Thrive Church

09/04/2026

HIS
A Reflection Inspired by Oswald Chambers
“They were Yours, You gave them to Me.” John 17:6

This morning I was reading Oswald Chambers’ September 4 devotional, “His,” from My Utmost for His Highest. Chambers makes a statement that stopped me: “I am not my own.”
That is a simple statement, but if we really believe it, it changes everything.

Chambers’ devotional centers on what it means to belong completely to Jesus. His point is not merely that we believe in Jesus, attend church, serve in ministry, or try to live good Christian lives. There is something deeper at the heart of discipleship.

I am His.

Jesus prayed in John 17:6, “They were Yours, You gave them to Me.” I love that picture. Jesus wasn’t talking about a crowd. He wasn’t talking about casual followers. He was talking about people who had been given to Him, people who belonged to Him.

And I think this challenges the way many of us understand Christianity.

We often approach Jesus asking, “What can Jesus do with my life?”

Maybe the better question is, “What does Jesus want to do with the life that already belongs to Him?”

There is a difference. If my life belongs to me, then Jesus becomes someone I consult. I ask Him to bless my plans, fix my problems, open my doors, protect my relationships, and help me accomplish my dreams.

But if I belong to Jesus, everything changes.

My plans belong to Him. My relationships belong to Him. My resources belong to Him. My future belongs to Him. My gifts belong to Him. My disappointments belong to Him. My calling belongs to Him.

Even the parts of my life that I desperately want to control belong to Him.

Chambers points us toward the difficult words of Jesus in Luke 14:26, where Jesus speaks about loving Him above father, mother, spouse, children, and even our own lives. Jesus isn’t giving us permission to mistreat or neglect the people we love. He is confronting competing ownership.

Who ultimately has my heart? That is the question. There can be people, dreams, ambitions, possessions, positions, wounds, fears, and even ministries that begin occupying a place in us that belongs only to Jesus.

And sometimes the hardest person to surrender is ourselves.
• My way.
• My timeline.
• My expectations.
• My need to understand.
• My need to control the outcome.

But discipleship keeps bringing us back to these words: “Jesus, I am Yours.”

Chambers also connects belonging with being sent. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “You shall be witnesses to Me.”

I think there is something important about the order. Before Jesus sends us, He forms us. Before we represent Him, we belong to Him. Before there is GO, there must be PROXIMITY.

We sometimes become so consumed with doing something for Jesus that we forget Jesus first called His disciples simply to be with Him (Mark 3:14).

Stay close.
• Let Him shape you.
• Let the Holy Spirit transform you.
• Let His heart become your heart.
• Let His desires begin replacing your desires.

And then, when He sends you, you aren’t simply carrying information about Jesus. You are carrying the evidence of having been with Jesus. That is what I hear in Chambers’ devotional today.

Discipleship isn’t primarily about working harder for God. It is about surrendering more completely to God.

And maybe that is the question worth sitting with today:
Does Jesus simply have a place in my life, or does Jesus have my life? There is a difference.

My prayer today is simple:
Jesus, I am Yours. Not just the parts of me that are convenient to surrender. Not just Sunday morning. Not just my ministry or my public life. My plans, relationships, dreams, disappointments, fears, future, and everything I am belong to You. Holy Spirit, continue forming the character of Jesus within me. Keep me close enough to hear His voice and surrendered enough to follow wherever He leads.

As Chambers concludes his September 4 devotional: “Be entirely his.” That’s the invitation today. Entirely His.

Inspired by Oswald Chambers’ September 4 devotional, “His,” from My Utmost for His Highest.

Dr. Mark A. Taylor
Thrive Church | More Than Living
Gather. Grow. Go.

08/23/2026

Good morning, friends of Thrive Church!

Going forward, all Thrive Church live streams and worship services will be available on our YouTube channel. We invite you to visit our channel and subscribe so you can easily stay connected with our services, messages, and other Thrive Church content.

Find us on YouTube at .
(https://youtube.com/?si=uiXbyxLkOmVqak7k)

Thank you for staying connected with us. We look forward to continuing to Gather, Grow, and Go together!

08/09/2026

Thrive Church Sunday AM with Dr. Mark A. Taylor, Lead Pastor.

08/07/2026

07/18/2026

📚🎒 Thrive Church Backpack Giveaway & Craft Fair 🎒📚

The Lord has placed Highland School on our hearts, and we are excited to come alongside and bless the students and families in our community.

