Calvary Chapel Liberty

06/05/2026

MISPLACING BLAME

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.”

— Ezekiel 18:30

THE ISRAELITES blamed their suffering in captivity on the sins of their fathers. But God challenged that mind-set. He called them to take responsibility for their own sins.

Like it or not, you are responsible for the person you are and the things you do. Every man is judged for his own ways. When you stand before God you will answer for only one person—and that is you.

Stop Blaming Others For Your Sins.

You may have had a terrible past. You may have had neglectful or unfit parents and a miserable childhood. You may have suffered unimaginable abuse. In Jesus, there is healing for all those hurts. Your past can be erased and you can be all God intends for you to be. But as long as you look for someone else to blame, you will never see a need to repent for your own actions.

If you continue in unrighteousness and continue placing blame for your sin on someone else, your sin will ultimately ruin you. But God wants more for you. He wants to bless you. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Stop blaming others for your sins. Repent, turn to Jesus, and receive the new life He wants to give you.

Father, we thank You that we can have that new life and new heart You have offered to us. May we accept the responsibility for our own sin and turn from it to find a new and blessed life in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

06/04/2026

FALSE HOPE

So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

— Ezekiel 13:14

THE PROPHETS were lying to the people. Wanting to give a popular message, they spoke words of peace when the truth was that Israel was on the brink of destruction. These prophets “built a wall” in the minds of the people, behind which they wrongly believed they would find comfort and safety against the enemy. But the security they found in the prophets’ words was a false security. When tested by storms, the wall wouldn’t stand.

A TRUE SERVANT OF GOD DARE NOT PREACH A COMFORTING MESSAGE TO THOSE LIVING IN SIN.

People want to hear a comforting message that says it really doesn’t matter to God what you do as long as you have a good attitude, or as long as it feels right. Yet those who comfort you in your sin are false prophets. They build untempered walls behind which you find nothing but false security.

I have been called to faithfully and truthfully warn those who have chosen a path of sin. But I am also to speak good tidings for those who surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. He is the wall built with tempered mortar. Put your trust in Him so that when storms come, you’ll find true safety.

Lord, we know that our hope is not in vain. Jesus Christ will see us through the greatest storms of life, and will one day present us faultless before Your presence with exceeding joy.

In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

06/03/2026

THE CALL OF GOD

And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, “Thus says the Lord God,” whether they hear, or whether they refuse.

— Ezekiel 3:11

GOD HAS CALLED us each to a ministry within the body of Christ. Not all are apostles, not all are prophets, not all are evangelists, not all are pastors or teachers, but we all have a place of service. God has a task and a purpose for you. And if He calls you to a ministry, you can be sure that He will equip you for it.

GOD WILL NEVER CALL YOU TO DO ANYTHING THAT HE WILL NOT ENABLE YOU TO DO.

Ezekiel was commanded to speak to the people, “Whether they listen, or not.” The ministry is not easy. Often it can be very discouraging. The people won’t always respond to the things that you tell them. Sometimes people get angry with you because you dare to speak to them the things of the Lord.

But when your life is over, there is only one thing that will count—and that is your obedience to the will of God. Everything you may have done for yourself, all of the wealth that you may have amassed, all of the accomplishments that will be written in the obituary will be meaningless.

Give your life to that which really counts—that which is eternal. Live your life for Him.

Father, thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to fulfill our calling. May we always minister from a position of compassion, understanding, and love. And yet, Lord, may we not be guilty of failing to warn the people of all that You have said.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

06/02/2026

FROM DEPRESSION TO HOPE

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

— Lamentations 3:21-26

AS IS USUALLY the case, it was thinking about himself that caused Jeremiah’s depression. But when he changed his way of thinking—from himself to God—the depression left. When he remembered God and meditated on His character, peace and hope filled his mind.

WHEN HOPELESSNESS VANISHES, HOPE TAKES ITS PLACE.

Instead of thinking about himself, Jeremiah thought about God’s nature. He thought about the Lord’s mercy, through which we are not consumed. He thought about God’s faithfulness. God always does exactly what He says He will do, and He is able to bring forth good out of the deepest mess. He thought about the fact that the Lord is our portion. What more could we want or need? He thought about the goodness of God, who works all things together for our benefit.

Then Jeremiah concluded that it is good to “hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Are you worried today? Change your thoughts. Don’t meditate on your pain—meditate on your Savior. Set your eyes on Jesus and remember His character. His love has never failed you. His mercies are new every morning.

Father, help us set our eyes on You instead of ourselves. Fill our hearts with Your hope and love today. Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

05/31/2026

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05/31/2026

LOVING DISRUPTION

Moab has been at ease from his youth; he has settled on his dregs, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent has not changed.

