Core Orchard Men’s Ministry

09/08/2026

08/27/2026

I wish I could sit across from you and make you understand how deeply Jesus loves you. Not the cleaned-up version of you. Not the version of you that finally gets everything together. You, right now. Jesus knows every thought you’ve had, every decision you’ve made, every secret you’ve hidden, every promise you’ve broken, and every moment you wish you could go back and change. Yet none of those things caused Him to turn away from you. Jesus knew the complete truth about you before He ever went to the cross, and He went anyway.

Jesus described His love this way: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, ESV) Jesus didn’t simply tell you that He loves you. He demonstrated it. When people rejected Him, He continued toward the cross. When He knew suffering was coming, He continued. When He knew exactly who He was dying for, He continued. You were not an inconvenience Jesus reluctantly agreed to save. You were someone He considered worth giving His life for.

Think about the cross personally for a moment. Jesus could have saved Himself, but He chose to give Himself for you. He carried the judgment your sin deserved so you would never have to wonder whether God was willing to forgive you. The cross is not God telling you how terrible you are. The cross is God showing you how far His love was willing to go to bring you home. Jesus would rather bear your sin Himself than leave you separated from Him.

Maybe you struggle to believe that because you know yourself too well. You know how many times you’ve failed. You know how many times you’ve said, “I’ll never do that again,” and did it again. But Jesus knows you even better than you know yourself. John writes, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us.” (1 John 3:16, ESV) Your feelings are not the measurement of His love. Your performance is not the measurement of His love. The cross is. When your emotions tell you that you are unwanted, look at what Jesus actually did for you.

And Jesus did not die for you so you could spend the rest of your life terrified of Him. He came to bring you to the Father. He came so you could know what it feels like to be completely known and still completely loved. You don’t have to hide when you fail. You don’t have to punish yourself before you pray. You don’t have to wait until you feel spiritual enough to come close. Because of Jesus, you can come to your Father knowing that your acceptance rests upon Christ, not upon whether you had a perfect week.

There is something else I desperately want you to understand. Jesus didn’t only die for you. He rose for you. And today He is alive. Paul says, “Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34, ESV) Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. The One who knows everything about you is not standing there accusing you. The One who knows everything about you is the One who gave Himself for you.

So when you wonder whether Jesus still loves you after what you did, remember the cross. When you wonder whether He has finally had enough of you, remember the empty tomb. When shame tells you to stay away, remember where Jesus is sitting. Your sin was not greater than His sacrifice. Your failure is not greater than His grace. Your past is not greater than His blood. You don’t need to convince Jesus to love you. He already settled that question when He stretched out His arms and gave Himself for you.

I cannot force you to believe that Jesus loves you. But I can point you to the evidence. Look at Him. Look at the cross. Look at the empty tomb. Look at the Savior seated at the right hand of the Father. He knew everything and still chose you. He saw your worst and still gave you His best. You don’t have to spend another day wondering whether you are wanted by God. Jesus has already answered that question with His life. You are deeply loved by Jesus. Stop running from that love. Let yourself believe it. Let yourself receive it. And let His love finally become the safest place your heart has ever known.

08/26/2026

LET YOURSELF BE LOVED BY JESUS

There is something about Romans 5:8 that I wish every person could understand before spending another day trying to earn the love of God:

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8, ESV

Read those words carefully: while we were still sinners.

Jesus didn’t wait for you to change before He loved you. He didn’t wait until you stopped struggling, understood the Bible, started attending church, cleaned up your life, or promised never to mess up again.

He loved you right there.

Jesus knew the worst thing you would ever do before He went to the cross. He knew about the decisions you would regret, the nights you would wish you could erase, the addictions, the anger, the broken relationships, the hidden struggles, and the moments when you wouldn’t even want Him.

Knowing all of that, Jesus still went to the cross.

There was never a moment when He discovered something about you that made Him reconsider His love for you.

This is where religion can exhaust people. We begin believing that God will love us more when we finally become better. So we try harder, make more promises, punish ourselves when we fail, and hide when we are ashamed.

But Romans 5:8 destroys the idea that God’s love began with your performance.

Jesus didn’t die for the cleaned-up version of you.

He died for you.

