The Grace Place Church - Notes From the Pastor's Desk

March 23,2023

3/23/2023

Colossians 1:22-23

#notesfromthepastorsdesk
📖Colossians 1:22-23 (ESV):
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[a] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

📘Pastor's Note:
Perseverance…continuing in the faith. A saint, regardless of life’s difficulties, will persevere. He has been reconciled to God. He has been established and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. He clings to this hope until his dying breath. He knows the treasure of his faith. It is of greater worth than anything the world could offer. No circumstance or difficulty or material possession is worth more than his hope that he has in Christ. His salvation is his prime possession and reality. Nothing will set him to alter that direction. He remains, he stays, he keeps on, he abides, he perseveres! That’s our call. To take the next step, to continue, to keep on keeping on. We run the race and the only way to get to the finish line is by moving forward. And God’s promise is that it is absolutely worth it. So, if you ever feel like giving up…don’t. Continue in the hope of the gospel. Stay steadfast in the faith. And one day we’ll hear those most desirable words, “well done, good and faithful servant.” Have a blessed day persevering in the faith.

🙏Pray for me as I pray for you!
God Bless ❤
Pastor Jamie

Read the Chapter:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%201&version=ESV

MARCH 10, 2023

3/10/2023

Proverbs 1:23

#notesfromthepastorsdesk
📖 Proverbs 1:23 (ESV):
If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

📘Pastor's Note:
What do we do when the Lord rebukes us? Do we kick against the goads or do we turn and walk rightly with Him? Do we accept His discipline as it is meant…a loving yet sometimes painful nudge to follow Him and His ways? Wisdom is to accept His reproof and to seek Him. If we turn, He promises to pour out His spirit on us. Literally, “spirit” means breath or wind. He breathes on us. His spirit blows on us. In this right response to His reproof, He makes known His word to us. The living water of His word. That there is wisdom. We can keep trying to do it our own way disregarding His injection thus bearing the consequences of rebellion. Or we can turn and let Him breathe on us and experience the grace and goodness of following Him. Have a blessed day. Let’s allow our love to abound. Let’s die to self and live for Him.
Him.
God Bless 🙏❤
Pastor Jamie

Read the Chapter:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%201&version=ESV

March 9, 2023

3/9/2023

1 John 1:9

notesfromthepastorsdesk
📖1 John 1:9 (ESV):
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

📘Pastor's Note:
Forgiveness. We all need it. When we are born again, we are forgiven of all our sin…past, present, and future sin. But does that mean we no longer sin or have a need to confess our sin? Absolutely not. If we are in this flesh, we will sin, and John tells us to confess it to He who is faithful and just to forgive and that He will cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We have a High Priest in Jesus; He is the Mediator between man and God. When we sin, we take it to Him in confession and He is faithful and just forgives. This morning, as I read this verse, what stands out to me is that confession has a refining effect of cleansing. When we humbly admit our sins to the Lord, when we repent, He uses it to refine us…to cleanse us. It is the purifying effect of the sinner to sin less and less. We will never be completely sinless on this side of heaven, but we look forward to that day when sin will be no more.

God Bless 🙏❤
Pastor Jamie
Read the Chapter:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%201&version=ESV

march 6, 2023

3/6/2023

Psalm 34:3

#NotesFromThePastorsDesk
📖Psalm 34:3 (ESV):
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

📘Pastor's Note
I woke up this morning with the praise song of Psalm 34 on my mind. The psalm was written by David. It begins with his devotion to bless the Lord at all times. Praise was continually on his lips. His soul made its boast in the Lord. Then he said, “let the humble hear and be glad.” And he followed it up with verse 3…magnify the Lord with me!! David experienced true worship to the Lord. His lips and his soul was so overwhelmed at the goodness of God that praise of who He is came flooding out of his worship to Him. Then the invitation to come and magnify the Lord with me. He saw God for who He is. The Sovereign, holy, loving, and gracious Creator that is deserving of praise from all. The beauty of magnifying the Lord with other believers brings my eyes to tears. It is absolutely beautiful and encouraging. He is worthy of all our praise and worship. My prayer for you and me this week is that we join together to magnify Him. That our lives exalt Him, that we are a living sacrifice that demonstrates who He is and what He has done to save sinful man through His Son! Pray for me as I pray for you
God Bless 🙏❤
Pastor Jamie

Read the Chapter:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+34&version=ESV

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

2/23/2023

John 19:16-18

#notesfromthepastorsdesk
📖John19:16-18 (ESV):
16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

📘Pastor's Note
What appeared as one of the darkest days in history is what we, as Christians, hold as the greatest victory to ever occur...the cross. If Christ never went to the cross, we wouldn't have access to grace, mercy and forgiveness. He endured a horrible death, took upon His shoulders the punishment of sin, served as our substitute so that we could be saved! Why did He die for us? Because He loves us and so that we may live for Him. The cross is always a good reminder for us as we begin our day and week. Live today in such a way that we honor the One that died and then rose again for us! Praying for you.

