Archives Devotionals

It’s Not a Big Deal

“It’s not a big deal.” I’m sure you have heard that statement before. Most of the time I probably use that phrase correctly, but sometimes I use it to downplay something that is a big deal. Such as being arrested in Mexico, my various illnesses growing up, and once in a while when I’ve made a mistake. Saying “It’s not a big deal,” might make me feel better in the moment. On the other side of the spectrum, sometimes it’s fun to revel in past life experiences or even brag about things that are good and the things that were bad. My guess is based on 1 Corinthians 5 both were happening in the church.

Nobody is perfect and sometimes our imperfections bring sin into the church. In Corinth the people were proud of either their sin or getting away with it, even boasting about it (v. 2; 6). Maybe they didn’t think it was a big deal because the world around them did the same kind of things. Maybe they thought it was okay to justify their sin. My guess, was they knew the sexual sin that was happening was a big deal and there was some pride in getting away with it. Of course, Paul had to encourage and correct. They needed to recognize the evilness that sin was brought into the community and make a hard change. They needed to mourn and grieve the fact that they let sin take root in the church. Paul was right in his instruction, this was a big deal and it needed to be treated like it was.

Sin is a problem but praise God for sending his Son so we can be forgiven, live, and be transformed from sin. Maybe you are stuck though. Maybe sin has its grips and you’ve been saying it’s not a big deal. It might be time to confess and mourn the sin that has been grabbing you (1 John 1:9). Maybe someone around you is boasting about their sin and you are unsure what to do. First, pray for wisdom, turn to God and let him help.  Remember to speak the truth in love so we can all grow into maturity (Eph. 4:15). As always if we can help let us know, we are here with you!

Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Family Pastor

by Jeremy Johnson

Seriousness of Sin

I’m getting to that age where growing up in the warm California sun is finally catching up with me. It’s time for me to go to a dermatologist to get my face scanned to see if I have any skin cancer beginning to form. My dad did it a few years ago, and now it’s my turn. How silly would it be for me to say, “It’s not that big of a deal. Those cancer spots are pretty small.” No way! Cancer is cancer and whether it’s big or small it has the ability to kill. I think we should view sin in the same way - big or small, it has the ability to steal, kill, and destroy.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he said, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. (1 Corinthians 5:1) The church was justifying sin, assuming that it wasn’t all that big of a deal. However, they were sorely mistaken. They were snuggling up to something that had the ability to destroy them. When sin is tolerated, life is damaged.

Why would someone downplay the seriousness of sin? I think there are a few reasons. First, they don’t understand the way that sin has the ability to rob us of life. Listen to a few of the adverse effects of sin that are listed in the Scriptures. Sin:

• Robs us of the joy of salvation. (Psalm 51)

• Robs us of peace (Philippians 4:7)

• Causes anguish in our physical body (Psalm 32:3-4)

• Hinders fellowship with God (1 John 1:3, 6)

• Causes separation and isolation from others (1 John 1:6)

• Causes ineffectiveness in prayer (Psalm 66:18)

• Causes us to become fearful (John 2:28)

• Gives the Devil a foothold in our lives (Ephesians 4:27)

When we stop to think about it, sin’s effects should grieve us.

The second reason we don’t take sin seriously is that we don’t believe we can actually change. We’re not wholly convinced that we can make true change; and yet, we’re told the Spirit lives in us. You are a new creation and Jesus has given you everything you need for life and godliness; you just need to trust him and move forward by his grace.

Finally, many of us ignore sin because we don’t know how much life is waiting for us through obedience to Jesus. Read back through the list above and you’ll, but reverse each of the effects of sin to see what we have through obedience. Joy, peace, and the list goes on. It’s all available to you through Jesus.

If we start to realize what hangs in the balance, we might take sin more seriously. Now, just to be clear, we are seriously forgiven, but we must walk in obedience if we are going to experience all that the Lord has for us … and that starts with getting serious about our sin.  Take a moment today to confess your sins to the Lord. Ask him to forgive you. Remind yourself that he has and does. And then intention in your heart to live in obedience.