Maybe that is exactly what you need to hear today. You don’t have to hide anymore. Jesus already knows. Whatever you are afraid He might discover about you, He already knew when the nails went through His hands.

The cross wasn’t Jesus discovering how sinful humanity was. The cross was Jesus knowing exactly how lost we were and choosing to give Himself for us anyway.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son.”
1 John 4:10, ESV

Christianity begins with His love for you, not your love for Him.

You can stop trying to make yourself worthy enough to come home. Come home because Jesus made the way home.

Bring the mess.
Bring the questions.
Bring the regret.
Bring the thing you promised yourself you would never do again.

Grace doesn’t say destructive things don’t matter. Grace says your sin is not stronger than the blood of Jesus.

You don’t get free by hating yourself enough. You begin experiencing freedom when you realize Jesus loved you enough to give Himself for you.

And look at where Jesus is today:

“After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Hebrews 1:3, ESV

Jesus died.
Jesus rose.
Jesus sat down.

The work required to reconcile you to God was accomplished. Your Savior is alive, and the scars that once spoke of your condemnation now testify that the price was paid.

Maybe you have spent years running from Jesus because you thought He was angry with you. Maybe nobody ever told you that the One you have been afraid of is the One who stretched out His arms for you.

Jesus isn’t standing at the end of your failures saying, “I told you so.”

Look at the cross.

He is saying, “This is how much I love you.”

You don’t have to clean yourself up before coming near Him. Come near, and let His love begin changing the way you see yourself.

If you remember nothing else today, remember Romans 5:8:

Jesus loved you at your worst.

You don’t have to earn His heart. You already have His invitation. You don’t have to convince Him to want you. The cross settled that question forever.

Jesus saw everything you would ever be ashamed of, walked toward the cross anyway, died for you, rose for you, and today He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Stop running from the Man who already knew everything about you and loved you anyway.

Let yourself be loved by Jesus.

08/22/2026

CORE MEN | TODAY’S WORD

THE VEIL HAS BEEN REMOVED

A.W. Tozer writes in The Pursuit of God about the things that can stand between us and a deeper awareness of God’s presence.

Sometimes it isn’t that God is far away.

Sometimes our hearts are just crowded.

Pride.
Self-reliance.
Distraction.
Busyness.
Unconfessed sin.
The need to control everything.

But because of Jesus, we do not have to live at a distance from God.

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus…”
Hebrews 10:19 NKJV

Men, think about that.

Because of the finished work of Christ, we have access.

We do not have to earn our way into God’s presence.
We do not have to clean ourselves up first.
We do not have to perform.

We come because Jesus made the way.

The question is not whether God has opened the door.

The question is whether we are walking through it.

Today, shut off the noise for a few minutes.

Put the phone down.

Get quiet.

And simply pray:

“Lord, remove anything in me that keeps me from seeing You clearly. I want to know You, hear You, and walk closely with You today.”

Men, God is not hiding from you.

Draw near. The way has already been opened.

08/19/2026

CORE MEN | TODAY’S WORD

WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING TOO TIGHTLY?

A.W. Tozer writes in The Pursuit of God about the danger of allowing the things God has given us to become more important than God Himself.

Abraham learned this when God asked him to place Isaac on the altar.

Isaac was not a bad thing. He was a promised thing.

But even a blessing can become an idol when we cannot surrender it.

Men, that hits close to home.

Our careers.
Our money.
Our reputation.
Our plans.
Our motorcycles, homes, possessions, and accomplishments.
Even our families and ministries.

None of those things are wrong.

The question is:

Do we possess them, or do they possess us?

Jesus said:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 NKJV

Real surrender says:

“Lord, everything I have came from You, and everything I have belongs to You.”

That does not mean we stop loving the people and things God has entrusted to us.

It means we refuse to let anything take His place.

Today, ask yourself:

What would be the hardest thing for me to place on the altar before God?

That answer may reveal where your heart is holding on the tightest.

Lord, teach us to hold everything with open hands. May nothing You have given us ever become more important than You. You are our greatest treasure. Amen.

Men, surrender is not weakness.

Surrender is trusting God enough to open your hands.

08/19/2026

“…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) 🤍

Maybe there are parts of your story that still feel broken. Maybe there are things you’ve carried for so long that you’ve started to believe they’ll always be a part of your life.

