Divine Savior Church-Delray Beach

How often have we heard these words, “Let your conscience be your guide.” No doubt, the acceptance of this concept is part of the reason so many people’s lives and messed up and broken. The problem is that a lot of us imagine our conscience to be a spiritual thermometer. We assume it can be placed into any situation and it will tell us the moral temperature—too hot, too cold, or just right. But th...

You just gotta believe! As long as you believe, anything is possible! Have you heard that? Thought that? Believed that? That if you have enough faith, it can fix any problem, heal any loved one, guarantee any solution? Faith certainly is important! But can it actually fix anything? Or does it connect us to the God who can actually fix everything? What’s the difference, and why would this matter to...

"God wants me to be happy. He wants me to have what I desire, so if I follow Him, and obey his rules, and generally be good, God will make my life good! Right?  After all, Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full," right? Sounds like following Jesus will make my life here pretty good! But what does Jesus really mean when he says that? Let's exa...

"Don't judge me!" is not just a common saying, it is a philosophy of life for those controlled by the sinful nature. "Let me do whatever makes me feel good as long as it doesn't hurt other people, and don't criticize me for it." Even unbelievers pull out Matthew 7:1 to show Christians how lacking their Bible knowledge is and say, "See, Jesus tells you not to...

"I wish I could figure out what God's plan is for my life." Many Christians have mouthed these anguished words. They read Jeremiah 29:11 and conclude that God has a detailed, tailored plan for their life that they just need to discover. This presumes that Jeremiah 29:11 is directed at us specifically, as well as the idea that we have no choices in life, kind of like chess pieces on...

Philippians 4:13 might easily be called the Christian version of, "Just do it." There's nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it...and trust in Jesus. Jesus will make it possible to achieve what you thought was impossible: beat cancer, found a Fortune 500 corporation, or win an Olympic medal. With Jesus at your side, there are no limits. But life is not one victory after...

It just sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Those who trust in Jesus alone are completely forgiven and reconciled with God. This is what you have been taught, but this is such an important issue so it totally makes sense that there must be at least something that you have to do. Then you look in the Bible and it seems to agree with you because James says, "You see that a person is co...

Dying seems so normal because it happens to everyone and so it is tempting to think that it is just a part of the life that God designed for us...but it isn't. Death is not our friend, nor is it something we should just "get used to" simply because it seems inevitable. Death is the consequence of sin and our enemy...an enemy that has been defeated by Christ, who took away the sin of...

It's almost like a mathematical formula: Teach your children the Word of God when they are young and without question you will see them in heaven. If your children lose their faith at some point, they will come back without a doubt. Unfortunately, that is not what Solomon is saying. By all means, baptize your children and teach them the Word of God starting when they are young! But recognize...

"God is love" is one of the most beautiful and comforting truths of the Bible, but it is also one of the most abused. Some understand God's love as if it were like human love, mostly based in feelings that change according to the behavior of those around us. Others feel a God of love is like a strict parent who is tough on you in order to push you toward great accomplishments. Still...

There is no safer place in the universe than in God’s hands – so let’s cast all our cares on Him. We need his protection – the enemy is real! But we are safe with God. Forever. The world can take away everything… but it cannot take our identity or our future. So stand firm in that living hope! And look forward to what Jesus is coming back to do for you! 

It’s not easy being a Christian today. It never has been. Jesus said that would be the case. We need a deeper joy, a deeper hope to live for to make it through. Easter gives us that living hope. But don’t be surprised by the suffering. Jesus experienced it too. Rejoice in it! It’s proof you belong to Him! Don’t be ashamed – be honored! We have nothing to fear about the future – but everything to l...

It’s not easy to suffer. We want to fight back and get revenge. But as Jesus followers, we live a new way. We don’t repay evil with evil, but evil with good. We are called to actively bless people! Even hard-to-bless people! If we are afraid of people, we will keep our mouths shut and not share the life-giving hope we have to share. Let’s remember the living hope of Easter. That will open our mout...

