Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:04:17 -0500WeeblyWed, 04 Mar 2026 16:06:45 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-and-the-persecutedJesus’ words in the Beatitudes turn the world’s expectations upside down. In Matthew 5:9–12, Jesus blesses the peacemakers, the persecuted, and those who suffer for righteousness. These are not the people the world usually celebrates. Yet in God’s kingdom, they are called blessed.
 
Peacemakers reflect the heart of God. They do more than avoid conflict—they work to actively bring reconciliation, healing broken relationships and pointing others toward God’s peace. In a world filled with division and hostility, choosing peace requires courage and humility.
 
Jesus also reminds His followers that living faithfully may bring opposition. When we stand for truth, righteousness, and the love of Christ, not everyone will applaud. Some may criticize or even reject us. Yet Jesus assures us that such suffering places us in the company of the prophets and the faithful who came before us.
 
The promise is powerful: the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who remain faithful. Our reward is not measured by the approval of people, but by the approval of God. When we pursue peace and righteousness, we live as children of God in a world that desperately needs His light.
 
Together, the Beatitudes to become our “Be-Attitudes” we truly become salt and light in our world. We not only have God’s blessing, we also become a blessing to those around us.
 
Prayer
Lord, make me a peacemaker in a divided world. Give me courage to stand for righteousness even when it is difficult. Help me to trust Your promises and to live faithfully, knowing that Your kingdom is my true reward. Amen.
 
Memorable Quote
“Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice and love.” – inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr
 
Have a great week!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com
]]>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:35:23 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/blessed-are-the-merciful-and-the-pure-in-heartIn the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes a way of living that reflects the very heart of God. Mercy and purity are not outward performances; they reflect inward transformations. Mercy is compassion in action.  To be merciful is to refuse to give people what they deserve and instead offer compassion, forgiveness, and kindness. Mercy interrupts cycles of resentment and revenge. It softens hardened places. It mirrors the grace we ourselves have received.
 
Purity of heart goes even deeper. It speaks of integrity — a heart undivided, sincere, aligned with God’s will. A pure heart is not sinless perfection, but single-minded devotion. It is loving God without hidden agendas. When our motives are cleansed and our hearts are aligned with Christ, we begin to “see God” — not only someday in eternity, but even now in daily life.
 
Mercy shapes how we treat others. Purity shapes who we are before God. Together, they reveal a life transformed by grace.
 
(verse of the week)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” — Matthew 5:7–8
 
 
Prayer Starter
Gracious Father, you have shown us unfailing mercy. Teach us to extend that same mercy to others. Cleanse our hearts from pride, bitterness, and divided motives. Make us sincere in our love and steadfast in our devotion. Renew our hearts by the power of your Holy Spirit. Help us reflect your compassion in our actions and Your holiness in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
 
Quote
“Mercy is the overflow of a heart that has truly encountered grace.”
Wishing you a great week!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
]]>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:22:44 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/ash-wednesday-blessed-are-those-with-gentle-strength-and-those-who-long-for-right-relationshipsAsh Wednesday is a day set aside to begin our journey through Lent and to the cross marking our foreheads with ashes as a sign of repentance, and marking our lives with prayer and God’s love.  So, it is fitting that we continue our reflections on “The Be-Attitudes.” In the world’s vocabulary, meekness sounds like weakness. But in the kingdom of God, meekness is not weakness but gentle strength--strength under control. It is the quiet confidence that trusts God to defend, provide, and vindicate. The meek do not grasp or demand; they rest in God’s sovereignty, trusting God’s plan and purposes over their own. And Jesus makes a stunning promise: they will inherit the earth. What we refuse to seize in pride, God entrusts to us in grace, but of course, in God’s timing, not ours.
  Then Jesus speaks of hunger and thirst—not for success, recognition, power, or comfort—but for righteousness. Righteousness is really right-relationships with God and others.  This is a deep, driving desire for God’s will, God’s justice, God’s holiness to shape our lives and our world. Just as physical hunger demands to be satisfied, spiritual hunger moves us toward prayer, obedience, and compassion. Jesus assures us: those who long for righteousness will not be left empty. They will be filled.
  The meek trust God’s timing. The hungry pursue God’s heart. Together, they reflect a life anchored in humility and fueled by true holy desire.
 
(Verse of the week)
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:5,6)
 
Prayer
Lord, teach me the strength of meekness and the passion of holy hunger. Guard me from pride and apathy. Create in me a deep desire for Your righteousness, and fill my life with Your presence. Amen.
 
Quote of the Week
“True strength bows before God, and true satisfaction flows from longing for His righteousness.”
 
