Bible Reading Group Blog Post - June 25th

June 25

2 Kings 8:1-9:13

Acts 16:16-40

Psalm 143:1-12

Proverbs 17:26

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. -- Psalms 143:10

Psalm 143 begins with David asking the Lord to listen to his plea, initially, this psalm comes across as a cry for help to the Father, but there is much more depth to be discovered. Throughout history church leaders and scholars have categorized Psalm 143 as the last of the seven Penitential Psalms, otherwise understood as the Psalms of Confession. David begins by recognizing the importance of God's faithfulness and righteousness, stating that no one alive will ever be righteous in comparison to Him. David stresses his understanding that it is hopeless to be brought to judgment, knowing that no one will pass the test of righteousness in the sight of God, no one on earth is 'good'. David recognizes himself as a servant to the Lord and understands that his hope is in the Lord's commitment to His promises and not from any standard that comes from himself. Nothing we can do will ever make us good or righteous when brought before God.

David lifts his worries to God and confesses that his enemies have gotten to him, beating down his spirit. He explains that he is living in darkness, he is weak, and his heart is in distress. The Lord knows all, and He understands that the road is long and it will be rough, but we should always rejoice and turn to Him. God wants us to lift our praises and our worries to Him, by doing so we show our trust in Him. David dwells on the "days of old", and reflects on God's work through his life, and faithfully lifts his worries to God. Like David, we too must lift our praises and our worries to God, we must confess not only our sins but confess when our spirit feels low, when our cups are feeling empty, we must seek God for our strength.

"I am like parched land before you." - Psalm 143:6. I find this analogy so fitting. Parched land is desperate for water, unable to grow, and unable to help the needs of others. Without God, we are like parched land, we will be desperate for sustenance (truth, love, salvation), we won't be able to properly grow, nor will we be able to help those around us. David continues by expressing his trust in the Lord, his faith to follow the Lord's commands, and his humility to seek the Lord for his protection. David wants nothing more than for God to lead him, to transform his heart and mind, all to bring God glory. David's hope is to be delivered and he trusts in God's righteousness.

While reading this passage, Psalm 14 and Romans 3 came to mind. Psalm 14:1-3 says, "There is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one." In Romans 3, Paul references Psalm 14, and further explains, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus." -- Romans 3:23-26

As Christians we must understand that by no means of ourselves are we or will we ever be capable of being good or moral, it is by the blood of Christ, through our faith in Him, through our walk and obedience, that we are justified. Let us not be boastful in ourselves, casting judgment on others who we deem to be less than, for we are all equally sinners. Let us spread our hands out to God, praise the work of His hands, trust Him, go to Him for strength and protection, learn from His will, obey His commands, and follow His lead. For His name's sake, let us live as servants of the Lord.

Grace Blog Post - June 18, 2021

June 18

1 Kings 19:1-21

Acts 12:1-23

Psalm 136:1-26

Proverbs 17:14-15

He remembered us in our humiliation

'His faithful love endures forever'. -- Psalms 136:23

This is one of my favorite Psalms, so beautifully written and filled with the truth of God, "His faithful love endures forever." This Psalm I believe can be very crucial for the believer. Life is always changing and evolving, but there is always ONE constant, that is God. When we are feeling low, lacking in our strength, lacking in courage, or when our cups are empty, it is our Father's love that fills us back up - Praise Him, because no matter what HIS FAITHFUL LOVE ENDURES FOREVER. When we are happy, confident, and our cups are filled - PRAISE HIM, for it is because of Him that you are able to live with a joyous heart. This Psalm is a constant reminder that through everything in life, that you are never alone, never without love. It is a reminder of all the great things God has done to provide for us and proves His everlasting love.

