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Sunnyside Baptist Church, 11648 Wolcott Road, North Rose, NY (2026)

05/09/2023

Mustard Seeds and Mountains

Did you know that an average-sized aspirin bottle holds more than 180,000 mustard seeds? One of those miniscule seeds, when planted in fertile soil, can produce a ten-foot bush within three months! How many times have we faced mountains and felt that our faith was small and insufficient? We might have asked ourselves how God could remove a mountain in light of the fact that our faith is so inadequate. Perhaps we’ve even considered surrendering to the circumstances that stand in our way.

When the disciples felt the sting of failure over their inability to heal the boy in today’s reading, Jesus directed them to place their faith—no matter how small— in him rather than in their own abilities.

The mustard seed is a reminder to walk to the base of the mountain hand in hand with the all-powerful God. It is a tangible symbol that it is not your strength that will move the mountain; rather, it is the God in whom you place your faith that can move a mountain out of your way.

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’” (Matthew 17:19–20)

"Faith is to prayer what the feather is to the arrow; without faith it will not hit the mark." J. C. Ryle (1816–1900)

05/01/2023

“Be ye...ready”!

The surest thing in all the world is the return of Jesus Christ to take His own unto Himself. The time of His coming is not made known so that we may be constantly looking for Him. The consciousness of His "any moment return" is the greatest incentive for evangelism, revival and soul winning. If you knew Jesus would come today, what would you do? He may come today! He is coming someday!

A gentleman visiting a certain school gave out the information that he would give a prize to the pupil whose desk he found in the best order when he returned. "But when will you return?" some of them asked. "That I cannot tell," was the answer.

A little girl, who had been noted for her disorderly habits, announced that she meant to win the prize. "You!" her schoolmates jeered. "Why, your desk is always out of order." "Oh! But I mean to clean it the first of every week!" "But suppose he should come at the end of the week?" someone asked. "Then I will clean it every morning." "But he may come at the end of the day." For a moment the little girl was silent. "I know what I'll do," she said decidedly; "I'll just keep it clean."

So it must be with the Lord's servants who would be ready for His coming. It may be at midnight or at cock-crowing in the morning. The exhortation is not "Get ye ready," but "BE ye... ready"! —M. R. DeHaan—

04/27/2023

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

“You are just in all that has befallen us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.” (Nehemiah 9:33)

This psalm was sung by the Jews at the Feast of Tabernacles after the walls of Jerusalem had been completed. The people confessed their sins and rededicated themselves to God. The psalm magnifies many of the attributes of God, but we want to emphasize his faithfulness.

We have a faithful Creator (1 Pet. 4:19).

Peter wrote this letter to prepare the believers in the Roman Empire for the persecution, the “fiery trial” that was soon to occur (vv. 12–19). As never before, they had to commit themselves to the Lord who is a “faithful Creator.” If he can create and sustain a universe such as ours, he can surely take care of his people and meet their needs. When circumstances upset you, turn to your faithful Creator and let him take charge.

We have a faithful High Priest (Heb. 2:17–18).

Jesus ministers today in heaven as both King and Priest, and he is able to give us the grace we need whenever we are tempted or tested (4:14–16). The child of God should never say, “Nobody knows how I feel!” because Jesus understands us perfectly, knows our needs, and sympathizes with us. When he was here on earth, he experienced every test and temptation that we might experience today, and he alone can give us the grace we need to triumph over our enemies.

We have a faithful Advocate (1 John 1:9–2:1).

But what if we don’t turn to the Lord for the grace that we need? What if we listen to the enemy and disobey the Lord? Then Satan accuses us and tells us what failures we are, and that just makes matters worse. But Jesus does not forsake us! He died for all our sins and is our advocate before the throne of God. When we confess our sins, he is faithful to keep his promise and forgive us. He has already died for all our sins and the Father graciously forgives when his children confess their sins. Read Zechariah 3 for an illustration of this experience—and believe it.

We have a faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5; 3:14).

