Psalm 48

Scripture:  Psalm 48:9  Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.

Observation-What does it say?  The author of this Psalm is not known, nor is there an exact date or event to attribute it to.  However, according to Charles Spurgeon, it might be attributed to the overthrow of Moab, Edom, and Ammon, during the reign of Jehoshaphat (see 2 Chronicles 20).  This Psalm can be divided into three parts: Verses 1-3, a general praise of the Lord and His city; verses 4-8, a record of the confusion of Israel’s enemies attributed to God; verses 9-11, an invitation for God to reign over Israel forever. 

Spurgeon continues on in his commentary, addressing some of the intricacies of verse nine, pointing out the importance of mediating on God’s goodness.  If we allow ourselves, we could easily fall into the mundane routine of everyday life: wake up, go to work, eat dinner, go to sleep and repeat.  But when we take time to remember the good things God has provided for us, we find strength in times of trials.  Furthermore, when we meet together as a group of fellow believers, we act as a living temple.  And we, as living stones, have the ability to strengthen each other through sharing God’s goodness when we are together.

Understanding-What does it mean?  The other night I was scrolling through the pictures on my phone, trying to erase anything that was unnecessary because I refuse to pay for extra space in “the cloud.”  This is a process that always takes a little longer than I expect.  Inevitably, I end up showing my wife old pictures of our boys, her grandmother, family parties, vacations.  Reminiscing about the good times, often makes the struggles we have gone through seem much smaller.   

The holidays are going to be here before we know it and the same thing will happen.  We will get together with our families for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, catch up on life, remember the past and celebrate the things to come.  It’s through these times of fellowship that our family bond grows stronger.

In the family of God, we are called to do something similar.  Hebrews 10:23-25 reads, “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  We can take the opportunity to gather together, remember the hard times that God has brought us through, the goodness that he continually bestows upon us, and the future glory we will see through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Life Application:  Jesus, remind me to be grateful, to gather and to worship.  I cannot share your goodness, unless I am willing to share my life and open my home.  Bless our home, and help us to be a place of safety and fellowship for others.  

-Tyler Galloway

2 Peter 1

Scripture 2 Peter 1:8-9  8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.ObservationThe Apostle Peter a servant of God continues to encourage movement and growth to those who have been converted. 2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.Understanding Do not be nearsighted. 2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.Look past what we see in the flesh. Look past what we see in our present. Look past what we see in our current trials, not to dismiss or deny what is before us but to look to the Glory that awaits us, to see the victory that has already been won!Remember what we lost! Sin, our old nature, fear, condemnation... We have been set free! Application Keep Moving Forward. We are not bound by our past. He has given the tools to be transformed into his nature. Everyday we can apply what He has instructed for us.Add to your faith goodness; To goodness, knowledge; To knowledge, self-control;To self-control, perseverance; To perseverance, godliness; To godliness, mutual affection; To mutual affection, LOVE.Holy Spirit, empower us to Keep Moving Forward in our faith. To move from our past, to walk away from the chains that bound us. Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see what is in the Spirit, the true reality, victory! Empower us to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ! In Jesus Name, Amen!Deborah Lee

1 Peter_5

Scripture

1 Peter 5:5

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

 

Observation

Peter urges young generations to learn and listen their elders, and for everyone (young and experienced) to act with humility and grace when dealing with fellow believers. He even argues that the success of “the flock” or the church is contingent on connection and accountability with each other; as he follows up these verses with a warning against the enemy.

 

Understanding

God does not abide by generational boundaries.

True confession: I get upset whenever I hear the words “well your generation…” Yes, I am aware my generation is lazy, I am aware my generation lacks the important skill of putting in hard work, I am aware of almost every little thing said about my generation. However, I think the thing that bothers me the most about this phrase is that I know everything said is true, and most things said are more times than not negative rather than positive. Yet, my generation does nothing with this information. Rather than changing our ways and proving otherwise, we get offended and post about it on social media as if that makes a difference.

To young generations now and to come, if the Bible is your standard listen to this truth: the elders placed in your life are there for a reason. They teach you everyday whether you are aware of it or not. Learn from them rather than opposing them. I have seen too many people around my age march around like they have all the knowledge and experience in the world that they miss an important lesson, that is tough to swallow, but necessary: submission. We are called to respond to the will of God, but if we can’t submit to God’s people than we will never be able to submit to God’s standards.

To more experienced generations now and to come: I apologize for any offense we young people may have caused, but can I ask for one thing of you? Patience. Rather than being quick to anger when a young person fails to understand or respond in a way of your liking, drown them with grace and humility. One more thing, thank you. Thank you for investing in young people, it doesn’t return void (even though it seems like sometimes it may).

Bottom line: God doesn’t care what generation you come from, what background you come, or where you think your going all He wants is your obedience through submission to one another.

 

Galatians 5:13 (ESV)

For you were called to freedom. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

 

Life Application

Humility is a timeless fashion.

It isn’t an accident that Peter follows up his sentence about submission with one of grace and humility. Humbleness should follow every Christ-follower wherever we go, it is ultimately what draws people to the Father. If you want to see favor in your life, be humble before the Lord. If you want to see lives transformed, be humble before the Lord. May we never forget our upbringing in Christ, but may we choose to submit to the One who designed it.

-Allison Khan