Wishing you a great week!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com]]>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:08:09 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/blessed-are-the-broken  At the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns the world’s expectations upside down. We expect blessing to belong to the strong, the confident, the bold, and the successful. But Jesus speaks first to the poor in spirit—those who know they cannot save themselves, who come before God empty-handed, and brokenhearted. Poverty of spirit is not weakness; it is honest dependence. It is the doorway into the kingdom. There is a deep sense that poor in spirit means that we acknowledge our need and are humble and teachable.  Like ground broken before planting, our brokenness and humility offers a point for growth.
  Then Jesus blesses those who mourn. Not only those grieving loss, but also those who grieve sin, brokenness, injustice, and the ache of a world not yet healed. Mourning is what happens when our hearts are tender. And to tender hearts, Jesus promises comfort—not shallow relief, but the deep presence of God Himself.
  The kingdom begins where pride ends. Comfort comes where hearts are open. When we admit our need, heaven draws near.
 
(Verse of the week)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:3–4)
 
Prayer Starter
Lord Jesus, help me to be poor in spirit—aware of my need and open to Your grace. In moments of sorrow and mourning, meet me with Your comfort. And in your blessing may I also be a blessing to others.  Teach me to trust that Your kingdom belongs to those who depend on You. Amen.
 
Quote of the Week
“The doorway to the kingdom is not strength, but surrender.”
 
Wishing you a great week!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com
]]>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:18:44 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/blessed-in-a-different-wayWhen Jesus opens His Sermon on the Mount, He turns the world’s idea of blessing upside down. Blessed are not the powerful, the influential, the confident, or the successful, but blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers . . . Jesus declares that God’s favor rests on those who know their need, who hunger for righteousness, and who choose love even when it costs them. The Beatitudes remind us that God’s kingdom does not reward self-sufficiency but humble trust, not domination but mercy, not comfort but faithfulness. In following Jesus, we discover that true blessing is not found in what we achieve, but in who we are becoming in Him through grace and love and the power of God’s Spirit.  Ultimately, we discover God’s blessing that we might also share God’s blessing and be a blessing to others.
 
Verse of the week
“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them . . .” (Matthew 5:1–12).
 
Prayer Starter
Gracious God, shape our hearts by the values of your kingdom. Teach us humility, deepen our mercy, and strengthen our desire for what is true and right. May we live as people who reflect the blessing and hope of Christ in a broken and often hurting world. Amen.
 
Quote of the Week
“The Beatitudes are not a list of achievements, but a portrait of a life shaped by grace.”
 
Wishing you a great week!—Pastor TJ
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
]]>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:58:59 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/come-follow-meAs Jesus walks along the Sea of Galilee, He does not call scholars or the powerful—He calls ordinary fishermen in the middle of ordinary work. With simple words, “Follow me,” Jesus invites them into a life larger than they imagined. Remarkably, they leave their nets at once. The call of Jesus creates moves them  from security to trust, from routine to purpose, from the daily grind of life to the calling and adventure of a life of faith. 
That same invitation comes to us today. Jesus still meets us where we are—at work, in responsibility, in uncertainty—and calls us not just to believe, but to follow. Discipleship begins when we loosen our grip on what we’re holding so we can take hold of who is calling. 
 
(Verse of the week)
“Come, Follow Me” (Matthew 4:18-22) 
Prayer Starter
Lord Jesus, you call us in the midst of our daily lives, help me to listen to your voice. Give me courage to lay down what holds me back and faith to follow where You lead. Shape my life for your purposes and make me an instrument of your love. Amen.
 
Quote of the Day
“Christ does not call us to comfort, but to companionship—walking with him wherever He leads.”
 
Have a great week!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com]]>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:23:44 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/standing-firm-in-the-wildernessAfter His baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness—not to escape hardship, but to face it. Jesus spends forty days in prayer and fasting, reminding us that temptation is best faced with spiritual preparation. Hungry, alone, and physically weak, Jesus is tempted in three profound ways: to satisfy Himself apart from God’s will, to test God’s faithfulness, and to grasp power without the cross. Each temptation strikes at identity and trust.  Jesus’ response is steady and simple: “It is written.” He does not argue, negotiate, or compromise. He anchors Himself in God’s Word. Where Adam failed in a garden of abundance, Jesus remains faithful in a wilderness of deprivation. His victory reminds us that temptation is not a sign of weakness or failure—it is often a sign that we are standing at the edge of obedience (Matthew 4). Faithfulness opens the door to greater responsibility.
  When we face our own wilderness moments—times of hunger, pressure, or doubt—we are not left defenseless. Like Jesus, we are invited to draw strength not from circumstances, but from God’s truth. Temptation loses its power when we remember who we are and whose we are, and allow God’s Word to guide us and God’s Spirit to strengthen us.
 
(Verse of the week)
“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
 
Prayer Starter
Lord God, in moments of testing, remind me that we do not stand alone. Give us hearts rooted in Your Word, strength to resist what pulls us away from you, and trust to believe that Your way is always life-giving. May I be guided by your Word and strengthened by your Spirit. Lead us through the wilderness with faith and courage. Amen.
 
