Lakeside Christian Church Blog

February 20, 2026 – Loving God First  Psalm 63:1, 3-4 –  O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you … Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.  Scripture Reading – Matthew 22:37-38 & Matthew 9:9-13 In Psalm 63, David expresses a deep, personal longing: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you” (v.1). His desire is not for blessings, but for God Himself. This is the heart behind Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37–38, “to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind.” Loving God is not mere duty; it is relational devotion. Matthew 9:9–13 shows this love taking shape as Jesus calls Matthew, not after he cleans up his life, but right in the midst of it. God desires mercy, not performance. Love begins with being known and welcomed by Him. Our mission to Love-Care-Communicate starts here: we love because we have first been loved personal...

  February 13, 2026 – Lord of All  Romans 10:12-13 –  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Scripture Reading – Proverbs 22   The book of Proverbs doesn’t read like most books as it doesn’t cover one topic at a time. Kathleen Nielson describes it as having a kaleidoscopic nature of wisdom in a sort of swirling format. She suggests this reflects the realities and messiness of our lives. Our days don’t unfold compartmentalized. Rather there’s a mixing, at times a chaotic messiness. Themes and issues repeat themselves throughout our days and life. This is how Proverbs reads.    The author(s) circle back to various topics throughout the book, and even in chapter 22. One is the promise that  the rich and the poor meet together  (v. 2). However, this isn’t a promise without escalating complicat...

  February 6, 2026 – Our Greatest Treasure   Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…   Scripture Reading – Proverbs 3   In Philippians 3:8, Paul makes a startling claim: everything he once considered valuable now feels like loss compared to knowing Christ. His words echo the wisdom of Proverbs 3, where we are urged not to lean on our own understanding and not to prize riches or self-made security above the Lord. Proverbs repeatedly reminds us that wisdom is more valuable than silver or gold because it leads not just to success, but to life. Possessions promise control, comfort, and status, yet they cannot guide our steps or heal our hearts. True wisdom begins when we recognize that what we gain in Christ far outweighs what we could ever accumulate on our own. Knowing God reshapes h...

Empowered Wisdom   Ephesians 3:20–21 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.    Scripture Reading – Proverbs 2 & 5   Ephesians 3:20–21 lifts our eyes to a God whose power far exceeds our expectations: He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, all for His glory. Proverbs 2 and 5 show us where that power meets daily life: in wisdom, discernment, and faithful obedience. God’s abundant work is not detached from our choices; it flows into hearts that seek understanding and walk in His ways. Proverbs 2 reminds us that wisdom is a gift God gladly gives to those who pursue Him, while Proverbs 5 warns that straying from God’s design leads to loss rather than life. Together, these passages reveal a gracious tension: God is overwhelmingly powerful, yet deeply personal; guiding...

  January 16, 2026 – Chosen, Called & Cracked 1 Peter 2:9 –  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Scripture Reading – Genesis 12:10-20   Our passages this week reflect the familiar saying, “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.” More often than not, we read about people in Scripture who are imperfect, weak, and mess up. They are often described as broken vessels, “cracked” jars of clay. Yet, these flawed people, people like us, are those who have become  a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.   Abraham was called by God, promised to be made a great nation and given land. In response he built altars and called upon the name of the LORD (Gen. 12:1-9). Yet, the next thing we read is an account of Abraham behavi...

God So Loves 1 John 4:7–9 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. Scripture Reading – Matthew 2:13-15   Scripture teaches that love does not begin with us, but with God.  “God is love,”  and He shows that love by acting, by sending His Son so that we might live through Him (1 John 4:7–9). This same initiating love is visible in Exodus, where God’s people grow under oppression and face the threat of extinction. Even then, God is not absent. Through faithful women, courageous obedience, and quiet acts of defiance, God preserves life and prepares deliverance. Moses’ rescue is not accidental; it is providential love at work long before liberation comes. Together, these passages remind us that God’s love is not senti...