Highrock Church

What is love? God's love is patient, kind, not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demanding, irritable, and keeps no record of wrongs. It rejoices when the truth wins; it never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. God's love is so unlike all other loves and we must experience it so we might begin to share it with others!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

God's agape love -- the first fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) -- is so different from all the other kinds of love that we might experience. Not only is it so much different, it is so much better! But in order to understand it and share it with others, we must first receive it ourselves. It is a fruit of the Spirit, not our own efforts!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #1 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Flavor: Taste of the Fruit of the Spirit") from 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NIV

This flashback to March 8, 2022, brings us back to a discussion about the core of the Gospel. Ancient Greek culture found it easy to believe in the immortality of the soul but incredibly hard to believe in the resurrection of the body. Despite their difficulties, Paul is clear -- the resurrection of Jesus' physical body is the core of the good news and central to our hope.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

We all seek to control life and secure its outcomes through the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, power, or even wisdom. Instead, the Teacher counsels us to entrust our lives to God in faithfulness. What are the ways you are tempted to trust in yourself rather than in the Lord? What are the lessons and questions you will continue to carry with you?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

In light of our mortality, the Teacher dispenses with wisdom for both young and old. Each stage has blessings for us but our destiny with death should remind us that we each will have to account for the choices we make. Love life, but live for more than just this life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

The Teacher explains that we should not just hold onto our treasures. Instead, we should 1) invest, 2) diversify, 3) read the signs, 4) act now, and 5) work hard. No doubt, these are wise financial guidelines, but is there a deeper spiritual principle as well?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #5 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from Rom 14:1-10

This flashback from March 23, 2022 was part of our Lent series. Abraham's original name was Abram and in those early days, he struggled to trust and believe God. God assured Abram by making a covenant -- literally, cutting a deal with him. This same deal is the covenant that is offered to us today through what Jesus accomplished on the cross.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

A little foolishness can ruin a lot of wise choices -- especially when that foolishness comes from our leaders! How can we live wisely under unwise leaders? The Teacher explores the path that wisdom carves through such unpredictable times. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Wisdom can be more powerful than invading armies, yet wisdom can also be easily ignored or forgotten. What should we do in response to this paradox? We must seek to listen to the often quiet voice of wisdom, and also ask why we seek wisdom at all. If we want to be appreciated, we will likely be disappointed. Thankfully, there is a much deeper reason to seek wisdom!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

We are not in control. The Teacher reminds us that death overtakes us all, and even in life, chance often determines the course of our lives. How can we live meaningfully in such a world? Do we feel as if God owes us something more? It is sometimes a step of faith to let go of control and simply enjoy what God has given to us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

The raw pursuit of pleasure obviously led to bad places but the pursuit of wisdom also seems to lead to a dead-end. The Teacher explains that wisdom never seems to secure true justice, and true understanding seems always out of reach. Is there a better way?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #4 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from Rom 12:9-21

This flashback from March 24, 2022 was part of our Lent series. Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son, and then stop him just as he was raising the knife? Almost 2,000 years later, God would provide for us on that very mountain through the sacrifice, not of Abraham's son, but of his own son, Jesus!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

What if we serve under an authority that is unwise or even ungodly? The Teacher's first reason to submit to such authorities is because of our submission to God, the ultimate authority. The Teacher assures us that wickedness will fall and the wise will find a way to do what is right, and at the right time.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Rather than bringing clarity, wisdom sometimes leaves us with riddles and paradoxes. In the midst of this struggle, the Teacher begins to hint at a truth that will emerge more fully later -- that faithfulness is greater than wisdom, or at the very least, there is no true wisdom outside of faithfulness to the Lord.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Turning from the pursuit of pleasure, the Teacher addresses several questions on the path toward wisdom. How do we learn to live well in the limited time that we have? How do learn to value the criticism of the wise? How do we handle misfortune? Wisdom is not always easy or clear, but through it, God leads us towards life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Not only can wealth not bring true happiness, but it is also so easy to lose - as modern bank failures have reminded us. Instead, contentment with what we have is a much greater kind of wealth. Sabbath can be a perfect opportunity to turn from the pursuit of wealth to the enjoyment of the blessings we already have.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #3 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from 2 Tim. 1:1-7 (NLT)

