Life Lifters | Lakeshore Community Church

Jul 09 8:10 AM

He Knows All of Your Days

Jul 09 8:10 AM

Friday, July 9, 2021

From the moment of conception, right through to birth, God knit us together in our mother's womb. Think about that.

Friday, July 9, 2021

Psalm 139:13-18

This week, we've been taking a look at Psalm 139. You can find the earlier two devotionals in our July 5th and July 7th Life Lifters. Today, we are going to wrap up by looking at verses 13 through 18 one or two verses at a time. Again, Psalm 139 was written by King David of Israel.

In verse 13, David writes this about God, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." The God of the universe, the one who knows you so well, so intimately, he is the one that created you. He created you bit by bit, cell by cell. From the moment of conception, right through to birth, he knit us together in our mother's womb. Think about that. When you knit something, it is not a fast process. It requires concentration, it requires specific moves that are calculated to have a certain outcome. God knit you together very patiently in your mother's womb. He knows you that intimately, stitch by stitch. So, when you consider how you're made, when you think about the complexity of your body, the way it works, knowing that that God intimately spent time with us, putting us together, how could you not but worship Him? It is just such an incredible thought to me. When I think about the sanctity of life, this passage for me speaks so much about how important life is, and that God has purpose and a calling on our lives, as we'll see in a moment.

Continuing in verse 15, "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." See, God knew you before you were born. While you were being made, he was right there in the womb with you. You were known by God before a single day of your life came to be. Life doesn't begin at birth, life begins at conception. You were known by God every single moment of your life throughout your life. They were written in his book. He is writing the story of your life.

Continuing in verse 17, "How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand - when I awake, I am still with you." When you think about the way that God loves you, when you think about the depth of His love and the magnitude of His love, it is truly awesome. It's like counting grains of sand. It's impossible. If you've ever gone to the beach and tried to count grains of sand, you know it is impossible. That's how many thoughts God has about you. The way God thinks about you is unmatched by anybody else. It is precious, it is priceless, and it is infinite. Infinite are the thoughts of God towards you.

Let's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you that you have known us. You knew all the days that were to be ordained for us before one of them came to be. You knit us together, stitch by stitch, in our mother's womb. And you continue to desire to know us, to be with us, to go before us, and to be a part of our lives. We thank you for that. Father, thank you for the thoughts of love that you have towards us, and thank you that you, the God of the universe, would care enough to work in our lives. Father, that is an encouraging thought. It is a sobering thought. We love you for that, we worship you, and we give you thanks. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Hey everyone, until next time, don't just have a great day, but go and make a great day.

By Pastor Frank De Luccio

Jul 07 8:08 AM

He Knows Every Move You Make

Jul 07 8:08 AM

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

There is not a single place on Earth that you can go without God being present.

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Psalm 139:7-12

Today, we are continuing to look at Psalm 139. As we said on July 5, Psalm 139 was written by King David of Israel. We will go through verses 7 to 14 verse by verse. Starting in verses 7-8, David writes this about God, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." You see, there is not a single place on Earth that you can go without God being present, there is not a single place above the earth or below the earth that you can go without God being present. God has a characteristic known as omnipresence, which is a big word that means his whole being is fully present everywhere at the same time. It's not that a part of God is over here, and another part is over here. No, he is fully present everywhere at the same time. That is such a comforting thought for me and I'm encouraged by that, because I can never be without the presence of God in my life. That's what David is saying. He asks, "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" The answer is "Nowhere."

In verse nine, David continues, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." No matter where you go, no matter how early in the day it is, or how late in the evening, no matter how close you are, or how far (even to the furthest point out in the sea), God will always be with you, to guide you and protect you. His hand his right hand, which is the hand of his favor, will be upon you. He will hold you fast, he will not delay.

