The Chapel in Watertown, WI

10/09/2024

Psalms 34:1-22 NASB

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

08/25/2024

Clarity comes from The Word and Prayer. We're told to test all spirits. Please don't be deceived.

07/13/2024

2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB1995

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ

07/13/2024

Jude 1:20-25 NASB1995

[20] But you, beloved,
building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit,
[21] keep yourselves in the love of God,
waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
[22] And have mercy on some, who are doubting;
[23] save others, snatching them out of the fire;
and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
[24] Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy,
[25] to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.
Amen.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal li

07/05/2024

‭Psalms 68:1, 3-6, 19-20, 28, 32-35 NASB1995‬

[1] Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

[3] But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. [4] Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him. [5] A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. [6] God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

[19] Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah. [20] God is to us a God of deliverances; And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.

[28] Your God has commanded your strength; Show Yourself strong, O God, who have acted on our behalf.

[32] Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, Sing praises to the Lord, Selah. [33] To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice. [34] Ascribe strength to God; His majesty is over Israel And His strength is in the skies. [35] O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!

07/02/2024

🙏‭Psalms 118:1-6; 14-2; 23-24; 28-29 NASB1995‬🤲📖🛐
[1] Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
[4] Oh let those who fear the Lord say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
[5] From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
[6] The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?
[14] The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
[15] The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
[16] The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
[17] I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the Lord.
[18] The Lord has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death.
[19] Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.
[20] This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it.
[21] I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation.
[23] This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.
[24] This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[28] You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You.
[29] Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 🙌

06/22/2024

Day Twenty One - Teach me the Way of Humility
(Pray the Word app)

Before you begin, like the disciples in Luke 11:1, simple ask, “Lord teach me to pray.”

Father I come before You asking that You empower me by Your Spirit that the humility of Christ might be evident in my relationships with others. May I do nothing out of selfishness, but truly consider others better than myself and look out for the interests of those You have placed in my life. Father this is so against my nature!

Forgive me Lord – for I confess that more often than not I am more concerned with my own needs, and getting my own way. May selfishness be put to death in me that I might truly serve others in love.

Forgive me, Father, for I confess that often my involvement in the needs of others is based on my own comfort or if it’s convenient for me. How selfish I am Lord! Teach me what it means to love sacrificially I pray – to love like Jesus, to serve like Jesus! Teach me this way.

May I extend grace and mercy to others as You, Father, have extended grace and mercy to me. Destroy pride in my life in all of its ugly forms (the need to have my own way, to be heard, to be right, to be noticed and appreciated, excusing sin in my life…pause and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and pray further). Help me to be keenly aware of the ways that I exalt myself, and may I instead exalt Christ.

Your Word promises that You will guide the humble in what is right—I want to be guided by You! I choose this day to submit to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, to not resist His work in my life, and to humble myself under Your mighty hand that You might lift me up in due time as You see fit.

May the refining fire of the Holy Spirit have full reign in my life this day that I might be a useable vessel for the purposes of Your Kingdom. And may I be an extension of Your love and mercy to those who are burdened with the cares and brokenness of this world and are in desperate need of the Savior.

I ask these things in His Mighty Name. Amen.

06/18/2024

"If we worship Jesus as anything other than as G0D, we are guilty of idolatry."
~Voddie Baucham
💣🎯💥🤯❤️‍🔥

06/17/2024

True definition of LOVE:

Love IS PATIENT,
love IS KIND.
It does NOT ENVY,
it does NOT BOAST,
it is NOT PROUD.

It does NOT DISHONOR others,
it is NOT SELF-SEEKING,
it is NOT EASILY ANGERED,
it keeps NO RECORD of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but REJOICES with the TRUTH.

It ALWAYS PROTECTS,
always TRUSTS,
always HOPES,
always PERSEVERES.

LOVE NEVER FAILS.

‭1 Cor 13: 4-8a
(emphases mine)

06/03/2024

Devotional from Pray the Word app:
Day Two- Save me from Myself O Lord

Quiet your heart before you begin. Be still and know that He is God.

Father, thank You for the promise of Your Word that as I come near to You, You will come near to me. Thank You for the blessing that is mine as I seek hard after You. But I come to You Heavenly Father confessing that I have allowed other loves to stand in the way of my relationship with You. I have often come near to You with my mouth and have said the right words, and yet my heart has remained distant from You, hard and untouched by Your Spirit. Help me Father! Be merciful to me, for I long to be one who seeks You with all of my heart, and finds You (pause and pray further).

May I not draw near to You and then retreat again to lesser loves. Save me from myself I pray – from self-righteousness, self-provision and selfishness. Strengthen me to remain in You, to learn to abide in You, so that I can bear spiritual fruit, for I know that I can do nothing unless I am abiding in Christ Jesus.

Empower me by Your Spirit to earnestly seek You. May my longing to draw near to You be reflected in:

my thought life

what I allow myself to read and see

the music I listen to

the conversations I engage in

how I conduct myself in my home, neighborhood or work

who I am when I think no one is watching.

In all of these things and so many more-teach me what it means to live and move and have my very being in You alone. I invite You Holy Spirit, to break-up the unplowed ground of my heart, that it might become a fertile field in which Your Word can grow.

Soften my heart again I pray, that I might more clearly hear Your voice and walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

05/27/2024

Copied & pasted:

CARROTS, EGGS, AND COFFEE.
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee. You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each pot on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.
In the first she placed some carrots, in the second she placed some eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,
"Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked,
"What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity. Boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you when the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all be COFFEE!
~ Author unknown.

05/07/2024