This flashback from May 19, 2022 was part of our series on the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. It should be no surprise that Jesus taught us to ask for forgiveness. What might be surprising is that he instructed us to ask God to forgive us only to as much as we forgive others!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

The Teacher makes a surprising assertion -- that hard work is better than wealth. Hard work leaves us satisfied while wealth often just increases our insecurities. In other words, good work is to be preferred to the wealth we imagine might free us from having to work at all! What brings you satisfaction? What draws you closer to the Lord and a sense of purpose?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

After speaking at length about wisdom, the Teacher turns to the idea of worship as the foundation of true wisdom. We are tempted to speak in ways that sway others to think better of us. With God, word and deed are the same, and so it should be for us. Let us be careful about making promises and let us honor each promise as we honor a God who does the same.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

The previous chapter ended with the idea that one of the greatest blessings in life is to enjoy one's work. Today's passage lists five ways that we can guarantee that we will not enjoy our work, five rotten rungs on the ladder to worldly success. Avoiding these pitfalls might just lead to true joy in the work that God gives us to do!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Our wisdom is so limited without God's input. Without God's wisdom, we can hardly make sense of the diversity and complexity of God's world, with a season for everything. But as we receive each moment as a gift from God, we might come to enjoy each moment for what it is, without having to make it more than it is.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #2 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from 1 Peter 2:9-12 NIV

Can wisdom and work provide meaning where pleasure and possesions fail? Despite their greater worth, wisdom and work still do not outlast death. But even simple pleasures like food and drink can be meaningful if they connect us in gratitude to the One who transcends the grave.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

What will bring happiness and satisfaction in life? The first part of the royal experiment is to test the most common pursuits. Maybe pleasure, projects, and possessions can deliver the happiness that they promise? But no, each is just another way to chase the wind. Even worse, placing our hopes in any of these things as an ultimate goal risks the loss of gratitude and even the possibility of love.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

The Teacher, presumably Solomon, asks us to consider the meaning of our lives. Is it found in the pursuit of pleasure, or power, or even the pursuit of wisdom? He calls these all meaningless "chasing the wind" -- they cannot satisfy and indeed can lead to even more pain. Then what are we to pursue? That question is the central question the Teacher invites us to ask!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #1 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from Jeremiah 29:4-7, 10-13 NIV

Without grace, conflict can be merciless. Without trust, peace is just an illusion. Jesus comes to us full of both grace and truth, and sometimes that truth can shatter the false peace in our lives and relationships. Like a physician who reluctantly causes pain in order to bring healing, God uses the truth, even painful truths, to bring healing. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Jesus' disciples continued to crave power and authority while Jesus was trying to teach them a new way of servanthood and love. One of the greatest challenges in being a spiritual adult is to see our power as an opportunity to bless others rather than serve ourselves. It took nothing less than the cross and resurrection to prove to them and to us that Jesus' way is the only way to life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

It is easy to lose heart when confronting the world's problems. Paradoxically, part of being a spiritual adult is to hold onto a child-like faith, knowing that Jesus is not only with us, but present in each of the people we serve. As we do to the "least" of people, we do to Jesus. How might today be different if we believe this? Pastor Meghan's sermon:https://youtu.be/pIxxcBsolygLooking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

