First Church Of God-New Boston

09/07/2026

Sermon Clip: “Unbounded Praise” from the message, “Still Hard at Work” - September 6, 2026. For more, visit www.newbostonfcog.church .

09/07/2026

THE STOREHOUSE - Daily Devotionals on Pastor Chris’s Sunday Sermons

September 7-11, 2026 — “Still Hard at Work”

MONDAY, 9/7: Stop Looking Down

READING: Acts 3:1–5

There's a man in this story who'd been crippled since the day he was born. Every single day, people carried him to the same spot — the Beautiful Gate of the temple — and laid him down to beg. Everyone in Jerusalem knew his face. They'd seen him a thousand times.

And that was the problem.

He'd become part of the scenery. Often seen, but seldom noticed. He'd stopped expecting anything to change. He wasn't even looking up when Peter and John walked by. He was probably staring at Peter's feet, hoping a coin might drop.
Then Peter said something that changed everything: "Look at us."

Friend, I wonder what you've been staring at recently. Maybe it's your paycheck, hoping it'll be enough. Maybe it's a relationship you think will fix everything. Maybe it's just getting through another day. You've been looking down so long that maybe you've forgotten what it feels like to look up.

Well, Jesus is standing right in front of you right now, saying the same thing Peter said to that beggar: "Stop looking down. Look at Me."

The lame man gave Peter and John his attention, expecting a handout. What he received was beyond anything he could have imagined. And it started with one simple act: he looked up.

TODAY'S GOSPEL SPARK: Whatever you've been staring at that you think will fix your life... look up instead. Jesus has something far greater than what you're expecting.

PRAYER: Lord, forgive me for looking down at my circumstances instead of looking up at You. Open my eyes today to help me see what You're doing right in front of me. In Jesus' name, amen.

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

Sermon Clip: “Surrendering to Commitment” from the message, “The Missing Piece” - August 30, 2026. For more, visit www.newbostonfcog.church .

09/04/2026

THE STOREHOUSE - Daily Devotionals on Pastor Chris’s Sunday Sermons

August 31-September 4, 2026 - “The Missing Piece”

FRIDAY, 9/4 — All In

READING: Romans 8:31-32

We've talked about the missing piece. We've talked about purposing it in your heart, burning the bridges, and staying connected to the church. But as we bring this week toward its conclusion, I want to land here: God's commitment to you.

Look at what Paul says. "He who did not spare His own Son..." just think about that. God held nothing back. He didn't send an angel. He didn't send a prophet. He sent His only Son to die in your place. That is total, unconditional, unwavering commitment.

If God is that committed to you, what's holding you back from being that committed to Him?

As last week's sermon said, I believe we all, in some way, are impressed by numbers. We count attendance. We count giving. We count decisions. But the number that matters most is whether you're all in. Not 75%. Not "when it's convenient." All in. In other words, commitment.

Daniel was all in. Elisha was all in. The early church was all in. And God was all in before any of us ever took a step toward Him.

TODAY’S GOSPEL SPARK: The missing piece isn't knowledge. It isn't talent. It isn't resources. It's the willingness to say, "God, I'm Yours. Completely. Holding nothing back." That's the commitment He's looking for. That's the piece that completes the picture. God held nothing back for you. Today, decide whether you'll hold anything in your life back for Him?

PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your marvelous grace. Thank You that You didn't hold anything back. You were so committed that You gave Your Son for me. Today I want to respond that I'm all in. Not because I have to, but because You're worth it. Help me to persevere in this commitment, not just today, but every day. In Jesus' name, Amen.

09/03/2026

THE STOREHOUSE - Daily Devotionals on Pastor Chris’s Sunday Sermons

August 31-September 4, 2026 - “The Missing Piece”

THURSDAY, 9/3 — We Need Each Other

READING: Hebrews 10:24-25

Here's where commitment gets personal... and possibly a bit uncomfortable. You see, commitment isn't just about you and God. It's about you and the Body of Christ. The writer of Hebrews tells us to consider one another, meaning to think about each other, in order to stir up love and good works. That phrase "stir up" means to provoke, to stimulate, to push each other forward. It's not passive. It's intentional.

And then the writer says something that cuts right through our modern independent spirituality: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some." Some people were already skipping church in the first century. So he calls it what it is: a failure of commitment.

You might be able to intentionally stay out of church and still be a Christian. But you cannot stay away and be a strong one. Without the Body of Christ, people slowly lose direction, support, and hope. You need the gathering. You need the accountability. You need the encouragement of other believers who are running the same race.