David continues in verse 11. He says, 'If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.' You see, God even sees you in the darkness. Darkness is dark to us humans, but is not dark to God. It's almost like he has night goggles on. When it's dark to us, we may not be able to see anything around us, but God sees you. He sees you. His light is upon you, and he will see you and will let his light shine upon you, even though you can't necessarily see it. He has his light on you. Again, that is a comforting thought for me to know that every move that you make, every move that I make, God knows exactly where we are. It's not in a weird way, though. Remember that Police song from the 80s, "Every Breath You Take"? It was sort of like someone following you, almost like in a creeper sense. But no, David is talking about God's loving hand there to guide you and lead you no matter where you go. You see, no place is unfamiliar to God. He has loving eyes looking on you for your best interest, to guide you and lead you through every moment of life. I hope you find encouragement in that today.

Let's pray knowing that God knows every move we make. Father, we thank you because you know exactly where we are at all times. We can never escape your loving presence. May that give us encouragement today, may it give us courage when we're scared to face the things that are ahead of us in our day. May we take encouragement knowing you're right there with us, right by our side, going through this with you, with your hand upon us. Thank you Father for this, in Jesus' name. Amen. Remember, don't just have a great day, go and make a great day.

By Pastor Frank De Luccio

Jun 16 7:49 AM

Worship - More Than A Song

Jun 16 7:49 AM

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

In our culture, oftentimes worship is expressed in the form of music, visual arts, dance, or literature. But today, what if I was to tell you that the foundation of worship has nothing to do with any of these?

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Genesis 22:2-13

I want to ask you a question. When I say the word worship, what comes to mind for you? Maybe for you, it's music. Maybe it's a modern chorus that we sing here in church on Sunday, or maybe it's an older hymn. Maybe when you think of worship, you think of an experience that you've had with God, a closeness that you've had with God, where you've experienced his goodness, faithfulness, grace, or mercy. In our culture, oftentimes worship is expressed in the form of music, visual arts, dance, or literature. But today, what if I was to tell you that the foundation of worship has nothing to do with any of these?

I want to take a look at the passage where the word worship is used for the very first time in the Bible. We have to go back to the Old Testament, back to the book of Genesis chapter 22. For a little background, we're going to be taking a look at Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Here we find Abraham and his wife, Sarah, and they're getting on in years in life, and they still have no children together. So, Abraham held on to that promise, even though he was getting up in age. It wasn't until Abraham was 100 years old, and his wife Sarah was 90 years old (their bodies were as good as dead, the apostle Paul tells us) when Sarah conceived and gave birth to their son, Isaac.

Fast forward into Isaac's life. Now Isaac is a young boy, we're not exactly sure how old he is in Genesis 22, but I'm guessing he's probably somewhere between seven and 10 years old. So, Abraham is around 110 years old and God tests Abraham in this chapter. We pick up in verse two, 'Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you." Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I in the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."'

When I look at this passage, I see the foundation of worship as two things: first, obedience; second, sacrifice. When you look at the way Abraham was obedient. When God told him, "I want you to sacrifice your son, Isaac," he got up early the next day. He didn't put it off or procrastinate. He got up and he prepared. He prepared the wood, he prepared the donkey, he prepared his servants. He was obedient to what God had called him to do, even though God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and God is asking him to sacrifice his one and only son. It didn't make sense, but Abraham was obedient. The second foundation of worship is sacrifice. Abraham made huge sacrifices. If you think about it, he's 110 years old at this time. He had to go on a three day journey on a donkey through the mountains. He sacrificed comfort, and he sacrificed an easy life just to follow God.

We pick up in verse six, 'Abraham took the wood for the bird offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

'"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

'"The fire and the wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"'

'Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the land for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. When they had reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.' - There's that obedience piece again, following through on what God called him to do. - 'But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

'"Here I am," he replied.

'"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said, "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and they're in the thicket, he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.'

Abraham remained obedient, and he was committed to making the sacrifices that God called him to do. Worship without obedience and sacrifice is not sincere. However, worship that results from obedience and sacrifice is life changing. It was life changing for Abraham, and I know it will be life changing for you. I want to encourage you today to pursue obedience to God, and willingness to make sacrifices for him that he calls you to do. Not sacrifices that he doesn't call you to make, but sacrifices that he calls you to make. I want you to make that obedience and that sacrifice the foundation for your worship. When you do, there will be a closeness to God, and the worship that you give him will never be the same. I hope you find this encouraging. Don't just go and have a great day, go and make a great day.

