Hope Chapel Collingwood
19 Cameron Street L9Y2J1 Collingwood, ON, Canada

Daily Devotional Thursday, April 8, 2021 ‘All or Nothing’ You are a slave to whatever controls you. (2 Peter 2:19b, NLT)... I was reminded again recently of the Christ-follower’s need to submit every area of life over to his Lordship. Why? Because whatever we haven’t given to him remains an area in which the enemy can work. God has promised to keep secure that which we entrust him with, but what of those things we refuse to let go of? Withholding anything from God puts us in jeopardy. In Peter’s second letter, he warned his readers from being deceived by false teachers into returning to a life of disobedience to God. I know there is a long-standing debate in religious circles concerning whether or not a Christ-follower can ‘lose’ their faith. I believe that our relationship with Christ is not something you can lose, but it is certainly something you can choose to turn away from. Why else would Peter continue his warning, And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life (2 Peter 2:20-21)? James’ encouragement would appear to back this thought up, Submit yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world (James 4:7-8). And isn’t that really the issue? Divided loyalty. We want what God has to offer, but are unwilling to live without the things we enjoyed before coming to know God. Peter puts it bluntly, They prove the truth of this proverb: ‘A dog returns to its vomit.’ And another says, ‘A washed pig returns to the mud’ (2 Peter 2:22). Though true, neither analogy is appealing. But the question remains: do they apply? As Christ-followers we need to take our allegiance to God seriously. Have we fully submitted to his Lordship, or do we hold back areas of our life from his transformative work? Are we resisting the devil, or attempting to walk the dangerous line of trying to gain advantages from both God and the world. If you’re one who is trying to juggle loyalties, Paul has a strong warning, Don’t be misledyou cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant (Galatians 6:7). We must give up the notion that we can ‘dabble’ in a relationship with God. We are called to be loyal to Jesus alone. He will not tolerate divided allegiances. Everything we are and everything we have must belong to him or we put ourselves in jeopardy, not only in the here and now, but also in the hereafter. Peter, James and Paul all agreeit’s to be all or nothing. ~ Pastor Jane

Daily Devotional Wednesday, April 7, 2021 ‘End of the World’ The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. (1 Peter 4:7-9, NLT)... Peter saw the end of the world as imminentso convinced was he of Jesus’ soon return. 2000 years later, we are still waiting, so shouldn’t we be taking Peter’s words very seriously about being prepared for Jesus’ second coming now that it is two millennia closer? And as he saw the end approaching what is Peter’s advice on being ready? Prayer. Tangible demonstrations of love. Hospitality. If you’ve ever been asked to contemplate how you would spend your time, if you knew you only had 24 hours left to live, have prayer, hospitality and care of others made it to the top of your list? Peter makes it clear what our priorities should be. When Jesus comes back, Peter recommends that we get caught in the act of doing good, not squeezing the very last ounce of enjoyment out of life for our own personal pleasure. None of us knows when Jesus will return, just that he will. It’s guaranteed. So, given that fact, how should we spend our time, our money, our resources? Peter tells us to consider how best to demonstrate God’s love to the worldthen get busy. Good talk without actions leaves us liablehaving known the good we should do, but not doing it, is sin (James 4:17). Helping others can cost us, it’s true, but isn’t that what the life of the believer is to be all about? We’ve got all of eternity ahead of us to enjoy being with Jesus in heaven. Now’s the time to be busy filling up heaven’s registrar with all those who will respond to Jesus’ invitation! ~ Pastor Jane

Daily Devotional Tuesday, April 6, 2021 ‘Finished With Sin’ So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoytheir immorality a...Continue reading

Hope Chapel - Good Friday - April 2, 2021 Reflection & Communion Service 7pm If it had been suggested to the participants of the first Easter that Friday was 'good' it would have been like throwing a party at a funeral. They were devastated! Jesus, the one they thought had come as the Messiah, lay buried in a borrowed tomb. How could anyone contemplate calling this 'good?' What they didn't know on Friday, was what we know happened on Sunday. But until that time had pas...t, life had indeed turned very bleak and scary for those who had believed Jesus was the Messiah. It is good for us in our Easter reflections to contemplate the whole story...both the pain and the fear to experience the exultation at Jesus' miraculous resurrection. Don't let the familiarity of the stories of Easter rob you of its awesomeness! Message Pastor Jane for a Zoom link to join in our service of reflection and communion this Friday, April 2, 2021 @7pm.

Daily Devotional - Thursday, January 28, 2021 ‘Family Legacy’ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. (Acts 12:1-3)...Continue reading

Daily Devotional - Tuesday, January 26, 2021 ‘They’ll know we are Christians by’ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. ~ Jesus (John 13:34-35)...Continue reading

Daily Devotional - Monday, January 25, 2021 ‘Vitamin G-od’ Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar... high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31) I’ve noticed an increasing amount of self-care advice popping up these days. The advice ranges from food choices, exercise routines, ‘me’ time and distancing oneself from toxicity. The unending search for advice regarding self-care is one of our ways of trying to deal with sustained stress and anxiety, but too often the advice doesn’t go far enough. Much of what is suggested can be helpful, though sometimes contradictory, which is why it is important to use wise judgement when applying any of the ‘secrets’ discovered by influencers. We look for quick fix solutions to help us feel better physically and emotionally. Today, I too want to share a secret with youone that I promise will revolutionize your life! The secret I am about to share with you has improved my overall well-being like nothing else can. Since discovering this secret, I can honestly say I have experienced less anxiety and I have found my confidence boosted. Better still, I have discovered the secret to happiness and not just the kind that quickly evaporates under pressure, but a real joy and contentment for each day. My family and friends have noted the change in me. Even strangers comment. My secret? Vitamin G-od! I can promise you with complete confidence that if you spend the same kind of time and energy with G-od to promote your spiritual well-being, as you do on other aspects of your self-care, you will be amazed at the results. Unlike other self-help advice, this is not a quick fix and won’t take away all your problems, but you will be able to experience a renewed purpose for living; you will know and experience real love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control. And the best part is that vitamin G-od is available to everyone. Your supply will never be cut off. But I must warn you that to experience full benefits you will need to be committed. I encourage you to get your daily dose todayand everyday! ~ Pastor Jane