Over the last few weeks, I have found myself in many conversations regarding prayer and hearing from so many that they feel themselves lacking in this area. They let their day get the better of them, perhaps ending their day feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and empty. Let this Psalm guide you back to what is true, the wonder of God's love. God's love is faithful, merciful, kind, and steadfast. No matter the situation we must remember that His plan is much greater than our comprehension, as children we will not always understand (or even grasp) why our parents make the decisions that they do, but we must TRUST that it is for our benefit. And as we become adults, do we not realize those moments and praise them? In a much greater way, our Father in heaven is due endless praise. God has created the perfect environment just for us, land, sea, air, sun, moon, stars, food to every creature - every moment is praiseworthy. Man has repeatedly sinned against God, yet HE delivers us and redeems us, that type of love is so deep, so strong, so faithful - at times my heart feels that it wants to burst from His endless love.

I love this Psalm, but one verse that really hits me is verse 23, "He remembered us in our humiliation, 'His faithful love endures forever'." I know all the wrongdoings I have done in my life, I know all the times that I was put down and humiliated, I know all the times that I felt so low that I thought I had nothing left, I know all the times that I chose to turn away from God, yet in every moment He remembered me, in every moment His love was there. Do not turn away from our Father's love, instead, praise Him in all that you do, in every experience you have, in every situation whether you perceive them as good or bad, for His faithful love endures throughout it all. Our Lord will provide everything we need when we need it, He will clear paths for us, He will protect us from our enemies, He will lead us when we are lost, and all the while His faithful love will endure forever.

Thank you God for your faithful love, and let us ceaselessly praise you for all of our days.

Bible Blog Post for Matthew Karwon Wednesday June 16th

June 16
1 Kings 15:25-17:24
Acts 10:24-48
Psalm 134:1-3
Proverbs 17:9-11
Written by Matthew Karwon

Proverbs 17:11
   Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
    the messenger of death will be sent against them.

I'm a believer in "being saved by Grace." So, if we are saved by the
grace of Jesus (which we are, as Christians) why shouldn't we sin? How
do we make sense of this verse and others like this? For example:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor
slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Regarding these verses, one of our church speakers once said, and I'm paraphrasing:
"this verse is saying that these are things non-believers do."

In other words, if you're living a certain type of lifestyle, you must have
some unbelief in your heart, which lets you do the things you do.

If we receive grace and salvation by belief, then what do we receive by unbelief?

I want to be sensitive, I know there are believers out there who are struggling with things.
 I don't want to shame anyone. I don't mean to suggest that everyone who is struggling with
sin isn't a Christian. I also think that there is a difference between committing a few "small" sins

a day, like stubbing your toe and cursing, or glancing at the neighbors wife too long, 
there is a difference between that and a lifestyle of selfishness and rebellion.

 

I think that the Bible may be telling us that, if you really believe there is the Father in heaven, 

and Jesus is by His side, and they can see you, and you believe the Holy Spirit is real, and you
believe that God is all-powerful, then it is really, really hard to live a certain way. Perhaps even impossible.

Do you truly believe He is real?

Going back to the original verse: 11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
    the messenger of death will be sent against them.

The King James Version puts it this way: 11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a
cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Not exactly a death sentence, but a warning that God will not put up with rebellion forever.

June 11th - Blog Post

June 11

1 Kings 8:1-66

Acts 7:51-8:13

Psalm 129:1-8

Proverbs 17:1

Faith & Forgiveness

Acts 7 covers Stephen's sermon, which happens to be the longest sermon in the Book of Acts. Stephen had been accused of blasphemy in regards to Moses and also the temple, due to his apparent inaccuracies in his historical references, even though he was quite effective in referencing events from Israel's history and Old Testament scripture. Stephen rebukes his accusers by indicating that they are the actual blasphemers, "You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit...You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it." -- Acts 7:51-53

How many people do you know that are resisting the Holy Spirit? How many people do you know that have heard the Truth, yet do not turn away from their sin nor keep the Lord's commands? How many people do you know who live to point their finger at someone in judgment? Or perhaps, are you being that person?

