February 10

^{Proverbs 8: 27-32}

 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
    when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
 when he established the clouds above
    and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
 when he gave the sea its boundary
    so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
    Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,
 rejoicing in his whole world
    and delighting in mankind.

  "Now then, my children, listen to me;
    blessed are those who keep my ways.

  When I first started to read the bible, one of the first questions that stumped me is found  in Genesis 1:26.  "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, .....'".  Teaching reading is a passion of mine, and one of the first questions I will always ask a student is  - who is the sentence referring to.  So naturally when I read that passage I wondered who is "us".  I looked up God in the Hebrew text for this passage and found the noun Elohim means God in a plural form. Obviously the Trinity existed from the very beginning.  I had my first true "AHA" moment though when I read John 1:1-5 and my confusion was cleared up.  As I sat and read today's Proverbs passage, I could visualize Jesus narrating the story of the creation. After all, He was there. He was the craftsman at The Fathers side (v.30). I could picture a Son in awe of His Father as He was in excitement as a masterpiece was being created that we were a part of.  "I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His presence rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind"  Jesus was so delighted with us He told His Father "I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given me because You loved Me before the creation of the world" (John 17:24).  Jesus loved us from the very beginning.  We were chosen in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight (Eph. 1:4)  When I sat and thought about it, my perspective changed.  Although this love is incomprehensible, it is available.  There was nothing we did or can do to achieve this love.  His love is built in as part of the plan.  All we have to do is receive His love. I think a key is found in Psalm 32:5 "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the guilt of my sin". No matter where we are in life, His love is available, all anyone has to do is repent, and receive.  From the beginning of creation, God's love has been unfailing and since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, His love will never fail.


Randi

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Matthew 26:31-46

My message today is very short and simple. I picked Matthew because it points out a very human flaw. How often have you done something or said something or gone somewhere and then said - I will NEVER again! They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and even though we swear to ourselves that we will NEVER again, we often fall short of our promises to ourselves and others. As my mother used to say, "Never say never!" I know that in my lifetime, there were three things that I said I would NEVER do. Guess what - I did them all!

The things that I did still bother me when they come to mind, but I am grateful for a Mighty, Loving God who knew they would come to pass, just as His denial by Peter; not once but three times, and I grateful for His forgiveness and mercy. Just as He died for forgiveness of our sins, we have to forgive ourselves. I do not want to even imagine how devastated Peter must have felt when the words the Lord spoke to him came to pass.

Father - in each day and every way, may I give You thanks and praise for all You have done and forgiven in me. You knew my sins before I committed them and You still forgive and love me. You are a Good, Good Father!! Thank You!

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

On the way, Jesus told them, "Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,

God will strike the Shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there."

Peter declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you."

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me."

"No!" Peter insisted. "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" And all the other disciples vowed the same.

February 8: Of offense and defense, of sin and salvation

Exodus 28:1-43

Matthew 25:31-26:13

Psalm 31:9-18

Proverbs 8:12-13

A side note about last night's Superbowl - a wonderful game, with a twist.  Usually, offense wins the game - they score more points than the opposition.  Last night's game was different, though - the Broncos' Peyton Manning-led offense was ok at best.  It was the Von Miller-led defense that won the game, starting with the Cam Newton strip-fumble-Broncos touchdown in the 1st quarter.  The defense beat the offense.  More on this later.

The struggle I have with my own sinfulness is great enough.  The battle waged around me makes things even more difficult.  The world preaches a gospel of self - self centeredness, self gratification - and worse, it has gotten to the point the gospel of self is the new normal, and anyone who deviates from that definition of normal isn't merely left to labor under the seeming unfairness of a situation where the sinful are gratified because of their sinfulness, they are ostracized, they are persecuted, the world demands that they confirm to this new "normal".

