St. Paul Methodist Church

09/07/2026

Colossians 4:2 (NIV) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Our passage this morning is a reminder that our devotion to prayer is something that we need to commit ourselves to by being spiritually alert and thankful to God. The common problem in a prayer life is when we reserve our prayer to God for when times are tough for us or someone we love. But the reality is that prayer should be a regular part of our everyday lives. The reason that we are told to be watchful is that we should be continually searching for signs from God that our prayer has been answered. If we are not watchful, we will often not realize that a prayer has been answered and that we have something to be thankful for.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to see that prayer is something that we should devoted to each and every day. Guard us from complacency and help us to recognize the prayers that have been answered, so that we can thank You from the bottom of our hearts. Amen.

09/06/2026

09/04/2026

Mark 11:24 (NKJV) Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

I think that based on the demographics of our readership that most of us remember when the Sears or J.C. Penny Christmas catalogues would be sent in the mail. Part of the joy found in those pages by many a child was finding something totally extravagant and over the top, knowing that there was absolutely no chance that your parents would get for you, but you would ask anyway, thinking the ask was at least worth the try. Fortunately our God and His answered prayers do not fall into the same category as Christmas catalogue wishes. What Jesus says here in this passage from Mark is a reminder for all of us that one of the key things about an effective prayer request is that there must be a corresponding belief that what you are asking for will be granted by God. We can’t approach prayer the same way we would ask a parent for a gift that we knew we would probably never receive. Have faith that God hears and answers your prayers, because if we do, Jesus tells us our prayers will be answered.

Prayer: Dear God, guard us from doubt in our prayer life. Let us come to you with unwavering faith that You hear and answer our petitions when we ask in prayer. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Send a message to learn more

09/03/2026

Proverbs 12:1 (NIV) Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid..

Discipline, this was a word that meant and continues to mean volumes in the life of a soldier, and I would dare say that discipline is just as important for us too, even if we do not wear a uniform. This verse from Proverbs is a reminder of the importance of valuing discipline and knowledge in our lives as we live them as believers. It implies that those people who embrace discipline are also very likely to be open to gaining wisdom and understanding. While discipline shows that one has a willingness to learn improve and develop, the opposite is true as well, and those who want to refuse feedback, advice or correction lack discipline and a desire to grow, which is enough to be thought of as stupid (Don’t blame me for the strong language here, Solomon is the one saying hating discipline and correction is stupid...but I do agree). So, reflect on your own thoughts about discipline and correction in your own life. Are you open to it or is it something you try to avoid? How you answer will help you know if you are seeking discipline and knowledge, or being stupid.

Prayer: Dear God, protect us from our own self-imposed stupidity. Let Your Spirit guide us to a life of discipline that is shaped around our desire to learn Your wisdom and knowledge. Amen.

Send a message to learn more

09/02/2026

Luke 6:36 (NKJV) Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

How many times have we been told about a family in need because of a fire, flood, or tornado and we have gone home committed to help them, because we are “a good and merciful Christian”, but when we got home and started sorting through the things we no longer wanted or needed to give to those in need? Well, there was a wonderful woman from my home church who said that we were wrong if we do that, sharing our leftovers and calling it being merciful. This is not mercy; it is closer to a glorified disposal of what we consider little more than trash. What Jesus is telling us here is that mercy is probably closer to sharing our best, even if it is not deserved, because this is exactly what God did for us when He gave us His Son. God gave us His best in Christ, sharing His mercy, and we should do our best to show this same kind of mercy to others. Give Your best in service to God, not your leftovers.

Prayer: Dear God, please forgive us for when we have been unwilling to show to others, the same mercy You have shown to us through Jesus. Let Your Spirit guide us and convict us of ways that we can place the needs of others above our own. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Send a message to learn more

09/01/2026

Luke 12 (NIV) Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

I think that it is in our nature to instinctively duck when someone yells, “watch out”, especially when you have no ideas about what direction the threat is coming from. In this passage from Luke, Jesus exclaims for us to watch out, but in this case what He is talking about is not something that ducking will protect you from. Jesus is telling us to watch out for a threat from within, which is greed. Jesus is warning us that greed can take on many forms, and not just money or material wealth like we usually think. This is a reminder that our worth is not measured by what we own and the desire for more than we need or deserve, but by our relationship that we have with God.

Prayer: Dear God, please guard our hearts from greed and the desire to want more than what we need in this world. Let what we possess in our belief in Christ be enough to satiate all our desires. This we ask in His holy and precious name. Amen

Send a message to learn more

08/31/2026

James 2:17 (NKJV) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

I think that I have shared with you that one of the things that I don't like to hear from Christian teachers is the term, "all you have to do is have faith and you will be saved". When we do this we are undermining the reality that true faith in Jesus is accompanied by change in ourselves. This verse from James is a reminder that real faith is shown by what we do in our lives after we believe. It is too easy to say that we believe in God the Father, Son, and Spirit, but our actions should also show that our faith is real and has changed us for the better. Our faith is something that should be able to be seen by others in the way that we live. It is time that we as Christians should let the world see our words and our actions show that we love and follow God.

Prayer: Dear God, please forgive us when we have fooled ourselves into thinking that saying we love You is enough. Let Your Spirit guide and convict us to action so that our faith is seen by the world each and every day.

08/28/2026

Psalms 30:11 (NKJV) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

I am sure that we have all been around people who let a tragedy or setback in their life become what defines them. Whether it is grief over the death of a loved one, a betrayal in a relationship, or the loss of a something sentimental, this event will mark them to the point that there seems to be no joy left in them. Well, our Psalm today is a reminder that it is God that can turn our sorrow into joy, even in the most difficult of times. Through Christ, God can turn our sorrow into a reason to rejoice. It is not our present struggles that define who we are, it is our promise of salvation that should always look to when the world has dealt us a painful burden.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, let Your Spirit fill us with hope of a greater future, no matter how much grief and sorrow we might bear in our today. Amen.

08/27/2026

Proverbs 18:13 He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.

All too often I have heard people give me their impression on something going on in the church that they know very little if anything about. This is not just a problem that is associated with churches, but a problem that permeates our society. Think about it, if you have your answer already made up and all you are waiting on is to unleash it upon someone, you are not likely going to be listening to another person explain what is actually going on and their opinion. Who knows, if we take the time to listen carefully to someone before we respond, we will probably end up making far fewer false assumptions and actually get a chance to change our opinion without even speaking.

Prayer: Dear God, please protect us from our tongues and our preconceived ideas. Let our ears become our greatest guide to tempering our speech as Your Spirit strengthens our hearts. This we ask in the precious and holy name of Jesus.