Category Archives: Daily Devotionals

Daily Devotionals by Cross Points Church

Start Over by Pastor Andy

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Like a Child

1About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.  -Matthew 18:1-4

I love verse three.

Unless you turn…

To become like a child in God’s eyes, we must turn. The Message version uses the phrase,

…unless you return to square one and start over…

To become like a child we must start over, begin anew, become a child again.

Born Again

I’m reminded of the conversation Nicodemus has with Jesus in John 3. Jesus says,

I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.  -John 3:3

Nicodemus is confused. What does it mean to become born again? Return to my mother’s womb? I like you Jesus, but that’s a little weird! To be honest, Jesus phrase, “become like little children,” is a little weird too. How do I become like a child? Do I really want to be a child?

In Nicodemus’ case, Jesus kindly explains “born again” means to be born of the Spirit. The same is true of becoming like a child.

In our encouragement to GROW Young, we talked about,

  • Be Carefree
  • Belong
  • Be Joyful
  • Anticipate
  • Discipline
  • Dependence

All are great encouragements, but we can’t do it on our own. We are helpless to have enough child-like faith to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in our own strength. We need the Spirit.

To GROW Young, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s how we become carefree, belong, full of joy, anticipatory, disciplined and dependent. We need to start over, and be filled with the Spirit.

Here’s a simple prayer to start your day,

Jesus fill me with your Spirit. Help me to turn – turn toward You and away from sin. Fill me with your Spirit so I can be like a child in my faith. Thank you for giving me a good thing. Thank you for your Spirit. Amen.

Child-like Anticipation by Pastor Chris Horsley

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In Pastor Andy's sermon on Sunday, he gave the picture of kids excitedly running to their parents after being away. It stuck with me.

I began to think about a time I had gone on a missions trip to Mexico.  Our girls were only 1 and 2. They were too young to fully understand what was happening.  They just knew that their daddy was gone. When I returned home, the girls were as happy and joyful as I had ever seen them.  My oldest ran in circles for about 5 minutes. She was estatic.

Childlike joy.  Childlike happiness.  Childlike anticipation.  Kind of like Christmas Eve.  The anticipation of what Christmas day will hold is almost too much.

Do we forget that? In our adult, mature selves, do we forget to have that Joy? The anticipation of who God is and what He can do?

Anticipate means to regard as probable; expect or predict.  

Just like your children know you will return home after a day of work, and anticipate your arrival, do you anticipate God answering your prayers, and moving on your behalf?  Do you react with joy like my daughter did when that anticipation is met with results?

Expect and anticipate that God will answer your prayers!!

Psalm 5:1-3–O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but You.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

“One characteristic that marks the average church today is lack of anticipation. Christians, when they meet, do not expect anything unusual to happen; consequently only the usual happens, and that usual is as predictable as the setting of the sun… 
We need today a fresh spirit of anticipation that springs out of the promises of God. We must declare war on the mood of nonexpectation, and come together with childlike faith. Only then can we know again the beauty and wonder of the Lord’s presence among us.”     A.W. Tozer

What are you anticipating God to do in your life?  In your family?  Expect that God will answer your prayers!

James 5:17-18–Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!  Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

Let us joyfully anticipate that God WILL show up! That God WILL answer our prayers!!

Grow Young – Pastor David

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Worship: Closer by Bethel Worship

 

A story is told by the author Sean Grover: When the late-great Grandma Grover turned 85 years old, she received an upsetting notice in the mail; she was ordered to surrender her driver’s license. She was regretfully informed that, due to her age, she was no longer eligible to drive.

Exasperated, she wrote a letter the motor vehicle department director. He flatly rejected her. So she called the mayor of her small town; he was sympathetic but unmoved. Finally, she sent a fiery letter to the governor of her state. Two weeks later, the governor fired back with a challenge: pass a driver’s ed course and a road test, and she could keep her license.

In record time, Grandma Grover completed a driver’s ed course, aced her road test, and in less than two months, was back behind the wheel of her 1972 Chevy Nova.

The whole experience, however, left her a bit perturbed. When I asked why, she appeared exasperated:

“My goodness, it was so embarrassing.’

“You got your license back.”

“Yes, but they put me in a class full of old people!”

Five years later, at 90 years old, Grandma Grover could still be seen cruising her neighborhood, waving to friends, white driving gloves and all.

I love this story because Grandma Grover refused to allow her age get in the way.  It’s a fact–all of us are getting older.  Every single minute, every single hour and every day our bodies grow older.  It’s just a matter of time before you find yourself in Grandma Grover’s situation.  You may not be 85 but sometime, somewhere, someone is going to call you old and pressure you to “act your age.” Don’t you do it!

Pastor Andy shared a few great lessons with us this past Sunday.  He asked us to GROW YOUNG not OLD!

