Corner Stone Keynotes

01/02/2025

From the very beginning, God’s love and redemptive plan were clear. In Genesis 3:14-15, we see the first prophetic word of the Messiah who would crush sin and restore us to fellowship with our Creator. Calvary was never a "Plan B"—it was God’s perfect plan from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).

Join us as Pastor Gary Caudill explores the depths of this powerful promise, reminding us that through Jesus Christ, we find hope, forgiveness, and eternal life.

🙏 Discover more at Corner Stone Keynotes or visit us at Washington Heights Baptist Church.

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10/24/2024

"...any time there is spiritual pursuit of God Almighty, such as seems to be the case in this song of degrees (also known as one of the Songs of Ascent), there is always going to be those who are too comfortable in their spiritual apathy to be bothered by a stir of any kind that disrupts their assumed positions of having arrived." Read More: https://www.cornerstonekeynotes.com/vol-02-day-240

10/24/2024

DISCLAIMER: This is not posted for my personal benefit (I'm appreciated, loved, and supported by some of God's finest people in my opinion). However, MOST who are my friends ... I do not pastor, and this is for their consideration. Here Goes: What an appropriate thought for pastor appreciation month. Ministry is not always easy, so I kindly request that you take the time to read this devotional and ask God how you can support your God-called pastor.

Reflecting on Jeremiah 38:6, this devotional explores the challenges pastors face while ministering, urging support and understanding from congregations.

10/16/2024

08/29/2024

Ecclesiastes 7:8b
…the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit…

Patience endures the process of painful personal growth, whereas pride stunts growth by protecting the indefensible, thereby destroying the potential that only patience and coach-ability can produce.

OUCH!! I’m listening. God help me.

08/02/2024

From Today’s Reading

Stripped to Flourish: Discovering God in Our Rawest State

Job 19:9, 25-26

9 He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

God truly has a way of stripping us down to nothing but HIM! Why does He do this? I believe the answer is found in v.9: “He hath stripped me of MY glory, and taken the crown from MY head.” As the story of Job continues to unfold, we shall discover that eventually Job will stop talking so much about himself and start talking more about God! You see, man’s glory is faded at best! At the end of the day, we have nothing to boast of! Paul said, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ...” Gal 6:14a.

God is simply growing us to a point, not only to where He’s all we have, but also to where He’s all we need! When we’re finally dead to self, and when we finally have no one to look to but Christ, then and only then shall we get a clear, vivid picture of who our Heavenly Father really is, because all the distractions have been removed! In the midst of all of this gloom and despair, Job begins (after being reduced to nothing) to see the Glory of God in His resurrection power! “I know that my redeemer liveth....yet in my flesh, I shall see God!”

What a glorious day it is when we change our focus from, “God, change my circumstances!” to, “God, change ME!” Oh, the double-portion that awaits us, when at last our fleshy eyes have been anointed, and we finally “see God!” Make haste, dear reader, to die to self, so that you too can genuinely see God with clarity in your life more so than ever before! It’s not until we get a good look at Him that we are truly changed by His power to effectively portray Him to a lost and dying world! As found in John 12:21, may THIS be our desire today, “We would see Jesus!”

~ Pastor Gary Caudill

08/01/2024

“…our strength source is unrelated to our physical, emotional, or even mental capacities to withstand pressure.”

Read more from today’s reading…

Spiritual Fortitude: The Strength of the Righteous

Job 17:9
The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

In essence, we see here that strength is a byproduct of righteousness. “The righteous also shall hold on his way…” implies strength. Think about it; how many dangers, toils, and snares do we as Christians endure as we walk with our precious Lord? Does it not take strength to “hold on his way”? Indeed it does! That thought is then clarified in the second half of this verse, plainly stating that “he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger,” implying that right standing with God equates with growing in strength.

That said, I am brought to a point of wonder as I meditate on these great truths, and here is why. Is it not true that the trials and tests we endure, at times, drain us of our strength? Is it not true that we can often find ourselves depleted of strength as we strive to serve our Lord? If so, then why are we taught what seems to be the opposite in our text today? Is there contradiction between what is Biblically stated, and what is realistically experienced? Absolutely not, and here’s the explanation; our strength source is unrelated to our physical, emotional, or even mental capacities to withstand pressure. Dear friends, OUR strength is a SPIRITUAL strength, from which all other areas where we need strength receive the overflow.

And how do we become “righteous” before God? How do we find ourselves in “good standing” with The Holy One of Israel? How do we maintain “clean hands” so that we can be stronger and stronger in spirit, and thereby receive from that overflowing strength the power we need to exist and to function at our highest level in this world? Before we answer that, let us consider first that OUR righteousness, according to the Bible, is as filthy rags. This means that if we expect OUR righteousness to strengthen us, we will be sadly disappointed.