When he was ministering on earth, Jesus clearly spoke the Word of God, and his words are recorded in the Scriptures. “What He has seen and heard, that He testifies,” John the Baptist said. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure” (John 3:32, 34; see John 18:37). The Spirit of God enables us to understand and apply the Word to our own lives, and this is the way we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

We have a faithful Conqueror (Rev. 19:11).
Yes, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but he is also the Conqueror who will defeat every enemy and establish his kingdom (2 Thess. 1:7–10). Believers today are “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). One day the Lamb will come in his wrath as the Lion, and he will be wearing the name “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). Let’s let him win the battles for us today!

The Lord is faithful, so let’s trust in him and not in ourselves. We are not victors because we put faith in our own faith but because we put faith in Christ who always deals with us faithfully. How do we get our faith strengthened? Pioneer missionary to China J. Hudson Taylor wrote, “Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.” He pointed to 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful.” Rest in the Faithful One!

“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22–23)

Adapted from Warren W. Wiersbe, Old Testament Words for Today: 100 Devotional Reflections (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 50–51.

12/19/2022

Crazy over Angels

These days it seems the whole world has gone crazy over angels. You will often see a cute little angel pinned on someone’s lapel, or a chubby naked cherub gracing someone’s bookshelf or mantelpiece. There has even been a popular TV series based on the intervention of angels. However, the Scripture’s view of angels is dramatically different from that of the world. In the Bible, angels are never depicted as ‘cute’. Instead, they are shown as powerful, intimidating servants of God who perform his will, proclaim his messages and declare his praise, and their appearances to humans were always in a masculine form. Passages like Isaiah 6 and Revelation chapters 4 and 5 depict the unceasing, passionate worship of the angels around the throne of God. Their response to the sight of God’s glory is intense and fervent. Their adoration of the Lamb is bold and unreserved. Surely our own worship seems coolly indifferent and shamefully anemic compared with that of the angels.

The hymn below is one of six in the Olney Hymnal written especially for worship at Christmas time. In it [John] Newton points out that the disparity between the angels’ worship and our own is especially ironic in the light of the fact that we have so much more to be grateful for than the angels do. When angels sinned just once, they were immediately judged by God and given no opportunity of redemption (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Yet wicked humans, whose sins are so many and so great, are offered forgiveness through Jesus Christ. So, while the angels declare that the Lamb of God is worthy to be praised, they are merely objectively proclaiming the fact of his worthiness. However, when redeemed sinners like us worship the Lamb, our involvement is intensely personal. We praise the Lamb not merely because he suffered and was slain, but because he suffered for our sin and was slain for us! Since the angels have less to praise God for than we do, let us at the very least match their intensity in our worship now and look forward to a time in heaven when we might actually surpass them in our praise around the throne.[1]

Man honoured above angels
Now let us join with hearts and tongues, And emulate the angels' songs;
Yea, sinners may address their King In songs the angels cannot sing.
They praise the Lamb who once was slain, But we can add a higher strain,
Not only say, 'He suffered thus, But that he suffered all for us.
When angels by transgression fell, Justice consigned then1 all to hell;
But mercy formed a wondrous plan, To save, and honour fallen man.
Jesus, who passed the angels by, Assumed our flesh to bleed and die;
And still he makes it his abode; As man he fills the throne of God.
Our next of kin, our Brother now, Is he to whom the angels bow;
They join with us to praise his name, But we the nearest interest claim.
But, ah, how faint our praises rise! Sure, 'tis the wonder of the skies
That we, who share his richest love, So cold and unconcerned should prove.
Oh, glorious hour! It comes with speed! When we, from sin and darkness heed,
Shall see the God who died for man, And praise him more than angels can. (Olney Hymns, Book 2, Hymn 39)

[1]J. Todd Murray, Beyond Amazing Grace (© J. Todd Murray 2007, 2016). pp. 188–189.

