Margins Devotionals
Remembrance - Joshua 3:5
May 19, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Joshua 3:5
Christians are people who are saved and set apart for the purposes of God! But too often we end up not living up to those purposes. There is a time when we need to put the breaks on in life and rededicate ourselves fully to God. Instead of going to God with our agenda we surrender ourselves anew to His agenda. This consecration is a prerequisite to being used mightily by God, of seeing Him do wonders in and through your life. PRAY: Lord God, I am all yours! You purchased me through the blood of Jesus and my life is no longer my own. So I offer myself up to You again. You have set me apart for your purposes and I am here for my God given mission! Shape me, use me, empower me to love others with Your love and point them to Jesus in all that I do. Amen.
Remembrance - Deuteronomy 5:15
May 18, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Deuteronomy 5:15
Like the nation of Israel after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, we Christians must regularly take time to remember the slavery from which we were delivered through the gospel of Jesus Christ! This remembering who we were before Christ serves as a launching point toward where God is now leading in our new life in Christ. The contrast is deeply motivational. So take time to remember your BC life and to praise Him for both the sins He has set you free from and for the new life of growth and victory that you now have. A new life that is empowered by the Spirit and is lived out for God’s glory. PRAY: Lord Jesus, I thank you and praise you for dying on the cross for all my sins. Thank you for delivering me and setting me free. I never want to go back to that life. So take me forward Lord Jesus into the new and abundant life you have for me. A life of true freedom and impact for your glory. Amen.
Remembrance - 2 Peter 3:1-2
May 17, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • 2 Peter 3:1–2
One of the great truths and promises that Christians are constantly reminded to focus on is the blessed hope of the return of our Savior Jesus Christ. Peter prompts us to give honest, diligent mental attention to this ultimate future event that both the Old Testament prophets and the Lord Jesus himself consistently pointed to. And we must constantly remember the truth of His future coming because this serves as a major motivational force in our living passionately for Him today! Because what we do today counts for eternity! And whatever troubles we face today will not last forever because Jesus is coming back. PRAY: Lord Jesus, thank you for telling us how the story ends! Thank you that the end of the story is actually a beautiful, eternal new beginning! Thank you that the relationship we have with You now by faith will one day be face to face! Amen.
Remembrance - Psalm 25:7
May 16, 2023 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Psalm 25:7
Do you ever find it difficult to reflect on your past because it reminds you of a difficulty you went through or a mistake you made? In this Psalm, Davis pleads for God’s forgiveness, and he asks God to not see his past sins but instead see him through God’s loving kindness and forgiveness. We should remember and reflect on the past, but focus on the Lord’s goodness to forgive us and to give us a hope and future. PRAY: God, as we make margin in our lives for reflection and remembrance, help us not to dwell on our past mistakes, but instead to see the hope and future you’ve shaped us for through these trials. Lord, we praise you for your goodness and we thank you for your forgiveness even when we don’t deserve it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Remembrance - 2 Timothy 2:8-9
May 15, 2023 • Pastor Josh Lewis • 2 Timothy 2:8–9
Our world is often so fast-paced that we are constantly thinking about what's next. What's going on this evening? This weekend? This summer? What next? We become so focused on what's ahead that we often lose sight of what we've been through. When we go through hard times, we often want to press on and never look back--thinking we can leave the pain behind us. On the other hand, when we go through good times, we can get so focused on the next big thing and fail to reflect and give thanks to God. Instead, we ought to be intentional with our margins to create a habit of remembrance--through good times and bad. Through remembrance and reflection, we can give God praise and find hope and purpose in seeing the ways He is working through our lives. PRAY: Dear Heavenly Father, we give you praise for the way you lead us, through good times and through trials. We rest in your promise that you are always with us, so help us to develop a rhythm of reflection that we can see the way you are always working in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Week 5 - Remembrance
May 14, 2023
This week's daily devotionals will explore what Scripture says about remembrance. May 15 - 2 Timothy 2:8-9 May 16 - Psalm 25:7 May 17 - 2 Peter 3:1-2 May 18 - Deuteronomy 5:15 May 19 - Joshua 3:5
Ephesians 5:1-2
May 12, 2023 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Ephesians 5:1–2
We have studied a lot this week on what NOT to do--how our old characteristics no longer fit. In today's verse, we read that Christ is the perfect example for us to follow in ALL circumstances. Because Jesus was perfect in every way, we can imitate him in everything we do. We can have confidence in knowing that when our actions imitate Christ, we are honoring God as a living sacrifice. Emotional margin begins and ends with a sacrificial and relational love for one another. PRAY: Dear Lord God, we thank you for the transformation you've made in us by giving us new hearts to love more like you do. Help us Lord to fight against the temptations of the flesh we still wrestle with, and help us instead to imitate Christ in all that we do. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Emotions - Ephesians 4:32
May 11, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Ephesians 4:32
When sinners like you and I are involved in relationships there is always going to be a need to give and receive forgiveness! In family and in friendships we are going to say and do things that hurt others. God demonstrated His love for us in Christ by providing the forgiveness of all our sins. Then He calls us to go forth and be forgivers! Take some time to check your heart and see if there is someone you need to forgive or someone you need to ask forgiveness from. And then humbly, as a sinner forgiven by God’s grace, forgive them! And if you are the offender humble go and ask for their forgiveness. You might be shocked at how God uses this to restore and revitalize your relationships. PRAY: Lord, I praise You for the forgiveness You have given me through the cross of Christ! How I need You to give me the humility and courage to give and receive that same forgiveness to others. I cannot afford to wait until I feel like it. Lord, I must chose to do it in obedience to your word. Amen.
