Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "CHRISTmas"

Good morning WVBC,

I hope your week is going well.

I had a chance to talk this week to a little girl, and I asked her if she knows why we celebrate Christmas. Her response was "no." How sad...to be four years old and think Christmas is just a reason to get presents. To not even know who Christ is!

How many of us don't see Christ in Christmas? Have we gotten that far from the truth?

We put up all of our pretty lights, but have we forgotten the real "LIGHT OF THE WORLD"?

We give gifts to nearly everyone we know, but have we missed the biggest gift of all?

I hope not!

There's only one way to keep Christ in Christmas, and that is to be like the angels who appeared to some shepherds that night long ago:

"...praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Hope to see you Saturday, reminding people why we celebrate Christmas.

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Giving Thanks"

Good morning Church,

"This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Tomorrow we will celebrate Thanksgiving, and if you're like me, today could be a very stressful day. How we live today will probably affect how we will enjoy tomorrow. Will tomorrow be a day filled with giving thanks or a day filled with stress?

Are you ready for a challenge?

Try out these three steps and let me know how they work for your family.

Step 1: Begin today by reading and meditating on Psalm 118: 1-29

Step 2: Throughout the day, have each family member make a check list of blessings and trials you are thankful for. (James 1:2-3)

Step 3: End the day by having a family prayer time encouraging each family member to be ready to share their thanks on Thanksgiving Day.

I'm ready for the challenge. How about it? I'll share with you how it worked in my family, and I hope to hear from you too! Remember, "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

"In everything give thanks,"
Pastor Bob

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Seeing His Glory"

Good morning once again, WVBC. I hopy your week is being blessed.

In my devotions this week, I was reminded NOT just of who God is, but also what my heart longs for. Let me explain...

In 2 Chronicles 5, Solomon is finally done with the temple, so he sets up a day to dedicate to the Lord.

"The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. All the Levites who were musicians--Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives--stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:

'He is good; His love endures forever.'

Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God."

Simple Church, my prayer this week is that on Sunday morning, we too would see His glory and like the priests of that day be unable to move. But this only comes when we come together in unison, with one voice testifying to who He is in our lives. I look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do on Sunday!

Pastor Bob's Devotional: "Sing for Joy or Sing the Blues?"

Good morning church,

It just occurred to me that we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in 3 weeks, and in 7 weeks we'll be celebrating Christmas. The holidays are quickly approaching. Are you ready to sing for joy or sing the blues?

Every year we strive to keep those two wonderful holidays holy, but the world and our guilty consciences influence us to over eat and over spend. I suggest that this year we give thanks and give gifts that reflect the joy of our Lord.

Jesus said,

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

John 15: 10-11

Over eating and over spending are easily remedied when we "abide in His love." When we are controlled by His spirit, we will be more like Jesus whose joy was not dependent upon temporal things like food and gifts, but upon eternal things like keeping His Father's commandments.

We'll be singing for joy if we follow the model of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for me and I will pray for you as we sing in the new year with His joy!

For a little extra inspiration about rediscovering what Christmas is really about, check out this video.

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: Friendship

Good morning WVBC,

I hope your week is going well and your heart is being encouraged in the Lord.

Today I was blessed in reading 1 Chronicles 27. It wasn’t so much the chapter itself that stood out, because it was just an account of who was helping David rule. There was Jonathan Son of Uzziah, who was over the storehouses, and Ezri, who was over the agriculture. The list goes on from there, but then in verse 33, there is something the writer saw as important in David’s life.

In verse 33 the name Hushai comes up. Now Hushai was not over some great army, or in charge of David’s vineyards, or even in charge of the temple. He is simply known as a friend to the King.

So often we can find ourselves trying to pursue this or be in charge of that. We become focused on the “position” we have or want to have. But we can forget the most important job we can have is just being a friend.

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Proverb 18:24 says “ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”.

My question today is, who has been that friend to you? Take a few minutes and call them today to let them know how blessed you are to have them in your life.

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "The Test"

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

James 1: 2-3

Good morning Family!

Thanks for praying for us while we were away last week at our annual "Elder's Advance." We were clearly blessed as we prayed for you and as we heard our Lord ask us, "Do you wish to get well?"

This question comes from John 5:6, where Jesus asked it of a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years. I'm sure you know the rest of the story...Jesus healed him and told him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." He passed the test!

As we applied the question "Do you want to be healed?" to WVBC, we received guidance and direction for the new year ahead of us. In the coming months, you'll be hearing about these changes that need to happen if we as a church are to grow in faith. In the meantime, we need to be ready because with faith there always comes a time of testing.

In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham with his son Isaac. And in John 6, Jesus tested Philip when a huge, hungry crowd arrived and Jesus asked him, "Where are we to buy bread so that we may eat?" Philip's response was typical: "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

As you know, Jesus used two fish and five loaves of bread to feed the crowd of more than 5,000 people. What might happen to us, His church, if we are able to pass the test of faith during these tough times we are experiencing? What miracle might we see? These are exciting times because our Lord is still willing to test our faith so that we will grow stronger and gain endurance.

How can we be ready for these times of testing? Look again at John 6...when Philip was tested, he had a "care group" to support him. Andrew didn't necessarily have the answers, but he did find a boy with a few fish and some loaves of bread, and he brought them to Jesus. That's what care groups do. Those twelve disciples learned to grow in faith together as their Master cared for them through their various tests and trials. What an example Jesus has given us!

I hope that you also have a care group like Philip had. If you need a group to be a part of, please let me know.

In His Mighty Grip,
Pastor Bob

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Pray for Us"

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

Hebrews 13: 17-18

Good morning WVBC!

At first glance, this might seem like a weird way to start a devotion, but let me explain.

This weekend the elders will be spending a few days away for what we call "Elders Advance." During this time away, the elders ask the Lord for His instructions on how we are to advance His church. It is something I personally look forward to every year, for it is a great time dedicated to fasting, praying, and seeking the Lord on your behalf.

Knowing that some day we "must give an account" for how we are leading WVBC is haunting at times, and this is why we need your support in prayer. We want so much for this body to be open and ready for whatever the Lord would bring our way, so like the writer of Hebrews, I ask you to "pray for us."

Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom with finances, understanding in how we are to grow West Valley Bible Church, and direction for the future.