Highrock Church

The gift of joy arises not from outward circumstances but from God's presence with us. Everything good comes from God, and the ultimate gift is to receive the giver. As King David expressed in Psalm 16, our joy is that God is with us. That is why we call Jesus "Emmanuel" -- which means, "God with us."

Pastor Taylor's sermon on Psalm 16 and Joy:

https://youtu.be/LmnmBvuY4Kk

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Whether this season finds you surrounded by laughter and lights—or numb, lonely, or emotionally worn—many of us know the quiet ache beneath the surface. In a time when so much around us promises quick fixes and feel-good moments, what if the gift we truly long for is something deeper, steadier, and more sacred?

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In this famous parable, Jesus says to the faithful, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." When we serve the last, the lost, and the least, we are actually serving the ruler of heaven and earth!

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The practice of serving leads not only to becoming more like Jesus, but recognizing that God is present in every...

In this holiday replay from November 19, 2024, we see that our motivations reveal our hearts. Why should we do as God says? A lowly servant might obey out of fear. An employee might obey for hope of reward or fear of punishment. But for those who are in Christ, Paul says, our obligation is that of adopted children. We respond to God's generosity, not to gain something positive or avoid something negative, but purely out of joyful gratitude! Happy Thanksgiving!

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God is the ultimate giver and invites us to join God in blessing the world. In order to do so, God gives each and every one of us a gift that others need! Our talents, skills, and resources are not just for our benefit — they are tools to serve one another in love. You are gifted! What gift has God given you?

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People often resist the idea of be...

Like yesterday's passage, service involves a paradox. Not only is service the path to true freedom, but the path to being raised up is a path of laying your own life down in service. As Jesus puts it, whoever wants to be greatest must be the servant of everyone, which is exactly who Jesus is. In our upside-down world, Jesus shows us that the path up is a path down into humility and service.

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The idea of serving naturally implies a loss of freedom, but many of life's greatest truths are paradoxes. Ultimately, the call to service is the path to true freedom -- the freedom to become the people God means for us to be.

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Service is love in action. Service isn’t about earning favor with God; it’s a natural response to God's love for us.

- Do y...

You feel the weight of the world’s hurt—and maybe also the tension of your own life, whether it feels cushioned with comfort or stretched thin by struggle. What do we do with that ache? Perhaps the practice of service isn’t about fixing everything, but about becoming the kind of people who refuse to look away.

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Christian community is built upon a new law. The old law already commanded that we should love one another. What is new about Jesus' command is that he personally showed the way, "Just as I have loved you, you should love each other" (v34). Jesus' love does not create a closed circle. Instead, it is a living testimony of God's love to the world.

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Jesus gives us a...

Community isn’t just about finding friends and fellowship — it’s about bearing each other's burdens. We live out Christ’s love by helping one another through struggles, both spiritual and practical. Community meant that when one suffers, we all suffer; when one rejoices, we all rejoice. This isn't a race; life is not a competition. We are sojourners, travelers who are moving through life together.

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"Share each other’s...

Community is a word that has been greatly reduced in power, much like hospitality. Paul points to the true power of community and how it arises from nothing less than the power of Christ through the Spirit. This kind of power is most clearly on display when we love people who are difficult to love -- relationships where there is difference or division. Christ calls us to a community that builds bridges, not walls.

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From the very beginning, God designed us for connection. Even before sin entered the world, even while Adam was with God in the garden, there was something that was "not good." It was not good for Adam to be so alone. Our need for community is not a weakness -- it’s part of being made in God’s image. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in perfect fellowship, we too are called to share life together.

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ht...

The vision of the early church community found in Acts 2 is a lasting inspiration. For many today, that vision of community seems more like a fantasy than a reality. What did they have that we lack? Perhaps it is not what they shared but the frequency with which they shared. We are told several times that they connected with God and one another every day. If we feel disconnected, maybe the solution is not greater intensity but greater frequency?

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Community sounds dreamy until the misunderstandings, disappointments, and sparks start to fly. But what if those wounds aren’t signs that something’s wrong . . . but clues to how Jesus actually grows us into people who can truly belong?

