Philippians___1

Scripture  Philippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Observation-What does it say?  Paul is writing to the church in Philippi and verses 19-30 “speaks of Paul’s hope of being released from house arrest.” (bibleref.com) Understanding-What does it mean?  Paul reminded the believers in Philippi that whatever situation they were placed in, their life must be conducted in “a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Life Application  God will hold us accountable to how we respond in not just ideal situations, but also difficult ones. Paul was one of the greatest apostles who also wrote a majority of the New Testament. However, he seemed to always be imprisoned for his faith. Regardless of his circumstances, he continued to find ways to not only be joyful, but stay on mission for Jesus Christ, even though in jail or house arrest. Does this sound familiar? What are you doing to continue to be on mission for Jesus Christ even through quarantine? As the Apostle Paul’s life proves, there’s still a way to be on mission for Jesus Christ, even in lockdown quarantine. Dear Lord, please reveal to us creative ways to continue to live a life worthy of our calling and mission to multiply Christ followers everywhere. Amen. -Michelle Gaddi

Luke 24

Scripture  Luke 24:38-40  And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”  And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. Observation-What does it say?   When Jesus was crucified, the apostles and disciples were left with a feeling of loss, not only because their friend was gone, but also because they felt they had lost their hope of a savior of Israel.  Within a short period of time, Jesus had told the apostles, very clearly, he would be taken and crucified. He explained it was necessary for Him to suffer in order to fulfill the prophecies about him.  Yet, they were left with a feeling of despair when it all happened.  In a bit of irony, He shows himself to them without revealing who he was.  In doing this, he draws out of them their testimony and then he gives them the final piece of the puzzle, His resurrection. Understanding-What does it mean?  Some of my favorite movies to fall asleep to are The Lord of The Rings.  I mean, I seriously love these movies, but without fail I will fall asleep about one quarter of the way through the movie.  One cause of this, is the fact that my kids are too young to watch these.  Therefore, we have a tendency to start them late in the evening.  Since I have a tendency to live as if I were already taking advantage of the 55+ discount, I am usually ready for bed by about nine pm.  So starting a three hour movie at 8:30 never goes well. Of the movies, the second, ‘The Two Towers,’ is my favorite.  I would argue that it has the best battle scenes of any movie, ever.  In one of the most pivotal moments in the movie, the Battle of Helm's Deep,  it appears as all hope is lost and the protagonists have their back against a wall, literally and metaphorically.  As the hero, Aragon, appears to be riding out to his death in a blaze of glory, in comes help from Gandalf the wizard, who had previously told him he would be there.  In the movie, you can see the expression of relief and the amazement that help was actually there. Several times in scripture God gives us similar cliffhangers, like when the priests carried the Ark into the Jordan while it was flooding (Joshua 3), or when Jonah demands to be thrown in the sea, or when Jesus allows Lazarus to hang out in a tomb for three days before raising him from the dead (John 11).  But his death and resurrection is the ultimate cliffhanger.  While all of his closest companions are dumbfounded, Jesus comes almost satirically, “Hey guys, what happened, why are you so sad?” Right now, it feels like we are in a bit of a cliffhanger moment.  What’s going to happen with church, with my job, with the economy and our freedoms?  More importantly, when will I be able to park at the beach?  But God knows what is next, He told us He wins and what happens at the end.  But he asks us to trust Him in the in between.
Life Application:  Jesus, I will lean on You and Your wisdom.  I will cling to You for my peace and my comfort, for you are my strength and my refuge (Psalm 46).

 

-Tyler Galloway

Isaiah_60

Scripture - What stood out?Isaiah 60:1-31 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.2 See, darkness covers the earth    and thick darkness is over the peoples,but the Lord rises upon you    and his glory appears over you.3 Nations will come to your light,

    and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Observation - What does it say?The title to this chapter in NIV reads “The Glory of Zion”. The prophet Isaiah speaks to God’s future blessing and provision over Zion. The words seem to pertain to the people of Israel, the future king Jesus Christ who descended from the line of David, but I believe that this is a word that is for all of us who trust and believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   Understanding - What does it mean?I have never felt so confused in a very long time. With media, scientists, doctors, politicians, and religious figures all at odds over how to best respond to covid-19, I officially feel like there is a darkness that has covered the land. Maybe if you have lived longer than the 40 years I have perhaps you can remember a time when darkness covered the land much like I feel it does now.However…I believe that God is telling his people “Arise, shine, for your light has come…”“...the Glory of the Lord rises upon you.”And “Nations will come to your light.” Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Arise.

Do you have the Love of Christ in you? Shine.

The glory of the Lord rises with you.There are people living in darkness who need that light.

Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?Thank you Father for rising with me. Help me to share the light of Christ in everything that I do, from the mundane to the spectacular. Help me to be your light when times are dark. Help me to rise. Help me to shine. In the name of Jesus, amen. -kenneth lee