By Pastor Frank De Luccio

May 26 7:41 AM

Knowing God

May 26 7:41 AM

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The Bible is rich with insight about how to know God. In fact, the Bible IS how we know God, who he is and his characteristics and attributes.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Psalm 119:9-16

Today, I'm going to talk about a very big topic in a very small amount of time. It's the idea of, "how do I know God?" The Bible is rich with insight about how to know God. In fact, the Bible IS how we know God, who he is and his characteristics and attributes. I want to focus in on one specific area from Psalm 119. I think there are seven principles that we can draw from this, and you can dig into this a little bit more on your own time. We are in Psalm 119:9-16. We don't know who wrote this song, but whoever wrote it knew God. It says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."

Now, there's a lot there. We're going to quickly draw seven principles and answer the question, "How can I know God?" First thing is Keeping the Word. He says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." In other words, by keeping the word of God, keeping the teachings of the Scriptures, holding on to them. The second thing he says is, "I will seek you with all of my heart, do not let me stray from your commands." Seek God, go after him. You search out for him, you go with everything that you are. He says, "I seek you with all of my heart." That means with all of my mind, with all of my understanding, I'm going to pursue you, God. Then he says, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." So the third thing is this, Hide the Word. Now, that's a strange way to say it, but think of it this way: treasure it. When you have something that you deeply love and treasure, maybe it's a family heirloom, or maybe it's something that is significant or valuable, you hide it away. You keep it separate to keep it safe, and to keep it preserved. That's what he's saying. Hide the word, treasure the word of God, keep it in a safe place. Then he says, "Praise be to you, O Lord, teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth." So, the fourth thing is to Proclaim. When he says recount, we think of remembering, but the word actually here means to proclaim with my lips. I will shout, I will proclaim all of the laws that come from God's mouth. Proclaim the truth. That's the fourth thing.

The fifth thing is this, he says, "I rejoice in following your statutes, as one rejoices in great riches." The fifth is Rejoice in How Just God Is. "I rejoice in following your statutes," or following your instructions and your laws, "as one rejoices in great riches." So, rejoice in how just God truly is. The sixth thing is this, "I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways." This is Meditate on God's Call for You, specifically. He says "precepts and ways," meaning his instruction. Meditate on it. Think about it. When you're going throughout the day, it's not just about opening the Bible and seeing a couple words, it's meditating on it, thinking through what that means. He says to meditate on the precepts, the instructions, the path that God is setting you on. The seventh thing is this, "I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Delight in His Word, find the joy and satisfaction in His Word to us.

So, let me answer that question that I started with. How do we truly know God? It's by knowing his word, and let me just recap the seven things. I know God by keeping his word, by seeking God with all that I am, by hiding his word in my heart and treasuring it, and by proclaiming the truth. I had a pastor friend tell me if you really want to understand something, you teach it. Proclaim it, proclaim the truth. Number five, rejoice in how just God is. Number six, meditate on how God calls us and what He has called us for. Seven, delight in His Word with joy and satisfaction. I don't know where you are today. I don't know what you're wrestling with. I don't know what your day looks like or what you're walking into. But know this, that God is with you. And God is for you. The way that you can be sure of that, the way that you can truly know him, is by the seven things that we talked about today.

Let me pray for you. Father, again, thank you so much for the Bible. Thank you so much for how you speak to us through it. I pray that we would remember these seven steps on how we can truly know you, so that there's no question, no hesitation. For that person who's watching or listening right now and they're just not sure, let them be encouraged. Lord, let them open that book and let them walk through those steps to understand, truly, who you are. We thank you for how you've clearly revealed yourself to us through your word. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

May 21 8:02 AM

A Reminder of God's Greatness

May 21 8:02 AM

Friday, May 21, 2021

It's important that you remind yourself of appointments, dates, holidays, etc. But even more importantly, you need to find a plan to remind yourself of the greatness of God.

Friday, May 21, 2021

Psalm 63:2-3

How do you remind yourself of important information? People do lots of different things. I have different reminders all the time. Sometimes, I'll have a reminder on my phone, and my administrative assistant sets reminders to pop up on my phone calendar. Sometimes, when I get in the office, events like somebody's birthday or a holiday pop up on my computer screen. I'm kind of old fashioned, I have a day timer with paper pages, and I write things in there as a reminder. Sometimes, I have little scraps of paper where I write notes. We have all different ways to try to remind ourselves, and here's what I want to tell you: It's important that you remind yourself of appointments, dates, holidays, etc. But even more importantly, you need to find a plan to remind yourself of the greatness of God.

