Devotional Blog

Love God, Love Your Neighbor

8/27/2026

When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus gave an answer that brings the whole Christian life into focus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then He added, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40).
Jesus reminds us that faith is not simply about knowing the right things, attending the right services, or following religious rules. At the heart of discipleship is love—love for God and love for the people God has placed around us.
Loving God means giving Him more than an hour on Sunday. It means allowing Him to shape our priorities, decisions, relationships, and attitudes. Loving our neighbor means seeing people as God sees them—especially those who are hurting, difficult, different from us, or easy to overlook.
Notice that Jesus connects these two commands. We cannot genuinely love God while consistently ignoring the people God calls us to love. And when we learn to love our neighbors with patience, grace, compassion, and forgiveness, we demonstrate something of God’s love to the world.
Today, ask yourself two simple questions: How am I loving God? And how am I showing love to my neighbor? The answers may reveal where God is inviting you to take your next step of faith.

Prayer:
Lord, help me love You with all that I am and love my neighbor as myself. Open my eyes to the people who need kindness, patience, forgiveness, or encouragement today. May Your love be seen through my words and actions. Amen.

Quote:
“Love God completely; love people intentionally.”

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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If Jesus Were Standing in Front of You

8/19/2026

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Imagine that Jesus walked through the doors of the church today. What would we do? We might welcome him. We might offer him a seat. We might invite him to stay for coffee. We might ask how we could help.
In Matthew 25 in the parable of the sheep and the goats, scripture whispers to us--Jesus may already be here. He may be the person who is hungry. The stranger who feels uncomfortable. The elderly person who has not had a visitor. The prisoner who believes everyone has forgotten him. The sick person who needs encouragement. The lonely person sitting quietly in the room.
Perhaps the question is not: “Where is Jesus?”
Perhaps the question is: “Whom have I failed to see?”
This week, may we look again. May we see Christ in the faces of those who need compassion. And may we discover that every act of love offered in Jesus’ name becomes an act of worship.Prayer Gracious and loving God, you have shown us that Christ is present in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick, the lonely, and the forgotten. Open our eyes to see the people we have overlooked.
Open our hearts to care about the needs we have ignored.
Open our hands to share what we have.
Open our feet to go where love is needed.
Keep us from becoming so busy that we fail to notice those around us. Keep us from becoming so comfortable that we forget those who suffer. Keep us from asking only, “What do I believe?”
and teach us also to ask, “How is my faith being lived?”
Lord Jesus, help us to recognize you in the face of every person who needs compassion. May our church be a place where the hungry find nourishment, the lonely find friendship, the stranger finds welcome, the wounded find healing,
and the forgotten discover that they are remembered. And when we serve the least of these, remind us that we are serving you. In the name of Jesus Christ, who comes to us in love and calls us to love others, 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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Don’t Run Out of Oil

8/13/2026

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The ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25 teach us something uncomfortable but important. You can be close to the celebration and still not prepared for enduring challenges in faith. Five were ready when the bridegroom arrived. Five were not. Five had oil. Five did not. They ran out of oil.
And Jesus’ final instruction is simple: “Keep awake.”
The Christian life requires keeping our lamps lit, and faith burning bright, by constant refilling of the Spirit. All the bridesmaids got tired, but five had extra oil; five did not.
The five bridesmaids could not borrow more oil from the others, implying that we cannot borrow someone else’s faith. It must be our own. Not our parents. Not our pastor. We are responsible for renewing our oil of faith through worship, Bible reading, prayer, and meditation.
So, keep your lamp burning. Keep your faith alive. Keep loving. Keep serving. Keep praying. Keep expecting. Only then will we be ready. And the greatest joy will belong to those who are ready.

Don’t wait until the midnight cry to discover whether your lamp is burning.

Prayer
Gracious God, keep our lamps burning brightly. When the journey is long and the waiting is difficult, give us perseverance. When our faith becomes tired, renew us. Help us not merely to believe in Christ but to live faith lives of worship and prayer. Make us ready—not with fear, but with hope; not with anxiety, but with trust; not simply waiting for tomorrow, but faithfully serving you today, and prepared even to the great celebration. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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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The Hand That Reaches Through the Wind and Waves

8/6/2026

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There are moments in life when we feel as though we are sinking.
We have tried to be strong. We have tried to keep going. We have tried to trust. But the waves keep coming. And sometimes our faith begins to fail. We feel like we are sinking in the waves. We may wonder whether we have disappointed Our Lord.
But Matthew shares something beautiful. When Peter began to sink, Jesus did not wait for Peter to become strong again or renew his faith. Jesus did not wait for Peter to stop being afraid. Jesus did not demand a perfect faith before offering help.
Jesus reached out His hand.
Perhaps today you are still in the boat, afraid to step out. Remember you cannot walk on water if you stay in the boat. Jesus is Lord of the wind and waves. So, take heart and have faith to take a new step of faith. Or perhaps you have stepped out in faith but are now overwhelmed or afraid. Perhaps you feel as if you are sinking under waves of fear, grief, uncertainty, or exhaustion.
The good news of the Gospel is this: Jesus is still there. He is Lord of the storm. He walks where we cannot walk. He sees us when we cannot see Him. He is still Lord of the wind and waves. He speaks peace when we are afraid.
And when we begin to sink, He is close enough to catch us.
So keep your eyes on Jesus.
And if you cannot keep your eyes on Him, cry out to Him.
Because even when our faith is weak, His hand is strong.
He will lift you up.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, We thank You that You are with us in every storm of life. When the winds are against us and the waves are high, remind us that we are not alone. When fear causes us to lose perspective, help us to hear the voice of Jesus saying, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” Give us the courage to step out in faith when You call us. Give us wisdom to know the next step. Give us strength when we are weary.
And when our faith begins to fail, when we begin to sink, help us to cry out, “Lord, save me.”
Thank You that Jesus does not abandon us in our weakness.
Thank You that His hand is always strong enough to reach us.
Help us to keep our eyes on Christ—not because the storms are always small, but because our Savior is always greater.
And when we come through the storm, may our lives become an offering of worship, declaring: “Truly, Jesus is the Son of God.”(Matthew 14)
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, we pray. 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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Love God, Love Your Neighbor

If Jesus Were Standing in Front of You

Don’t Run Out of Oil

The Hand That Reaches Through the Wind and Waves

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