Devotional Blog

What Kind of Soil Is My Heart?

7/30/2026

In the parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13 and other places in the the Gospels, the farmer continues to scatter the seed, even as God continues to speak. The Word continues to be offered. The question is not whether God is still sowing. The question is whether we are ready to receive. Perhaps today your heart feels like hard soil. God can soften it. Perhaps your faith feels shallow. God can help you grow deeper. Perhaps your life is crowded with worries and distractions. God can help you clear the thorns. Perhaps you are already growing. Then continue to let God’s Word take deeper root. The seed is good. The Sower is faithful. The question is: What kind of soil will I offer God today? Are we the rocky path that is too hardened by anger or cynicism to even accept the seed? Perhaps we need to break up our hardened hearts. Are we the soil that has only a thin veneer of soil and receive God’s Word with joy only to become faint-hearted when challenge and difficulty come our way? Then we need to allow God’s Spirit to help us grow deeper roots that can withstand adversity and difficulty. Are we the ground that is full of weeds and thorns that accepts the seed of God’s Word only to have it choked out by worried and cares and misplaced priorities? Then we need to clear away the weeds and thorns that are choking out the grow of God’s Word in our lives. The good news is we can all be the good fertile soil that accepts God’s Word and allows for deep roots of growth, and pushes back that which would take the place of the proper priorities in our life. Only then will we grow and bear fruit that is a true blessing to God and others.

Prayer:
Lord, help my heart to receive your Word like good soil and through the nurture of prayer and the Holy Spirit help to grow and bear fruit that touches others’ lives. Amen

Quote
There is no heart that God cannot reach, there is no place God’s love cannot reach if we but open our hearts.

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

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The One Who Is Missing

7/23/2026

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It is easy to notice the crowd, the majority, and the people who seem to be doing well. But Jesus reminds us in the parable of the lost sheep that God sees the one who is missing. The shepherd does not say, “Ninety-nine is enough.” The Good Shepherd goes searching for the one who has wandered away.

That is the heart of God. No person is insignificant. No one is forgotten. No one is too far away to matter. No one is beyond the reach of God’s love. The shepherd searches because every sheep has value, everyone is loved. That is the heart of God.
Perhaps today you feel like the lost sheep—uncertain, unloved, distant, alone, and unsure of your way home. Or perhaps God is calling you to notice someone who has quietly drifted away. In either case, the message is the same: God’s love searches, God’s grace welcomes, and God’s joy celebrates when the lost are found. God is always cares for the lost, the lonely, the forgotten, the marginalized.

Memorable Quote: “To the Good Shepherd, the one who is missing is never just one; the one who is missing is the one who matters.”

Prayer: Loving God, thank you that your love does not overlook the one who is lost, wandering, alone, or forgotten. When we stray, seek us and lead us home. When others wander, give us compassionate hearts that notice their absence and reach out with love. Help us to remember that every person matters deeply to You. May we reflect the heart of the Good Shepherd by seeking, welcoming, and caring for those who feel far away. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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

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Jesus Sees Us

7/16/2026

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In Mark 5 a woman who has struggled with a bleeding disorder seeks Jesus while he is on the way to a man’s home whose daughter had died. There was a crowd pressing against Jesus and he was in a hurry. But this woman believed that if she just touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed and made whole. The woman may have felt invisible after years of suffering. She does not ask Jesus for attention or even time. She simply believes that even touching the edge of his garment could make a difference. Jesus responds not merely to her touch but stops to acknowledge her and commend her faith: “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well. Go in peace!”
Jesus sees us when we feel invisible and unnoticed. Jesus sees us when we feel no one cares. But like this woman, we simply need to reach out in faith. Notice that Jesus calls her, daughter, a term of affection that welcomes her into God’s family of faith. Jesus commends her faith in front of everyone. And Jesus tells her go in peace, words of restoration, comfort, and assurance.
Whatever you are facing today, you do not have to have perfect words or perfect faith. Reach out to Christ. Even a trembling faith can reach a faithful Savior.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, in our moments of fear, pain, and uncertainty, help us reach out to you. When our faith feels weak, remind us that you are strong. Help us trust your presence and believe that no one who comes to you is invisible or forgotten. Amen.

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

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Roots

7/9/2026

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No matter where we find our self in life, we often face new adventures and challenges. The challenges we face are opportunities to grow. Paul encourages us to grow spiritually as well as personally. As trees reach their branches toward the sky and bear fruit, it is important that their roots sink deep in the ground and stay connected to the source of life. We also need to stay rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, as we continue to learn and grow. Stay rooted and grounded and Christ, and discover new dimensions of God’s love and plan for your life. Only then will you bear fruit that will last.

(verse of the week)
And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ--Ephesians 3.17-18

(prayer of the week)
Gracious Lord, help me to stay grounded in you. Help me to have deep roots that draw on your love and strength that I may bear fruit that will last, in the name of the Lord of Love, Christ Jesus, amen.

Blessings in Christ—Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
O God, my Father, don’t let me die without having really lived and really loved. John Powell

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com

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Happy 250th Anniversary

7/2/2026

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Two hundred and fifty years ago, a new nation was born. Today we stand on the shoulders of countless men and women who sacrificed, worked, prayed, and hoped for a better future. Yet the most important legacy we leave is not found in monuments, institutions, or accomplishments. Rather, it is found in hearts devoted to God, and lives marked by loving and serving God and neighbor. As we celebrate the blessings of our nation, may we also renew our commitment to love God, serve our neighbors, and live faithfully in our generation. The future is not built merely by laws and leaders, but by ordinary people who walk humbly with God every day. As we commemorate 250 years of our nation’s journey, may we recommit ourselves to the highest ideals we cherish, and purposes that outlive us. Let future generations know not only the story of America, but the story of a faithful God who guides, sustains, and redeems.

(verse of the week)
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Prayer
Eternal God, we give thanks for your faithfulness throughout the history of our nation. We acknowledge that every good gift comes from your hand. We give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy, the opportunities we have received, and the countless blessings poured out over generations. Forgive us when we have forgotten your ways or trusted in our own strength. And may we be willing to remember the hard lessons learned from our shortcomings. Grant us humble hearts that seek your wisdom and follow your ways. Bless our leaders with wisdom and discernment, our communities with peace, and our churches with renewed spiritual vitality. Help us to be salt and light in a world that needs your truth and love. Amen.

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney YouTube & YouTube
Podcast on Spotify: Inspire Messages
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com

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What Kind of Soil Is My Heart?

The One Who Is Missing

Jesus Sees Us

Roots

Happy 250th Anniversary

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