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_79
Psalm 79:8-9 & 13 Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us;Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake...So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise. Observation-What does it say? “Asaph is featured prominently in Chronicles. He is described as the chief of the Levites appointed to minister before the ark of the Lord, and he and his brothers are appointed to sing the songs of thanksgiving to the Lord (1Chr 16:4-7)” (bibleodyssey.org). This psalm dates to the time of Israel’s exile and the captivity of Judah by Babylon (near 600 BC). It is a prayer for the forgiveness of Israel and for God’s judgement on their neighboring countries who have dealt harshly with them. Israel suffered exile because of the continued sins over generations. Asaph prays for God’s people to be brought near to His glory, so His great name will go forth for generations to come. Understanding-What does it mean? Not that long ago, I found a piece of my sports equipment broken and hiding in our backyard (it was so important to me that I don’t even remember what it was). I had a sneaking suspicion that one of my boys had used it and accidentally broken it. But, instead of coming clean about the issue, they tried to hide it and act as if it hadn’t happened. While normally I could go a little off the deep end about these types of incidents, I was able to gather myself this time and ask what happened calmly. A little to my surprise, it wasn’t a straight disaster when the item broke. The boys had a minor problem and tried to fix it, which unfortunately made the problem irreparable. Embarrassed, they put the item somewhere that they thought I wouldn’t see it.Sometimes, we act the same way with our sins. God gives us directions on how to live, but then we try to shortcut those plans or act as though we can do it better. In our pride, when we totally fail we try to hide it, usually with another bad decision. In time, we have walked so far from what God intended for us and are paying the price for it. These are the times when we need to come to God with humility and cry out, “Draw me back to you.” We, like Paul, are often at odds with our own body. “ I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members”(Romans 7:21-23). In these times, we must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit. Life Application “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32) Through God, we are more than conquerors. In him we will not only move past our sin, but we will also overcome death and be wrapped up in His glory for all time, “for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”(Acts 17:28). God help me to rely on this fully everyday and live as your child, not as a slave to sin.
-Tyler Galloway
Mark 12
Scripture
Mark 12:41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Observation-What does it say?
Jesus highlights the poor widow’s offering to all the other offerings. Although the amount wasn’t as much as the rich people were putting in, He honored her gift above the other offerings because in faith, she gave everything she had.
Understanding-What does it mean?
It is not about the amount we have to offer. It is about the heart behind what we are offering.
God doesn’t judge the outward appearance, He judges the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
The poor widow in Scripture gave in faith, while the rich gave what they were comfortable with or felt safe with. The poor widow who gave in faith is who Jesus pointed out, not the rich, who probably just gave what they could spare.
Life Application
Do not compare the gifts we are able to offer to the Lord with the gifts our neighbor is offering to the Lord. Instead, offer up what He has given us in faith.
The parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 is a great example of this. What I love about that story is that “talents” does not only have to relate to money, but to time, gifts, talents, and abilities as well. God wants us to invest our “talents” for the Kingdom and although each person in the parable were given different amounts of talents, they were judged based on what they did with them. The Master was pleased with the servants who invested the talents He gave them, but was displeased with the servant who hid his out of fear.
Dear Lord, Your Word says that without faith, it is impossible to please You. I pray that we would live our lives in faith and give of our time, money, ability and talents, investing it in the Kingdom and not bury it in the ground until You return. You have called us to be Your lights in this darkened world and not to hide (Matt. 5:14-16). I pray against pride, fear, complacency and idleness that cause us to want to live life in safety and for ourselves. May You replace that with faith in You and a faith that moves us to action to serve You and others. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi