Psalm 33

Scripture - What stood out?Psalm 3316 The king is not saved by his great army;    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

    and by its great might it cannot rescue. Observation - What does it say?Psalm 33 is another beautiful and moving psalm describing God with glory and praise and culminating with belief that the only hope we truly have is in God’s steadfast love. Understanding - What does it mean?I decided to research the word steadfast and some of the synonyms I came up with were firm, and immovable. I ended up getting sucked into a mini hebrew study session while journaling but it was totally worth it. I chewed on what I felt was the main dish of this psalm in verse 18, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,...” I found that in different translations steadfast love was translated into faithfulness, lovingkindness, and mercy among others. Reading about the hebrew root word checed just blew my mind a little bit further. Wikipedia described chesed as the love or mercy of God towards humanity. And chesed’s root chasad had a primary meaning of eager or ardent desire. Wow! So how did this adventure all start? I read about a warhorse, I immediately pictured this amazing beast capable of destruction, maybe an armored humvee in today’s world, but the bible was telling me that none of this stuff can actually save you! And so I had to ask myself what am I surrounding myself with in the hopes that it will protect me? And from what? God’s love is what saves. And God’s love is towards...us. For us. His love is firm, it doesn’t move. His love for us filled with mercy, eagerness and ardent desire. His love for us is true hope for salvation. Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?And so this morning Lord I don’t want to put my faith in my warhorse, my strength, or my nation’s might. Help me to see what I have been depending on for way to long to rescue me and help me to instead trade it in for your steadfast love, a hope that saves.

In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen. -kenneth lee

Romans____10

Scripture

Romans 10:3-4

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Observation-What does it say? 

In this chapter, Paul continues to desire the salvation of the Jews, who still try to gain salvation through their own righteousness instead of the righteousness of Christ.

Understanding-What does it mean?  

We do not work for our salvation. We cannot establish our own righteousness. Our works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10) apart from the righteousness of Christ.

Paul continues to have a burdened heart for the people of Israel because they worked for God instead of accepting the work that Christ had already finished for them on the cross. 
They based righteousness on how well they were able to keep the law, instead of believing, confessing and submitting to the righteousness of Christ as Lord.  

Life Application

Let's stay committed to praying for the lost to come to Christ like Paul did. In verse 1, Paul states that his heart's desire AND prayer for the Israelites is that they be saved. 

Let's stay committed to praying for the people on our PII list and be intentional about investing in their lives, inviting them into relationship with Christ and inviting them to church. (Note: PII stands for Prayer, Invest and Invite and is a list of people who have not yet accepted Jesus’ invitation for salvation.)

Dear Lord, there are so many people on earth who are still dead in their sins. Even people who call themselves a "good person" are not good apart from Your righteousness. I pray that You would give us Your heart for the lost and we would be so burdened as Paul was to pray that the lost are saved. 

- Michelle Gaddi

Psalm__31

Scripture

Psalm 31:24

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!”

Observation-What does it say?

David was under constant distress. His enemies from all over were plotting his death. False rumors were being spread about him everywhere. Even his friends are giving him the cold shoulder and ignoring him. They fear to be around him, almost like they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire, while his enemies were plotting to take his life. But David had one constant in his life-his faith and trust in God.

Understanding-What does it mean?

God never fails. 

In the final sentence of this Psalm, David encourages all who put their faith and trust in God, to “be strong and courageous”. You see, although David is considered to be a man after God’s own heart, that didn’t exclude him from life’s troubles. On the contrary, he seemed to always have opposition in his life. David had enemies who wanted him dead, he had neighbors who despised him, he had false rumors spread about him, and he had friends who left him. It was his trust in God that gave him the strength and courage to get through no matter what was sent his way.

There are multiple times in the Bible where the phrase “be strong and courageous” appears. I believe it serves as a great reminder for us that there is no problem out there too big or small that God cannot handle. When it seems like the odds are stacked against us, there is One who is always with us. God is at His strongest when we are at our weakest. The question is are we willing to fully commit our faith and trust in Him? David did, and God fought his battles for him...and we all know that God is undefeatable!

So when life’s storms hit you, (and they will), when you’re feeling beaten and overwhelmed, remember to take heed to God’s word, “be strong and courageous”! Remember who is truly fighting those battles for you. Fully commit and trust in God the way David did, then see what miracles God can do in your life.

Life Application

What does being strong and courageous look like today?

We may be facing financial struggles, health issues, relationship problems, or even facing a crossroad in our faith. I want to encourage you to take heed on those words and biblical principles of being strong and courageous. Like I said earlier, the Bible mentions this phrase multiple times, and I don’t think it’s by accident either! I believe it’s of great importance to listen to those words. Why else would the Bible mention it so many times?!

In 2 Timothy 1:7 it mentions that God didn’t give us the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline. God gave us His Holy Spirit to live in us. A Spirit filled with power! What should we fear then if He is with us, and He is on our side?

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”-Philippians 4:13 

So why not be strong and courageous in whatever circumstances we face? The God of the universe has our back, and He is STILL undefeated and is STILL our reigning Champion!  

-Moses Gaddi