James _1

Scripture - What stood out?

James 1: 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Observation - What does it say?James, the brother of Jesus, writes this letter to the twelve tribes of Israel scattered throughout the known world at the time.  Understanding - What does it mean?I have been having such intense dreams lately. This morning I woke up and it is so rare for me to remember my dreams but this one stood out to me. My house had been broken into by another family, a man with a gun, his wife, and a small child. Aware of that fact I quietly armed myself, the gentleman made eye contact with me, flashed his firearm to me as I maintained eye contact and flashed my weapon to him. At a veritable stalemate suddenly he pointed his weapon on himself.  When I was younger I was slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry. Walking with God over the years I am much improved. In my dreams anyway! Verse 20 and verse 21 stood out to me because of what happened next in my dream. I began speaking to the young man who was still pointing the gun at himself and encouraging him that our meeting was not by chance. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t spit out what I really wanted to say. “God loves you! Repent! Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior!” I have reached that stage where I am actively trying to rid myself of evil, I try my best to humbly accept the word planted in me, and I believe that I am saved.  Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today? God I think about the peace, the warmth, the release, the love that flooded into me the day I accepted you as my Lord and Savior. I accept you, I accept your life giving words and I pray that they continue to take deep root and grow inside me. But I think about that young man in my dreams and my prayer is that you would give me courage to boldly proclaim and plant Your words of life in him, if ever given the chance to. In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen. -kenneth lee 

Psalm 57

Sc‭‭ripture

 

Psalm ‭57:7‬ ‭

 

“My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!”

 

Observation-What does it say?

 

It’s hard to imagine, but David is writing this psalm in a cave, hiding from Saul and his men, and fleeing for his life! As David’s enemies are closing in on him, David finds comfort knowing that the God of the universe is on his side AND HIS GOD IS MIGHTY!!! So while most would cower, blame God, or turn their backs to Him, David worships Him and sings His praise.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

Life’s storms wearing you down? Lean on God!

 

It could have been so easy for David to point the finger at God, turn His back away from Him, or even just plainly give up in life. I think many of us would under his circumstances. But instead of David having a self-pity attitude, David focuses his thoughts on God. By doing so, his heart begins to shift from being worried and scared, to one of confidence and strength. Because David knows his life is in God’s hands, and there is NOTHING in this world that God cannot handle!

 

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”-‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32:27‬ ‭

 

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”-Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭

 

Life Application

 

Rely on God for everything!

 

What a great reminder for me through this time! I guess you can say it’s a system reboot. But, it’s a great way to deepen my relationship with God and build that type of relationship that David had with Him. To be just as confident in God as David was, knowing no matter what life throws at me, my God will get me through it! Let’s see what God can do not only in our lives, but in our church, city, and nation as we seek Him earnestly!

 

-Moses Gaddi

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Hebrews__12

Scripture

 

Hebrews‬ ‭12:4-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

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Observation-What does it say?

 

The author speaks about perseverance of faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus so that we don’t grow weary and lose heart and the importance of discipline from our Heavenly Father.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

Loving discipline doesn’t destroy. It builds up.

 

Perseverance in faith comes through fixing our eyes on Jesus and also training. Part of that training comes in the form of discipline to build our faith and trust in the One who loves us with an everlasting love.

 

Life Application

 

Love is not only in the form of grace. It is also in the form of discipline.

 

I’m sure all of us have heard the quote, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

I like verse 4 that says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.” Obviously, that verse is talking about Jesus and being encouraged to persevere because Jesus had to endure so much more for us.

 

I went through a period of my faith where I can confidently say I was undergoing discipline from my Heavenly Father as a result of rebellion. It was so hard, that the sin wasn’t even worth the the cost and the consequences of that rebellion. God was teaching me a lesson. Even though I felt He was really hard on me, I was comforted by the Holy Spirit telling me that God loves me so much and that’s why He’s disciplining me this way. I am His beloved child. He had/has plans for my life that will be hindered if I continue in the path of rebellion.

 

Anyhow, the discipline didn’t pull me away from the Lord. It actually trained me, strengthened my faith and deepened my relationship with Jesus. I learned from it. It’s because of how lovingly He did it. He was with me through it all and I never doubted His love for me.

 

Let’s talk about it in terms of working out. When we are at the gym getting stronger, it hurts at first because we are not used to the discipline and new pressure being put on our bodies and muscles to grow it. BUT, the weights start getting lighter and we are able to lift more because we’ve embraced the pain for a short while and our muscles have developed what they call “muscle memory” to it.

 

If you are currently undergoing discipline from our Heavenly Father, usually in the form of consequences from sin and also testing of character, embrace it! God loves you. If you are a parent or a teacher or responsible for another human being in another form, I don’t have to explain this further. We want the best for our kids and that’s why we discipline them in love.

I’d rather be disciplined by my Heavenly Father than neglected by Him.

 

Thank You Lord that You love us so much that You don’t neglect us and throw us away when we rebel or sin against You. Thank You that You care so much about us that You stay involved as a loving parent. It hurts when we undergo discipline and even testing of character, but I know the end results will “produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” as Your Word says. It also produces deeper trust in You as our Heavenly Father. I Love You Jesus. Thank You loving me first though. Amen.

 

-Michelle Gaddi