Jesus knows what it is like to be ridiculed, abandoned, and humiliated. He suffered for us and by doing that, gave us a reason to live for Him, even when that is hard or means suffering for us. The first enemy we have to fight is our own sinful self. It craves things that God knows aren’t good for us. Let God change our hearts and minds – which will begin to change our behavior. The best way to do...

Christian husbands and wives are an object lesson to the world of Jesus’ love for us. They submit to one another and love each other the way Jesus loves the church. This isn’t always easy. And we don’t like to deal with words like “submit.” But there is a beauty here in how God uses husbands and wives, equal and joint partners, heirs together of his salvation and blessings, not only to love each o...

We live in two different kingdoms – the kingdom of the world, and God’s kingdom. As citizens of this kingdom, we are called to submit to the governing authorities. It is part of how we honor God. But we do this remembering there is one true King, and He isn’t voted in. We honor our leaders, but we worship The King. Our submission shows worship to our heavenly King. The truth is, we are free. Free...

It’s not easy being a Christian in our world. The living hope of Easter makes it easier, it makes it possible. We learn how to think with hope and how to live with hope. The way we live shows what we are hoping in. God made us “strangers” in this world with the new home He has promised us. Do we live as strangers? Or do we forget that there is more than this? We won’t enjoy living with the love of...

Jesus purified us and made us new! So it doesn’t make sense to keep living the way we used to. Let’s live new lives, imitating Him. Loving the hard-to-love. Let’s grow in our faith by continuing to be fed with his Word. Devour it! He is building us into a building – the greatest building – a spiritual building – His Church! The greatest building with the greatest story! He is the cornerstone and f...

Grief. Suffering. Hardship. Loss. These experiences can cause hopelessness. We need a deeper joy, a deeper hope to live for to make it through. Easter gives that to us. So does the fact that God was thinking about us since before creation! The God who chose us before time began isn’t going to let go of us now. The future we have to look forward to will make everything worth it. That gives us reaso...

We all need hope. We need an answer for what comes after this life. What are we living for? And what happens after we die? And then… how does that change the way we live? Easter gives us a living hope! Easter answers what happens after we die and gives us a whole new reason to do all the things we do today! Join us Sunday for the best news in the world – Jesus has risen from the dead – and that me...

They come around the final turn and now it is a sprint to the finish, but just because it is near the end of the race doesn’t mean the steps become less important - they become more important. Every stride takes the runner closer to the finish, closer to victory, but every step becomes more challenging, more difficult. The crowds may roar around the turn, but the celebration can’t fully begin yet....

What does it take to get ahead in this world? To achieve greatness? Hard work? Skill? Luck? Making sacrifices? The real answer might be different than we think. If we are going to believe what Jesus tells us, true greatness comes through service. Lifting others up, serving them, sacrificing for them. Jesus showed us, to the extreme, what it looks like to serve others and be great. He gave everythi...

How many of us easily buy into the thinking, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” The Kingdom of God flips this thinking around. Jesus turns the ways of the world upside down. Which is so good for us. We need Jesus’ revelation and teaching to help us with this. Worldly wisdom takes us the opposite direction and we’ll never finish the race. Jesus guides us in understanding what is truly valuable and...

No one likes to lose. No matter how much our competitive nature drives us, we still prefer to win. But sometimes you win by losing. If you want to follow Jesus you have to lose to win. You have to give up your life for Jesus in order that he can save that life. You have to deny yourself and follow Him, just as Jesus denied himself to take up his own cross. 

Proper form makes all the difference in the race. How your feet hit the ground, the way your toes push off, the rotation of your legs, the pumping of your arms, the position of your chest, the focus of your eyes - it all matters. Runners practice proper form and technique for a purpose, but not just an external one. It is to ensure their whole body is in sync, including their lungs and heart. It a...