The time Jesus lived in, those times weren't easy.  There weren't any of the conveniences we take for granted today; people ate, drank, lived by the sweat of their brow for the most part.  Giving someone something to eat, something to drink, took a lot more effort than picking up a value meal at the local fast food joint.  Consider what it took to draw water for a drink, even - no water coolers, no refrigerators filled with bottles of H20...no, one had to draw water from a well someone had to have dug...a task so costly that people fought for wells, and families were torn asunder even.  There were no sewing machines, no Uniqlo or Gap, and people didn't have 4 or 5 of everything, so clothing someone was a very tall order indeed.  So it must have been pretty controversial when Jesus told the parable of the goats and the sheep, and made it clear salvation  came to those who exhibited a very challenging degree of generosity.  And like the world that, even then, was preaching a gospel of self, Jesus was persecuted for it - we read the chief priests were already planning his death.

Where then lies our hope, any hope for the Christian struggling with his own sinfulness in a self-ish world?  The psalmist makes it clear - "Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief...Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends...They conspire against me and plot to take my life."  And then the psalmist's counsel, his example: "But I trust in you, Lord...my times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me...Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you..."

How wonderful to have the constancy of the psalm's reassurance: it was true when the psalm was written, it is true today: the world is self-ish...but we have our God and His Help.

...back to the Superbowl analogy.  How wonderful that, as we live in a world that tries to play offense on us, we have the defense of Christ that wins the victory.  

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Saturday, February 6, 2016

By Keesha Sullivan

God Is More Than Enough

  "...A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, which would mean a man's life consists of Jesus. The more I seek Jesus the more life I possess. This is a lesson that the Lord has really been driving home over for me over the last few years. He keeps breaking down the lies of this world and filling my mind with His 

truths.

     In 1 John 2:15-17, we read, " Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." The enemy pushes needing a house, a car, more money, more recognition, more of everything, while the Lord says you just need more of me. 

     The reading from today spoke about the people giving their first fruits to the Lord. We read in Exodus 23:19, ""Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God." As I read this scripture, I realized that the only way a person could joyfully give their firstfruits is if they trusted God and knew that He was more than enough to provide. In order to give the firstfruits (our tithe) each month, we must know that our life doesn't consist in the abundance of our possessions, but rather it consists of Jesus and being obedient to Him. 

     Lord, please help us to tear down the lies of this world and fill our minds with Your truths. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You are more than enough. If we have You, we possess everything. Help us to live lives full of gratitude. Help us to live lives that are consciously aware of the fact that because we know the One and Only King - Our Savior, Our Everything - that we are more than blessed; we are completely fulfilled. We love You, Lord. We thank You for fulfilling our every need and desire. In Jesus's Name, we pray. Amen

Feb 5

Matthew 24 

 

There is a growing conviction on the part of many that planet earth is unraveling in high gear. Some suggest if you put your ear to the ground, you can already hear the thunderous hoof beats of the approaching horses and riders of the apocalypse. This sense of impending danger can be directly attributed to the impotence of a political solution to correct the disintegration of our global problems. Who, other than the omniscient God, could have anticipated the truly epic world changes of recent years and given us a picture of how this drama is going to be acted out on planet earth?

 

When you grasp that Jesus predicted 2000 years ago that a country the size of New Jersey will be the focus of the entire planet, it is staggering to consider.   

 

So what should we do as we see the world unraveling around us?  Live with hope and anticipation. Jesus said in Matthew 24:25, "See, I have told you ahead of time." Jesus does not want any of us to perish or to be taken by surprise by the coming apocalypse. He has warned us. Do not put your hope in any political solution; put your hope in Jesus. Our hope is found in the victory that Jesus secured on the cross. Jesus has already triumphed over the forces of evil. We know how the story ends.

 

We also need to live with daily watchfulness. Jesus wants us to be prepared for his second coming. We should live with the anticipation of a little girl from New Haven, CT who was talking with her mother concerning the second coming of Jesus.

 "Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?" "Yes, dear," replied the mother.

 "Could he come back this week?" "Yes, dear."

"Could he come back today?" "Yes, dear."

"Mommy, could he come back in the next hour?"

 "Yes, he could come back in a few minutes." The girl looked up at her mom and said, "Mommy, would you comb my hair?"

 

This anticipation and yearning for Christ's return is all but dead among Christians today. We haven't given up on the doctrine of the second coming, but we have given up on the joyful anticipation of it. We have been so seduced by comforts of life in Stamford that we no longer desire the comforts of heaven. We believe Jesus is coming back in our heads but don't allow it to touch our hearts.

