Daniel_4

Scripture‭‭

Daniel‬ ‭4:30

 

“As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’”

‬ ‭

Observation-What does it say?

 

King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that frightens him. He has Daniel interpret the dream for him. Daniel is initially frightened upon hearing the king’s dream. He tells the king that the dream shows the king being driven away from human society, that he will be living in the fields with wild animals, he will be eating grass like a cow, and being drenched by the dew of heaven. Daniel tells the king this will happen to show him that God is the One who rules over all the kingdoms of the world and God chooses who to put in power. Daniel then advises the king to stop sinning and do what is right. Maybe this way the king would be able to still prosper. But, I don’t think the king listened because 12 months later, this dream came into fruition.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

Pride comes before the fall.

 

“Pride is the first step toward destruction. Proud thoughts will lead you to defeat.” -Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬ ‭

 

We all heard that saying and we have all seen it come to fruition too. Whether it was King Nebuchadnezzar thinking it was his mighty power that built the great city of Babylon, or John Lennon saying The Beatles are more famous than Jesus Christ, or Muhammad Ali boasting that he is the greatest, or even the engineers who constructed the Titanic, claiming that their ship was unsinkable...we all know the outcome for each of their stories. Each person that I mentioned above, had a moment in their life where they became prideful. They forgot who was truly the One behind all their success. They forgot who was the One who blessed them with all their talents, drive, and determination. They forgot who was truly the Lord of the most high. And it was at that moment when they forgot and chose to believe it was from their own doing that got them their success, that (in a snap of a finger)!..it was taken away from them!

 

“In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”-‭‭Psalms‬ ‭10:4‬ ‭

 

“This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.”-‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭9:23

 

Life Application

Everything that I have is for God to keep and use for His glory.

 

Whether it’s my talents, time, and even my finances, it all belongs and comes from God. It’s a mindset that I like to have and pray that everyone can have. Because once you realize that, it helps put things into place. I am a servant of God. I was bought at a price. My life is not my own, but for His glory and honor.

 

Thank You Jesus for all You have given and done for me. Thank you for the abundance of blessings in my life. I’m truly humbled that You choose to partner with me, an imperfect man, to carry out Your mission. May I continue to be a good steward of all the many blessings You’ve given me to bring glory and honor to Your name. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

 

-Moses Gaddi

 

Matthew__5

Scripture 

Matthew 5:21-22 -"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘ Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Matthew 5:23-24-““Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Observation-What does it say?

This chapter is Jesus' sermon on the mount. It is a sermon that Jesus preached to His disciples, covering various topics that is still applicable to Christian disciples today. Based on Matthew Henry bible commentary, "It is the longest and fullest continued discourse of our Saviour that we have upon record in all the gospels."

Understanding-What does it mean?

The highest form of worship is loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is worship that is acceptable to God.

Here are a few Bible verses and quotes from several commentaries that I did research in. 

"Forgiveness and reconciliation is the highest form of worship on earth." (The Geneva study bible)

"Reconciliation takes precedence of all other duties, even of offerings made to God.....The lesson teaches us to be reconciled with all who bear grudges against us, and says nothing as to whether their reasons are sufficient or insufficient, just or unjust." (McGarvey and Pendleton)

"This shows that one guilty of wrongs to his fellow-man cannot offer acceptable worship of God. (B.W. Johnson's Bible commentary)

"We ought carefully to preserve Christian love and peace with all our brethren; and if at any time there is a quarrel, we should confess our fault, humble ourselves to our brother, making or offering satisfaction for wrong done in word or deed: and we should do this quickly; because, till this is done, we are unfit for communion with God in holy ordinances. And when we are preparing for any religious exercises, it is good for us to make that an occasion of serious reflection and self-examination." (Matthew Henry's concise commentary)

A gift or a prayer does not substitute for love. "For neither thy gift nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love: but this will make them both an abomination before God."-(Wesley's Explanatory notes)

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 NIV

““But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”Luke 6:27-28 NIV

““If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” Luke 6:32-33 NIV

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:18-19 

Life Application

God is a God of love, relationships and reconciliation. We cannot claim to love God, yet hate a brother or a sister in Christ. God wants us to forgive our brothers and sisters from our heart or else He will treat us the way the Unmerciful servant was treated in Matthew 18:21-35. 

“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” 1 John 4:19-21 NIV

This is one of the, if not the longest Soul Journal I've written as an opening post because I believe it is important to God's heart. I grew up in church and I've seen way too many times people look for another church or leave church altogether because they say they love Jesus, but they don't love His people. They don't love His bride. Scripture specifically states that that thinking is wrong!! We must love, reconcile and forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts. When you forgive someone from your heart, you forego getting even with them, even in a passive way. Passive ways of getting even are gossip, slander and leaving the relationship/church family without first trying to work it out. We cannot say we love God, yet be bitter and unforgiving towards a brother or sister in Christ. Jesus says being angry with a brother/sister is the same as committing murder.

In Scripture, Jesus goes as far as saying to leave our gift at the altar. When I personalize it, He's basically telling me not to do ministry until my relationship with my brother/sister is reconciled, especially if I was the one in the wrong. If I don't do it, that gift is unacceptable to God. Sounds harsh, but then again, the God we serve is a God is love and relationship and relationships are more important than how heartfelt it is when I pray, encourage, sing, play piano, lead worship, write a SJ, tithe, administrate or teach for Him. I must love Jesus and people first before the music or gifts I want to offer Him. 

Dear Lord, You know my life and my heart and some of the ways You've had to personally walk me through this. I've had to put aside my gifts so that I could reconcile with my brother and sister because of miscommunication, misunderstanding, or hurt/anger that we had to work through. I desire to worship You and prove my love for You not just through song, but also through loving and submitting to my spouse, my children, and loving my brothers and sisters in You. I desire worship that is acceptable to You. Amen. 

-Michelle Gaddi

Matthew___4

Scripture

Matthew 4:19-20

““Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.”

‭‭Observation-What does it say?

Jesus began recruiting his first disciples. As he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew. They were fishermen and they were casting out their nets into the lake when Jesus approached them and asked them both if they would follow him so that he can make them fishers of men. How did the brothers respond?..They dropped everything immediately and began to follow Jesus.

Understanding-What does it mean?

To truly follow Jesus means we have to trust Him, leave our old mindset behind, and be willing to get out of our comfort zone.

It must have taken a lot of faith and trust in Peter, Andrew, James, and John to drop everything they knew in life, leave their families behind, and go onwards in following this man named Jesus. They were fishermen after all, and fishing is all they knew. Was Jesus that great of a "salesman" to sell them on this new life of fishing after men? Were they all just sick and tired of living the lower lifestyle of a fisherman, that they yearned for so much more in life, and believed this was their shot at it? Either way, these men all took a GIANT leap of faith when they decided to go ahead and follow Jesus. Just imagine being well crafted at a particular skill, a skill that has helped you make a living, and leaving not only that behind, but leaving your own personal "safety nets", your family, behind as well?! Now if you were to fail at this, who will be there to help support you?! These men literally put their lives Jesus' hands. They trusted Jesus to provide for them and help show them the way to something much bigger in life. Even if it meant learning something new and stepping out of their comfort zones, they were all willing to make that sacrifice. These men all knew that there was more to life and that they were going to be serving a bigger purpose. These men's lives were forever changed because of it, and their stories will be shared for generations to come!

Life Application

When Jesus calls us in situations where we may feel overwhelmed or inadequate, that's exactly where He wants us! So we can fully rely on Him!

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

-Moses Gaddi