Emotions - Ephesians 4:31
May 10, 2023 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Ephesians 4:31
There are some actions that Paul tells us no longer fit with the new life we have in Christ. We shouldn't just reduce the frequency of these things, we need to cut out ALL instances of them. These traits are incompatible with Christian character, and Paul says stop it! If we allow these actions to persist in our lives we damage our relationships and harm those around us. Margin with our emotional energy is displayed in our relationships. Put off the actions of the old self, and it will reflect in healthier relationships. PRAY: God, we praise you for the miracle of new life you give us in Christ. We confess the times that we allow the old self of anger, bitterness, or any of these evil behaviors to enter our lives. Give us the strength to put away all of these behaviors and be more and more like Christ each day. In Jesus name, Amen.
Emotions - Ephesians 4:29
May 9, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Ephesians 4:29
God’s goal is to use the lives of Christians to be a blessing to others! When we get saved, a transformation of the heart takes place in which we learn to die to self, and we learn the beauty of truly loving others. Often, that love is demonstrated in the words we speak. We pay attention to what is going on in the life of the person before us, we intently listen to their story. Then we choose to speak words of love, truth, kindness, wisdom, and grace in order to build them up and point them to Jesus. PRAY: Lord, forgive me for my thoughtless and hurtful words spoken to others. Help me to see others through your eyes and to love them with your heart! Then help me to speak words of hope, words of truth, words of life to them with empathy and a desire to be a blessing and a help to them. Amen.
Emotions - Ephesians 4:26-27
May 8, 2023 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Ephesians 4:26–27
Can you think of a time you've let your temper get the best of you, and you said or did something in anger that you knew was wrong? Growing up the youngest of four boys, I certainly had many moments that I let anger get the best of me. We all have the propensity to feel anger, but how we respond makes all the difference. Anger is an emotion that can lead to sin and give the devil an opportunity to further damage our relationships. Part of having good emotional margins is setting boundaries with anger. The NIV says "In your anger, do not sin", and I also love how the NLT summarizes this thought, "don’t sin by letting anger control you." It's not that we will never feel angry, but when we do, we can't let it control us. He tells us we need to deal with it right away--we can't allow it to build up in us, and we can't expect that it will just fade away by morning. If we store up that anger, our emotional margins will shrink and ultimately lead to those instances of lashing out and damaging our relationships. PRAY: God, I confess that there have been times I have allowed anger to control me. There are times when I feel like holding on to anger, or hiding it in hopes that it will fade away. Lord, help me to have enough margin with my emotions that I am able to deal with anger as you've instructed. Lord, give me strength where I am weak. Amen.
Week 4 - Emotions
This week's daily devotionals will explore what Scripture says about the margins of emotional energy. May 8 - Ephesians 4:26-27 May 9 - Ephesians 4:29 May 10 - Ephesians 4:31 May 11 - Ephesians 4:32 May 12 - Ephesians 5:1-2
Parenting - Proverbs 4:23-27
May 5, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Proverbs 4:23–27
Our hearts are the center of our inner lives and of our orientation to God. It is from our hearts that we do all our thinking, feeling and choosing. But our hearts are under constant attack from the enemy. So, we must guard our hearts! And we must guard our children’s hearts when they are young and train them to guard their own hearts as they grow older. This means actively aligning our thoughts, words, actions and choices with God’s revealed will and way! It requires saturating our lives with His word and protecting our hearts from the influence of the world. This is a full-time job! PRAY: Oh Lord, my heart is where everything important happens and it is under constant assault. In Christ, You have given me a new heart. A heart that loves You and longs to live for Your glory & purposes! Thank You Jesus! So help me to be wise and diligent in protecting my heart and keeping it set apart for You alone! Amen
Parenting - Proverbs 22:6
May 4, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Proverbs 22:6
The role of a parent is comparable to the role of a good coach. There is a path of life that is pleasing to the Lord and it is the parents' role, as the primary discipler of their children, to point each child to the attitudes and actions that are pleasing to the Lord and to those that are not! This includes lovingly training our kids in the practices of loving God and loving others, and it also includes loving discipline when correction is needed! PRAY: Lord, help me to know You and to live a life pleasing to You. And then grant me the wisdom and consistency to pass that reality on to my children, that they would truly embrace Christ and walk in His ways. Amen.
Parenting - Ephesians 6:4
May 3, 2023 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Ephesians 6:4
Notice that there is both a negative warning and a positive admonition to fathers & parents in this important verse. The warning: do not provoke your children to anger. We provoke in our parenting when we are overly critical or overly harsh. When we get in a mode of parenting out of our own anger, Paul says: “just stop that”! The encouragement is rather to bring them up through all the years of their childhood in the wise & loving ways of our new life in Christ just outlined in Ephesians 4-5. Parents: model that life, teach it wisely & winsomely to them. And then help your children to put it into practice in their own lives, in the way they treat others! PRAY: Lord, as a parent, help me to live consistently and passionately the life you’ve saved me into. And help me to pass it on and build it into my children. AMEN