 

This is what we must rekindle in our hearts today.

 

Even so, come quickly Lord.

 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, February 4

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016

Exodus 19:16–21:21

Matthew 23:13–39

Psalm 28:1–9

Proverbs 7:1–5

 

 

Do you tend to view the glass half-full or half-empty?  We sometimes use this rhetorical question to judge whether we have taken an optimistic or pessimistic perspective on a situation.  In today’s world, many times, folks will take liberties in their perspective, even showing willingness to stretch the truth or “explaining away” reality.  The glass is neither half-full or half-empty; its fullness or very existence is of my own making, one may argue.  In contrast, as Christ-followers, we are committed to know, follow, and serve the Truth.

 

In today’s reading, we encounter the Ten Commandments.  These bedrock laws help to define the reality of man’s fallen condition, pointing out our disconnection both with God and with others.  If we read these Commandments and examine our hearts and live even a little, we recognize our clear shortcomings.  By these standards, we have all indeed broken fellowship with God by our active rebellion or passive indifference.  God rightly should punish us for this disobedience.  As Romans 6:23a indicates, the “wages of sin is death” -- or spiritual separation from God.  We “earn” this wage after having sinned; we deserve the consequences.

 

Chiefly, we have broken the First Commandment of placing other gods before the Almighty.  While we may not openly worship idols of wood and stone, we have all placed other priorities (also “idols”) in the place of our Father.  We have failed to trust in His provision and looked to self-satisfaction beyond bringing Him praise.

 

Despite this reality -- and we are truly foolish if we ignore this reality -- God has declared His overwhelming love for us in buying our pardon through the blood of Christ.  As law-breakers, we must identify with the heaviness and real consequences of our sin.  Only then may we understand the glory of God’s grace and experience real gratefulness in knowing of God’s enduring love for us, despite our brokenness.

 

Sometimes, the Western Church has presented a “modern Gospel,” focused on how knowing Christ brings fulfillment to our lives.  Indeed, this statement is true, but we miss out on the power of the Cross if we strip down the Gospel to a life-improvement remedy.  The Gospel is our only hope, our only rescue.  We were desperately separated from our loving Creator without His powerful intervention.  We must identify with Christ’s death by dying to sin and with His Resurrection by rising to a new life focused on honoring Him (Romans 6).

 

Have you ever found yourself grateful and relieved after a stressful or dangerous situation?  That sense of gratefulness and relief should naturally accompany our remembrance of His law, the Cross, and the pardon He bought for us.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your willingness to suffer in our place for the sin that we have so clearly committed.  Give us wisdom and courage to search out the evil corners of our hearts and minds so that we may turn towards honoring You completely.  Send Your Holy Spirit into our midst that we might know You more completely and love You more intentionally.  Thank You for Your amazing provision for us.  Help us not to shy away from the reality today.  In Your Name, amen.

 

 

“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vmY2ztb5xc

 

 

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February 3

Exodus 17:11-16

When I read this, the first image that came to my mind was Grace church on Sunday morning.  Whether you are leading in worship or singing in the pews, one thing you will see is everyone's hands raised up in worship.  To worship means to be rendered to God only (Naves Topical Study Bible) - or totally giving yourself away to God.  In this position of surrendered worship, God led the Israelites to victory.  Much like Moses, when we are in a battle, we become weary.  We drop our hands, maybe even lose our focus.  What stood out to me was how Aaron and Hur did whatever was necessary to keep Moses' hands raised.  Worshiping God, despite our weariness or the appearance of unchanged circumstance, can be a challenge. In the very first small group bible study I was in, this point came up as part of our study, so we made a promise to "hold up each others arms" as we went through life's challenges.  God is continually teaching me that prayer and words of encouragement are one of the ways He uses us to bless others and worship Him through the storms.  I'm sure we all know someone who needs help holding up their hands in worship today. Our help comes from the Lord,  the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2).  I pray we all lift up our hands to the throne of the Lord (v.16) and perhaps help someone keep their hands lifted as well.



Randi