This blog includes random thoughts about life and a relationship with God that appear in the Bible Blog section of our church bulletin. Pastor Daryl is Lead Pastor at Christian Life Church. CLC is a dynamic, Spirit-filled church in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. Visit Christian Life on the web at www.christianlifechurch.org.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!
Ten Commandments of a Successful Father
Thou shalt hold no other group more important than the family unit, in all thy ways being faithful to it.
Thou shalt teach thy sons and daughters to love, respect and obey their parents.
Thou shalt be a loving and considerate husband.
Thou shalt not speak in a manner unbecoming to a Christian gentleman.
Thou shalt, by example, make Sunday a special day set aside for God and for worship as a family.
Thou shalt provide for thy family – spiritually and physically –in an adequate manner.
Thou shalt promote and lead family worship in thy home.
Thou shalt be honest in all thy dealings.
Thou shalt respect the desires and freedoms of the family as individuals.
Thou shalt be the head of thy household, while ruling it with love.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Your Faith Matters
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Healing Scriptures
During the past several of weeks of sickness in our home the Lord reminded me how important prayer and the Word is in our recovery and healing. The following are some Scriptures to increase your faith as you pray for healing.
…for I am the Lord who heals you. Ex 15:26 (NLT)
So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. Ex 23:25 (NKJV)
O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalms 30:2 (NIV)
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. Psalms 103:2-3 (NLT)
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psalms 107:20 (NKJV)
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. Prov 17:22 (MSG)
…by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT)
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11 (NLT)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Continue
Acts 1:14 (NKJV)
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:42 (NKJV)
There is a principle of continuing in the Christian life. Throughout the Book of Acts the Christians continued in the practice of their faith. There is no such thing as a one time experience in the Christian life. We have a salvation experience but then we “work out our salvation” (Philippians 2:12) We are filled with the Holy Spirit but then we are to be continually filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
So many Christians start the race of faith only to stop after crossing the starting line. We will never be all that God created us to be if we don’t continue. We had quite a weekend last weekend at Christian Life Church. We launched our Randall Road Campus. And let me tell you, it was great! We packed out our meeting room. It was a powerful service! But it was just the beginning. Now we continue each week watching Christ build His church in the far northwestern suburbs of Chicago. We had a powerful Miracle Service last Sunday night in Mount Prospect. It was a great time of praying and waiting on God for the supernatural. But it can’t be a one-time experience. We must continue walking in faith.
No matter where you find yourself today I believe the word of the Lord to each one of us is… continue. You’re not finished. God’s not finished with you. Remember and hold on to His promise in His Word, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Faith
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
This is a historical weekend at Christian Life Church. This Sunday (after years of preparation) at 11:30AM we officially launch our Randall Road Campus. A brand new church has been birthed in the far western suburbs of Chicago. Seventy percent of the households in this fast growing community do not attend church. What an exciting place to plant a church!
This is just one of the many great things happening this fall season at Christian Life. We have a slogan for this time of growth and expansion at our church: “We’re doing the Book of Acts until Jesus comes back.” I believe now more than ever before God is calling Christian Life Church and each one of us to do great things for Him.
To do great things for God requires faith. When we feel good and are experiencing growth it is easy to have faith for more. But what happens when things get bad and we feel overwhelmed? Sometimes we lose our faith when we need it the most. The disciples said to Jesus, “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5) You and I can make this our prayer to the Lord each day no matter how we feel, “Lord, increase our faith!”
This Sunday (9/14) evening at 6PM we will be having a Miracle Service at our Mount Prospect Campus. Come for worship, the Word, and prayer, but also come expecting God to increase your faith because we need more faith more than ever before. And don’t forget, “without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Friday, June 06, 2008
Family Reunion
Exodus 20:6 (NLT)
This coming week is the big Merrill Family Reunion. There aren’t many of us, but we sure do have a blast. I can’t wait. We haven’t seen everyone for some time now. I love getting together with our extended family. It’s exciting to see how the kids have grown, spend some quality time having fun, and hear how life has been treating everyone.
This is actually the 4th Merrill family reunion and even though we haven’t gotten together that often there are certain traditions we have begun. When we think about traditions we often think about the past. But traditions are really not about the past. Traditions are actually those special things you want to pass on from the present to the future. While all traditions are special we need to think about the spiritual traditions we pass on with our lives.
There is a strong foundation of faith in our family. My Grandpa and Grandma Merrill were godly people that passed their love for God on to their children and their children’s children. And now there is a whole new generation (their great grandchildren) growing up in the Christian faith.
What is the tradition of faith that you are passing on to your children and your children’s children? It’s never too late to start building new traditions. Begin this summer! As you share your faith with your family may God bless your family “for a thousand generations.”
Monday, July 23, 2007
I have a favorite prayer request.
2 Peter 3:9-10 (TLB)
I have a favorite prayer request. I enjoy all of the praise reports. But I have a certain favorite prayer request. First, let me say that it is a privilege to pray each week for all of the requests that come in. Big and small they are all important to take to God in prayer. There is not a week that goes by that the pastors, staff, and I don’t intercede for needs of our church family.
Which is my favorite you ask? My favorite prayer requests are the ones for the salvation of friends, neighbors, co-workers, family, etc. I love to see someone have the passion for someone close to them to come to know Jesus. You see in these requests the burden for lost souls. I believe these unselfish requests touch the very heart of God. As our verse says, God doesn’t want anybody to perish and suffer judgment. God created everyone to have a personal relationship with Him and spend eternity in heaven (John 2:16,17).
These kind requests get even better when the person asks God for the open opportunity to share the Gospel with their friend. I believe God honors these requests. If you ask for the opportunity to share your faith, God will answer your prayer. Sharing our faith is a vital part of our relationship with God. It’s our responsibility as a part of His Body here on the earth. We are called to be His witnesses (John 15:27). We are called to be ministers of reconciliation between God and man in our world (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
Sharing your faith is a win-win situation. Either the person accepts Christ or you have planted a seed (1 Corinthians 3:6). Pray for an opportunity this week to share your faith with someone you know. In fact, take some tickets and invite them to our church picnic and movie night next Sunday at CLC. You have exactly what your world needs. Share it!