But Jesus is still in the business of bringing new life to broken places. ❤️

Your past doesn’t have to define your future. What was broken doesn’t have to stay broken.

There is hope. There is healing. And there is a new way of living found in Christ.

Recovery really is a resurrection story. ❤️

08/19/2026

CORE MEN | TODAY’S WORD

Men, don’t settle for simply knowing about God.

Pursue Him.

Psalm 63:1 says:

“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You…”

David already knew God, but he still wanted more of Him.

That’s the challenge for us today.

We can get busy with work, family, responsibilities, church, ministry, and everything else life throws at us. We can even become so busy doing things for God that we forget to simply be with God.

A.W. Tozer reminds us in The Pursuit of God that the greatest treasure isn’t what God can give us.

God Himself is the prize.

Not the title.
Not the position.
Not recognition.
Not success.
Not even ministry.

Him.

So today, make this your prayer:

“Lord, give me a fresh hunger for You. Don’t let me become satisfied with yesterday’s walk. Teach me to seek Your face, not just Your hand. I don’t just want what You can do for me. I want You.”

Men, keep pursuing Him.

There is always more.

08/17/2026

CORE MEN | FOLLOWING HARD AFTER GOD

Men, here’s a question for today:

Are we still pursuing God, or have we become comfortable simply knowing about Him?

A.W. Tozer writes in The Pursuit of God about the hunger of a man who has found God and yet still wants more of Him.

David said:

“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You…”
Psalm 63:1 NKJV

David already knew God.

He had walked with Him.
He had worshiped Him.
He had seen God move.

And yet he was still thirsty.

That’s the kind of hunger we need as men.

It’s easy to get busy with work, family, responsibilities, ministry, church, and everything else pulling at us. We can even become so busy doing things for God that we stop spending time with God.

But here’s the reminder:

God Himself is the prize.

Not the title.
Not the position.
Not being recognized.
Not even being used by God.

Him.

There’s a difference between saying:

“Lord, use me.”

And saying:

“Lord, I want You.”

Men, may we never become satisfied with yesterday’s walk with Jesus.

May we be husbands, fathers, brothers, leaders, and friends who still hunger for the presence of God.

Lord, give us a fresh hunger for You. Teach us to seek Your face and not just Your hand. Remove anything that has taken Your place in our hearts. We don’t just want what You can do for us. We want You. Amen.

Keep pursuing Him, men. There is always more.

08/17/2026

Following Hard After God

“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”
Psalm 63:1 NKJV

A.W. Tozer opens The Pursuit of God with a truth that really challenges me: finding God is not the end of pursuing God. It is the beginning.

David already knew God when he wrote Psalm 63, yet he still said, “My soul thirsts for You.”

That tells me something important. We can know Jesus, love Jesus, serve Jesus, and still need a deeper hunger for His presence.

Sometimes we can become so busy doing things for God that we slowly stop pursuing God Himself.

We can attend church, serve in ministry, help people, read our Bible, and say all the right things, yet still allow our personal relationship with Jesus to become routine.

Tozer reminds us that God Himself is the prize.

Not the position.
Not the ministry.
Not recognition.
Not what He can give us.
Not even what He can accomplish through us.

Him.

There is a big difference between praying:

“God, use me.”

And praying:

“God, I want You.”

The beautiful thing about following Jesus is that there is always more of Him to know. We will never reach the place where we can say, “I’ve gone deep enough.”

Paul expressed the same hunger:

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings…”
Philippians 3:10 NKJV

Paul already knew Christ, but he still wanted to know Him more.

Maybe that should be our prayer today.

Lord, don’t let me become satisfied with yesterday’s relationship with You. Give me a fresh hunger for Your presence. Strip away anything that has become more important to me than You. Teach me to seek Your face, not just Your hand. I don’t only want what You can do for me. I want You. Amen.

Today’s Challenge

Take ten quiet minutes today with no agenda.

Don’t ask God for anything.

Don’t work on tomorrow’s problems.

Don’t prepare anything for anyone else.

Just sit with Him.

Read Psalm 63:1-8 slowly and ask yourself:

Am I still pursuing God, or have I become comfortable simply knowing about Him?

Tozer wrote:

“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.”

Keep pursuing Him.

There is always more. 🙏