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The Apostle Peter writes that God’s Word produces life, eternal life, in us. Scripture doesn’t just inform us, it transforms us. It plants God's life in us, a seed that produces love for God and others, reshaping us from the inside out to "Love each other deeply with all your heart" (v22).

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Jesus Loves Me (Souvenirs Worship):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXrC_uzsnsg

Jesus Love...

When Jesus prayed before his arrest and trial, he asked his Father to change us and protect us through God's Word. Jesus prayed that this word would transform us and equip us as he sends us into the world. And what would give God's Word this kind of power? Nothing less than Jesus' life, poured out for us.

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For Reflection:

"Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word...

People often wonder why we read the Old Testament when we have the new. In today's passage, the Apostle Paul was speaking into a conflict between Jewish and non-Jewish believers in the early church. Paul chooses a passage from the Psalms, from the Old Testament, and says that these things were written in the past to teach us and encourage us. We are the spiritual descendants of those people, and this family history can help us understand who we are even today.

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Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Bible, is devoted entirely to the importance of God's word to us. In this section of the psalm, scripture is seen as a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. When life seems dark and treacherous, God's instructions can light the way, one step at a time!

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For Reflection:

"Your word is a lamp to guide my feet, and a light...

As we delve into the practice of reading Scripture, it's important to pay attention to how we read Scripture. After all, the Devil himself uses the Bible to tempt Jesus! But Jesus not only knows the words of the Bible, he knows the spirit of the Bible. The Devil's temptation is to get us to justify what we want, even using the Bible to do it. But Jesus uses the Bible to focus on what God wants, which guards him from each temptation that the Devil brings.

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You’ve tried reading the Bible—maybe out of duty, maybe out of guilt—but it feels more like homework than hope. What if the point isn’t reading more but meeting Someone in the words who can make them come alive again?

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In his final words with the leaders of the church in Ephesus, Paul reminds them of the words of Jesus: "It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It's a lovely sentiment, but is it true? And if it is true, then why aren't people racing to give everything away? Truly, Jesus was not just offering us pleasant advice. His life reveals that generosity is the secret to a life well-lived!

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Fo...

Is generosity ever not a good thing? Actually, yes! As important as generosity is, it's goodness becomes twisted against us when it's done to promote ourselves. When we are generous in order to call attention to ourselves, Jesus says, "Watch out!" (verse 1). Not only is God not impressed with such generosity, we miss out on one of the most important benefits of generosity -- for us!

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For Reflection:

"Give your...

Why should we be generous? Anything we "should" do implies an obligation but "should" can also describe an opportunity. We should be grateful because it is an incredible opportunity to be enlivened and empowered to truly live, and to share that life with others in the same spirit of sacrificial generosity. But how do we practice this spirit of generosity in a way that sticks?

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2 Corinthians 8:9b "Though...

Daily Devo | The Call to Cheerful Generosity (Practicing the Way, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

The call to cheerful generosity is sandwiched between two larger principles. The first is that your generosity is an investment that will be multiplied, but a very small gift is still small even when multiplied. The second principle is that God will reward you when you give cheerfully, but not so you can have more. Instead, God will reward you with more so that you can give even more, joining God in the joy of being a giver!

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If you suddenly received a large gift, what would you do? How might you celebrate? Who would you bless with some of your windfall? The practice of generosity starts with the realization taht we have received such a gift, that everything we have is a gift. We might be hold onto and trust in money but the true secret to a rich life is to trust in God. By joining in with God's flow of generosity, we can experience true life now and in the future!

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We hustle, compare, worry about not having enough, and quietly hope we’re doing “better than most.” But what if Jesus invites us into a different economy - one where security, joy, and freedom don’t rise and fall with our bank balance?

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After Elijah ran into the wilderness, God met with him. First came the violent wind, tearing up the rocks. Then came an earthquake and finally, fire. Though we might imagine that God would show up in power, God was not in any of these signs. Finally, there was a moment of silence, a quiet like the eye of a storm, or a gentle whisper. Rather than fill all the moments of silence in our lives, might we also find God revealed in gentle whispers?

