Piney Grove FWB

10/21/2026

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10/21/2026

10/21/2026

WEDNESDAY DEVOTION

ANOTHER SKYLINE

Hebrews 13:14 (KJV) — “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”

Yesterday, while sitting in a waiting room at a medical building near Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, I found myself looking out the window at the city skyline.

There were tall buildings stretching toward the sky, busy streets filled with traffic, and thousands of people going about their daily lives.

And then a thought crossed my mind.

Here I am, looking at yet another city skyline from the perspective of a waiting room.

I wonder how many times I’ve done that over the past several years.

Most people visit cities to see the sights, enjoy the attractions, or spend time on vacation. But for our family, so many of the cities we’ve visited have been associated with hospitals, doctors, medical procedures, and the desperate search for answers.

I’ve seen some beautiful places through some pretty difficult circumstances.

And yesterday, as I looked across Atlanta, I couldn’t help but think about how strange life can be.

On the other side of that glass, an entire city was moving. People were going to work, enjoying lunch, making plans, and living their lives.

But on my side of the glass, we were doing something we’ve become all too familiar with.

Waiting.

Waiting on doctors. Waiting on answers. Waiting on good news. Waiting and praying that maybe this appointment would bring us a little closer to the help we’ve been seeking.

And somewhere in those thoughts, the Lord reminded me of a wonderful truth.

This world is not my final destination!

Hebrews 13:14 says, “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”

I’ve looked upon the skylines of cities I never intended to visit. I’ve walked through hospital doors I wish we’d never had to enter. I’ve sat in waiting rooms where I would have given anything to trade places with the one we were there to help.

But praise God, there is another city that I’m looking forward to seeing!

A city whose builder and maker is God!

A city where there are no hospitals, no operating rooms, no difficult diagnoses, and no waiting rooms filled with anxious families hoping for good news.

Revelation 21:4 says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

I don’t know how many more cities we’ll have to visit. I don’t know how many more doctors we’ll have to see or how many more waiting rooms we’ll have to sit in.

But I do know this.

Every mile of this journey is bringing me closer to a city where all the waiting will finally be over!

And when I get there, it won’t be the streets of gold or the gates of pearl that will mean the most to me.

It will be seeing the face of the One who walked with us through every difficult mile to get there!

So if you find yourself in a waiting room today, whether it’s a literal room in a hospital or simply a difficult season of life where you’re waiting on God to move, don’t lose sight of what lies ahead.

Keep trusting. Keep praying. Keep looking up.

The view from your waiting room may not be what you wanted, but thank God, it’s not the final view!

One day, by the grace of God, I’m going to see another city.

And that city won’t have a single waiting room!

10/20/2026

Tuesday Devotion

IT COSTS TO BE DIFFERENT

Romans 12:2 (KJV)

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The other day I was eating at Cracker Barrel when something happened that caught my attention and gave me a thought I haven’t been able to shake.

Someone at the table ordered hash browns but asked for them without cheese. Nothing complicated about that, right? Just leave the cheese off!

Well, apparently it wasn’t that simple because it cost an EXTRA DOLLAR to NOT put cheese on the hash browns!

Now, that didn’t make a lick of sense to me! You’re actually doing LESS work, using LESS ingredients, and somehow charging MORE money!

Naturally, I pointed it out.

The explanation was that the hash browns normally come with cheese, and asking them to prepare them differently meant an additional charge.

And that’s when I said something that has stuck with me ever since:

“IT COSTS TO BE DIFFERENT!”

The more I thought about that statement, the more I realized just how true it is when it comes to living for the Lord.

We live in a world where conformity is expected. The world has its own way of thinking, its own standards, its own priorities, and its own definition of what is right and wrong.

And as long as you go along with everybody else, you probably won’t encounter much resistance.

But just try being different!

Try standing for Biblical truth when everyone else is compromising.

Try living a holy life when the world celebrates sin.

Try maintaining your convictions when everybody around you is abandoning theirs.

Try saying NO when everybody else is saying YES!

And you’ll quickly discover that IT COSTS TO BE DIFFERENT!

It may cost you some friendships. It may cost you some opportunities. It may cost you popularity, acceptance, or even the approval of people you care deeply about.

But I want to remind you of something this morning.

We were never called to FIT IN. We were called to STAND OUT!

The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…”

That word peculiar reminds us that we belong to God. We are His people, and because we belong to Him, our lives ought to reflect something different from the world around us.

Daniel understood this when he refused to defile himself with the king’s meat.

The three Hebrew children understood it when they refused to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image.

And the apostles understood it when they declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Every one of them discovered that standing for God could come at a tremendous personal cost.

But every one of them also discovered that God is worth whatever it costs!

You see, the real question isn’t whether being different will cost us something.

The real question is whether we’re willing to pay the price.

And before we complain too much about what it costs to follow Jesus, we ought to remember what it cost Jesus to save us!

He didn’t purchase our redemption with silver or gold. He purchased it with His own precious blood!

Surely, if He was willing to give His life for us, we ought to be willing to live our lives for Him.

So here’s my encouragement to you this Tuesday morning.

Don’t be ashamed to be different. Don’t compromise your convictions just to make others comfortable. Don’t trade your testimony for temporary acceptance.

If following Jesus means you have to stand alone, then stand!

If doing right means you have to go against the crowd, then go!

And if being faithful means you have to pay a price, remember that the reward of following Christ is worth far more than anything this world could ever offer.

I went to Cracker Barrel and learned that leaving cheese off your hash browns might cost you an extra dollar.

