We all love a good story. Today we have a story within a story as we look at the story of two very different characters: Jarius and the bleeding woman.

Jarius was an important man who knew the Jewish law and understood the risk of coming to Jesus. He humbles himself, immediately displaying his faith. The bleeding woman would have been considered unclean and therefore would have been isolated. She came to Jesus quietly, but both of them came to Jesus with bold faith.

Sometimes our faith becomes static. We forget that faith requires us giving up our agenda to God’s timing. Sometimes faith requires us to sit at the feet of Jesus and wait- depending fully on God no matter what the situation.

Jarius came to Jesus with a strong and trusting faith. He had an urgent need, but his need was interrupted with this woman’s need. It wasn’t Jarius’ plan and that must have been frustrating. But Jesus relays words of comfort, telling him not to be afraid, but to trust in His timing. This requires full surrender.

Faith should embolden us to ACT, but sometimes it also requires WAITING, for our Father knows best. Faith is a release of our power to Jesus’ power which knows no barriers and brings freedom.

We worship an all powerful God who works with us to help us release our own power.

Our faith is personal. Not private, but personal. Jesus calls the bleeding woman “daughter” reversing her isolation and affirming that she is part of the family of God. This changed her and this can change us. In whatever problem or suffering we face, the presence of Jesus is what the Gospel offers.

The Christian Life: United in Christ

Weekly Devotional 5.19.2025

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4

Our union with Jesus was established from eternity past and guaranteed for eternity future, ensuring our security in all matters of salvation, our hope as we reflect Jesus and become more like Him, and our joy as we share in community and fellowship with other believers. You have received incredible spiritual blessings and share in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and glorification. We should see it as a blessing that just as Jesus called us before the foundation of the world, He also calls us to serve, fellowship, and worship with each other as we reflect His glory in the church and to the world around us.

What’s your impression of Mary in the Bible? She has a major role in Jesus’ life for sure but is not mentioned by name in the Gospel of Mark or John, any of Paul’s letters or in the rest of the New Testament after the Book of Acts.

Today, we’re looking at the example of Mary, Jesus’ mother- a mother and a disciple. She’s a trailblazer for us in following Jesus.

• When Gabriel appears to Mary, the angel tells her that she has found favor with God. She had already displayed a life of faith. She shows us that the way to be prepared for God to work in our life is to have a daily foundation of faith. Her response to the angel is a faith masterclass: “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” She starts with trust.
• The Biblical story mostly skips forward three decades to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has an interaction with Mary at the wedding in Cana and there seems to be a distancing in the relationship. In Mark chapter three as he had begun a ministry, he says to the crowd: ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (verses 33-35) Jesus is transitioning from being the Son of Mary to being the Son of Man. Surely this was difficult for Mary.
• Mary was then at the foot of the cross as Jesus suffered and died. In his dying moments, Jesus’ thoughts were with her. John 19:26-27 records the interaction: “So when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, He said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” In her pain in that moment, did her heart cry out to God?
• In Acts chapter one, we see Mary with the other disciples waiting, devoted to prayer.

What does it mean to carry grief and pain without giving up hope? What does it mean to worship God who didn’t stop the suffering? Mary shows us.

Pentecost: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Weekly Devotional 5.12.2025

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

Pentecost means “fiftieth," and was the day the Holy Spirit descended on and filled believers. Jesus promised that His followers would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5), and at Pentecost, there was a sound from heaven, and the Spirit came down and rested on every believer. The Holy Spirit unites us with Christ, unites us as one in Christ, gives us all the blessings shared in Christ, teaches and guides us, is God’s presence with us, comforts us, and empowers and emboldens us to share the gospel. The Holy Spirit is with us now and forever and continues to work daily for God’s glory and our good. God is faithful in keeping His promise to us that He will be present with us as we are in Christ, grow in Christ, and share Christ with all.

In our text today, Paul is writing to Timothy, a younger brother in the faith. There are a number of imperative verbs in our passage - these are commands that Paul tells Timothy.

FLEE - Run from what will trap you. Paul says to run away from false teaching. False teaching still affects us today. We have to be discerning of our spiritual teachers. We need to also flee from having our hearts set on money or wealth. Money is a false god that will trap us. When we make it first in our hearts, we will suffer.

PURSUE - We need to chase what will GROW us. What do we pursue? We need to be single minded in our pursuit of Christ. We pursue a life based on the life of Jesus.

FIGHT - We fight the good fight of faith. We strive and struggle to live like Jesus. We struggle with our own sinful tendencies. We wrestle with our own sinful nature.

TAKE HOLD - We hold on to Jesus with all of our might. We keep our eyes on Jesus throughout life. We order our lives around are Lord.

GUARD - We guard what is entrusted to us. The Good News of Jesus has been given to us. This is worth protecting.

All of this language is active. Jesus has called us to a decisive life. We don’t drift along and follow the crowd, we actively choose everyday to pursue and follow Jesus.

Weekly Devotional 5.5.2025

Glorious Ascent: Jesus’ Exaltation as Lord

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.” Revelation 1:7

We celebrate certain aspects of the person and work of Jesus, but sometimes overlook important topics. As Christians, we love to focus on the incarnation, Jesus’ life and ministry, His teachings and miracles, the cross, the resurrection, the Great Commission, and Pentecost. Between the Great Commission and Pentecost lies an important event we too often neglect—Jesus’ ascension. Christ physically ascended into heaven on a cloud, where He is seated at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling over all things, and interceding and mediating on our behalf. As believers, we have the promise that Jesus will one day return, that we will be resurrected, and that we will reign with Him into eternity.

How do we give thanks for what God has done for us?

We give thanks through the memories, for remembering what God has done for us.
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

We come together faithfully as often as possible and worship together.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

We prioritize Jesus and remain in right relationship with Him.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

We pray, give, go and serve- planting seeds as we abide in Christ.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

We stay the course with reaching the lost with tenacity.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Weekly Devotional 4.28.2025

Making Disciples: The Great Commission

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” Romans 10:14-15

After His resurrection, Jesus gives the Great Commission to the disciples to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded (Matt. 28:16-20). Through the Great Commission, we see Jesus’ authority, charge, and the assurance that He will be with us until He returns. Are you a follower of Jesus? If so, are you actively participating in the Great Commission? If you have professed faith in Jesus, you are called to share the gospel, get baptized, regularly study God’s Word, and submit to His reign in your life as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the One to whom all authority and power have been given. All we need to do is remain faithful to the Great Commission and trust that Jesus provides us with His presence and peace to fulfill it.