— Jeremiah 48:11

MOAB—situated as they were in wine country—would have understood this analogy very well. When making wine, they put the juice of the grapes into large jugs. As the juice fermented, the dregs, or lees, would settle at the bottom. They then poured the wine from jug to jug, always leaving as much of the sediment as possible in the bottom of the previous jug. In this way, they produced pure wine. However, if they waited too long and the wine settled in its dregs, it began to rot. That rotten taste and smell would permeate the flavor of the whole jug.

Moab had settled in his dregs and become rotten. A life of ease, with no conflicts or disturbances, had spoiled and weakened him.

When God sees that we have begun to settle in our lees, tolerating evil and compromise, He often begins to pour us from vessel to vessel. He brings disruption to unsettle us so that our lives won’t take on the taste of the world.

We don’t like being poured from jug to jug.

DISRUPTION IS UNSETTLING AND UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT IT SERVES AN IMPORTANT PURPOSE.

Disruption not only purifies us, it also brings us back to our knees where we gain a closer relationship with our Father.

We are so grateful, Father, that You love us. Continue pouring us from vessel to vessel, as through the process of disturbances You make us what You would have us to be—pure for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

05/30/2026

What God Thinks of You

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
—Jeremiah 29: 11

Sometimes, when we have failed in our Christian walk by disobeying God or yielding to fleshly impulses, we become disgusted with ourselves. We often then take those same feelings and project them onto God. "He must be angry and disgusted, too. In fact," we reason, "He probably doesn't even love me anymore."

You may be going through some unpleasant experiences, but that doesn't mean that God's thoughts towards you are evil.

The people Jeremiah was writing to had real cause to believe that perhaps God was angry with them. They were living in captivity in Babylon as a result of their own sin. They had turned away from God and trusted in lies. Because they had chosen a path that would have ultimately led to their destruction, they were now going through a necessary time of chastisement. So you can imagine what they believed God was thinking about them.

But the prophet Jeremiah was assuring them that the thoughts of God toward His children are always thoughts of peace and not of evil.

This is true of you too. God loves you. God's thoughts towards you are of peace, and He's using those circumstances to work out His eternal plan in you.

Have you failed Him today? He hasn't failed you. His love is as sure as it was yesterday, as sure as it will be tomorrow. That's a love you can count on.

Thank You, Father, that Your thoughts concerning us are those of peace and love. Help us to keep our eyes on eternity and not our circumstances.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

05/29/2026

THE SKILLFUL POTTER

I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel....then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?”

— Jeremiah 18:3-6

CLAY IS ONE of the most common materials on earth. In its raw form, it has very little value. Its potential lies in the hands of the potter. If skillful, he can take that lump of clay and shape it into a beautiful, expensive vessel worth thousands of dollars. All the clay has to do to obtain its full potential is just yield itself completely to the potter’s touch.

IF YOU SUBMIT TO HIM, YOU WILL GRADUALLY BEGIN TO SEE THE SHAPE GOD IS FORMING IN YOU.

As the potter begins, he kneads the clay to remove any lumps and to create elasticity so that the clay will conform to his touch. Sometimes as God begins His work in our lives, we get impatient. We want to see immediate change. But unless time is taken to prepare the clay properly, it can never be made into a valuable vessel.

God already has in His mind what He wants to do with the lump of clay that is you. Stay on the wheel. Yield to His touch. And watch the beauty He creates in you.

Father, we want to become vessels of glory that please You. Forgive us for our stubbornness and for our resistance to Your touch. May we surrender ourselves fully unto You.

In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

05/28/2026

THE OLD PATH

Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

— Jeremiah 6:16

ISRAEL WAS A MESS. Their prophets spoke lies, telling the people, “Peace, peace,” when in actuality, war and destruction were coming. Israel refused to recognize God any longer. Instead, they worshiped gods of materialism, pleasures, and education. Covetousness reigned. Even the priests were corrupt. The foundations of their society had eroded away.

Seeing their future, God warned them. “You are plunging towards destruction. Stop for a moment and look where this path is leading you.”

And then the Lord advised that they “ask for the old paths.” What were those old paths? Belief in God and belief in the infallibility of God’s Word.

THE OLD PATH IS ONE OF TOTAL RELIANCE UPON GOD.

God’s path is the only path that offers true rest. When you completely trust God, placing all things in His hands, you find the rest your soul yearns for.

Perhaps you have been caught up in the restlessness of this world and you find yourself on a treadmill—always walking and never getting anywhere. The pressures of life have you full of worries and anxieties. Look at the path beneath your feet. Move yourself back to the old path. It is as easy as getting on your knees before God. Ask Him to forgive you for straying and to bring you back to a place of dependence and trust.

Father, forgive us for wandering. We ask that You bring us to that place of complete trust in You. Bring us back to the old path of faith.

Amen.

The Word For Today - Pastor Chuck Smith

05/27/2026

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