We live in a world where gaining access to the Bible is as easy as turning on a light switch, yet we still have so many who avoid the Truth, or who hear the Word but do not believe. And to add to it, they not only do not believe, but they become consumed by anger and hatred towards the person(s) who do believe. To me that anger is caused by guilt, knowing somewhere in your heart that you are wrong, but without letting go of your grip on sin (your sense of power in the world) you won't be able to take accountability for such things. When someone calls you out for something you may have done wrong, is your response to listen, understand, and apologize? Or, do you respond in defense with anger and retaliation? The Sanhedrin prove this point, instead of following their civil laws to determine Stephen's guilt (or innocence), they respond in anger, gnashing their teeth, and stoning him to death.

We know as believers that we will be persecuted, attacked, demeaned, and so forth, but this is where our faith and trust in the Lord brings us victory. Though Stephen was stoned to death, it was his actions in his final moments that truly show his faith. While being stoned Stephen full of faith called out to the Lord, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! " He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them! " -- Acts 7:59-60

Stephen, as Jesus did in His final moments, calls out to the Lord to receive his spirit, and also asks for forgiveness of his persecutors which is a true testament of yielding to God. In the face of death, Stephen kept his eyes on the Lord and placed all of his trust in Him. There is a lot to gain by studying this moment, when we face trials and mistreatment we must not react with malice, but with a loving and forgiving heart. Even in the face of evil, we must turn our hearts to what we know is true. We must not be consumed with picking apart others' lives or persecuting each other's wrongdoing, instead, we must set an example through our own actions and through our faith, always keeping our eyes and hearts on the Lord. We must lead by example, pointing to the One who leads us as a perfect example. We cannot allow persecution to pull us down to worldly responding, instead, we must remember what Jesus has commanded, to love and forgive.

"You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 5:43-45

"For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses." -- Matthew 6:14-15

Bible blog post Wednesday June 9th from Matthew Karwon

1 Kings 5:1-6:38
Acts 7:1-29
Psalm 127:1-5
Proverbs 16:28-30

1 Kings 6
31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors
out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary.
32 And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees
and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with 

hammered gold.

I'd like to talk about the imagery we see in the temple that Solomon built.
One symbol we see repeated is the palm tree. Some regard the palm tree
not simply as a symbol of rest but a symbol of the rest we have received
from Jesus's finished work at the cross. When He died on the cross it was 

the final sacrifice which gives us the eternal gift of salvation. "It is finished".

Matthew 11:28
 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Bible Blog Post - Saturday, June 5th

Michael Polak Blog Post

June 5

2 Samuel 23:24-24:25

Acts 3:1-26

Psalm 123:1-4

Proverbs 16:21-23

Keeping our eyes on the Lord

Psalm 123 is beautifully written, and though it is short it gets right to the point. I personally appreciate the reminder that we should be focusing on the Lord, giving everything to Him, and trusting Him with our lives. But it also reminds me of the first commandment we got from Jesus. It says in Matthew 22:37-38 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and most important command.

Sometimes it is so easy to get distracted by life and you might not even realize that you may be focusing on something else besides Jesus. It may have something to do with trying to start a new relationship and giving all your attention to your partner, or maybe you're just focused on a project for work, or you just have way too much going on in life that you can't seem to sit down and read your Bible, or even attend church on Sunday. Whatever your excuse may be, that is exactly that, just an excuse. An excuse to not be giving your attention to the Lord focusing on Him and staying in His presence. Look to Jesus to guide you through this life, be like the apostles were, and make yourself a slave to Christ, serve Him with all your heart and might, and when we fall to always look up to Him for mercy.

So next time you're going through stormy waters, whether it's financial, emotional, physical, whatever the problem may be, give it to God, look to him, and focus on Him. Love Him with all your mind and soul, even if you get scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud. The world may call us fools for trusting in God, and that's OK with me! I would rather be a fool for God because the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's eyes.

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