Lakeside Christian Church Blog

    January 31, 2025 Resting in God’s Care 1 Peter 5:6–7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Scripture Reading: Psalm 55 In life, we often carry burdens too heavy for us—worries about the future, struggles with our past, and the weight of daily challenges. Yet, God’s Word invites us to a different way of living. In  1 Peter 5:6–7 , we are called to humble ourselves before God, trusting that He will lift us up in due time. He doesn’t ask us to bear our burdens alone; instead, He calls us to cast them upon Him because He deeply cares for us. David, in  Psalm 55 , echoes this same cry. Overwhelmed by fear and betrayal, he pours out his heart to God, declaring,  “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you”  (Psalm 55:22). David reminds us that God is our refuge, our safe place, the One who will never let the righteous be sh...

  Acts 4:11–12 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.   Have you ever felt the like the world was falling in upon you? A time when everything seems to be going wrong. Even now we are in the coldest, greyest months of the year and it’s easy to feel down. King David was all too familiar to those feelings as he ran from king Saul and people were reporting his whereabouts to the king (Psalm 54). How frustrating to be living on the run and not experiencing the blessings of being the anointed one by God. David’s response was to call upon the Name of the Lord for salvation! He believed that God is his helper (Heb. 13:5-6) and deliverer.    The Apostle Peter brings clarity to the Name of God that brings salvation: Jesus. God has given us his name, his Son, and a way of salvation. In preparing our ...

A Devotional on  Ephesians 2:8–10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   In reading through Psalm 53, we are reminded of our depravity (our inability to redeem ourselves) and lostness apart from Christ. It is a psalm worthy of coming back to on occasion for the reminder that we desperately need a Savior. It is the reminder that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 6 when he lists a bunch of sins that prevent sinners from going to heaven and then states, “ And such were some of you. But you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God ” (1 Cor. 6:11). Remembering our natural state as sinners puts us in the proper posture before a Holy God and grows our appreciation for what Jesus Christ has...

  Devotional on  Hebrews 3:1-3, Psalm 52   Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,   2  who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house.   3  For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.    This Sunday we will continue in our sermon series  Psalms: Heart, Soul, and Mind  with Psalm 52. As I was reading this psalm, with the lyrics of our morning worship songs playing in my head, I was struck by the awareness of choice. David is writing during a very difficult and dangerous time, and yet chooses worship instead of despair.    God gave us the gift of free will, the ability to make choices and to have discernment. Many of us have started 2025 with goals, or resolutions. How are...

Devotional on   Ephesians 2:4–7, Psalm 51 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus  (Eph. 2:4-7) .   This Sunday we will gather for the first time of this New Year, 2025 and will be returning to our sermon series  Psalms: Heart, Soul, and Mind , beginning with Psalm 51. The New Year brings an opportunity for new beginnings, new goals, and a sense of a fresh start. Psalm 51 is a great chapter to focus on in the beginning of a new year because it is a prayer of repentance, confession, and praise. David, having been convicted of his sin with Bathsheba, pours out his heart to God, asking for forgiveness and mercy. He recognizes...

  Day 12 – Going Home   Today's Key Passages: Micah 6:8 ; Hebrews 13:1-2 , 14-16 ; Isaiah 54:5-10 ; Ezekiel 47:1-12 ;  Revelation 21:1-27 , 22:1-5 ; Genesis 2:8-14   Day 12 was supposed to be our travel day home. Obviously, we won’t be going to Israel as planned. Instead of reflecting on  traveling  home, let’s consider more of an eternal perspective and reflect on  going  home.   Even though we aren’t travelers, we are sojourners (temporary residents). Hebrews 11, the ‘hall of faith’ chapter, says “These [the descendants of Abraham] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeting them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (v. 13). Paul tells us “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20)   Let’s briefly ponder three questions: What should we do with our time on earth, especially in th...

  Day 11 – Light to the Nations   This was to be our last day in Israel, and we would have started our morning by reflecting on  Psalm 133 , which opens with, “ Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! ” (Ps. 133:1). At this point in our trip, our team would be like family, having experienced so much of the biblical story in the Land together. And yet, as we reflect on this passage in the midst of what is happening in Israel today, our hearts should long for peace and unity.   David ponders on the goodness and joy of living in a united nation at peace with his fellow countrymen. Unity among brothers is a rare and precious experience. He references the oils poured over the head and beard of Aaron as he was anointed High Priest unto the Lord ( Lev. 8:1-12 ). The anointing of a High Priest was a joyous occasion that did not happen often. And the dew of Mount Hermon that provided lifegiving water for the Land.    Today, the Land is in t...