We protect children from the unclean influences of the world, but what happens when we become adults? When the bleeding woman touched Jesus in faith, her uncleanness did not infect Jesus. Instead, his cleanness, his health "infected" her. In becoming spiritual adults, we are invited to participate with Jesus in bringing his infectious spiritual health into the world.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Devotionals will resume on Tuesday, 5/28, after the Memorial Day HolidayGod gives us great freedom in choosing whether to marry and whom to marry. So why is God so insistent that we marry only another Jesus-follower? As we seek an answer to this question, we will discover that this restriction is not about judgment, but about God's love for us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Marriage is a tender subject, and divorce even moreso. In responding to a question from the Pharisees, Jesus speaks against a casual attitude toward either. Instead, Jesus reminds us that even if divorce is sometimes the least bad option in a broken situation, God intended something much better for us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Following Jesus' lead, Paul raises up the importance of both marriage and singleness, while highlighting the even-greater freedom to serve Jesus that is available to singles. We are all single for at least some time. How might God be inviting you to use that time of freedom to find life in giving life to others?Pastor Walt's message on "Marriage + Singleness":https://youtu.be/Gcfu3BHXGC4Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Jesus speaks about marriage as high calling in which we covenant to serve God by serving others, rather than serving ourselves. The way that Jesus spoke about marriage scared them! We can only imagine what they thought of his next words about serving God through a commitment to singleness! Indeed, what will our reaction be to the call of Jesus?Pastor Walt's message on "Marriage + Singleness":https://youtu.be/Gcfu3BHXGC4Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Tragically, this passage has sometimes been read as a call to subjugate woman. As we look closely at the grammar, structure, and context, we instead see a beautiful picture of mutual submission that arises out of a reverence for Christ. Indeed, it was the call for husbands to submit to their wives that would have shocked the original audience, and perhaps today's hearers as well. Pastor Walt's message on "Marriage + Singleness":https://youtu.be/Gcfu3BHXGC4Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #7 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from 1 Corinthians 7:1-10 NIV

When is it time to rest? God answers this question with a command, but one intended to compel us to remember who we are and why we matter. We matter more to God than our work, and we all should matter more to one another than the work that we do. These are essential truths that we might easily forget if we should forget to honor God's Sabbath.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

The people before the time of the Pharisees and Jesus had ignored the Sabbath in very harmful ways but the Pharisees made the opposite error of being too obsessive about the rules. In their zeal, they missed the point of the rules, which is to honor human beings and God. And what could be more true to the spirit of Sabbath than to satisfy your hunger both for food and for God as the disciples were doing with Jesus?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Do you feel overwhelmed? Are you caught up in a never-ending fight? God speaks into our fear and frustration, saying, "Be still, and know that I am God!" One simply way to pray this truth is the ancient tradition of the "breath prayer", which we will practice in response to God's instruction. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

When God meets with Elijah, God is not present in all the big signs like the tornado-like wind or the earthquake. Instead, God speaks to Elijah in the silence. It is difficult to find silence today and the world is getting noisier all the time. If we were to withdraw to a quiet place like Elijah or Jesus, might we find God speaking to us as well?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Of all the Ten Commandments, honoring a day of rest seems the most unlikely to make God's "Top 10". Maybe that's why God devotes more time to that command than any other? When we struggle with the limits given to us by God, it can be helpful to stop, listen, and remember to trust that God is working for our good!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sermon #6 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from Mark 6:30-32 NIV

The writer of Hebrews tells us that one of the ways Jesus demonstrated his full humanity was in how he cried out to God in tears. Jesus calls us into the abundant life. Do we cut ourselves off from the fullness of life when we refuse to embrace similar passion?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

David composes a song of lament for the fallen king Saul and his son Jonathan. Just as importantly, David instucts that all the men of Israel should learn and sing this lament. We may think of our emotions as a private matter but what we do with our emotions also instructs others. Through such examples, God invites us into a deeper and more varied experience of life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

Sometimes the loss we experience is not the result of wrongdoing, accident, or tragedy. Sometimes we are displaced because our purpose is complete and it is time to step back as others step up. John the Baptist was not threatened by Jesus' greater success. Instead, John celebrated that Jesus must become more as he became less.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/

We are like fragile jars of clay that contain an invaluable treasure -- the very light of Christ! Our humble state can be a gift because when people experience the light within us, that light will point to God rather than us. What a blessing to know that God might use our troubles to transform not only us, but others as well!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/