Sunday’s Blessing – 6/7/2026 – Imitation or the Real Thing

Sunday’s Blessing – 6/7/2026 – Imitation or the Real Thing

Several months ago, I purchased tickets for a show which I thought was a cover band play popular country rock from the seventies. The show was out of town, so we took the opportunity for an overnight stay to get away for a little bit.

Last night when we arrived at the show, we realized it was not a cover band. There were actually four popular groups from the seventies playing live. It turned what I had hoped was an entertaining night of music into a fabulous experience. It was a really good evening.

As I pondered on things, which I’m very prone to do, I realized something about spiritual life. All the enemy has to offer is fake. He has nothing original, only cheap substitutes for what God has made available to His creation. Jesus experienced a time of temptation when He first began His earthly ministry. He had just completed forty days of fasting when the enemy approached Him with three challenges.

1. Turn these stones into bread. (Desires of the flesh)
2. Cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple so the angels can save you. (Desires of the eyes)

3. Bow down and worship me and I will give you the kingdoms of this world. (Pride of life)

Each time Jesus responded with scripture, stating the truth for the false image satan presented to him. 1 John 2:16 tells us, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world”. Jesus rejected the imitation by stating what is real: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve."

It's easy to miss the real vs. a substitute. Computer hackers count on this every day and swindle billions from unsuspecting people every day. How much more vital is it in the spirit realm, where the enemy tries to get us to accept a fake instead of experiencing the reality of God’s goodness. It’s imperative for us to spend time with our Father so we can hear His voice clearly to avoid the dangers in missing His words.

Today’s Blessing:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28 (ESV)

He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Daniel 11:32 (ESV)

I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith Revelation 2:13a (ESV)

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, John 10:14 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/31/2026 – Holy Trinity Sunday – More of the “Ordinary” Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/31/2026 – Holy Trinity Sunday – More of the “Ordinary” Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Last year I posted a brief explanation or what Ordinary Time means in the liturgical calendar (Sunday’s Blessing – 07/13/2025 – Ordinary Time). If you missed it, you can find it on the blog for some background. Now that Easter is officially over, we enter back into Ordinary Time. Today is the ninth week of Ordinary Time, also called The Holy Trinity Sunday. Now that the Holy Spirit has been formally introduced to mankind at Pentecost, we have now experienced each member of the Trinity. Even though the Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of humans from the beginning (even Creation) those prior to Pentecost simply attributed His influence as “the Spirit of God would come on them.”

The first biblical mention of the “Holy Spirit” is found in Psalm 51:11:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12 (ESV)

It’s no surprise to me that this would come from David, a man after God’s own heart. I’m not sure if David was aware of all three aspects of the Holy Trinity, but He knew God’s spirit would be holy. Gensis 1:2 mentions, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” However, if it was common knowledge there was a Holy Trinity I’m not sure Jesus would have taken time to prepare His followers for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. As has been mentioned in earlier posts, Jesus told them, “When He ascended back to the Father, ‘another comforter just like me’ would be sent to them.” Jesus continued just before He ascended, saying:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 (ESV) 

Even if the followers of Jesus did not understand it all, they were at least told the Holy Spirit was coming and what purpose He would serve. His primary purpose would to baptize us into Christ and empower us to be witnesses of God in the earth by telling everyone about the work Jesus completed to provide for our salvation and demonstrate the nature of the Father though our lives.

One of my top posts on this blog has been, and continues to be, “Weapons for the Believer 5.1 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Faith” from May 29, 2016. It has over twenty-six thousand views. I believe this speaks to the hunger we have for something real. Faith is the most real thing we can ever find in God. By discovering the Holy Spirit has already been sent, and by acknowledging His indwelling presence in the Believer, He will bring us into the truth of all God has prepared for us.

Today’s Blessing:

May you know the salvation provided through Jesus

May you experience being overwhelmed (baptism) into Christ

May you know all that the Father has prepared for your complete life

And may you be willing to share that experience with others

May this life become “ordinary” for you

Not trivial or trite

But the life that you choose to live every day

Not something you have to strive for

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/24/2026 – Pentecost Sunday: The Holy Spirit Coming with Power and the Birthday of the Church

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/24/2026 – Pentecost Sunday: The Holy Spirit Coming with Power and the Birthday of the Church

I love celebrating birthdays. I’m not sure when that started, but I remember as a child my birthday was the one day where it was all about me. Being the youngest of five, very few days (at least from my perspective) were about me. My siblings probably have a different opinion. My mom would always prepare the same cake every year. It was a four-tier yellow cake with chocolate icing. The “birthday boy” would always get the top tier which was about the size of a cupcake.