But I was reminded of a much greater truth:

IT COSTS TO BE DIFFERENT… BUT IT COSTS FAR MORE TO BE JUST LIKE THE WORLD!

Have a blessed Tuesday!

10/19/2026

A GOOD KIND OF TIRED

Monday Devotion

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV)
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;”

Sundays are extremely taxing for a preacher! Rewarding? Absolutely! But I must admit, they can also be exhausting.

A typical Sunday for me involves preparing the song and sermon slides for our presentation software, setting up the livestream, making sure all the musicians have their music, and rehearsing the songs for worship.

Then, when church begins, there’s welcoming everyone, addressing the general assembly, teaching Sunday School, leading our prayer band, making sure the livestream is ready, playing guitar during worship, making announcements, and preaching the Word of God.

And when Sunday evening rolls around, we get to do much of it all over again!

But that’s just the physical side of things.

What you don’t always see is the spiritual burden that accompanies the responsibilities. The praying for everyone who is there, and especially for those who aren’t. The concern for those who are struggling, the burden for those who are lost, and the desire for God to move in a way that only He can.

And then there’s that constant desire within me to do a better job than I ever seem capable of doing. Not because I’m trying to impress anyone, but because I know that God deserves far more than I could ever give Him.

I want every song, every prayer, every lesson, and every sermon to bring Him glory. And no matter how much I prepare or how hard I try, I always know I could have done more.

But tonight, as I sit here writing this devotion at the close of another Sunday, I am tired.

Really tired!

But it’s a good kind of tired.

It’s the kind of tired that comes from knowing you’ve spent your day doing something worthwhile.

It’s the kind of tired that comes when you’ve given everything you know to give to something that matters.

It’s the kind of tired that reminds you that while your strength has limits, God’s power does not!

And perhaps that’s what brings me the greatest peace tonight. I can rest knowing that I’ve done what I could, and God is able to do what I cannot!

After all, it’s not my responsibility to produce the results. It’s my responsibility to be faithful with what God has placed in my hands.

And that brings me back to our Scripture.

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”

That verse isn’t just for preachers. It’s for every one of us!

Whether you’re preaching a sermon, teaching a classroom, raising children, caring for someone who is sick, working a job, serving your church, or simply fulfilling the responsibilities God has placed before you, whatever you do, do it with all you’ve got, and do it for the glory of God!

There is a big difference between being tired because you’ve wasted your day and being tired because you’ve invested your day in something that matters.

So here’s my encouragement to you this Monday.

At the close of each day, when you lay your head on your pillow, I hope you’re tired.

Not tired from carrying burdens God never intended you to carry. Not tired from trying to please a world that will never be satisfied.

But tired from loving, serving, giving, working, and doing your very best with the opportunities God has given you.

And when you’ve done all you can do, leave the rest in His capable hands.

Because there is something wonderfully satisfying about giving your best to God, trusting Him with the results, and going to bed a good kind of tired!

Have a blessed Monday!

10/18/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNqoFa5YD2k

Live Recorded Service

10/18/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp7C5nn5y8k

Live Recorded Service

10/16/2026

CLEAN

Friday Devotion — October 16, 2026

John 15:3 (KJV) — “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

Yesterday, while helping clean the church, I was using furniture polish to clean and protect the beautiful wood throughout the sanctuary. I worked my way across the pews, the communion table, the pulpit, the choir modesty rail, the grand piano, and the organ.

As I cleaned, I couldn’t help but notice something that inspired my heart. With each passing of the cloth, the dust and dullness would disappear, and the natural beauty of the wood would begin to shine. When the light hit those freshly polished surfaces, they almost seemed to come to life!

And somewhere in the middle of all that cleaning, the Lord began speaking to my heart.

Isn’t that a beautiful picture of what God desires to do in our lives?

You see, that wood was beautiful all along, but the dust, fingerprints, and buildup had kept it from reflecting the light as brightly as it could.

I wonder how often the same thing happens to us spiritually.

We allow the dust of this world to settle upon our hearts. The frustrations of life, the distractions of this world, the cares of yesterday, and sometimes even the sins we have allowed to go unconfessed begin to dull our spiritual shine.

And before we know it, we aren’t reflecting the light of Jesus nearly as brightly as we once did.

But here’s what encouraged me yesterday. The answer wasn’t to replace the wood. It simply needed to be cleaned!

Jesus said, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

There is a cleansing power in the Word of God! As we spend time in His Word, allow His truth to examine our hearts, confess our sins, and surrender ourselves to His will, He works in us to remove the things that hinder our fellowship with Him and diminish our witness before others.

And here’s another thought that blessed me. That wood wasn’t producing the light. It was simply reflecting the light that was shining upon it!

Oh, how I want that to be true of my life!

I don’t have any light worth shining apart from Jesus. But if I will keep my heart clean and my life surrendered to Him, I can reflect His wonderful light into the lives of the people around me.

And in a world that seems to be growing darker every day, we desperately need Christians who are shining brighter!

I finished cleaning yesterday with a little furniture polish on my hands, but with a wonderful reminder in my heart.

If we want to shine for Jesus, we must be willing to let Jesus clean the things that are keeping us from shining.

Maybe today would be a good day for all of us to spend a little time in God’s Word and let Him do some spiritual housecleaning.

After all, the purpose of a clean life isn’t to draw attention to ourselves. It’s to reflect the beauty and glory of the One who made us clean!

Have a blessed Friday!

Pastor David I. Crowe