So, how do we become righteous before God? To answer the question, we need to look no further than Philippians 3:9, which says, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” In other words, if we place our faith in Christ, we will be robed in HIS righteousness, and as a result, be clothed in HIS strength! See Isaiah 52:1 for more insight!

~ Pastor Gary Caudill

07/27/2024

From Today’s Reading:

From Death to Life: The Power of Resurrection in Our Circumstances

1 Corinthians 15:42-43
So also is the resurrection of the dead…it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

There is nothing dead that God, at His Word, can’t raise from its deadness! Today, I wish to speak to those that are experiencing or have experienced a death of some sort in your life. I wish not to focus so much on the literal death of a loved one (although in the resurrection at the last day there is hope even of them who have put their faith in Christ!), but perhaps the death of a dream, a desire, an aspiration, or a vision of some sort. That thing that you had so longed for, which has not gotten better or made progress, but that has rather gotten worse, even to the point of hopelessness. Maybe there is something that you have been reaching for all your life, but that seems to drift further and further away from your grasp. I’m not even referring to selfish ambitions and sinful appetites, because for many of you, that which you long for would yield only good and health to its environment and those impacted by its success. Why is it that sometimes the most difficult accomplishments in life are those which would also be the most beneficial? Have you ever wondered why you have to fight so hard to do right?

There are seasons where you feel like that when you take one step forward, you get knocked two steps back from your goal. Well, God has given me a word just for you; that which has been sown in weakness, shall be raised in power! God intentionally waits until the former is dead so that the latter can be raised in His power. God will not call that which is alive to come forth from the grave; only that which is dead. It is only when the natural is completely lifeless that the supernatural can come to life.

Some reading this have been living in the tomb of your circumstance so long that not only is the thing dead which you had hoped for, but the stench of death has filled the air. At first, it was just the idea that died, but now death is creeping into your spirit, and now your whole life is becoming saturated in the odor of death. Jesus speaks to your spirit today, “Come forth!” You’ve been in the tomb long enough! What you thought was the end is only the beginning of new and great things in your life. Wipe the tears from your eyes, be loosed from your grave clothes, let them go, and look to Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of your faith!

~ Pastor Gary Caudill

07/27/2024

From Today’s Reading:

Beyond Despair: The Hope Job Couldn't See

Job 6:11
What is my strength, that I should hope! And what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

Job, amidst the trial of his life, simply cannot see past the painful circumstances under which he finds himself. Can you relate to his questioning? I believe there are times that we all can relate. First, he looks at his strength, realizes that he has none, and thus sees no reason to hope anymore. O dear reader, how often do we never look past the abilities of our own strength? How often do we with discouraged hearts simply give up when at last we spend all that we have, only to grow worse off instead of better? I would dare say that this is a common mistake amongst fallen man. We, in the weakness of our flesh, seldom look beyond our own strength for hope of a better day.

In fact, we might even go on and ask the second question that Job asked, saying in essence, “What’s the use in going on? What’s the use in living?” Do you see it in the way he asked it? “And what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?” Basically, Job saw no future past his current trouble. He could not imagine it getting any better, nor could he imagine that life would ever give him any reason beyond his current misery for living on.

However, I’m glad that this wasn’t the end of the story for Job, and neither is it the end for us! You see, what Job could not see was that his best days were yet ahead! So, let’s get this straight; it appears that Job is possibly suicidal. I know, I know, the text does not say that he was contemplating taking his own life, but it does teach us that he wished he were dead. In today’s world, the rate of su***de has dramatically increased as people have no present day favorable circumstances, and see no hope of their situation ever changing for the better.

However, I need to say this for the benefit of those reading who might themselves be contemplating su***de; never make a permanent mistake because of temporary blindness. That’s right. You are suffering from temporary blindness. Just because YOU can’t see your way out, does not mean there IS no way out. Furthermore, if you will call upon the name of The Lord, He promises in Jeremiah 33:3 that He WILL answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you don’t even know! Listen, dear friend, call upon Him, then wait for His answer. He WILL respond, and you WILL see a better day!

~ Pastor Gary Caudill

07/26/2024

Burning Bridges

Burning bridges seems so final
As if there’s no other way
But what if there is a solution
To prevent the ruin and decay?

When we think we’re so right
That we want the world to know
We soak with fuel & set on fire
For the most grand and glorious show

But later when we discover
we were partly or entirely wrong
The damage has been done
But at least we sang our bitter song

In pride we stand our ground
Pretending, excusing, persuading
Until the truth gets the best of us
Leaving our heart and soul decaying

Then we see it all so clear
Perhaps for the very first time
It wasn’t the bridge that needed gone
It was our selfishness, arrogance and pride

For had we known then what we know now
We would have done things differently
We would have seen that bridges were built
To ensure the survival of “you and me”

But since the devil knows divided we can’t stand
He singles us out and gets in our head

He splits us apart and tells us we’re strong
Then comes for the kill after we did the deed and now know he was wrong

So what do we do when we permanently destroyed
For a temporary problem
Our strong will to deploy?