There was usually a party with the neighborhood kids in attendance. Since my birthday is in August, the festivities were usually held outside in the front yard. I try to keep track of birthdays of those around me: work, church, friends, etc. Now that social media can’t let you forget, it’s a little easier.

But how often have we celebrated the birthday of the Church? We mark the birth of Christ with Advent (Christmas), the death of Christ with Easter, and much is said about the return of Christ at the second coming. But I can’t recall any mention of the birthday of the Church. Pentecost was mostly cubby-holed into a doctrinal discussion about tongues. Since most evangelicals avoid the topic Pentecost was also pushed aside as irrelevant. This is very sad. This event is one that Jesus spent a lot of time publicizing and anticipating right up to the moment He ascended to heaven. The sending of the Holy Spirit is a critical part of God’s plan to redeem mankind. Yet we sweep it under the rug and diminish the role the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the Believer.

Regardless of your religious tradition, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus, then you need to understand all that has been provided to you in the Holy Spirit. Maybe I will share more specific in the coming weeks as we enter into what is referred to as “Ordinary Time” by the liturgical church. There is nothing “ordinary” about any day we get to fellowship with our Creator, emulate our Savior, and live our life with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Today’s Blessing:

Receive the promise given to Mary for yourself, for the Christian has the same promise:

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. Luke 1:35 (ESV)

Instead of a “baby” being born it will be the rebirth of your spirit by the Holy Spirit, making you a Son/Daughter of God.

Instead of “overshadowing” you, the Holy Spirit will dwell IN you.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (ESV)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/17/2026 - 7th Sunday of Easter: The Prayer of Jesus (John 17) – Theme of Unity and Love, Preparing for Pentecost

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/17/2026 - 7th Sunday of Easter: The Prayer of Jesus (John 17) – Theme of Unity and Love, Preparing for Pentecost

This past Thursday, May 14, was Ascension Day. It’s when we remember that Jesus went to Heaven in bodily form to be seated at the right hand of the Father, and there make intercession for us continually. Once there, the plan was put in motion for the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to come to earth with a new mission: to indwell the Believers so they could experience the presence of God in a tangible way. The Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, which is just one more week from today.

Jesus instructed His followers to return to the upper room when His disciples had celebrated Passover just before His crucifixion. They followed His instructions, not really knowing what to expect. But by now, they had learned to trust the words Jesus spoke to them. They had seen the scars from the crucifixion in the hands and feet and side of a real human walking around after they had watched Him die just days before. His message of unity and love rang more clearly in their ears. In one more week they would experience the fullness of what Jesus meant when He told them, “I will send another comforter, one just like me, who will live in you forever.”

How confusing those words must have sounded. But they could not have sounded any more strange than, “Tear this temple down and in three days it will be restored.” His resurrection helped that make sense. They had watched Him ascend into the clouds as Jesus bid them farewell, but giving them hope of Someone else to come and help them. After all of this, they did not ask the same questions. They simply obeyed.

Now for today’s blessing:

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:6-11 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/10/2026 – 6th Sunday of Easter – The Spirit – Focus on the Promise of the Holy Spirit

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/10/2026 – 6th Sunday of Easter – The Spirit – Focus on the Promise of the Holy Spirit

One of the least emphasized steps in our salvation, at least in my experience, is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said He would send “another” comforter, just like Himself, who would live “in” us to lead, empower, and comfort us. That was the greatest promise Jesus ever gave, in my opinion. Yes, having sins forgiven is a wonderful thing. But without the presence of God in our lives, what good is it to be forgiven?

What Jesus did by coming to earth was to provide our complete salvation. He became the perfect sacrifice (required by the Law of Moses) on the cross in order to once-for-all pay the penalty for all of our sin – past, present, and future – in order to make us able to stand in the presence of God. He was raised from the dead which conquered hell and the grave, taking back the keys of the kingdom of earth which satan stole from Adam.