Quote of the week“Temptation does not disappear when we are faithful; it is often where faith is tested and strengthened.”
 
Wishing you a great week—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:35:13 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/jordan-moment Where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River is believed to be the lowest river on the surface of the earth.  The waters there are brown and dirty, not pristine and blue.   When Jesus steps into the waters of the Jordan, He does something unexpected. The sinless Son of God stands in line with sinners, the lost, the lonely, the downtrodden. John hesitates, but Jesus insists—because this moment is not about repentance for sin, but identification in love. Jesus chooses the path of humility, entering fully into the human story before beginning His public ministry.  He walks into the waters made dirty by humanity itself, willing to step into the lowliest place that he might bring love and make clean.
  As Jesus rises from the water, heaven responds. The Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father’s voice declares, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Before Jesus preaches a sermon, heals the sick, or goes to the cross, He is affirmed—not for what He has done, but for who He is. Beloved. Chosen.
  The baptism of Jesus reminds us that our own faith journey begins the same way—not with performance, but with grace. God meets us in ordinary waters and speaks an extraordinary truth over our lives made possible by Christ’s love: You are my child, and you are loved. From that assurance, like the river itself, everything else flows.
 
(verse of the week)
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:16,17).”
 
Prayer Starter
Lord, help me to hear your voice of love and be affirmed that I am a beloved child of God, and through Christ I am washed and made new, restored and renewed, amen.
 
Have a great week!—Pastor TJ
 
“Before Jesus did anything for God, He heard who He was to God—and that is where true faith always begins.”
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com]]>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:31:50 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/hes-been-thereChristmas has come and gone, yet the most beautiful truth in the universe still rings through the darkness: God Has Come!  In our darkness and in our trouble, God has come to share our lives and to show us love.  How do we know?  He’s Been There.  Angels whispered, God Is in the Manger, then proclaimed Good News to the shepherds as they sang, glory hallelujahs.  God has come to share our vulnerability and weaknesses as a tiny baby in a manger, born to parents of lowly estate by the most remarkable miracle and the most humble and trusting of women, Mary.  God has come.  The message through the angels to the shepherds so long ago, tending their flocks on an ordinary night that became so extraordinary.  Songs of angels.   The excitement of shepherds.  God has come!  The message still shines as radiant as it first shown from a guiding star, as the world God created burst forth with light.  God has come.  Magi in wonderment whispered as the traveled from afar.  God has come.  To all who have wondered, ‘Does God care?’  To all who will listen,  God loves us, for God has come!  To all, let us kneel, let us treasure this blessed gift—God has come.  Let us open our hearts.  Let us sing with the angels.  Let us offer our gifts of time, treasure, and talents.   God has come.  Then let us like shepherds return with rejoicing.  Let us like magi, proclaim to the nations.  It is true, for the ages.  God Has Come.  God Has Come.
 
(verse of the week)
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
 
Let this news guide your new year like a shining star!
 
Wishing you a great new year!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
]]>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:05:30 GMThttp://www.ucc-immanuel.org/devotional-blog-by-pastor-tj/christmas-epiphany-reflection-following-the-star The Magi remind us that God’s light reaches far beyond familiar borders. They were outsiders—scholars and seekers from distant lands—yet they noticed the star and dared to follow it. Their journey was long, uncertain, and costly, but it was guided by a holy curiosity and a deep hunger for truth. Faith, for them, began with seeing a star and a willingness to follow the star on a journey.
 
When they finally reached Jesus, they did not offer explanations or credentials—they offered worship. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were not casual gifts; they were acts of devotion, symbols of honor, prayer, and sacrifice. The Magi teach us that true worship is not only about finding Christ, but about giving ourselves fully once we do. But once they knelt to worship Christ born in a manger, their lives were forever changed, and they left to share the Good News of God’s love in distant lands that even those of difference races and different places might know God’s grace.
 
Like them, we are invited to follow the light God gives us and the whisper in our hearts, even when the path is unclear. Christmas calls us to seek Christ with persistence, to worship Him with humility, and to leave changed—returning by a different road, carrying His light into the world. God’s light still shines in the darkest night.
 
(verse of the week)
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” (Matthew 2:10–12).
 
Prayer
God of light and truth, Lead us by your star when the way feels uncertain. Give us hearts that seek you faithfully and lives that honor you joyfully. As the Magi worshiped Jesus with their gifts, may we offer You our trust, our obedience, and our love. Guide us home by Your grace. And let your love shine through our lives. Amen.
 
Quote of the Week
“Those who follow God’s light will always find themselves led to worship—and changed by the journey.”
 
Wishing you a very Happy New Year!—Pastor TJ
 
Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
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