Grace Community Bible Church

06/24/2026

What They See You Treasure
June 24, 2026

"Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands."
Psalm 78:7 (NIV)

Do you ever think about how influential you are?

A Pew Research study revealed a shocking statistic: 89% of Christian parents prioritize hard work for their children, 72% emphasize college education, but only 56% consider following Jesus very important. Our homes risk becoming houses where Christians happen to live rather than genuinely Christ-centered environments.

Psalm 78:7 points to the ultimate goal of generational discipleship: children who put their trust in God. The Hebrew word for "trust" means confident reliance, like a child leaning their full weight on a parent. But trust is learned through observation, not just instruction.

Your daily choices communicate volumes about what deserves ultimate trust. When you anxiously check your bank account but skip Bible reading, you're teaching a lesson. When you stress about your child's grades but show little concern for their character, you're demonstrating priorities. When you speak more passionately about sports teams than about God's goodness, you're revealing what captures your heart.

The next generation will put their trust in something: prosperity, popularity, position, or politics. Your authentic passion for God becomes their compass for where to place their confidence. Today, examine what your conversations, calendar, and checkbook reveal about your treasures. Make one intentional choice that demonstrates your trust in God rather than temporary things.

Prayer: Father, thank You for teaching me the way, giving me a path to follow in Your precious Word. Align my priorities with Yours. Help my actions demonstrate that following Jesus truly comes first in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

06/23/2026

Connect with God through today’s devotional!
https://www.odbm.org/en/devotionals/devotional-category/Shining-Faces

📖 Read: Exodus 34:29-35

🙏 Receive: "Please let my face shine with Your love, dear Father, that others may love You too!"

❓Respond: How is God’s love evident in your life?

06/23/2026

Better Off Knowing
June 23, 2026

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

I read about a psychiatrist who wrote about patients holding surprising beliefs, with absolutely no basis in reality. One patient sat down in his office and said, with complete sincerity, "I don't know why people have a problem with us; we can fly." They couldn't fly. But they were absolutely convinced they could. The psychiatrist stopped calling these beliefs. He started calling them delusions.

A delusion about many things won't hurt you. But a delusion about whether you actually know Jesus has eternal consequences.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 that many people will stand before Him one day and be shocked. They called Him Lord. They checked the box, walked the aisle, and filled out the card. And He will say, "I never knew you."

The most dangerous spiritual condition is not doubt. It's false certainty. A person is better off with no hope than with a false hope, because the person who knows they're empty is far more likely to reach for the real thing.

So start with an honest question: What has actually changed? Not whether you use the right words or show up on Sundays, but whether the direction of your life has shifted since you said yes to Jesus.

Does obedience to God show up anywhere in your week, in what you do with your money, your relationships, your private moments when no one is watching?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, that discomfort is a gift. It means you're no longer deluded. Repent, and don't rush past it to feel better. Talk with God about the places where nothing has changed, the habits that haven't moved, and the areas where Jesus is Lord in name only. You're not telling Him anything He doesn't know; you're just finally agreeing with Him.

And He can handle every bit of it. You can't get real with a God you're performing for, but you absolutely can get real with the One who already knows you completely.

And that's where the real thing starts.

Prayer: God, I’m coming to You with all my heart, confessing my need for You. I see where my growth has stalled and my habits aren’t consistent. I’m bringing all of it, and want all of You. I want to actually know You, Lord, and let it be shown in a life following hard after You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

06/22/2026

Say It Like You Mean It
June 22, 2026

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills.”
Matthew 7:21 (The Message)

Three weeks after Easter, a young man walks up to me in the parking lot and introduces himself as an atheist. I spend three hours with him at a restaurant, giving him every proof point I have. Finally, I ask, "Are you ready to be born again?" He says yes. He prays the words from Romans 10:9, declares Jesus as Lord, saying he believes God raised Him from the dead. Then I ask what I always ask: "Did you mean what you just prayed?" In 47 years of ministry, the answer has always been yes.

This time he says, "No." He said the right words. He just didn't mean them.

Jesus makes the sobering point in Matthew 7:21 that calling Him Lord is where faith begins, not where it ends. All true Christians will call Jesus Lord, but not all who call Jesus Lord are true Christians. A verbal declaration alone is not a sign of salvation.