12/15/2022

Point of View

“I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.” Ephesians 3:1

When three ships docked in Boston harbor on December 16th, 1773, with a valuable cargo of tea, the Bostonians were furious, and the tea finished up in the harbor. The Americans were exhilarated by this act of defiance, the British outraged. Samuel Johnson, the British man of letters, said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” A few months later, Patrick Henry, the Virginian legislator, dramatically encouraged patriotic fervor. As he knelt before the Continental Congress he said, “Is life so dear, our peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!” Then leaping to his feet he threw wide his arms, shouting, “Give me liberty,” and then, holding an imaginary dagger to his chest, he added, “or give me death!” Johnson and Henry held two entirely different views of the American Revolution!

When the Apostle Paul arrived in Rome, it appeared to all who knew him that he was a prisoner of Caesar, bound for death. But Paul thought otherwise. He said, “I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles” (Eph. 3:1). Paul was not foolish enough to ignore the fact that he was being held at the mercy of a tyrannical Caesar. But in his mind he was the prisoner of Jesus. If Jesus wanted him free, even Caesar could not hold him; and if he was not freed, then Jesus wanted him in captivity. Paul’s point of view and that of others were clearly at odds!

Paul added that he was also a prisoner because of his preaching “among the Gentiles” (3:8). In actual fact, Paul was in Rome because, as a Roman citizen, he had the right to appeal to Caesar and he had exercised this right. But that was not important to Paul. What mattered was that he had been the given the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. This had upset the Jews who had stirred up trouble for him, which led to his near lynching, his rescue by the Roman garrison, and his eventual trip to Rome (see Acts 21–28). In Paul’s view, he was in Rome simply because Christ wanted him to preach to the Gentiles there.

In Rome, Paul was in deep trouble—but it did not bother him at all. Not only was he confident in the lordship of Christ—even over Caesar—he also was convinced that his ministry of the gospel was more important than life itself.

So who was right? Was he an unfortunate wretch under a death sentence or Jesus’ triumphant servant, bound for glory? You decide!

Adapted from: Devotions for Men.

12/12/2022

When You Fall

In the 1988 Winter Olympics, speed skater Dan Jansen was just hours before his race when he received the sad news his sister Jane lost her battle with leukemia. She had battled it for nine years. Dan was determined to win the race in memory of his sister.

When the gun sounded, he sprinted from the starting line only to have his skates lose traction, causing him to fall down. Four days later in the 1000-meter race, he fell again. Dan was one of the greatest speed skaters in the world, but would go home without an Olympic medal.

Dan received close to 10,000 letters from around the world. Sports illustrated carried the story about a letter from Mark Arrowood, a disabled young man from Pennsylvania. Mark wrote, “Dan, I watched you on TV. I’m sorry you fell two times. I am in the Special Olympics. I won a gold medal just after my dad died. I want you to have my gold medal. Try again in four years!” Inside the envelope was Mark’s gold medal from the Special Olympics.

Dan put Mark’s medal inside a glass trophy case in his parents’ dining room. Then in 1990, Mark died, too. Now Dan was determined to win a medal for both Jane and Mark. In the 1992 Olympics, he came in fourth. Again, no medal.

The 1994 Olympics would be his last race. This time, Dan set a new world record and won his first Olympic gold medal. And inside the glass trophy case hangs his Olympic gold medal, next to Mark’s Special Olympics Gold medal.

Maybe you, like Dan, had a disappointing fall. Your marriage failed. Your business failed. You had a moral fall. Don’t give up. Get up! “A righteous person falls seven times and riseth up again” (Prov. 24:16). Someone has said, “Every setback is a setup for a comeback. God wants to bring you out better than you were before.” You can still make a comeback, if you’ll let the One who died for you be your inspiration. You can still finish as a winner.

Adapted from Kent Crockett's Devotionals

12/08/2022

Replaced Pounds with Shillings

When the British preacher C. H. Spurgeon went to Bristol for the purpose of ministering there, he hoped to collect three hundred pounds to support his work with homeless children in London. At the end of the week of meetings, many people had been blessed, and his financial goal had been reached.

That night as he bowed in prayer, Spurgeon seemed to hear a voice saying, "Give that money to George Muller." "Oh, no, Lord," answered the preacher. "I need it for my own dear orphans." Yet he couldn't shake the idea that God wanted him to part with it. Only when he said, "Yes, Lord, I will," could he find rest.

