Tag Archives: christianity

Religious Games

Posted on April 6, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

Open your heart to Jesus. No holding back. No religious games. Authenticity is the road to life lived to the full. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged authenticity, bible, christianity, external performance, faith, God, hypocrisy, Jesus, legalism, matters of the heart, Pharisees, play acting, religious games | Leave a comment

Who is My Neighbor?

Posted on April 3, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

Jesus plot twist reveals something else about identifying our neighbor. Jesus tells us that the neighbor in the story is the Samaritan. In so doing, Jesus calls us to confront personal and societal prejudice. He calls us to love to those we find it most difficult to love—those easiest for us to stereotype—those easiest for us to despise. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bible, christianity, Good Samaritan, Jesus, love | Leave a comment

Growing Young

Posted on March 1, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

But to children trust seems to just come naturally. I think this is why Jesus tells us that to enter into the Kingdom we must become like little children. To enter into the fullness of kingdom life, we must live by faith and trust in Jesus each step of the journey. We must move beyond our hurts, doubts and disappointments to renew our childlike trust. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged become like children, bible, child like trust, christianity, faith, God, Jesus, kingdom of God | Leave a comment

Fearing God Without Being Afraid

Posted on February 14, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

To rightly revere God, to stand in awe of Him, is to fear Him. This “astonished reverence” is foundational to a life lived in the fullness of his blessing, a life of intimate fellowship that brings the Father pleasure and brings our hearts deep satisfaction. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged astonished reverence, awe, awesome God, bible, christianity, faith, fear God, fearing God, Glory, God, Jesus, joy, not afraid of God, pleasure, reverence | 1 Comment

Falling to Pieces

Posted on February 9, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

Following Jesus isn’t always easy. And despite our best intentions–even our bravado–we will have times when we fail him. There will be times when we fall down. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged bible, christianity, denial, discipleship failure, faith, forgiveness, God, grace, Jesus, Peter, Peter's denial, second chances | Leave a comment

Where is Your Treasure?

Posted on January 29, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

Do we really live our lives in pursuit of the kingdom? Do we really live with an eternal perspective? The way we handle our money and possessions is a key answer to that question. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged all these things will be added, bible, christianity, eternal perspective, faith, God, God the provider, Jesus, money, possessions, riches, security, seek first the kingdom, treasures, Trust Jesus | Leave a comment

When the Best Doesn’t Seem Good Enough

Posted on January 2, 2026 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

God’s will cannot contradict his character–and therefore it is always good, wise, and loving. To doubt his goodness only leads us to miss out on his good and perfect will. The dangling fruit of temptation looks good, but it always has consequences. It is never wise to second guess the goodness of God. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged adam and eve, bible, christianity, etiology, faith, Genesis, God, God's will, goodness of God, Jesus, knowing good and evil, serpent, sin, temptation, temptation in the garden, where does sin come from | Leave a comment

Not by Might

Posted on December 23, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

God had chosen Joshua and Zerubabbel to complete the task of building the temple. The key to their success in accomplishing their God-given task was not their human wisdom or strength. They key to their success was the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged anointed ministry, bible, by my Spirit, christianity, empowered by the Holy Spirit, faith, God, God-sized mission, Jesus, Joshua and Zerubabbel, Not by might, not by power, overwhelemed, spirit empowered leadership | Leave a comment

Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

Posted on November 19, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

Anyone who has been the victim of gossip knows how a story spreads and gets more outrageous as the process goes on. Truly, gossip is a sin with “forest-fire” like qualities. It gets out of control and creates great devastation. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts | Tagged bible, blessing and cursing, christianity, faith, forest fire set by the tongue, God, James 3, Jesus, power for good or evil, power of the tongue, sins of the tongue, tongue as a rudder on a boat, tongue as forest fire, tongue as poison, tongue causes us to sin | Leave a comment

Once For All

Posted on November 9, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

Jesus came with a better sacrifice: himself. He had lived a perfect, sinless life. He was the perfect Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. In his one time, once for all act of dying on the cross, Jesus made atonement for all our sins for all time. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged bible, christianity, cross, faith, God, Jesus, once for all | Leave a comment