idolatry? Idolatry is anything that comes between us and God — anything that replaces our worship of God, our obedience and submission to the Word and will of God, or anything that has a controlling grip in our lives.

Even good things can become idols, if they take a place of priority in our hearts. A relationship, a job, a possession, a person, a position, a pursuit all of these represent potential points of idolatry.

In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, God pleads with His people about their idols. Note this warning on Jeremiah 25:6, 7 (NLT) “‘Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you. But you would not listen to me,’ says the Lord. ‘You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.’” The idolatry of God’s people in the Old Testament resulted in great pain and heartache for them, and eventually led to seventy years of exile in Babylon.

Do you have any idols in your life? The only solution to idolatry is repentance — letting go, giving up whatever you have exalted above God in your life and unconditionally surrendering yourself to Him again!

Pastor Dale

Friday, March 29, 2019

Know Your Season

| 1:29 MIN READ |

I’m blessed to live in a part of the world that experiences all four seasons. In Maryland, USA, our Fall colors are gorgeous, Winter is cold and occasionally snowy, Spring is alive with fragrant blossoms, and Summer –– well, Summer is humid and hot! Approximately every three months, things change.

Life has seasons too. Knowing the seasons is one key to living a successful and fulfilling life. Missing or misinterpreting a season can have a negative long-term impact on us.

The writer of Proverbs reminds us of the importance of knowing seasons, and using them well in Proverbs 20:4 (Msg) “A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall.”

This verse points out something every farmer gets. There are agricultural seasons. What you do in one season affects what happens in the next season. Plowing, sowing, cultivating, harvesting and resting are the cycles of farming. If you don’t understand this, you’ll not be in business very long. If the farmer doesn’t know the difference between plowing and harvesting seasons, the right work won’t be performed at the right time, and failure will be the result.

Different seasons require different tools and equipment. They also require different kinds of work processes. When the right work is done the right way, at the right time, we’re set up for success!

Pay attention to the seasons of your life. Do the right things, in the right ways, at the right time, and you can expect a fruitful life!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, March 28, 2019

RSVP

| 1:34 MIN READ |

You’ve received invitations that require an RSVP. The acronym represents a French phrase, “respondez s’il vous plait,” meaning “please respond.” The person holding the event wants to know if you’re coming. They want to prepare for your presence.

There’s an essential truth in this for our spiritual lives. God sends out invitations to us with a “please respond!” Salvation in Jesus requires an RSVP — a response from us.

The response required is personal, and necessary. Take a look at a couple of Bible passages reminding us of God’s RSVP invitation. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 (NLT) “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” The apostle Paul also pointed us to our RSVP responsibilities with God in Romans 10:9, 10 (NLT) “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

The invitation for free salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to everyone, but it calls for a response. The offer must be acknowledged and personally received. No one can RSVP for you. God asks for a response from every person.

Have you personally responded to Jesus’ invitation? Have you personally acknowledged your faith in Jesus Christ and your commitment to Him? If you have, you can be sure the gift of salvation is yours, and a place is prepared for you in heaven!

Pastor Dale