Early the next morning he made his way to Muller's orphanage and found that great man of prayer on his knees. The famous preacher placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "George, God has told me to give you this three hundred pounds I've collected."
"My dear brother," said Muller, "I've just been asking Him for exactly that amount."

The two servants of the Lord then wept and rejoiced together. When Spurgeon returned to London, he found a letter on his desk containing three hundred guineas. "There," he cried with joy, "the Lord has returned my three hundred pounds with three hundred shillings' interest!" —Windows on the World—

12/05/2022

Seeking God’s Agenda

The Philistines had arrived in the valley of Rephaim and raided it. So David asked God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord replied, “Yes, go ahead. I will give you the victory.” . . . But after a while, the Philistines returned and raided the valley again. And once again David asked God what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” God replied. “Instead, circle around behind them and attack them near the balsam trees.”1 Chronicles 14:9-10, 13-14

Instead of making plans and asking God to bless them, David sought the Lord. Although he was a great leader who had enjoyed many successive victories, he took time to seek the Lord about how to proceed when facing his enemy. When he had soundly defeated the Philistines, he didn’t attack the same way again just because it worked the first time. Each attempted victory had a different plan.

Often, however, we devise a plan or follow a plan that worked five years ago and then ask God to support it. But that is altogether different from seeking God’s agenda and his will for a current battle or a new problem as David did—to inquire and ask God’s direction before we proceed with a plan. Whether you are dealing with a job or family issue, a puzzling dilemma, or a financial challenge, ask God what to do today. And just as the Lord answered David, he will show you the way.

All heaven is waiting to help those who will discover the will of God and do it. J. Robert Ashcroft (1878–1958)

Adapted from: Praying through the Bible

12/01/2022

In the Hands of One Who Loves Me

There is a story of a Christian army officer at sea with his family in a storm. There was great terror among the passengers, but he was calm. His wife, in her consternation, chided him, saying that he ought to be concerned for her and the children, if not for himself, in such danger. He made no reply, but soon came to her with his sword drawn, and with a stern countenance pointed it at her heart. She was not the least alarmed, but looked up into his face with a smile. "What!" said he, "are you not afraid when a drawn sword is at your breast?" "No," she replied, "not when I know it is in the hands of one that loves me." "And would you have me," he asked, "to be afraid of this tempest when I know it to be in the hand of my heavenly Father, who loves me?"

Thus even in the wild tumults of nature we should be at peace, since our Saviour is Lord of nature. Some one tells of being at sea in a terrible cyclone, and of seeing a little bird fly down, when the storm was at its height, and light on the crest of a wave, where it sat as quietly as if it had been perching on some green bough in the quiet forest. So should the believer in Christ repose in quietness and confidence in the wildest terror. — J.R. Miller —

11/28/2022

One Tick at a Time

You can’t keep thinking about everything that might happen in the future. We may not know what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future. Trusting God to control your future and disciplining your mind to think in the present will keep you from worrying.

One day a clock began thinking about how often it would have to tick during the coming year. Figuring two ticks a second, 120 a minute, 7,200 each hour, 172,800 a day, and 1,209,600 ticks every week, the clock suddenly realized it would have to tick nearly 63 million times during the next year. The more the clock thought about this, the more nervous it became. Finally, the clock suffered a nervous breakdown.

The clock visited a psychiatrist and said, “I can’t go on. I don’t know how I’ll ever make it through the next year.” The doctor asked, “How many ticks can you tick at a time?”

“Only one,” the clock answered. The psychiatrist said, “If you will simply tick one tick at a time and not worry about the next tick, you’ll be just fine.” The clock followed his advice and ticked through the next year, then the next, and the next. And, as all good stories end, it ticked happily ever after.

A clock can only tick one tick at a time, and we can only live one day at a time. Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:34).

If we will learn to take each day as it comes, without dragging the past or grasping for the future, life will become amazingly easy. We can learn from the past, and we can look to the future, but we can only live in the present. Live one day at a time. One hour at a time. One tick at a time.[1]

Adapted from Kent Crockett’s Devotionals

Sunnyside Baptist Church

05/09/2023

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