Pastor Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor

by Ryan Paulson

Don’t Fight It

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit? 1 Corinthians 14:20-21

Have you ever heard of a Chinese finger trap? You may know it by another name, but it is a simple woven tube that tightens around whatever is stuck into each end when pulled apart. It is a gag toy that carries vivid memories for me. When I was a little girl, my sisters and I frequently stayed with our grandparents. I was particularly close to my aunt, several years older than me. She had a great sense of humor, and we loved to laugh together. On one visit, I remember standing in the backyard when she told me to give her toy a try by sticking my index fingers in each end. You guessed it. I was the young and gullible child who played along. The laughter began when I told her I didn’t get it and tried to take my fingers out. Her laughter. Not mine. The harder I pulled, the tighter it got, and my panic grew! After she’d enjoyed my predicament for a bit, she showed me how to get free by just relaxing and bringing my fingers together to loosen the tube. 

That childhood memory is just what came to mind when I thought of Paul’s questions in verse 21, “What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?” If only I had known that my freedom from the finger trap depended on my cooperating with its design. Instead, I fought against it. The longer I pulled and strained, the greater my discomfort and distress. 

Often in my life, I have fallen into the trap of trying to manage the temptations and challenges of life on my own. If I am honest, I have too often wanted to design my own growth plan. Instead of cooperating with the Spirit’s work in my life, I have resisted, revealing my need to trust him more. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt. 11:29-30 NLT) Rather than fighting against the perfectly fitting “yoke” that God has designed for us, let’s ask the Lord to teach us his ways and to give us the grace to walk in them. 

Nicole Jiles
Director of Children’s Ministry

by Nicole Jiles

Power

You might have been woken in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago by an amazing light and sound show in Escondido. A storm cell moved through the area which created a powerful thunderstorm. I apparently slept through it! Everyone else in my house woke up and was amazed at what they experienced. It was a brief glimpse of God’s power, beauty, and majesty and at the same time, instances like that cause a little fear and trepidation. Realistically I never want to miss out on seeing God’s power, of course, you have to be watchful and ready. Sometimes it wakes us up and sometimes we have to be disciplined to be ready.

Sometimes when we talk about God there is metaphorical lightning and thunder and sometimes we miss the power. Paul did not want believers' words or lives to miss the power of God. In verse 20 Paul talks about how the power of the Gospel, the power of transformation, and the power of God should be displayed through our lives. Of course, that takes discipline. Being dedicated to living in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus allows our lives to reveal the power God gives. Others see a difference, not just in words, but indeed as well. That transformational power God displays through the believers' life of obedience and discipline is amazing and a testimony to how he can change everything. That is a power we don’t want to miss.

Let’s not miss the power of God in the life of his church. Together, let’s gather around what God is doing so we can share in his power. I would like to encourage you to spend some time with the Lord and ask him where you might need to take some steps of obedience with him, where you might need a little more discipline in your walk. Also take some time to praise him for where you see his power, where you see change, and where you see the strength in your walk. We have plenty of ways to help you with groups, classes, and mentors, just reach out and we will help you take the right step.

Pastor Jeremy
Family Pastor

by Jeremy Johnson

Imitators

It definitely stung.  It got me right in the gut and the heart.  At first glance, it was a sweet sight and I actually smiled and began to feel a sense of pride and joy.  I thought to myself, “yes, this is exactly what I want to be modeling.”  But that sight quickly turned sour when I noticed one little item and it felt like a stab wound in my heart. I was trying to be so intentional with the example I was setting as a mom and I was clueless about this important detail I had missed.

My little girl was walking down the hallway having reimagined our house into her own little community.  She was pushing a stroller full of babies, carrying a baby, looking cute, and was headed to a prayer meeting.  How cute, right?  Then I see it… I see a little play cell phone squeezed between her ear and shoulder.  What?  How was the cell phone part of this picture?  Was this what she saw of me in her tender little moldable heart?  A busy mom who was distracted on her phone? Wounded and convicted I went to work to reshape the image I was unintentionally showing.  I quickly went in my mind to the women in my life and what things stood out to me when I saw them running about town or heading into a church meeting.  A cell phone wasn’t part of the picture I saw!

God sent us the best example to model in Jesus.  So many of the stories in the bible center around Jesus simply “living” and sharing life with others.  Attending a conference or retreat or event is great where we get a firehose dose of truth and inspiration.  But it’s possible the impact of living life shoulder to shoulder is where true “living for Christ'' is best learned.  And in God's great wisdom He has given us those who have gone before us to help set the example and model.  From grandparents to older friends God has given me, my life has been shaped greatly by the role they played.

