luke blog

by Luke KincaidI have been on my phone a lot lately. I often find myself going onto WhatsApp to read and respond to messages when I have some time, I also frequently pop onto YouTube to see if anyone that I am subscribed to has posted any new content and maybe try and sneak in a video or two. While there is nothing wrong with this in principle, I find that I sometimes do these things in the presence of others, even when I am spending time with my son Seth. There have even been times when Seth as told me that I should put my phone down when spending time with Him which is something that shouldn’t be happening unless I really need to be on it. What I am in danger of is placing more value on an electronic device instead of my amazing little son who is of infinitely more value. I felt challenged by this recently because our lives here on earth are really short compared to our eternity with Jesus which awaits us:14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. – James 4:14 CSBSince life is so short, I instead need to be present when around others as those are moments which I will never get back again – especially when it comes to Seth since he is growing up so fast. More than this I may even be missing out on opportunities to cultivate important relationships and reach out with Jesus while my nose is buried in my phone!So I am resolving to look up and look around more instead of using time for others on my phone instead! Much love,Luke

by Luke KincaidFor the past two weeks our children's ministry has been up and running and it has been so much fun to be interacting with the little ones again! I have been reminded that children are such an important part of church gatherings because we actually have a lot to learn from them:At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a small child and had him stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child — this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me - Matthew 18:1‭-‬5 CSB I love these words from Jesus as they show us the importance of possessing a childlikeness in our everyday lives. But what does this mean practically? Got Questions puts it like this:"So, as the disciples focus on what constitutes “greatness” in heaven, Jesus provides a new perspective: the way “up” is “down.” Meekness is required (cf. Matthew 5:5). Jesus exhorts the disciples (and us) to seek to possess a childlike modesty in addition to their faith. Those who willingly take the lowest position are the greatest in heaven’s eyes. A young child is destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness and is therefore a good example for us. Children are characteristically humble and teachable. They aren’t prone to pride or hypocrisy. Humility is a virtue rewarded by God; as James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10)."Wow... how amazing is it that the reminder of how we should strive to live out our daily lives as children of God can be seen around us nearly all the time. Children are the reminder that as disciples of Jesus we are called to humility - not having to worry about our pride or succumb to the temptation of self-righteous living.We can happily take the lowest place because we worship the highest King! We do nothing to earn our place in God's family and we do not have to try and do so just as little children don't try to earn the favor of their parents. So let's all try and be a little more childlike today by showing humility and by being teachable while throwing our pride aside.Much love,Luke

by Luke KincaidYesterday was my most physically active day in a LONG TIME as I have gotten quite lazy lately when it comes to exercising. Laziness was not an option yesterday as we saw the return of in person gatherings for KICS, our children's ministry, and worship was comprised of about 80% jumping around!After much physical activity at KICS our little family met up with some good friends who also have children. And so begun more running around! Moments after these two occasions I realized that I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be. I was strangely energized and feeling good! And then I was reminded of the following Scripture: For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. - 1 Timothy 4:8 CSBI have spent more than one occasion contemplating the second half of this Scripture. The importance of training for godliness has always been the main focal point for me. But while my physical body was benefiting from exercise yesterday - the first half made all the more sense.While the training of the body has limited benefit in comparison to our spiritual growth - it still has many benefits for our health, right here, in the present. Paul is not saying that we can only have one and not the other. It seems as if godliness should be our main priority but not at the expense of our physical bodies and health:Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20 CSBWhile these two verses from 1 Corinthians are in the context of Paul addressing sexual immorality I think they can also be applied to looking after our bodies in general. It is good for us to be reminded that we are not our own. That we belong to God and this body of ours now belongs to Him as we have been redeemed, paid for, by the blood of Jesus. So we are to glorify God, make much of Him, through how we use our bodies.This has all been the much needed motivation I have required for some time to begin exercising again and eating healthier. In all honesty I haven't been glorifying God through my unhealthy choices and this is something that I am aiming to rectify going forward - so please help keep me accountable!And while exercise can simply become another idol in my life if it is not done with the right motivation - I would like to conclude today's blog with this final quote from Got Questions:"Our goal in exercise should not be to improve the quality of our bodies so that other people will notice and admire us. Rather, the goal of exercising should be…

by Luke KincaidI always enjoy trying new flavors of energy drinks. I am well aware of the negative impact they can have on your body but I often go to one of these caffeine heavy drinks on a day I haven't had enough sleep the night before. While looking at the artwork on one of the latest flavors I was really invested to find the following saying:Death before dishonour.While this saying is quite old and has been adopted by various groups of people, I began to think of what this could mean for a disciple of Jesus.So, what does it mean to honor God?"To honour God means to give Him the regard, respect, reverence, admiration, adoration, awe, praise, submission, and obedience which are due to Him. To honour God means to worship Him in all our attitudes, affections, and actions. The essence of what it means to honour God is revealed to us in what Jesus called the first and greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38)" - Compelling Truth. I am aware that the words, death before dishonour do not appear in God's word but I think it can be a really powerful motto to live by as God is always worthy of honour. He always deserves to be honoured by us and this is something that will never change. With this in mind, when I find myself purposely wanting to dishonour Him through purposeful disobedience or through worshipping something or someone other than God, I will try to remember and be motivated by these wordsMuch Love,Luke