Nov 10: Matthew 4, Jeremiah 19, Psalm 89
Nov 11: Matthew 5, Jeremiah 20, Psalm 90
Nov 12: Matthew 6, Jeremiah 21, Psalm 91
Nov 13: Matthew 7, Jeremiah 22, Psalm 92
Nov 14: Matthew 8, Jeremiah 23, Psalm 93
Nov 15: Matthew 9, Jeremiah 24, Psalm 94
Psalm 30
Scripture
Psalm 30:1-12
1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. 4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” 7 Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Observation-What does it say?
This is a Psalm of Thanksgiving written by King David. King David was thanking the Lord for what He had delivered him from.
Understanding-What does it mean?
David knew who was responsible for his healing and deliverance. It wasn’t his own will or better choices he made or a human counselor/adviser, etc. He gave credit first and foremost to the Lord.
One passage of Scripture that makes me a little sad is Luke 17:11-19. It’s about the Samaritan man who was healed of leprosy by Jesus. He went back to thank and praise Jesus in a loud voice! The only problem is that Jesus had healed ten lepers in that Scripture, not just one. Where did the other nine go? The other nine were Jews and quite possibly felt entitled to that healing. Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans, so the fact that Jesus, born a Jew, chose to heal him too was a big deal! The Samaritan was so grateful to Jesus!
Life Application
Take time to worship and thank Jesus for what He has delivered you from!
It could be from as far back as when He first encountered you and saved you from sin; it could be the 2nd encounter you remember with Him or it could be something as recent as yesterday.
Dear Lord, I pray that we would never have a sense of entitlement when it comes to all the great things You have chosen to do in our lives and the ways You have healed and delivered us. I pray our attitude would always be one of gratitude. Even the hardships, trials and discipline from You warrant praise because of how we’ve been trained by them. May we always acknowledge You first, just like King David did, and be the one to return to give you thanks and praise just like the Samaritan you healed. Amen.
“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.” Luke 17:15-16 NIV
-Michelle Gaddi
Reference Article: Christiantoday.com (“Jesus healed 10 men from leprosy: why only one came back to thank him.”)
Hebrews__5
Scripture
Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Observation-What does it say?
The author of Hebrews is showing a bit of frustration with the members of the Hebrew church. By many accounts, these are not new converts, and yet they are turning away from their faith. Through the next chapter, the author both gives warning of the perils of falling away and gives encouragement to press on.
Understanding-What does it mean?
I hate to make mistakes, especially when I am in the middle of having a self righteous attitude. Like when I offer up an answer at a training, and I have the most experience in the room, including the person in charge of the training, but the answer I give is incorrect because I have failed to remember one of the more elementary principles of my job. Outside of the embarrassment of being wrong, I have to eat crow a little because of losing my humility somewhere before getting to the class. But, that seems to be when I make the most elementary mistakes. And as the saying goes, pride comes before the fall.
Humbling ourselves after a mistake is not fun. Many times, I have watched my kids, after I catch them doing something wrong, act as if all life has fallen out of their bodies. They lie down on the floor, in great agony, refusing to clean up the mess they have created, or refusing to apologize for taking a swing at their brother. The longer they refuse to fix the problem they created, the longer it takes to move on to what may have been next, like dessert (which they often lose because of these situations). But as a father, I know how important for their personal development it is that they fix the problem.
Many times in the Bible we are reminded that our life with Jesus is not a “one and done” situation. We don’t ask Jesus to be our savior, and then everything is perfect. Our spiritual lives require discipline, much like an athlete trying to get to the olympics. To the Corinthians, Paul writes as if he is giving a half time pep-talk to a losing team, “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27) Later on in Hebrews, we are told to lay down the sin that keeps us from moving forward (12:1).
Moving forward, and growing in our faith, takes a conscious effort to shut off the things of this world that don’t matter, and reach out for the things that are the building blocks.
Life Application
Jesus, help me to remain humble today and everyday after. Help me to gain perspective on what truly matters. I don’t want to let my pride stand between knowing you more. I also don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to serve another because I have a desire for a material thing, like a new car. Help me to have the discipline to get up everyday and seek you first.
-Tyler Galloway