At the same time, there are younger eyes watching us, so we are being called to model and lead by example as well.  As we learn from those ahead of us we are responsible to model for those coming up behind us.  Titus 2:7

It’s in the moments of conviction like with my daughter, or when we are in a season of not knowing, that we can look ahead and see who God has given us to seek counsel from and learn.  We can be watchful, always learning and applying so that those watching us are getting a model of godliness.

Do you know who are you watching and why?  Are you aware of who is watching you and what example you are setting?  Who we are watching will directly impact who we are and the example we are living out, and as a direct result will impact who is watching us.

Bonnie Nichols
Women’s Ministry Specialist

by Bonnie Nichols

An Appropriate Warning

"I am writing this… to warn you as my dear children.” - 1 Corinthians 4:14

At 7 years old, my Josiah was a confident little bike rider … maybe too confident. It was a cool Saturday afternoon, so we decided to take a short trip to the church parking lot… Beth and I would walk, while the kids rode their bikes. One of the great things about living close to the church is that we get to enjoy this big empty lot when no one else is there. All my kids learned how to ride a bike in the lower lot. They have ridden there and back countless times, thankfully without incident, that is except for this one very close call.

On this particular day, as we started to head for home, I decided to let my boys ride ahead of us, much to my wife’s chagrin. Beth and I watched from a distance as our oldest rode down the hill at full speed making a quick turn into our driveway. Not to be outdone by his older brother, Josiah decided to try the same thing. We were watching his little legs pumping down the hill in front of us when we realized that a car was coming up behind him going far too fast near children on bikes. Josiah, not thinking about anything other than making a smooth, fast turn into our driveway, decided to make a last-minute maneuver to finish off his ride. He rounded out his turn by swerving left before turning right into the driveway, putting himself directly into the flow of traffic only a second before the car sped past him! Our hearts leaped. From our perspective, it looked like we were going to lose our little guy. We screamed in fear, mixed with relief, mixed with anger, and began running to the house getting angrier as we ran. By the time we got to the house and saw the boys’ look of confusion as if nothing had happened, we decided that they needed to know how scary their actions were. We wanted to put the fear of the Lord into them at that point. We wanted them to be as scared as we were, and we succeeded. Both boys were in tears by the time we cooled off and we started feeling like we may have overreacted.

But, did we overreact? As I think back on this situation, I actually don’t think we did. I’m glad that we got mad. I’m glad that they have a memory of their crazy parents running down the street yelling at them. I’m glad that they still remember how scared we were. I hope they never forget because I want my kids to have a healthy fear of things that they should have a healthy fear of. I don’t want them to make silly decisions that might ruin their lives. This little story makes me understand Paul’s warnings a bit more. He realizes that the people he loves are in trouble of making silly mistakes that could ruin the life that God has for them. He realizes that they need a strong warning, the way kids do from time to time.

I think that this might be a good way to look at all of God’s warnings through scripture. God doesn’t give us warnings just because he likes the rules and he wants people to listen to him. God gives us warnings because we are in danger of swerving into traffic. Maybe it’s time to listen as if our life depends on it.

Josh Rose
Teaching Pastor

by Josh Rose

Spiritual Father

Do you have a spiritual mother or father? Someone who introduced you to the gospel? If so, that person might feel they have more liberty or authority to challenge and direct you. That was Paul’s claim at the end of 1 Corinthians 4. He wrote (verse 15) that the believers there might end up with ten thousand guardians, or guides, in Christ, but they would only have one father because “in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the gospel.” In that role, Paul feels he has the authority or the responsibility to help the Corinthians know the truth and live it out. So, as their spiritual father, he asks them (verse 21) “What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?”

Most of us would choose the love and gentleness option, but there are times when we need the rod of discipline too. Working in student ministry, I see the need for discipline regularly. Sometimes volunteer leaders are hesitant to correct or discipline students. Those leaders end up getting walked on by students who push to see how much they can get away with. These leaders end up frustrated by the student’s behavior, and the lack of discipline doesn’t help the students. Interestingly, leaders hesitate to discipline because they don’t want to hurt their relationship with the students, but the lack of discipline is exactly what hurts the relationship. When the leaders discipline their students it helps the relationship (well, it helps the relationship when the student can tell that the leader cares and is disciplining from love versus irritation - and students can always tell.)

Believers are encouraged to “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. for what children are not disciplined by their father?” - Hebrews 12:7. Discipline is a part of love. It is what real life and spiritual mothers and fathers do to care for and bring up their children. Please consider if you have given someone this position of influence in your life and if there are people you are being a spiritual mom or dad for.

