Church Alive

06/04/2026

June 3, 2026

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (‭‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV)
We all mourn at some point and there are many different things to cause us to mourn.
The death of a loved one, the break up of a relationship, financial grief, health issues and the loss of a pet. All of these things and many more can cause us to grieve. Grief is usually a form of deep sorrow coming from the heart.
In today’s verse, Jesus promises us that He will comfort us. Jesus does this through the Holy Spirit, through reading His Word and through fellowship with other believers.
As a parent, when my children grieve, I grieve. When they rejoice, I rejoice. When their heart is broken, my heart is broken. Our Father in heaven loves us in the same way. What causes us to mourn, causes God to mourn. Just as we desire to comfort our children, God wants to comfort us.
Psalm 34:18
“18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Always remember that as you seek a relationship with the Lord, you are never a burden or abusing His mercy and grace when you cry out for comfort and peace.
Cry out to the Lord today, He is seeking to hear from you and He wants to comfort you with His love.
You alone, Lord, are my comfort and peace. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
Be blessed.

06/02/2026

June 2, 2026

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (‭‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV)
Today’s verse is the first verse of what is known as the beatitudes. The beatitudes are blessings given by Jesus that was challenging societal norms by blessing the poor, meek, and persecuted. It is Jesus’s desire to bless everyone, but not everyone recognizes God’s blessings as coming from God, or even think that they need God’s blessings.
But it is the poor and meek that are quicker to recognize the blessings that God has shown them, and quicker to praise and thank God for their blessings.
The wealth of a rich man that hoards his money is like a cistern full of stagnant water that serves no one and has no purpose. But the cistern of the poor and meek is like a river of fresh water that serves others and never becomes stagnant or runs dry.
I would rather be poor and meek on the outside, and rich in Spirit on the inside, than to be rich on the outside and be empty on the inside.
Take a moment today and be blessed by reading the beatitudes found in Matthew 5.
So often we fail to see just how blessed we are.
Have a blessed day.

06/02/2026

June 1, 2026

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (‭‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42‬‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV)
I believe that the writer of Psalms 42 is going through a difficult season. The writer knows that he should be surrendering his worries and frustration to God, but instead he is allowing his situation to bring him down. In today’s verse, he is even chastising his own soul for not releasing everything unto God. He is telling himself to put his hope in the Lord, as the writer says that he will praise God as his Savior and God.
I believe that there is more to praising God than just singing songs of praise and telling others how Great and Mighty God is. I believe that part of praising God is having an honest conversation with Him.
Telling God our frustrations, worries, pain, and our struggles to understand when we pray and our prayers are not answered like we think they should be, or in our timing.
We must remind ourselves to surrender everything unto God and trust that He will do for us what He knows is best.
Trust in the Lord and be blessed.

06/01/2026

May 31, 2026

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (‭‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV)
I believe that anyone that is used to doing for themselves doesn’t enjoy being weak or having the need to ask others to help them. But just like what I believe Paul is saying in this verse and chapter, when I am weak and going through struggles in my life I turn to God for help. And as my struggles increase, the more that I depend upon God to help me. And the more that my dependence upon God increases, the more that I see God working in my life, and the more that I see God working in my life, the more that my faith and trust in God increases. In my weakest moments, God has been faithful to lift me up and restore my strength. So, if it is in my weakest moments that I draw closer to God, then as Paul is saying, I should boast all the more over my weaknesses so that I may be drawn closer to God.
Know that God’s mercy and grace is sufficient for all of our needs and concerns and be blessed.

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

May 30, 2026

17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. (‭‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1‬‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV)
Today’s verse is not just a good practice, or suggestion, it is a command. But in today’s chapter the people are doing the complete opposite. Isaiah is telling God’s people to turn away from their wicked ways and to seek to do God’s will. Throughout the chapter Isaiah speaks of how the people and the righteous leaders perform all the righteous ceremonies and sacrifices, but do nothing to follow God’s will for the people. Isaiah is saying that the burnt offerings and ceremonies are detestable in God’s sight because of all of the injustice that is shown towards the oppressed, fatherless, widows, and the homeless. Today’s verse is a command for us all. We are to seek justice for all people throughout the world, especially the oppressed, the fatherless, and widows.
Seek to do God’s will in serving others.
Be blessed.

05/29/2026

May 29, 2026

2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (‭‭‭John‬ ‭15‬‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV)
I am definitely not a farmer and I have little to no knowledge of gardening. But it makes perfect sense to me that if a branch of a vine is allowed to grow and grow longer, it begins to absorb all of the nutrients from it’s food source and is unable to provide nutrients for the fruit itself. The further the fruit gets from its roots, the less nutrients it gets. And the further we get from God’s Word, or whatever is hindering us from sharing God’s Word with others needs to be pruned from our lives.
In today’s chapter Jesus tells us that He is the vine and that we are the branches. So as a branch, I get all of my nutrients from reading God’s Word and fellowship with other believers, and the more I read the more I grow spiritually, and that’s a good thing. But if all I do is sit in my room and read God’s Word and not have any fellowship with others, then I become a branch that is not producing any real fruit.
As Christians, what is hindering us from producing healthy fruit? What needs to be pruned from our lives that is sucking up all of our energy and time that is preventing us from sharing God’s Word with others?
Pruning may seem painful when we think about removing activities or things from our lives that are preventing us from being fruitful spiritually. But it will help us to be healthier spiritually and more fruitful.
Ask God to reveal some branches in your life that need pruned to help you to produce better fruit and be blessed.

05/29/2026

May 28, 2026

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (‭‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV)
This verse speaks of wisdom and knowledge and there is so much wisdom and knowledge in this single verse.
I believe that to fear the Lord doesn’t mean to be afraid of God, but rather to stand in awe of how magnificent, powerful, loving, compassionate, and merciful God is. No nothing that I just said can even begin to describe how great our God truly is.
To have true wisdom is to know absolutely everything that you possibly can about something or someone in particular. So to have wisdom of God is to seek to know and understand everything that you possibly can. I have worked on cars and I am working on building our third house, but that doesn’t make me a mechanic or a carpenter. It only means that I have some understanding of both.
Often when assembling something, we only read enough of the instructions to get the job done. That isn’t wisdom or knowledge, but only a little understanding. To have wisdom of anything is to have as much knowledge as we possibly can about the creator of what we are studying.
To have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Lord, we need to be in God’s Word daily with a deep desire to learn everything that we possibly can about our creator. We must also pray that God will give us wisdom.
James 1:5
“5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Seek wisdom, pray about it, and receive it.
Be blessed.

05/27/2026

May 27, 2026

7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (‭‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV)
There is no greater giver than God Himself. Everything that we have has been given to us from God.
From the home that we live in to the food that we eat, God has given it all. From the ability to work to having the opportunity to go to work, God has provided. As we look around us, everything that we see has been a generous gift from God. It is God’s way of blessing us. God blesses us because God loves us and wants the best for us. And the only thing that God is asking for in return is for us to show our thanks and gratitude for the blessings that He has given us and that we share our blessings with others. But Paul is reminding us that when we give, we should see it as an opportunity to share with others and not as a begrudging obligation, but rather a way to express God’s love.
Many times, giving of our time and talents is the greater gifts that we can give.
How ever you feel that God is leading you to give? Give cheerfully from your heart as an expression of God’s love.
Always remember that the greatest gift that God has given us all, is the free gift of salvation, and that is a gift that we must all receive and share with everyone we meet.
Bless others with what God has blessed you and be blessed.