2 Samuel_15

Scripture

2 Samuel 15:13-14

“A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!” “Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.”

Observation-What does it say?

David's son Absalom has started a rebellion to dethrone his dad David. David gets wind of this news, and seems to panic! He gathers his people, and begins to flee out of Jerusalem.

Understanding-What does it mean?

David let fear get in the way of his judgment.

Time and time again before this, David was able to overcome obstacles in his life because of his trust in God. Whenever David ran into a predicament, David sought out God for His wisdom and advice. This time around, David seemed to let fear get the best of him. I mean, how big and bad can Absalom's army be anyway?

David defeated much more formidable foes than this one I would think. Why did he choose to flee instead of fight? Was it because it was against his own son? Why did he forget to turn to God for wisdom and advice on something like this? David sought out God for His wisdom and advice on more difficult circumstances before, and God delivered him from them. If I were David, why quit now?

Life Application

Prayer should precede and pervade everything we do.

Sound familiar? It should. It is one of DSC's core values. It should also be a core value we live by as Christ Followers. Prayer is one of the vital parts of communication with God, (the other is reading His Word). With our God being all knowing and all powerful, I would be foolish not to seek His advice in everything I do.

Thank you Lord for always having time to hear my prayers. Thank you for allowing me to come to You freely with anything that concerns me. Nothing is too big or too small for You. May I continue to seek You in everything I do. May my ears, heart, and mind be open to anything You want me to do. Help me be obedient to Your instructions. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 

-Moses Gaddi

Psalm_100

Scripture

Psalm 100:5 (NIV)⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Observation

Short and simple. Five verses…but, those 5 verses lived out, create a lifestyle of worship, joy, gratitude, confidence (in who we are – His).

Understanding

The last verse struck me something extra special this morning.Just a reminder that we serve a powerful and unchanging God.  The same God we read about that split the sea, that released His people through bringing 10 plagues on a nation, that created the Earth, that allowed Abraham and Sarah to conceive welllllll into their years, that caused actual food to rain down from heaven (manna), that spit Jonah out of a whale and on to dry land, that kept Daniel safe in a den full of hungry lions, that caused a virgin to conceive, that turned water into wine, that turned a few fish and loaves of bread into enough to feed thousands (more than once!), that walked on water in human form…and so much more!  That same God loves us, guides us, desires us, speaks to us, empowers us and wants what is best for us.The human form changes as time goes on, we often watch our parents become frail, forgetful and while still incredibly lovable, just not as we remember…but our Father God never changes, never weakens, never forgets, never fails.

Life Application

The knowing that God is the same yesterday, today and forever creates trust; trust that God does not change His mind, He is not fickle or moody, His love never changes, never fades, never goes away.  So, knowing that, we can trust Him fully with our hearts, with the decisions He guides us towards…knowing that He’s always at work in the details, wants His ultimate best for us and that we can fully surrender to Him and His will for our lives.  So…let’s live that out – in the big and the little decisions and actions we take daily.

God, may I remember your faithfulness today...and live in a way that shows it!  Amen.

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Matthew__16

Scripture  Matthew 16:5-6 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.  “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Observation-What does it say?  Jesus takes a moment to warn his disciples of the teaching of those looking to change God’s word, in honor of their tradition.  During Jesus’ life, the pharisees saw religion in terms of an outward cat and ritual, the cleansing of the body.  The sadducees saw religion, were wealthy and highly political, and looked at religion as a means to increase the prosperity.  Jesus is reminding his disciples that religion is that which affects the heart, and translates into actions rooted in love.       

Understanding-What does it mean?  “You shouldn’t be eating that,” my co-worker told me, while I sat quietly eating my ham and cheese sandwich.  I was totally confused as to what he was talking about.  As I inquired, he went on to tell me that eating ham was sinful and that I shouldn’t call myself a Christian.  At this point I still wasn’t grasping what he was getting at, which made him all the more upset. He went on to berate me about going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday and a number of other things that I did, which had never dawned on me as being “sins.”  I remember feeling like my co-worker had gotten lost in some details that were really not important.   Like the pharisees and the sadducees, this person had turned something that had been intended for good and turned it into an unnecessary burden that he was trying to place on other people.

Jesus is concerned with our hearts, not whether or not we wash our hands the right way, or pray at a certain time.  He simply wants our hearts devoted to him.  We live in a world full of things competing for our attention and the devotion of our hearts.  Our miniature computers beeping at us and entertaining us at all hours of the day.  There are disciples of all different schools of thought trying to convince us to eat only meat, or only vegetables.  Even in Jesus’ time, we see a glimpse of similar things competing for the disciples hearts.  While some of these are good things, they can also distract us from what God is trying to do in us.

In Proverbs we learn of the importance of guarding our heart, because “it is the wellspring of life” (24:3).  In his letter to the Romans, Paul warns them about conforming to the ways of the world, and he challenges us to continue to renew our minds into what God wants us to become (12:2).  Peter tells us that if we stand firm in our faith, God will be faithful to restore us in him (1 Peter 5:6-10).

Life Application  Jesus help me to find You before anything else.  Help me not to waiver in my faith.  Help me to guard my heart, so that I may not lead others astray over “religious” issues.  Help me to lay down my desires to you everyday.  

-Tyler Galloway