Pastor John Riley
Jr. High Pastor

by John Riley

Make Me a Servant

Between my junior and senior years in college, I was a high school summer intern at the church I grew up attending. One day I was in the office with our senior pastor and the church secretary (hey - that was her title back then!). She was holding a stack of papers that she accidentally dropped. I’ve never forgotten what happened next. While she bent down to pick them up, I stood there and watched. While our senior pastor bent down to pick them up, I stood there and watched. And then I heard it! As he went to help retrieve the documents, he began to sing, “Make me a servant, humble and meek, Lord let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, ‘Make me a servant, make me a servant, make me a servant today.’” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6U8O_WnPZY) I have never forgotten the simple life lesson he taught me -- you’re never too important to serve because serving is what you are called to do. And this applies to everyone, not just prideful high school interns.

In this week’s passage from 1 Corinthians we see that Paul gets it -- he knows he is a servant -- a servant of Christ and a servant of the mysteries of God (4:1). And we see that some of the Corinthians don’t get it -- they are proud and boastful about who they are and what they have, forgetting that everything in their lives is a gift from Him (4:7). While Paul understands himself, some in the church have deceived themselves.

And so it is that understanding our role (we are servants) and understanding where our gifts and talents come from (God) allows us to stay away from self-deception (3:18) by growing in humility. But this can be difficult in our upside-down world where we are told it is better to receive than to give and where everyone acts as if their abilities are self-endowed.

So what are we to do? How can we avoid a failure to launch? How can we stay away from self-deception? How can we grow in humility? I have two suggestions. First, go back to Monday’s devotional from Pastor John Riley and review that list of 3-5 things that make you special. Then spend some time today thanking God for how He made you. Remember, you are awesomely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Thank Him for all He has given you -- your mind, your organizational skills, your people skills, your creativity, your ability to design and build things, how easy code is for you, etc. Whatever it is, give Him thanks for it.

And then second, remember you are a servant. I once heard it said that any person who thinks he or she is too important for the small tasks is not important enough for the big ones. Practice humility by doing the little things, the things you might believe are beneath you. Remember Jesus said He came to serve, not to be served, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Here’s the bottom line -- you’re not as important as you think you are, so start acting like it! As you do, your humility will continue to develop, your self-deception will continue to decrease and your usefulness to God will grow!

Scott Smith
Connection and Growth Pastor

by Scott Smith

Deceived by Mediocrity

Have you ever considered the idea that mediocrity is a disease and it is infiltrating our culture at a rapid rate? Its first and most predominant symptom is fear. We fear being noticed, or not being noticed at all. We fear being uncomfortable or being too comfortable. We fear failure or being too passionate. We fear work, but we also fear rest and the self-realization that can come through either. We fear speaking up, but we also fear being heard. We feel safest taking the middle ground; just a little popularity, and a little reputation, but still ready to receive ALL of God’s blessings. We want just enough power to feel like we are in control, yet without the cost.

The disease of mediocrity is one that pervades our culture today, yet it simply is not Biblical. When we think of a mediocre, or a lukewarm church, we most commonly think of the Church of Laodicea spoken of in Revelation 3. Jesus says in verses 15-17, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Paul’s words to the Church in Corinth are similar as he addresses their complacency in 1 Corinthians 4:8, “You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.” Complacent, mediocre people think they have already arrived and for fear of being found out, they try to communicate that they don’t need anyone else. They keep up their blinders and aren’t willing to look at the person God has created them to be. This disease of mediocrity existed within the Church of Laodicea, it existed in the Church of Corinth and exists in many of our churches today.

Today’s vernacular calls this, “playing it safe”. To this, Francis Chan says, “Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. Their focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.” Safe living may be comfortable, provide just enough recognition and control, but is that what God intends for his children? Not at all. Jesus says in John 10:10 that he came that we may live lives of abundance, to the full, being who he created us to be; a saved people ready to go out and boldly proclaim our hope to a desperate world. This may require taking risks and it will require facing fears, but it is all part of God’s perfect design.

In 1928, American author John Shedd wrote, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” How are you built? How do you want to live your life? Are you a ship in the harbor, afraid to face a possible storm? If you stay in the harbor though, you will also miss out on the wind in your sails and the glory of sailing on the open sea; being who God designed you to be.

Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling

by Lynette Fuson