Posts with the category “pastor-devotional”

This past Sunday, when you think back to what we heard, (I sometimes go back and try to see if I can get any common denominator) our brother taught the adult Sunday school class and took us to Acts chapter 4 and focused upon the generosity of the early church. You could say they were marked with great giving, not indiscriminate giving, but according to the needs. So there's that emphasis on great...  Read More

1 Peter 3:14-17,“But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile...  Read More

Pastor Gordon CookPsalm 69:30,“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Here is why we ultimately give thanks to God: to magnify, to glorify, our great God and Savior.Philippians 4:4-7,“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by pr...  Read More

Numbers 14:11-19,And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this peopl...  Read More

John 17 - This is the high priestly prayer of Jesus, and I will be referencing several of the verses that are in this chapter. We know that Jesus is praying for his people, for those who have received eternal life, for those who know the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ who was sent by the Father. He's praying for those whom the Father gave to the Son. These are God's people, this is t...  Read More

November 6, 2024Pastor Gordon Cook Acts 9:4-11, “And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless hearing the voice, but seeing no one. Sa...  Read More

October 30, 2024Pastor Gordon Cook Matthew 7:7-11, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door will be opened. Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, we'll give him a snake? If you then, wh...  Read More

October 23, 2024Pastor Mark Bauer Ephesians 1:15, 16, "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."  I think most of us know that Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians in verses 3-14 with a long sentence, a sentence that praises God who has blessed the church; God ...  Read More

October 16, 2024Pastor Gordon Cook I'm going to start with a quote from someone who was the editor of the Banner of Truth magazine, Maurice Roberts. I used to get that magazine quite regularly and what I appreciated so much about Mr. Roberts was he focused upon Christ and upon God. Here's what he said in one of his articles, “To have God in your mind and thought is the believer's constant source o...  Read More

October 9, 2024Pastor Gordon CookPsalm 2: Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, ...  Read More

October 2, 2024Pastor Gordon CookPsalm 46, To the choir master of the sons of Korah, according to Alamoth. A song."God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah. There is a river whose ...  Read More

  Read More

September 18, 2024Pastor Bernard Ibrahim2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and believe in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand fir...  Read More

September 11, 2024Pastor Mark BauerJames 1:2, “Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds.”James says words that may be somewhat surprising to many who are in the midst of trials. We're encouraged here to count it as joy when we're in the midst of trials. But how then and why would we see it as a joy to be in the midst of trials? Well, he goes on to help us understand that...  Read More

September 4, 2024Pastor Gordon CookPsalm 107:8-9“Let them thank the Lord for a steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men. For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”This psalm deals with a lot of problems or crises, heavy trials and God comes to the rescue every time. And then there's a common refrain of giving thanks to God for his steadf...  Read More

August 28, 2024Pastor Gordon CookPsalm 46:10-11, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”It's always good to focus upon God, and remind us of why we can be assured of answers to our prayers. This is a psalm that begins in a wonderful way, and ends in a wonderful way of fo...  Read More

August 21, 2024Pastor Gordon CookPsalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens, He does all that he pleases.”This reminds us of why we can be so assured that God answers prayer and that God is sovereign. Think of that, all that he pleases. And it does please God to answer our prayers. He loves to answer prayer, that's something God loves to do. He loves to show his care for his children.I was in Toronto...  Read More

August 14, 2024Pastor Gordon CookGenesis 2:7-9, 16, 17This is that wonderful story of creation. It comes into sharp focus here in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.  Genesis 1 is the overview and Genesis 2 is more of a focused view on the sixth day, and here's what God does for our first parents. In verses 7-9 you get a wonderful sense here of God's goodness, his generosity, his kindness by this beautiful g...  Read More

July 31, 2024Pastor Gordon CookMatthew 6:9-13: Pray then like this, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”To continue this theme of forgiveness I want to turn to anothe...  Read More

July 24, 2024Pastor Gordon CookLuke 18:9-14, “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like thi...  Read More

July 17, 2024Pastor Gordon CookColossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” There is a little paperback by the Puritan Thomas Watson titled A Godly Man's Picture. In other words, what does a godly man look like? And typically like a Puritan, he has 24 characteristics of a godly man or a godly woman, and two of them are found right here in Colossians 4. ...  Read More

July 10, 2024Pastor Bernard IbrahimColossians 3:1-4, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”Pa...  Read More

July 3, 2024Pastor Gordon CookRomans 8:28-30, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he als...  Read More

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God  Read More

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice.  Read More

Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.  Read More

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of...  Read More