pastor steve taylor

Wednesday, July 6, 2022 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.’” Matthew 6:9 Many have memorized Jesus’ model prayer, and can easily recite it in a matter of a minute or two; maybe even less time. If Jesus taught us to pray by recitation, our prayers...

Friday, July 1, 2022 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your...

Wednesday, June 29, 2022 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good...

Friday, June 24, 2022 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” Matthew 5:13 A couple who asked me to perform their wedding ceremony insisted...

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:10. Persecution is foreign to the experience of most of us. While we live in an increasingly post-Christian culture, we are tolerated and sometimes...

Friday, June 10, 2022 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7 A convicted criminal, standing before a judge, desperately desires mercy more than justice. Justice demands an exacting penalty, whereas mercy provides leniency. Of our own merit, we stand condemned...

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” Matthew 5:6. Food and water deprivation create a strong drive for satisfaction. Gnawing hunger pains become almost impossible to ignore, and thirst for water leaves us weak and...

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge” Psalm 19:1-2. My wife’s good friend recently gave me a telescope. Living near the edge of the desert...

Friday, May 6, 2022 "O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose...

Friday, April 22, 2022 The only place to look is up when you are at the bottom. Job was decidedly at the bottom amidst his troubles when he chose to look up to his Creator: "With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding ... With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The...

Friday, April 15, 2022 "I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 The partial framing of a house stood on the property my parents bought to build their house on. I well remember the weathered timber...

Friday, April 8, 2022 "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" John 10:10. If abundance means affluence, Jesus' words would seem to ring hollow to many people. In fact, if that is His promise, even He did not enjoy it in that He said, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the...

Friday, April 1, 2022 "Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the...

Friday, March 25, 2022 “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony” 3 John 11-12. We become like those we associate with, and that can be good or bad. As is stated in 1...

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 "I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father ... I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." 2 John 4; 3 John 4 Twice in these short letters of the...

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 "Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and...

Thursday, March 10, 2022 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against...

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 "This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.' The LORD is...