1 Samuel_31

SCRIPTURE1 Samuel 31:7“When the Israelites on the other side of the Jezreel Valley and beyond the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines moved in and occupied their towns.”OBSERVATION-What does it say?The Philistines have attacked the Israelites. They just finished killing Saul's three sons and now they are in hot pursuit of Saul. Saul would rather kill himself than be caught,  taunted, and tortured by his enemy. So that is exactly what he does. After his armor bearer refuses to do Saul's "dirty work" for him, Saul does it himself. He falls on his own sword, killing himself. Soon after, his armor bearer follows Saul's lead and does the same. Once the people of Israel see all these things going on, they begin to flee and abandon their towns.UNDERSTANDING-What does it mean?As Christ-Followers, we are called to lead. Whether it is leading our family, friends, neighbors, or even the people we work with, we are called to be leaders. We have to lead by example.Saul's lack of leadership, the way he led his people by example, was the reason the people of Israel were put into this predicament. Saul's non-existent relationship with God had an effect on his own people's relationship with God. Saul's willingness to just give up in life (kill himself) when times got tough, reflected poorly on the people he was leading. His armor bearer followed his lead in committing suicide, his remaining army began to flee, and the Israelites started to flee and abandon their towns when things were getting too difficult.LIFE APPLICATIONWhat kind of leader am I? What kind of example am I displaying to those I am supposed to be leading?

As Christ-Followers, we are not exempt from difficult situations. As a matter of fact, we should expect some hardships. But it is how we handle ourselves during these difficult times that is important. We have to remember that we have people watching us. They want to see how we react to life's difficult circumstances. It's easy to give praise to God when everything is going well for us. But it is during our hardships when our faith is tested-(Read the story of Job for example). So when those times come, how will I react? What will I do? Will I flee and cower in the sight of danger? Or will I stand firm in my faith, having confidence in God's plan and love for me.

Father God, help me to be mindful of my actions today. Help me to be obedient to Your will. Help me to live my life in such a way that causes others around me to want to follow my lead. May it bring these people into a relationship with You. In Jesus name I pray these things, Amen.

-Moses Gaddi

Psalm_85

Scripture

Psalm 85:12 (NIV)

The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

Observation

This book is thought to be written after the exile and return of the Jews out of their captivity in Babylon. It speaks to what God has already done – shown favor and restored fortunes (v1), forgiven their sins (v2) and set aside wrath, turning form His fierce anger (v3). David then asks for restoration.

Understanding

Once again, this verse stood out because I feel like this is being spoken over our church right now. We appear to be in a time of restoration, a time where we are experiencing God “giv[ing] what is good” and following through on His promises…a time that we will see a harvest. But just like yesterday’s message, it requires trust and obedience on our part. Will we trust that God’s plans for us are good? Not only good, but the absolute best. Will we show that in our actions – walking in obedience towards/in what He’s called us to do. There’s been a palpable presence, an awakening, a turning to Him. And, as we seek His face, He’s turning His face towards us. May we continue to walk in boldness and seek His face (not just the blessings of His hands) and obey.

Life Application

God, I thank you that you are a good, gracious and all-powerful God. I pray for boldness within our church body – a boldness and faith like that shown by Abraham. May we seek you, trust you, follow you. In Your Name, I pray.

Rei  

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Matthew_1

Scripture  Matthew 1:1  This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Observation-What does it say?  The author of this Gospel is Matthew, the tax collector, one of the twelve disciples.  “The author, a Jewish Christian writing for a church mainly composed of Jewish Christians, concentrates his skills on presenting Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah- the Christ predicted in the Old Testament” (Zondervan Handbook to the Bible, p. 549).  Matthew connects the covenants of the Old Testament to Jesus and his teachings.  He starts by mapping out the genealogy of Jesus, mapping him all the way back to Abraham.  

Understanding-What does it mean?  One day while visiting my mom, I found that she had put up a new family picture in the spare room.  It was an old black and white, with a few of my grandmother’s uncles.  The men were standing in the woods in front of a large metal tub that had some tubing coming out of the sides.  I yelled to my mom, “Where’d you get the picture of the moonshiners?”  Shortly after, she popped in and asked what I was talking about.  She had no idea that the contraption they were standing in front of was a bootleg whiskey still.  While my mom was a little embarrassed at the prospect of being related to a bunch of outlaws and black sheep, it made me a little more proud of my “Southern” roots.  

The first chapter of Matthew and the genealogy of Jesus has become one of the most exciting sections of scripture to me.  Not only is it the introduction of the one who would ultimately fulfill the covenants laid out in the Old Testament, but it also shows what God can do through people who might have been marginalized in society.  When you look through Jesus’ family, you see a group of people who look as though they weren’t good enough to cary out God’s ultimate plan.  Jesus’ great grandma, about twenty times removed, was Rahab the harlot.  There is also Ruth, a widower, and not Jewish by birth.  Jesus was also from the line of David, who was responsible for the murder of the husband of the mother of his illegitimate child.  And this is just a few of the most amazing black sheep of the family.  

Jesus’ family is a great reminder to me to trust in the reconciling power of His grace.  Throughout scripture, God made covenants with his people with the plan of wiping out the indemnity of our sin through the redemption brought through Jesus.  In doing that, God worked through people that would normally be seen as useless and not worthy.  In Isaiah, God speaks to us, reminding us that His ways are not what we would expect, nor are they the way we would do things(55:8-9).  In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Paul writes to us about how God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise things of this world.  And in Romans 3:21-26, we are reminded that our justification is only as a result of His gift of grace.

So while we may not feel “good enough,” we are reconciled to God only through His goodness. 

Life Application  Jesus, I am nothing without your grace.  Thank you for covering me, and casting away the debt of my sin.  Help me to always abide in your grace, to know that you are the only good I need.  Remind me that my past is not what you define me by, but you define me by your goodness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ferLIsvlmI

-Tyler Galloway