There’s an uncomfortable question that moment raises for you. Does the way you spend your mornings, handle your money, and treat the people closest to you say "Jesus is Lord?" Or is it a phrase you carry like a membership card you never actually use? Calling Jesus Lord is not a finish line.

This week, pray through Psalm 139 and mean every word of it — "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (v. 23-24, NIV)

Let God examine what's actually there. Let your declaration of Jesus' Lordship be tested, proven, and show up in your actions.

Words matter, and so does everything that follows them.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, creator of heaven and earth, I surrender my life to You again today. I I don't want to just say the right things, I want to mean them with my heart. Show me where my words and my actions have come apart. I want my life to declare Your Lordship. In Jesus' name, Amen.

06/21/2026

06/21/2026

Heaven or Earth?
June 21, 2026

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20

Jesus makes it clear that you can only store up treasure in one of two places: on earth, where it can be destroyed, or in heaven, where it cannot be destroyed. In the original Greek language of the New Testament, the word for “store up” and the word for “treasures” is exactly the same word. So what Jesus literally said was, “Do not treasure your treasures in the wrong place.”

What is a treasure? Anything tangible that has a price tag on it is obviously a treasure. However, treasures don’t necessarily have to have a price tag. If you can see it, touch it, measure it, buy it, or enjoy it, it has the potential to be a treasure. Obviously, Jesus is primarily talking about our stuff. It is not wrong to have material things. Everything we have is a gift from God. We should be grateful for the resources that God entrusts to us, but we should never worship the gifts in place of the Giver.

Notice that I used the word “resources” to describe the material wealth that God gives. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a resource is a source of supply or support; an available means. I use this word because resources are intended to be used, not stored up and hoarded. The same is true for material wealth. In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus is not concerned with what we have, but rather with what we do with what we have.

Jesus didn’t say we could treasure our treasures in both heaven and on earth. Instead, He said to treasure our treasures in heaven instead of on earth. So how do we know the difference? How can we tell when we are storing up treasures on earth and not in heaven? If making money and spending money is more important to you than giving money you are treasuring your treasure. We all must choose: Treasures in heaven or treasures on earth?

In giving us this choice, Jesus has shown that we can trade that which is temporary for that which is eternal. We can actually spend our lives investing in something that we will never lose. When we leave this planet, the only thing we will take with us is what we invested in God’s work and in God’s people. So here is the question: Where is your treasure? Is it in the house that you live in or the heaven you will go to?

Jesus, Please help me to spend my life on what truly matters. If I am storing up treasures on this earth, please convict me and show me how to loosen my grip on the things of this world. In Your name I pray, Amen.

06/20/2026

The God Of Glory
June 20, 2026

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”
Psalm 29:2 (NIV)

Here's a truth that might surprise you: You can't actually give God glory. He already has it completely.

Think about it this way. An earthly king only looks glorious when he's wearing his crown and royal robes, sitting on his throne. Take those things away, and he just looks like an ordinary person. His glory depends on external things.

But God is different. He doesn't wear glory like a costume—He IS glory. Just like water is naturally wet and the sun naturally gives light, God is naturally glorious. Even if nothing else existed in the universe, God would still be completely glorious all by Himself.

So when the Bible talks about "glorifying God," it doesn't mean we're adding to His glory (impossible!) or making Him more glorious than He already is. Instead, it means we recognize His glory and reflect it through how we live.

This happens in two ways:

Recognition - Taking time to see and acknowledge God's greatness

Reflection - Living in a way that points others to His glory through our choices, words, and actions

When you understand that God's glory is already complete and perfect, it takes the pressure off. You're not responsible for making God look good—He already does that perfectly. Instead, you get to be like a mirror that reflects His amazing character to the world around you.

Why does this matter today? It changes everything about how you approach your day. Whether you’re at home, at work or facing challenges, you can live with confidence knowing that God's reputation doesn't depend on your performance.

Your job is simply to point others toward the God who is already magnificent. When you mess up, His glory remains unchanged. When you succeed, you get to show others where your strength comes from.

You're free to live honestly before God and with others, knowing that reflecting God's glory is about relationship, not perfection.

Prayer: Lord, I praise You for being glorious, all by yourself. I want to take a moment and praise You for being the one and only God. I pray my life would reflect Your glory and goodness. Let Your light shine and through me, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.