There is yet one bridge
Satan cannot destroy
And though Hell would torch
Could yet restore lost joy

The bridge is called Grace
And is built with forgiveness
It’s fastened with humility
And held up with tenderness

And if we have the repentant or forgiving heart
The other may welcome or may ask you depart

But regardless of response
We must start to try
To reconcile differences
Or in bitterness lay down and die

So take the risk and do your part
To cross the bridge of Grace for a fresh start

It just may be Heaven will aid, Hell will lose, and a brother restore
And you’ll live out the truth that where sin did abound, Grace did much more!

And when God heals the divide and conquers our pride
Restores the wreck & ruin
And fixes us on the inside

From then on we’ll know
And hopefully unforgettably so
That bridges are built for building
The stitches that need bond our souls.

For United we stand, divided we fall
So let’s do all we can
To make sure the latter happens not at all!

-Gary Caudill
All Rights Reserved

07/24/2024

From Today’s Reading:

Kindness: A Mark of True Strength

1 Corinthians 13:4a
Charity suffereth long, and is kind…

Call me a softy if you wish, but I’d like to be known as a man with a Christ-like, kind, gentle spirit. Men who are gentle and kind are often wrongfully categorized as weak by this world’s standards. However, what the world may call weak is actually categorized by scripture as a great strength. Kindness in this world is a rare thing to find, sadly even among Christians. However, if we are true followers of Christ, and if we are truly filled with the Spirit, then kindness should be exhibited in our daily lives as the rule, and not the exception.

Question: have you ever allowed yourself to be unkind to someone else, excusing your behavior due to your opinion that they deserved the unkindness you sent their way? If so, join the club! If we were all to be honest with ourselves, there are times in each of our lives that we could be a little more sparing with kindness. Why do we do it? I mean, when you think about it, each of us deserve a whole lot more punishment for our sins than we have ever received because of God’s grace. God has always been kind to us, not rewarding us according to our own iniquities.

If God so loved us, so ought we also to love one another! It ought to be our prayer today that God would fill us with His kindness, so that we could share His love with someone who desperately needs an intervention of Grace in their life right now! It could be just one word or act of kindness that turns their whole life around. It is amazing at just how far your charity will go when you decide to let God love others through you.

Sometimes I think we forget that others need just as much kindness as what we would desire to receive. The problem is, some of us were never really shown much kindness in the past, and so we’ve never learned how to show others the kind of kindness we personally never received. It doesn’t have to be that way! Regardless of your past, receive healing for yourself by ministering Grace through kindness to another. Just because you suffered, doesn’t mean you must ensure that others around you suffer as well. Go to Jesus with your pain, receive His kindness, and let the love of God begin to flow through you like never before. Your bitterness can be completely gone, and a new life can begin simply through God’s love!

~ Pastor Gary Caudill

07/23/2024

From Today’s Reading:

When God Turns the Tables: Celebrating Victory Over Adversity

Esther 9:1b
…the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)

It always amazes me to watch the Lord turn the plans of the enemy upon their own destruction. Here, the Jews were hated by a people bent on their destruction, but instead, God turned the tables, and made His people to have rule over their haters! If there is anything I have learned in ministry, it is this; the more our enemies hate us, the more God blesses us. Isn’t it nice to know that the pit that was dug for us was the same device God used to stop the one who dug it? I have seen God do this time and again to those who dare lay anything to the charge of God’s elect.

O man of God, do you have haters on every side of your ministry who would rejoice to see you fall? Just remember that you do not need their approval in order for you to proceed and for God to bless you. As a matter of fact, God will use the same measure of their hatred to determine the measure in which He will bless your ministry. After all, who can resist the Lord’s hand? Often, the enemy is blind to the fact that God is allowing them to curse you so that He can bless you all-the-more. I do not believe that there is one thing God enjoys more than showing the enemy who’s boss!

So, if you’re surrounded by the enemy, rejoice, because God is fixing to bring a great victory in your life! He has your back! Trust Him, and He will give you the advantage over your enemy. Things may look dreary right now. It may appear as if the enemy has full advantage over you. You may feel overwhelmed at the onslaught of the devil’s attacks. You may see no way out any time soon, but rest assured that Heavenly reinforcements are on their way!

God will often wait until it looks totally hopeless before He comes to the rescue, so that when He does, His name will be magnified in the Earth! Let us go ahead and start praising Him now for the victory just around the bend! I know that what the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good. Pastor, the plot against your life and ministry did not work. God has preserved you for such a time as this, and there is nothing the enemy can do about it. We like Paul may get cast down, but we will not be destroyed! Thank God for the notice He has served to the devil today that it’s not over yet!

~ Pastor Gary Caudill