The Daily | Cypress Meadows Community Church

The Daily

Daily devotions and thoughts from Cypress Meadows

The Daily is a devotional sent out via text each morning. The Daily devotions are written by folks at Cypress Meadows, including Tribe members, elders and our Lead Pastor. There is a different theme each week and each devotional includes a prayer, a scripture verse, a brief reading from well-known authors, and a daily reflection.

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I was not put here to be punished, tortured or to live a meaningless life and then die. There is a plan - a perfect plan - and it makes perfect, logical sense. Can I admit that I can’t fully understand or successfully execute that plan by myself? I need God and I want to be at His service. I don’t know what He will ask me to do, but I am trying to get better at letting go of the flawed thoughts and emotions that fill me like empty calories, never nourishing or satisfying who I was made to be, so I can hear Him and move forward with hope.

Andy Andrew’s says it very bluntly, that our past was in our hands. We must take responsibility for it...the good and the bad. Then remember Jeremiah assures us that the One whom we trust, God, has plans for us. He plans to prosper us and bring us hope. The good news is: God is with you as you step from the present into the future. He can be trusted. Your future has been entrusted to you by God. Your future is in your hands. There is hope in your future. Press forward to what lies ahead, knowing that God is with you.

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers and fields grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:28-34

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that in times when life feels out of control or filled with uncertainty, fear and worry have a greater tendency to creep into my thoughts. At those times worry can feel almost like an automatic reaction, my body’s reflex in response to situations outside of myself. But the truth is, in those moments, I do have control. Instead of allowing my thoughts and emotions to run wild, I can turn to God and invite him in. I can avoid looking forward, and can instead look upward. In that relationship I am able to bring what I am carrying, lay it at his feet, and rest in the truth that He does all things for my good.

“God allows and at times causes us to go through the kinds of circumstances that strip away all falsehood and leave us with our real selves. God’s ultimate intent is not to leave us faithless, but to leave us faith-full. There are few things as exhilarating as going through the fire and finding that you had the resilience to make it through. All of us wonder at times whether we have what it takes. God wants to bring us to a place where we have no doubt of the work He has done within us.” - Erwin McManus

The power of grace and mercy is extraordinary in the hands of our holy God. I am always grateful for God’s mercy...kindness, compassion, and tenderness toward me. As I strive to be the person God created me to be, I am reminded to be merciful. Cultivating mercy by letting go of judgement and criticism will allow me to reflect God’s presence to those in my circle of influence. I have hope because His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. Let’s be merciful like God, our Father.

“There is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eyes of the people in this [hospital] corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him... there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need. I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is.” ― Khaled Hosseini

I know when I think of the concept of mercy, my mind leaps to grand gestures and examples—large-scale macro ways our society displays and/or can grow in mercy. I think this is why I love Anne Lamott’s quote about mercy being a “muscle”. The idea that in showing mercy we can grow and develop in our ability, over time, is deeply encouraging. We’re not being called to find a grand vision, which could feel so overwhelming. Instead we’re being called to practice mercy, compassion, empathy in our everyday interactions. We have the opportunity to practice, to grow, to impact others in every micro encounter; every single day. And in doing so we’re growing and developing our abilities, but also, simultaneously, potentially igniting a spark within a neighbor, a coworker, a family member, reminding them to be merciful in their interactions. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything more beautiful than a world with overflowing mercy.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu teaches:

To forgive is not just to be altruistic. It is the best form of self-interest. It is also a process that does not exclude hatred and anger. These emotions are all part of being human. You should never hate yourself for hating others who do terrible things: The depth of your love is shown by the extent of your anger.

However, when I talk of forgiveness, I mean the belief that you can come out the other side a better person. A better person than one being consumed by anger and hatred. Remaining in that state locks you in a state of victimhood, making you almost dependent on the perpetrator. If you can find it in yourself to forgive, then you are no longer chained to the perpetrator. You can move on, and you can even help the perpetrator to become a better person, too.”

“For the pious community permits no one to be a sinner. Hence all have to conceal their sins from themselves and from the community. We are not allowed to be sinners. Many Christians would be unimaginably horrified if a real sinner were suddenly to turn up among the pious. So we remain alone with our sin, trapped in lies and hypocrisy, for we are in fact sinners…You do not have to go on lying to yourself and to other Christians as if you were without sin. You are allowed to be a sinner. Thank God for that”. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from Life Together

“Without forgiveness, we remain tethered to the person who harmed us. We are bound with chains of bitterness, tied together, trapped. Until we can forgive the person who harmed us, that person will hold the keys to our happiness; that person will be our jailor. When we forgive the person who harmed us, we take back control of our own fate and our feelings. We become our own liberators. We don’t forgive to help the other person. We don’t forgive for others. We forgive for ourselves. Forgiveness, in other words, is the best form of self-interest. This is true both spiritually and scientifically……To forgive is also to release yourself from whatever trauma and hardship you have experienced and reclaim your life as your own.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu

What are you holding on to these days? Is there a person or situation that came to mind during the reading? What about the idea of self-forgiveness? Are you quicker to forgive others than to forgive yourself?

What an awesome time of year to focus on walking in forgiveness…knowing that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to forgive our sins. He, in His wisdom and perfection, found us worthy of the peace and wholeness that comes with forgiveness. He wants us to experience a life that is life.

What is holding you back these days? Is there something you need to release in order to move in the direction of forgiveness? What might those first steps look like for you?

We know love, because first, He loved us. We know forgiveness, because He forgave all of our transgressions. We know grace, because His grace is overflowing in our lives. We know mercy and compassion and empathy and hope because of the ways He has poured these things into our very souls. And now that we know, we can be. We know love and forgiveness and grace and mercy and hope, so now we can be these things in the world. We know better, so now, we’re called to do better, infusing these gifts into our actions and interactions and reactions. Let’s collectively spread the gifts of the Cross within this world.

There are moments where the hurt we feel in our souls or the confused thoughts in our head defy language and feel unjust. In these moments we reason if I can’t understand how can anyone else? These moments are lonely dark nights of the soul. And what about God? Does He know…does He care? In these moments I reflect on the garden and I look to the cross…and I find the answer. And thereby I find the grace and hope I need to begin my journey toward peace. -from: A Peak Into My Journal by Douglas Poole

To some, the image of a pale body glimmering on a dark night whispers of defeat. What good is a God who does not control his Son's suffering? But another sound can be heard: the shout of a God crying out to human beings, "I LOVE YOU." Love was compressed for all history in that lonely figure on the cross, who said that he could call down angels at any moment on a rescue mission, but chose not to - because of us. At Calvary, God accepted his own unbreakable terms of justice. Any discussion of how pain and suffering fit into God's scheme ultimately leads back to the cross. ― Philip Yancey

All ages are welcome to join us for a fun night of skating and food.

875 Cypress St, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689875 Cypress St, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689