But that is not the end of the story. His words on the cross, “It is finished,” did not mean everything for our redemption had been completed. I believe Jesus spoke of His job in this deal of living a perfect life, being led by the Father. This “fulfilled all righteousness”. His work was far from over! Once the Father raised Jesus from the dead, described in the most powerful verse in the Bible, Ephesians 1:19, there were still significant steps to complete in order to provide salvation to mankind.

This Thursday, May 14, is Ascension Day, when Jesus returned to Heaven in sight of many witnesses to take His place in Heaven at the right hand of the Father. From there, He began His new ministry of interceding on our behalf to the Father. But it still wasn’t over. Jesus then fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit to abide “in” Believers. This happened a few weeks after the ascension, on the day of Pentecost.

Let’s continue to be mindful of all Jesus did to provide us the means of being reconciled to our Creator so we could have fellowship with Him forever.

Today’s blessing:

May you know the fulness of living with the Holy Spirit inside you

To comfort, teach, lead, and empower you to be witnesses of all God has done

To give us the ability to pray even when we cannot find words

To hear God’s voice when all there is around us is a din of noise

May you learn to walk in the path illuminated by the Holy Spirit

Which will lead into all truth

Which will accomplish the plans and purposes God has for you

Which will keep you in perfect peace as your mind and heart is fixed on Him

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/03/2026 – 5th Sunday of Easter: Preparation for Ministry – Focusing on the Church as the Body of Christ in the World

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/03/2026 – 5th Sunday of Easter: Preparation for Ministry – Focusing on the Church as the Body of Christ in the World

I heard a story about one of the first attempts at creating artificial intelligence (AI). A group of British computer experts of their day (mid-1900s) developed a computer which could “learn”. They provided the entire Bible as input to its knowledge base, then the time came to ask it the first question: “Why did Jesus come to earth?” The computer searched its data to come up with an answer. The conclusion was then printed on a piece of paper (its only form of communication). With a little fear and trepidation, the scientists picked up the paper and read the brief statement returned by the computer. It said: “To establish His Kingdom on the earth.”

The gospel is so simple that a child can understand, but also simple enough for those with great intelligence (real or artificial) can comprehend. Why do we make it so difficult? On this 5th Sunday of Easter (according to the liturgical calendar) we focus on the church (the called-out ones) as the body of Christ in the world. Paul used the term “ambassador” in one of his letters to the church at Corinth. An ambassador is one sent with a message from another, in our current vernacular, that of political representation in another country. The Christian is no longer a citizen of earth but instead has become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. And like the political ambassador, the Christian has a message for the earth to hear: that God is reconciling the world to Himself, not counting sins against them, through Jesus.

If we could only keep things that simple. Perhaps we can lose some of the rhetoric and keep the message clear: God love you and has a wonderful plan for your life. (1st of the Four Spiritual Laws). On this Resurrection Sunday (every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday) let us do our job and represent the Kingdom of Heaven to those around us here on the earth. Let us speak well of our Lord (which means tell the truth about His nature and character) so that others will want to know more about our homeland; perhaps even enough to want to change their citizenship.

Today’s Blessing:

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/26/2026 – 4th Sunday of Easter: Good Shepherd Sunday

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/26/2026 – 4th Sunday of Easter: Good Shepherd Sunday

Today’s focus is on hearing the voice of Jesus and trusting Him. One of the most loved images of Jesus is that of a shepherd. Psalm 23 describes the role of God as Shepherd over His people, Israel. The New Testament reality is seeing those same attributes, written by David so many years before the Messiah came, applied to Jesus and His care for the Church.

One of the essential elements in the relationship between the sheep and their shepherd is that of knowing his voice and then trusting the message you hear from the shepherd. One exercise I find helpful is studying all the various names attributed to all three of the Godhead: the Father, the Son (or Word as John calls Him), and the Holy Spirit. There are hundreds of titles, both formal and implied, for all three of the Trinity. Knowing these and the context in which they appear can help you develop a strong relationship with God. You learn about His character, His nature, and get familiar with His voice.

There’s a song by Babbie Mason called “Trust His Heart” which speaks to this very thing. The chorus of the song says:

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His Heart

When you find yourself in those moments of not knowing, you need to be able to recognize the voice of the Shepherd when He speaks. It can literally mean the difference between life and death. If you do not know God’s heart for yourself you can be easily swayed to follow the voice of another which can lead you into a dangerous place, or at the very least, into a place outside of where God wants you to be.

Today’s blessing:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever. Psalm 23 (ESV)