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Through the prophet Isaiah, God laments to Israel that: "In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it" (v15). Instead, we tenaciously hold onto the illusion that we will be saved by cleverness and activity. In the meantime, God must wait for us to "come to him so he can show you his love and compassion." In the practice of solitude, we return to the God who has been waiting for us all along.

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God knows us deeply and completely, even better than we know ourselves. In Psalm 139, David asks God to "search me, O God, and know my heart!" In solitude, we can learn not only who God is but who we are, and who we might become.

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When we are curious about or troubled by what we see in our lives, we can turn to God in solitude.

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Embedded in the call to solitude is a call to stillness. In the midst of earthshaking events, instead of responding with a flurry of anxious activity, God invites us to “Be still, and know that I am God!" (v10) and to find peace in knowing that the Lord is here, with us (v11).

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For Reflection:

The invitation to stillness is to rest in the security of God's presence.

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Throughout the Bible, people often experienced God most powerfully in times and places of solitude. Jesus himself often retreated to quiet, wilderness spaces. As valuable as those times and places might be, a dependence on those places leaves spiritual solitude out of reach for most of us. Is there a way to richly connect with God in the moment rather than on the mountain?

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For Reflection:

Jesus invites us to, "...

We’re surrounded by noise, pulled in every direction, and still feel strangely empty. In fact, we often feel drained. Jesus experienced the same busyness and franticness, yet he often slipped away to quiet, lonely places - why? Maybe what he found there is the very thing our restless souls are missing.

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Daniel’s fast was not a quick prayer for instant answers — it was a sustained season of prayer. For twenty-one days, he persisted until he received his answer. Daniel's fast reminds us that our faithful actions often unfold in spiritual dimensions we cannot see. This three-week fast also reveals that answers delayed are not answers denied. Through fasting, we can persevere until that moment finally arrives.

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For Reflection:

Fasting is not...

Ezra and the Israelites faced a dangerous journey. Instead of seeking human protection that would have compromised their mission, they turned to God in fasting and prayer. Fasting removes distractions and centers our hearts on God’s direction. When you fast, you’re not trying to earn answers -- you’re creating space to hear the One who already knows the way.

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Ezra and his companions made every prepar...

Before his ministry began, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit. For 40 days and nights, Jesus fasted before being tempted -- perhaps the greatest challenge Jesus faced other than the cross itself! Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into this battle in such a weakened state? Though fasting may have left Jesus physically weak, it also left him spiritually strengthened. Fasting and praying before a spiritual challenge or temptation can be a powerful way to draw strength from God.

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Although fasting may have many purposes, one of the most common reasons for fasting in the Bible is for repentance. When we have abandoned God's way and pursued a path of our own desires, fasting can be the start of saying "No!" to our own appetites. In the end, the ultimate reason for repentance is that God eagerly desires reconciliation and is always ready to receive us with grace and love.

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For...

There are many ways to fast and many reasons to fast, which we will explore throughout this week. In today's passage, we see a connection between fasting and compassion for others. So many people lack the things we take for granted. By temporarily denying ourselves these non-essentials, we may grow both to appreciate them more and to have compassion on those who lack them entirely. The fasting that God desires leads to compassion for others!

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What if the very practice you’ve written off as outdated could open the door to real freedom? Isaiah’s ancient words expose why our attempts at change keep looping—and how saying “no” for a moment might lead to the deeper “yes” our hearts are hungry for.

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The prayer for forgiveness serves as the dramatic climax to the Lord's prayer. We are to pray for forgiveness, as we might expect, but then we are to pray for something unexpected... and dangerous. We are to pray that God would forgive us "as we have forgiven" others. What is Jesus saying? Does God's grace have a limit?

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For Reflection:

Forgiveness is not optional for followers of Jesus. Instead, forgiving...

By teaching us to pray for our "daily bread", Jesus was actually inviting us into something much deeper than just food. Once again, prayer is more a relationship than a ritual. "Daily bread" is a day-by-day relationship with the God who delights in us and eagerly desires for us to draw closer.

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For Reflection:

God is not bored by the details of our lives. Instead, we are invited to come...