Think of it this way: a coal removed from the fire doesn't stay hot for long. It cools down. It goes cold. That's what happens when a believer separates themselves from the church. The fire of faith dims. The commitment fades. And before long, they wonder why God feels distant.

TODAY’S GOSPEL SPARK: Commitment to Christ includes commitment to His Church. Not because the building is holy, but because the people are His Body. When you show up, you're not just attending a service; you're fulfilling your role in the Body. You're stirring someone else up. You're being stirred up yourself. Commitment to Christ and commitment to His Church are inseparable. You can't have one without the other.

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for the times I've treated church as optional. Remind me that gathering with Your people isn't just a good idea, but is a vital part of my commitment to You. Help me to show up, to stir others up, and to stay connected to the Body. In Jesus' name, Amen.

09/03/2026

THE STOREHOUSE - Daily Devotionals on Pastor Chris’s Sunday Sermons

August 31-September 4, 2026 - “The Missing Piece”

WEDNESDAY, 9/2 — Burning the Bridges

READING: 1 Kings 19:19-21

When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha, it was an invitation, a call to follow. And Elisha's response was immediate. He didn't ask for a job description. He didn't ask about salary or benefits. He asked for only one thing: permission to go say goodbye. Elijah's answer, while sounding kind of interesting, actually reveals the depth of the Lord's call to us: "Go back, for what have I done to you?" In other words, "This is your choice. I'm not dragging you. If you want to follow, follow."

And Elisha did follow. But he didn't simply walk away from his old life; he destroyed it. He took the oxen he'd been plowing with, slaughtered them, boiled the meat using the wooden yoke as firewood, and distributed it to the people. He burned every bridge back to his former life. There was no going back. There was no Plan B.

This is what Jesus meant when He talked about counting the cost. He said if anyone comes to Me and doesn't hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. As last week's sermon explained, that was hyperbole. Jesus isn't telling you to hate your family. He's using an extreme comparison to make a point: your commitment to Him has to be so total that everything else looks like hate by comparison.

Elisha understood that. He didn't keep one foot in the old life just in case his new prophetic career didn't work out. He went all in, trusting in God all the way.

TODAY’S GOSPEL SPARK: What bridges do you need to burn? What are you holding onto that keeps pulling you back? Sometimes the thing that keeps us from full commitment isn't sin; it's safety. It's the comfortable life we've built that doesn't require much from us. Half-hearted commitment is no commitment at all. What do you need to leave behind to follow Jesus completely?

PRAYER: Father, give me the courage of Elisha. Show me the bridges I've been holding onto, whatever they might be: the comforts, the safety nets, the things I run back to when following You gets hard. I want to burn them. I want to follow You with nothing holding me back. Help me to do that, starting now. In Jesus' name, Amen.

09/02/2026

Sermon Clip: “Determined to Commit” from the message, “The Missing Piece” - August 30, 2026. For more, visit www.newbostonfcog.church .

09/01/2026

THE STOREHOUSE - Daily Devotionals on Pastor Chris’s Sunday Sermons

August 31-September 4, 2026 - “The Missing Piece”

TUESDAY, 9/1 — Purposed in the Heart

READING: Daniel 1:8; Romans 12:1-2

Something we notice about Daniel is that he didn't wait for the crisis to figure out where he stood. He didn't wait until someone put a plate of king's food in front of him and then scramble to decide what to do. The text says he "purposed in his heart." What this means is that for Daniel, the decision was already made. That's the key. Commitment isn't something you manufacture in the moment. It's something you settle in advance.

When you purpose something in your heart, you're drawing a line in permanent ink, not pencil. You're saying, "This is who I am. This is where I stand. I don't care what the pressure looks like. I've already decided, and I'm moving forward in that decision."

Paul said the same thing to the Romans. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Don't be conformed to this world; rather, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That word "conformed" means to be pressed into a mold. The world is constantly trying to shape you into its image. But a mind that's been renewed by God's Word pushes back.

Let me be clear: this isn't about willpower. This is about position. Daniel didn't resist the king's food because he was stronger than everyone else. He resisted because he'd already placed himself on God's side. His identity came first. The obedience followed as the natural result of his predetermined decision.

TODAY’S GOSPEL SPARK: When you settle your identity in Christ — when you know whose you are — the daily decisions stop being so complicated. Don't wait for the pressure to decide where you stand. Purpose it in your heart today, before the moment comes.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to settle the question now. I don't want to be a Christian who negotiates obedience in the moment. I want to be someone who's already decided before the pressure arrives that Your Word is my authority and Your will is my direction. Renew my mind today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

08/31/2026

Sermon Clip: “Absence of Commitment” from the message, “The Missing Piece” - August 30, 2026. For more, visit www.newbostonfcog.church .