So I want to talk to you about a brief reminder of God's greatness from Psalm 63:2-3, Listen to it, take it in, and think about how great God is. The Psalmist says, "I have seen you, God, in the sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself, how I praise you." He talks about God's power, glory, and love. Think about the power of God - he's omnipotent. Think about the glory of God and the unfailing love of God. God is great. He loves us when we don't deserve it. He glorifies himself through us, and we get some of the credit sometimes. He's all powerful. He's over your life, over this world, and over everything that happens, even if it doesn't make sense. For that, we need to be reminded of God's greatness. Maybe you need to put that verse on your phone every day when you wake up. God is great. Maybe you need to write yourself a note and put it on your mirror for when you shave, or put on makeup, or whatever you do in the mirror. You need to remind yourself of God's greatness.

When you do look at what the psalmist says, when you remind yourself of God's greatness, he says, "Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself." In other words, the Psalmist says he would rather have God's love than be alive. In fact, God's love is what gives us life. Are you in love with God? Have you remembered his greatness? Have you forgotten? Have you let the distractions of this world pull you away? I think of the great hymn, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full into his wonderful face. And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." I would even add greatness there.

Maybe you need to have a little heart-to-heart with God, spend a little time with God. A little reflection about God's greatness. Because I know this, when you acknowledge God's greatness, God will bring greatness into your life. Think about how good he's been to you. Think about all the things he's done for you. If you're a Christian and if he did nothing more than forgive your sins, put you in right relationship with Him, and promise that you don't need to do anything more, that would be enough. And yet, he does so much more. So, let's thank God for his greatness.

Father, you are so great. Your glory, your power, and your love are better than life itself. Remind us today, tomorrow, and every day that you're great. Whatever greatness we think you are, you're greater than that. Then, when we think you're greater than that, you're still greater than that. Every time we grasp a little more of your greatness, we realize there's infinitely more greatness to grasp. Help us to make you great in our lives as well. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

May 19 8:02 AM

I CAN Get Some... Satisfaction!

May 19 8:02 AM

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

...today I want to talk to you about how you can get some satisfaction.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Psalm 63:5-7

I'm going to go back a little bit. There are no old people at Lakeshore, only middle aged. I don't feel like I'm old, and whatever your age is if you come to Lakeshore, you will not feel old, you will be middle aged. So, I say that because I want to go back in time to the Rolling Stones. Yep. A life lifter involving the Rolling Stones. And they had a great hit song called, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." I heard that they are going on tour one last time and they're calling the tour, "I Can't Get No Circulation." Haha!

Anyway, so they had a song called, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," and today I want to talk to you about how you can get some satisfaction. If any of you know Mick, Keith Richards, and the other guys, maybe you could send them this. Then, maybe they can get some satisfaction. This idea comes from Psalm 63:5-7, where the psalmist says this about God. He says, "God, you satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings."

Think about an amazing dinner. What's your favorite food? Have you had to go to an amazing white-linen restaurant and have an amazing dinner. When you leave, you're not too full, not too empty. The psalmist goes on, saying, "I will praise you with songs of joy" because he's so satisfied. He lies awake thinking of God, meditating on him through the night. Those are pleasant thoughts. "I think how much you have helped me." That's satisfying. "I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings." What is the psalmist saying? He's saying, "Every time I think about you, God, I get excited. You're better than than an amazing meal. I think about you at night. You help me when I have needs." How can you get some satisfaction? Start thinking more accurately about God. Start thinking about how good he is. Another kind of meal related metaphor is when the Bible says, "Taste and see, that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).

