Only Love

Only love. Only love can leave such a mark.

At the Leadership Summit that just passed a couple days ago, Bono was one of the speakers. He had about a five minute long intro video talking about the conditions going on in the world around him, and the music that it was set to was “Magnificent” by U2. In that song, the lyrics that gets me every time is “Only love. Only love can leave such a mark…”

Wow! What a true statement. Only love CAN leave such a mark. Our love today, to the people all around us, will leave a lasting impression, a lasting mark, a lasting legacy. Think about God’s love. Think about Him sending His son to die for us… His love… left SUCH a mark! The Bible commands us to love our neighbor (everyone around us). That’s a commandment not a suggestion! Let us love, because it’s so true… only LOVE can leave such a mark!


Ileana Ortiz
Director of Online Commmunities

Devotional Update

Hello Everyone,

I know it's been awhile since my last devotional post. I have been praying about these and have something exciting and new to announce in the next week or so regarding our morning time together. In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to check out www.crosswalk.com/devotionals to start your day!

Talk to you soon!
Pastor Brian

Wednesday - "Disappointment"

The Cure for Disappointment
by Max Lucado

Don’t ask God to do what you want. Ask God to do what is right.

When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and he will get us through it.

Disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

I like that story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it. The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg.

He felt cheated that he’d been sold a one-legged bird, so he called and complained.

“What do you want,” the store owner responded, “a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?”

Good question for times of disappointment.

Copied from: http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/pastors/upwords/ (Week of June 5, 2009)

Tuesday - No Greater Love

No Greater Love
by Greg Laurie

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”
—John 15:13

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem for the birth of her son, the Messiah, there was no room for them in the inn. And that essentially foreshadowed the treatment that Jesus was to receive at the hands of people for the rest of His life.

There were many attempts on His life, beginning with Herod’s order to kill all the children of two years of age and under in Bethlehem, because he was threatened by what he had heard about a baby king.

We know there were many times when the multitudes wanted to kill Jesus. On one occasion, when they were about to throw Him over a cliff, Jesus just walked through the midst of them. His time had not yet come.

You see, no one could take the life of Jesus against His will. Pilate did not take His life. The soldiers that pounded the spikes through His hands and feet did not take His life. Jesus had the power to get out of that situation at any moment, had He chosen to do so.

Instead, He laid His life down. In speaking of His life, Jesus said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:18).

In the Garden of Gethsemane, when soldiers came to arrest Him, He could have said, “I am. . . . and you were. Bye.” But He chose not to do that.

Instead, He laid aside the privileges of deity and willingly laid His life down. So whenever you are tempted to doubt God’s love for you, take a long, hard look at the cross.

Copied from: http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/pastors/harvest-daily/ (June 5, 2009)

Monday - Attitude

A Prosperous Attitude
by Bayless Conley

In our previous devotional, we learned that God is pleased to bless us. But that prosperity must be accompanied by a special attitude…an attitude that is captured in 1 Kings 3.

This passage records God’s appearance to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon. In the dream God said to Solomon, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

What an incredible statement, and question! Equally incredible is Solomon’s response, which revealed the attitude of his heart, the attitude which must accompany our prosperity. That response is captured in verses 7-10,

"Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

God is pleased when, in our hearts, we put others before ourselves. God delights in prospering us when prosperity is not our chief aim. When we get it right, and in our hearts we do place others before ourselves, God can bless us beyond our wildest dreams.

God will give you everything you need to fulfill His plan for your life. He will give you richly all things to enjoy, as long as you have a prosperous attitude that puts His plans and His people first.

Copied from: http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/pastors/answers-for-each-day/ (June 7, 2009)