Join us on Saturday, August 8 for a Backpack Giveaway sponsored by Thrive Church, where we’ll be providing backpacks and school supplies to help students from Highland get ready for the new school year.

We’ll also be hosting a Craft Fair! If you’re interested in being a vendor, please send me a message so we can get you connected and reserve your spot.

We’re looking forward to another amazing day of serving our community, supporting local vendors, and sharing God’s love. We hope to see you there!

07/07/2026

Save the date and Join us for an extraordinary worship experience that brings together faith and community, crafted to uplift, inspire, and transform.

06/18/2026

THRIVE PRAYER GUARD DEVOTIONAL
Coming Through Without Compromise

SCRIPTURE
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” — James 1:4

There are seasons in life that test more than our strength. They test our character.

Anyone can praise God when life is easy. Anyone can walk in peace when circumstances are favorable. But true spiritual maturity is revealed when we walk through disappointment, betrayal, suffering, loss, uncertainty, or hardship and still emerge with our faith intact and our character surrendered to Christ.

One of the greatest victories is not simply surviving the trial. It is coming out on the other side without becoming bitter, cynical, angry, or hardened.

Joseph endured betrayal but remained faithful.

Daniel faced opposition but remained uncompromised.

Job experienced devastating loss but continued to trust God.

Their greatest testimony was not what they went through, but who they became through it.

God is often more concerned with our formation than our comfort. He uses difficult seasons to shape humility, perseverance, wisdom, compassion, and dependence upon Him. The trial may not be what we would choose, but it can become the very tool God uses to refine our hearts.

Today, remember this: the goal is not simply to get through the storm. The goal is to become more like Christ because of it.

When you walk closely with Jesus, you can come through the fire without smelling like smoke and come out of the valley with your character intact.

PRAYER
Father, help me remain faithful in every season. Guard my heart from bitterness, resentment, and compromise. Use every trial to shape me into the image of Christ. May I emerge from every challenge with greater faith, deeper humility, and stronger character than when I entered it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

THRIVE PRAYER GUARD CHALLENGE
Ask the Lord today, “What are You trying to form in me through what I am facing?” Then thank Him not only for bringing you through the trial, but for what He is producing within you through it.

WATCHING • PRAYING • TRANSFORMING

06/15/2026

THRIVE PRAYER GUARD DEVOTIONAL
Conducting the King’s Business

Luke 19:13

SCRIPTURE
“So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’” — Luke 19:13 (NKJV)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
One of the greatest misconceptions about the Christian life is that we are simply waiting for Jesus to return. Yet Jesus never instructed His followers to sit idly by until His coming. Instead, He entrusted them with His resources, His authority, His message, and His mission. Then He gave a clear command: “Do business till I come.”

The Greek word used here, pragmateuomai, means to engage in business, trade, occupy, or actively conduct affairs. Jesus was teaching that His followers are to be fully engaged in advancing His Kingdom until He returns.

This truth connects beautifully to our understanding of the Ekklesia and the Conventus.

The Ekklesia is the gathering of God’s people. It is where we worship, pray, learn, and are formed by the presence of Christ. But the Conventus is where we live out that calling. It is the marketplace, the workplace, the neighborhood, the school, the coffee shop, the restaurant, the hospital, and the community. It is where life happens.

Jesus never intended for the Church to remain inside the walls of a building. He intended for His people to carry His presence into the places where culture is shaped every day.

As members of the Thrive Prayer Guard, we are not simply praying for revival inside the church. We are praying for God’s Kingdom to advance throughout our city. Every prayer we pray is part of the King’s business. Every conversation we have can become an opportunity for ministry. Every act of kindness can reveal the heart of Christ. Every relationship can become a mission field.

The Ekklesia gathers, but the Conventus sends.

We gather in His presence so we can be deployed into our community as ambassadors of His Kingdom.

TODAY, ASK YOURSELF:
What has the King entrusted to me?
Where has He placed me to conduct His business?

The answer may not be found in a sanctuary. It may be found at your dinner table, in your workplace, at your school, or in your neighborhood.

The King’s business is happening all around you.

PRAYER
Father, thank You for entrusting me with Your Kingdom. Help me to be faithful with the gifts, opportunities, relationships, and influence You have given me. Open my eyes to see the mission field around me. Teach me to carry Your presence wherever I go and to conduct Your business with wisdom, love, humility, and boldness. May my life reflect the reality of Your Kingdom until the day You return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

THRIVE PRAYER GUARD CHALLENGE
Today, intentionally pray for one person, encourage one person, and look for one opportunity to represent Christ in your everyday environment.