Have you reflected on the greatness of God? If you do, and if you appropriate it in your life, you will get some satisfaction. What do you need to do to think more deeply about God? Maybe you need to read the Psalms. Maybe you need to read a book about the character traits of God. Whatever it takes, fall in love with God by reading more about who he is, and you'll be satisfied. I know this: the most satisfying times of my life are when I really see God for who he is, and I really see myself for who I am. I thank God that out of this whole world, he chose me and chose you if you're a Christian. It's an amazing thought. Find satisfaction in God. Stop drinking from other wells that don't satisfy. Stop drinking from dry wells, contaminated wells, and drink from the living water. Jesus said, "I am the living water and whoever drinks from me will never thirst again." Let God satisfy you.

Let's pray. Father in heaven, you are the most satisfying person in the universe. Forgive us for trying to find satisfaction in people, places, and things. Help us to find satisfaction in you, in thinking about you, falling more deeply in love with you. Help us to be satisfied in you. And everything else that we get in life is gravy. I asked this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Apr 14 8:35 AM

Pleasing God Over Others

Apr 14 8:35 AM

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

There is sometimes a perceived tension that you sometimes have to choose between whether you love God or love people, even if really loving God means always loving people, because you're doing the right thing. It's not easy is it?

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

1 Thessalonians 2:3-6

I want to talk to you today about our relationship to God and our relationship to people. Jesus said life is all about our relationship to God, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength," and it's all about our relationship to people, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31). There is sometimes a perceived tension that you sometimes have to choose between whether you love God or love people, even if really loving God means always loving people, because you're doing the right thing. It's not easy is it?

I've heard people say, "I don't care what people think about me, I don't care." Here's the truth, we all care about what people think. Some people care way too much. Others, I haven't met too many, but some people care way too little. The truth is, we all care about what people think. To deny it is to lie to yourself. But at some point, we have to decide who matters more, God or people. I've heard people say this, "Vince, I want to get baptized, but I don't think I'm going to do it because I'm worried about what my family would think." And I will tell them, "Okay, are you worried about what God thinks?" They say, "You know, I would do that, but I don't know what people would think. They'd think I'm a Christian freak." And I would say, "Well, what does God think?" And here's the thing, if you're living for God, no matter what happens they're going to think you're a freak. So you might as well confirm it.

I get that because it's 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6. Paul was explaining his ministry to the Thessalonians. The Thessalonians had been influenced by his ministry, and many of them became Christians. He wanted to come back, but he wasn't able to. He writes First Thessalonians because they were panicked, they thought the rapture had occurred and that the Lord had already taken the church out, and they were left behind because they weren't true believers. They were young, insecure, and unsure in their faith, and Paul explains why he couldn't be there. He then defended his ministry against others who said. People were saying, "Well, Paul's not a real apostle, he's fake. He's this and that." Paul was constantly attack, and if you're in ministry long enough, there will always be people that will attack you. I'm not saying they're not sometimes right about me, or anybody else. I'm just saying that it's constant and sometimes very unfair. The apostle Paul used that opportunity to say look, I love you. But I love God even more. Look at what he says in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6, "For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.We are not trying to please men, but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed - God is our witness. We are not looking for praise from men, not from you, or anyone else."

He's saying, look, we weren't trying to trick you when we presented the gospel at some pseudo religious magic show. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, which is what accompanies an apostle. And, at the end of the day, God's going to test our hearts. He says, you know, we never used flattery, which is people pleasing. Nor did we put on a mask to cover up. We know there wasn't the COVID virus back then. To put on a mask to cover up greed was just an expression that means, "we're just nice to you to get your money." He goes on to say, we are not looking for praise from men. Not from you, or anyone else. Now that's interesting. He loved them. He cared for them. He wanted what's best for them, but he wasn't looking for praise from them. Seems so contrary to life. All I want to tell you is this, we love people. We want to please people. But we don't want to be people-pleasers. We want to be God-pleasers. Here's what I know, if you please God, he'll take care of everything else. Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." So please God, He will take care of your relationship with other people. Don't be a people-pleaser. Please people at the appropriate level, but only under the overarching principle of pleasing God first.

Father, help us to be God-pleasers first, and people-pleasers second. Let us never forget that order. Let us take our lumps when we have to, but also remember that we live for an audience of one. For whoever needs to hear this today, maybe something's going on in their life and they need this reminder, speak to them. Speak to all of us and help us live this way every day, in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

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