God Bless 🙏❤
Pastor Jamie

Read the Chapter:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2019&version=ESV#GodsWord

january 30, 2023

2/22/2023

Psalms 93:1-2 (ESV)

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
Pastor's Note
The first three words of this psalm says it all…”The Lord reigns.” We need this reminder. We need to remember that our God is always on His throne reigning and in control. Not a single hair falls from our heads without His knowing. Nor does a sparrow fall from the sky without Him allowing it. Let that encourage our hearts this morning as we consider all the craziness and sinfulness going on in the world today. God is not caught off guard. He is not powerless. He is in complete control. Not that He causes it but He is sovereign over it. He is reigning. Trust in Him. He knows exactly what He is doing.
So, let’s go out into the world today and be a light. Let’s be a witness of our reigning King to those that don’t know Him. We carry a message…let’s fulfill our purpose in delivering it.
Pray for me as I pray for you!
God Bless
Pastor Jamie

january 23, 2023

2/22/2023

Psalms 51:12 (ESV)

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Pastor's Note
In this psalm, King David is repenting of his sin. Have you ever wondered how God says that David was a man after His own heart? Yet David committed adultery with another man’s wife and got her pregnant while he was out fighting Israel’s enemies. David then, trying to cover up his sin added even more sin. He brought her husband back from the war zone, got him drunk in the hope that he would sleep with his wife and give the appearance that the child was his. When that didn’t work, David plotted to put him on the front lines where the fighting was the heaviest so that he would be killed. David’s plot worked and Bathsheba’s husband Uriah was killed. How could David be a man after God’s own heart? It’s a good question. In David’s grievous, gross sin, God did not turn a blind eye. David was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his sin against God. God was on the verge of killing David. But David did something…he repented! David knew and agreed that his sin was a direct assault on God Himself. He confessed his sin, he turned from his evil, and God, in His mercy and grace, forgave him. See, David did wrong but when confronted, he did the only thing that could make it right…he repented! He turned 180 degrees from his sin and turned to God for forgiveness. Here’s the point from the scripture…sin is a joy killer! It steals our joy. But when we repent, God restores the joy of our salvation. Some people consider repentance a bad thing. But hell will be full of people that wish they could have one more chance to embrace it. Do we have sin that we need to repent of? Of course! The Apostle John (1 John 1:8) said that “if we say that we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us.” Therefore, when we sin, the call is to repent. Confess it to God knowing we have an Advocate, Christ Jesus our Lord. He is always willing to restore the joy of our salvation. Have a blessed day. Be diligent in your prayers to the Lord. I hope you know that it is an absolute privilege for me to be able to pray for you!
Pray for me as I pray for you!
God Bless
Pastor Jamie

january 12, 2023

2/22/2023

John 8:31–32 (ESV)

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Pastor's Note:
Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” To be set free from the slavery of sin, there is but One and only One way….Jesus Christ. He is THE Truth that sets us free. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” He is the “Logos,” The Word! To be His disciple means abiding in Him and His word! He is our life source. That is the only way to be set free from sin’s poison. As Christians, do we abide in His word? Do we drink from it daily? Do we rely upon it to govern our lives, our decision-making? Do we, without waiver, believe in its trustworthiness and allow it to light our path of living this life? Do we read, study and absorb the truth of His word? The more we drink from the well of His word, the more our thirst is quenched. Have a blessed day abiding in and with our Lord!
God Bless
Pastor Jamie

january 9, 2023

2/22/2023

Psalms 34:4-6 (ESV)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
Pastor's Note:
How encouraging is it that the Lord hears, answers and delivers those that seek after Him. There’s nothing that we fear that He is unable to deliver us from. I don’t know what you may be going through today, but I do know if we look to Him, His word tells us that He is listening and He is willing to take away our shame. In our brokenness, as we cry out to Him, He will deliver us from trouble. Praying for you today! Seek Him, Serve Him, and Share Him with this lost world. Have a blessed day.
Pray for me as I pray for you!
God Bless
Pastor Jamie

january 5, 2023

2/22/2023

Psalms 34:1 (ESV)

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Pastor's Note
Did we wake up this morning with the Lord on our minds? Have we praised Him for another day that He has given us? These are questions I pray that I do better at asking this coming year. Every time our eyes open from a night's sleep, every time we take another breath, I pray His praise is in our mouth. How grateful are we that His mercies are new every morning? He is deserving of all our worship and praise continually! Have a blessed day. Seek, serve, and share Him with all your heart.
Pray for me as I pray for you!
God Bless
Pastor Jamie