Fall Creek Christian Church

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91:1-2 Once the snowball fight was fully engaged, we were all reminded why we had spent a great deal of time building our snow fort ahead of time. The snow balls were sailing by at an alarming rate not to mention speed. Catching one of those frosty missiles in the face would not have been good. Our forts provided some necessary cover from the barrage. In our verses for the day, the Psalmist reminds us that shelters and fortresses are not only for snowball fights. They are also needed in this crazy battlefield called life. It defies comprehension that God himself is willing to be our fortress, our shelter and our refuge. The Creator of all beckons us to himself, "Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened and you will find rest for your souls." My guess is that most

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (John 5:44 ESV) How many of us have been having a bad day, and someone says something that completely lifts our entire countenance? We instantly feel better, which isn't a bad thing. We are supposed to encourage and support one another. The danger comes when we start collecting the complements as a way to tell ourselves how great we are. We are, at this point, craving the glory from others. The Greek word for receive in the verse above is λαμβάνω lambanō, and one of its meanings is "to collect." We aren't supposed to be like the Pharisees and collect the glory that people give us. We are supposed to reflect that glory as a way if praise to God, admitting that He is the only one that is worthy of that kind of glory. We as Christians cannot allow ourselves to be collectors of glory, but need to become reflectors of glory. We seek the glory that

"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20 When our fearless leader showed up with full body white cover ups, I should have known things were about to get really really interesting. The owners of the house, who had no means to pay anyone, had a kitchen drain that had come apart under their crawl space. We were there to fix it in Jesus' name. Water, etc. had been pouring out onto to the ground for who knows how long. We had to lay down some plastic tarp, crawl over the muck and through the cobwebs to get to the drain pipe to repair it. The men I was with that day reminded me that sometimes loving others is a tough and dirty job. The writer of the Proverbs here lets us know in no uncertain terms that we will come under the influence of those with whom we spend our time. Guilty by association if you will. We get to choose ... Do we want to be guilty of being wise or being foolish? Granted, we are told to love

"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.' Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God -- I say this to your shame." I Corinthians 15:33-34 After a head to head collision in a pick up basketball game, the lights went out. Darkness. Ringing. Confusion. I don't know how long I was out, but I was quite relieved when I was able to see, think and move again. It was scary. Even though I had a headache, I sure appreciated the privilege of regaining my senses. I find Paul's definition of character here fresh and telling. A person of good character is one who has come to their senses. Specifically, they have walked away from those attitudes, actions and words that are contrary to God's will. They are living for God and they refuse to be led down the proverbial yellow brick road. The reality of the situation is that some of us reading this devotion today have lost our senses. D

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5 NIV) The miracle of life being formed. It is enough to make our heads hurt. There are so many things that happen in our world that are hard to comprehend. It is hard to theorize everything that God has created and everything that God does. It is beyond our limited intellects. It interesting to note that God can be so complex and so rich in thought, yet at the same time he can be so accessible, simple, and close. This is the work of God. The work that exceeds our wildest imaginations, and the work that even a child can begin to understand. This is the Maker of all things, our God.

“'My thoughts are completely different from yours,' says the Lord. 'And my ways are beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Is. 55:8-9 I once was standing in a circle of college professors. Each had earned their doctorates in their particular area of expertise. My immediate sense of intellectual smallness grew through the course of the introductions. "Hello Dr." ... "Dr." ... "Nice to meet you Dr." And then there was me. The Sesame Street tune starting running through my mind ... "One of these things is not like the other." Thankfully, the conversation remained at a level, within which, I could engage. However, I was keenly aware that if they had chosen to do so, they could have easily discoursed over my head. In our verses for the day, God in his mercy lets us in on a little secret. The m

None enter heaven who are only half-inclined to go there. Cold prayers ask God to refuse them. - CH Spurgeon What are your immediate thoughts on this quote? Are you half-inclined to go to heaven? Or can you hardly wait? Check out this verse: But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV) How have you been seeking after the Lord lately? Have your prayers been cold? Run to the One who can help you obtain a pure passion for His name and kingdom. Each day finds so much more meaning when we attack it with this mindset.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV) In our traditional worship service on Sunday mornings, we like to joke about the song: Jesus Love Even Me. Jesus loves even me. Not: "Jesus loves me because I am so great, attractive and kind..." Jesus loves us in spite of failures, AND he chooses to wipe out our sin on top of that. Jesus didn't just say that he loved us in our darkest, most sinful moments. He showed his love for us, when he went to the cross and died for us. Who is it in your life that you need to stop merely talking about how much you love them, and step up and show them? If we really want to be like Jesus, this is what it will look like. All because he loves EVEN you and EVEN me.

“These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong." Hebrews 6:18-19 As a kid, my friends and I use to love what we called "skitching". After a quality snowfall, we'd grab our snow gear and wait for my dad to come home. He'd stop and let us grab a hold of the back bumper and then pull us over the snow-covered road. We loved it! In order to maximize the ride, it was critical to hold on and hold on tight. In our verses for the day, the writer of the book of Hebrews makes a big deal about holding on as well. The stakes couldn't be any higher - our very souls. What is it that we can hold on to that leaves our souls sure, strong, and steady in life's storms? God's word. When he makes a promise, it'