Orchard Hill Church Blog
Explore. Grow. Engage.
Rescue Me from these Lions (Psalm 35 Devotional)
The house of the Lord is a wonderful place of refuge in a world gone crazy. But what happens when the sanctuary becomes like this crazy world? The church is full of broken people; it is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. So, how do we respond?
Why Worship is Better in Community (Psalm 34 Devotional)
Have you ever tasted something so wonderful and delicious that you had to share it with someone else? Worship is like that. Worship seems to elevate when there are others around to experience it with us. It’s as if God wired us to experience certain things more deeply in community.
Creativity and Innovation in Worship (Psalm 33 Devotional)
Throughout the ages, the church has been on the cutting edge of creativity in music and the arts. From Jubal, the first musician mentioned in the Bible, through David and Solomon, to the extraordinary music of Bach and the High Church age, followers of God have consistently innovated in music and the arts.
How God Teaches Us to be More Christ-like (Psalm 32 Devotional)
There is one trait that is perhaps the most important for a teacher. That they care about the student so much that they’ll do just about anything to get them to understand the material. The same is true of God.
Badness is Only Spoiled Goodness (Psalm 31 Devotional)
Sin, in and of itself, has no creative power. It must take what God has created for good and twist it into something ugly. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Goodness is, so to speak, itself: badness is only spoiled goodness. And there must be something good first before it can be spoiled.”
Restored Relationships Through Jesus (Psalm 30 Devotional)
When an important relationship is strained, it is as if we are carrying around a heavyweight. Darkness looms and nothing in our life seems quite right. Our relationship with God is just like that. And He pursues us. He stands at the door and knocks. He seeks us even in our fallenness.
The Lord Gives Strength and Blesses His People (Psalm 29 Devotional)
We live in the reality of a truly broken world. And we as humans are the biggest perpetrators of that brokenness. But listen to the words of the scriptures. As you read these, open your heart, put your faith in them. They are breathed from the very breath of God.
Trusting the Lord in Difficult Times (Psalm 28 Devotional)
There are times when we grow weary and weak at the fiery darts that are shot at us. We feel attacked, taken advantage of, just worn - like we can’t go on. The Bible says that our battle is against powers and principalities in heavenly places - we fight spiritual battles masking themselves as worldly battles.
What Does it Mean to Wait for the Lord? (Psalm 27 Devotional)
I’ve heard it said that God has 3 answers to our prayers - yes, no, and wait. Almost certainly, the third is the most difficult. Sometimes we sense in our Spirit a clear yes or no from God. But often in decisions, we cannot seem to hear His voice clearly. It is as if He has gone quiet.
Declare All the Wonders of God (Psalm 26 Devotional)
Words do have power. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. We as believers are called not just to believe certain things or think certain things or notice certain things; we are called to speak - to declare.
God Will Instruct the Sinner’s Way (Psalm 25 Devotional)
Cicero once said that thankfulness was the mother of all virtues. As important as thankfulness is though, I believe that it is actually humility that lies at the core of all virtues. Our realization that there is a God is the beginning of humility.
Who is the King of Glory? (Psalm 24 Devotional)
We often think of Jesus in light of His unglorified humanity. And we should. He was, after all fully human. But part of Him was veiled to us. During His time here on Earth we only caught short glimpses of who He really was.
Dwelling in the House of the Lord Forever (Psalm 23 Devotional)
The promise of an afterlife and knowing we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever is one of the single most clarifying concepts a person can have. It puts most everything in perspective. Knowing our destination gives our journey direction. Without a known destination, our journey is merely wandering in the fog.
Those Who Seek Him Will Praise the Lord (Psalm 22 Devotional)
Written a millennium before the coming of the Christ, David prophetically proclaims the horrors of the cross in such vivid and striking foreshadowing. A thousand years after David breathed his last breath, Jesus would be breathing His last breaths in fulfillment of the words of this Psalm.
Power in Light of Eternity (Psalm 21 Devotional)
Since the dawn of civilization, societies have admired those who have strength and power. But considering eternity, how important is this? What does it really mean to win the Super Bowl, or get to the top of the ladder in business? The perspective of time often helps.
Boasting in the Name of the Lord (Psalm 20 Devotional)
How often do we boast in the name of the Lord? Obviously in church we do. It’s the place for it. But in the rest of the week, are we boasting in the Lord? If we are honest, most of us would say, not very often.
Put God First in Your Life (Psalm 19 Devotional)
God cares not just about outward appearance, but about the heart. ‘For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance. The Lord looks for the heart.’ He sees the core of who we are. He knows us more deeply than we can ever know ourselves. God wants your hearts - all of it.
Live a Life of Discipline (Psalm 18 Devotional)
Many of the things that God calls us to requires more than just faith and more than just prayer. Though our salvation is bought by Christ alone through the shedding of His blood, the life we are called to live as Christians requires sweat, toil, and discipline.
The Lord Will Never Abandon Us (Psalm 17 Devotional)
We all experience moments in life when we think we are alone but later realize that our Heavenly Father was with us all along, similar to the way an Indian boy goes through a rite of passage but later realizes his father was watching over him all night.
God is our Refuge (Psalm 16 Devotional)
We have no promise for tomorrow. We have no promise for our next breath. We have no promise that life will be easy. Scripture is clear that the opposite will often be true. But we have a God Who can protect us and shelter us, in Whom we can find our only true security.