Even though we can’t stop the hands of time, we can stop the mentality of growing old.  Jesus said this, “Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” (Mark 10:14 MSG)

Pastor Andy’s keypoints were:

  • Kids are carefree – They enjoy every moment of life!
  • Kids know who they belong to – They run and hug their parents excitedly yelling, “mommy and daddy!”
  • Kids are full of joy – They are not weighed down by the burdens of the world.

Take a few moments today and evaluate your child-likeness.

In what areas do you need to relax?

In what situations do you need to become more joyful?

Do you fully understand to whom you belong?

Your Thoughts:

 

Spare the Rod…by Pastor Andy

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A Culture of Constructive Criticism

A part of the culture Pastor David has installed at Cross Points Church is an air of openness. Specifically, he encourages us to constructively question and critique each other’s thoughts and performances – beginning with him. You’ll often hear the phrase, “Let me push back…”

It flows both ways. Several months into being on staff, Pastor David mentioned a bad habit in my preaching/public speaking. He shared with me my penchant for not make eye-contact with my audience as I spoke. For some reason I was looking down when I spoke.

What? How can that be? Didn’t he know I was awesome?

Let me share a secret with you. It doesn’t matter what culture you’re in, but correction always hurts.

Discipline stings, but it is so necessary.

GROW Young

Our theme this week is GROW Young. Jesus challenged his disciples to be like children (Mark 10:13-16). He told them, it’s the way to enter into God’s Kingdom. Sunday, I shared 3 ways to GROW Young (Be Carefree, Belong, Be Joyful), but I overlooked what easily could be the fourth.

Discipline.

Hebrews 12:4-11 (The Message)

In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.

God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

3 Types of Discipline

God disciplines us so we can be disciples. God disciplines us because we are His children. It stings, but it is so necessary.

Why is it necessary? The purpose of discipline is change.

Here are 3 ways to recognize God’s discipline in your life.

  1. Cause and Effect
    A more biblical term might be reaping and sowing. We get what we deserve, but usually it’s delayed (think overspending and debt). If you are struggling due to decisions made in your past, realize it’s God training you to make wise decisions now and in the future.
  2. Internal Discomfort
    Sin makes our spirits uncomfortable. Sinlessness leaves us with peace. It’s God’s way of showing you to change. The next time you are unexplainably angry, irritated, frustrated, depressed or lack self-confidence, inspect your spirit. Is there sin not dealt with in your life? God may be disciplining you.
  3. External Motivation
    Sometimes we need to hear truth from an outside source. In my case, I needed correction in my public speaking, and I couldn’t see it without someone showing me. This may come from a boss, parent, spouse or friend. I guarantee this will hurt, but don’t ignore them! Obedience pays handsomely.

Sometimes God uses all three ways to discipline us. He is committed to us, and He will go the extra mile to get our attention. Are you listening? Remember, the point of discipline isn’t pain…it’s change in behavior.

Be child-like in your faith. Accept your discipline. Learn. Return to the Father. And change.

Conviction & Transformation by Pastor Andy

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Grow Up

All month, as a church, we’ve been focusing on the idea of “GROW”

  • Grow Deep
  • Grow Strong
  • Grow Together
  • Grow Up

This week, we focus on Grow Up.  The last couple of days, Pastor Matt has encouraged us to do this together…be part of community and make room for each other’s immaturity (including our own).

Do and Not Do

Let me add this. To Grow Up, we must continue to grow. Yeah, that’s deep…or simple. I don’t know, but it’s true.

The Apostle Peter says this about the subject,

17You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.  -2 Peter 3:17-18 (ESV)

Peter seems to say we don’t grow for a period of time, but we grow and continue to grow. There is no end to our growing. There should be no end to our growing.

What does it mean to grow? Well in another simple (yet profound) phrasing, we do the things we know to do, and we don’t do the things we know not to do.

Easy right?

No, and that’s why so many people stop growing. They don’t want to do the hard work.

Conviction

Kelly Minter - Wherever the River Runs on Conviction and Grow UpIn her book, Wherever the River Runs, about her travels up and down the Amazon doing mission work, Kelly Minter says,

Conviction leads to transformation.

A seed transforms to a seedling, which transforms to a sapling, which transforms to a tree, which transforms to a mature tree. The transformation of a seed to mature tree is growth.

If we believe growth comes through doing the things we know to do, and not doing things we know not to do, then it begins with conviction.

Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit. He prompts, nudges and sometimes screams to us things to do and not do. As Christians, convictions should be obeyed. It’s the beginning of transformation.

Most of us don’t like conviction. It means work. It means change. It’s not easy.

But then again, growth isn’t easy. If it was then everyone would be doing it.

So do the hard work. Listen to your conviction. Transform. Grow.