St. Paul Methodist Church

06/03/2026

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Have you ever had one of those jobs or tasks that the boss told you to do, but it was very difficult to get motivated about it because you could not understand the reason behind the job or task. I know that this was always a struggle in the Army, motivating someone to do something, especially when it seemed mundane or trivial, even though what they were doing was essential to mission success. In a certain way that is what this scripture passage is teaching, that faith is when we are able to trust in God, even when we are not yet able to understand the outcome. It is our faith in God that gives us the confidence to stay faithful in prayer and obedience to Him, even when the reason why remains elusive. We must keep our faith in God that He knows the outcome for our efforts for Him, even if we do not.

Prayer: Dear heavenly, kind, and gracious Father, let Your Spirit guide us to the conviction and faith we need to continue moving forward despite our doubts. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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06/02/2026

John 4:13-14 (NIV) Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I so enjoyed preaching about God’s daily bread in church yesterday and about how much more important is the spiritual bread that can only come through Christ. It is fitting that we are talking about water today, because in this passage Jesus is telling us that while we depend on the good old “H2O” to for quenching our thirst, much like the importance of the sustenance we get from spiritual bread, we need to understand that it is the spiritual water of Christ that provides us eternal life. In our increasingly scientific and technological world, we can quickly become focused on things that are natural, scientific, and measurable. But it is the spiritual that will always be more sustaining and eternally beneficial to us.

Prayer: Dear God, let us never tire of petitioning you for our daily bread and the regenerative cleansing water of Jesus. This we ask in His Holy and precious name. Amen.

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06/01/2026

Romans 5:6 (NIV) You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Can you remember those movies you used to see, where there always seemed to be a damsel in distress who would be saved at the very last moment by the hero of the show? I do, and I have grown up actually enjoying this kind of theme, where victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat at just the right time. This very theme is how Paul is describing what Jesus has done for the world. For a powerless and vulnerable humanity, Jesus not only snatched our souls from the dark bonds of sin, but He died for us all in doing so. To put it into the context of one of those cliffhanger movies we like so much, Jesus was the hero of the show, but He did not just die for the damsel in distress, He also died to save the villain.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to see and understand that it is not just us believers that Jesus came to save. He died for all of us, so that we might all be saved at just the right time. Amen.

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05/27/2026

Jeremiah 17:11 (NKJV)“ As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.”

Just like many sayings that our grandparents used, that make absolutely no sense to a teenager of today, there is so much in the Bible that would make much more sense to us if we understood the way of life of the people who lived when it was written. This passage from Jeremiah is no exception. What we have to understand about this verse is the metaphor used about the partridge, because partridges are known for sitting on other birds’ eggs in a effort to stay warm and safe. But the problem is that this ends in ruin, because the partridge cannot rear the eggs of bird of a different breed. The parallel is made to riches that are gained through dishonesty. These riches can seem promising and at first, but in the end, they never yield the fulfillment that can only come through honest gains.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to find ways to better understand the knowledge and wisdom that You share with us throughout scripture. Let Your Spirit guide us to ways to become rich in Your knowledge without gaining it in the right way. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

05/26/2026

Psalms 35:1 (NKJV)Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me.

So many times in our lives, we will face attacks, opposition, lies, and deceit, but the reality is that we do not have to face these attacks alone or take things into our own hands. In the world today, it is just too easy to pick up a phone or go to your computer and spread lies that can be harmful. But in response to a lie, we will often lash out ourselves, and in the end, we end up being little better than the person who attacked us with slander in the beginning. What David is reminding us of in this passage from Psalms is that we can God’s wisdom and justice instead of letting anger and thoughts of revenge take control.

Prayer: Dear God, protect us from ourselves and let us trust You to fight for us and bring justice to those who deserve it. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

05/24/2026

05/22/2026

Amos 3:3 (NKJV) Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

Have you ever seen a child out walking a very large dog on a leash? Things usually go pretty well as long as the dog agrees that it wants to go the same direction that the child does, but as soon as something like a squirrel enters the scene, it is very likely that likely that the child is going to go a direction that they had not planned on. Now think about your spiritual walk with God. As Amos tells us here in this passage, our spiritual walk is not just about being close and being tethered to Him, but about being in agreement with Him on our spiritual walk. But unlike being pulled behind an anxious dog on a leash, when we walk with God it should be in agreement with Him, because He will only take us where we need to go, never after the preverbal squirrel.

Prayer: Dear God, guide our steps and allow us to walk with You in agreement. Guard us from the distractions of the devil so that we never try to pull away from You. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

05/21/2026

Hebrews 9:14 (NLT) Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

I am not sure if they still make young people in school read the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but I sure hope that they do, because despite my school days being close to 45 years ago, I still remember this poem for one main reason. That reason is that one of the main characters in the poem was a mariner on an ancient ship who was forced to hang a dead albatross around his neck because of the misfortune brought upon the crew for killing this bird that was considered good luck to them. As I have grown older, I have come to understand our sin as the albatross that the devil would like for us to wear with guilt and shame around our neck forever. But what we are told here by Paul is a reminder that there is no reason to be burdened with the guilt of sin, because the blood of Jesus purifies our conscience from the sins of our past so that we can focus ourselves on the living God who has set us free.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to accept the mercy and grace that can only come through Christ. Allow us to accept that our sins of the past be just that…in our past, if we are willing to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. This we ask in His precious name. Amen.

05/20/2026

Micah 7:8 (NLT) Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

I don’t know about you, but I have had some pretty tough times in my life. Matter of fact, when I was in these times it often felt like that was when everyone and everything in the world seemed to be stacked up against me. In some ways, that is what Micah is speaking to in this verse, reminding us that falling, failing, or being oppressed is part of life, but it does not need to be what marks our identity. Micah reminds us that we can live in good spirit and confidence, not because life is easy, but because our God is faithful. No matter the how disappointing things can be, and how many people seem to gloat at your misfortune, God remains our hope and strength, because through Christ, we too can rise again out of the darkness and into the light.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, give us the strength, hope, and confidence through Jesus, to look past any bad situation we might find ourselves in. Let the light of Christ be the beacon we look to for assistance in putting misfortune and darkness behind us. This we ask in His precious and holy name. Amen.

05/19/2026

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

It is amazing to think about the amount of money people spend on security systems and locks, isn’t it. You will find people that will buy the top of the line security systems for their care and home, so that they can monitor their security 24 hours a day, even when they are hundreds of miles away. But what is telling is the amount of time, energy, and resources that very same person is willing to commit to protecting their soul. The reality is that we are more likely to go back home to make sure we have locked the door than we are to make sure that we are protecting our hearts from an invasion by the devil. We all need to take heed from what we are told here in Proverbs, making sure that we are guarding our hearts above all else, because your heart is what determines your destiny, which is actually far more important that making sure no one steals your new television.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to be able to discern what is truly important and needing protection more than anything else. Let Your Spirit guide us to the scripture that will guard and protect our hearts from the evil of this world. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.