Psalm___51

Scripture

Psalm 51:17 NIV

 

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

 

Observation-What does it say?

Psalm 51 is a very powerful one, as King David wrote it after being confronted by the prophet Nathan for committing adultery with Bathsheba. Please read 2 Samuel 12:1-13 for the full exchange between those two men. It basically led to David being convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent and Nathan assuring David that his sin had been put away. He will not die.

Understanding-What does it mean?

Do our mistakes lead us to Godly sorrow or worldly sorrow?

Godly sorrow leads us to repentance, true inward change of the heart. Worldly sorrow is sorrow that doesn’t lead to inward heart change because it is a momentary sorrow. It is typically a result of getting caught and not wanting to deal with the consequences of our sin. 

King David’s Psalm demonstrates true godly sorrow and repentance from his heart. Also, the consequences of his sin led to him to draw closer to the Lord, not further away. 

Life Application

Repent and be healed! Move on!  Go and sin no more, just like Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery. (John 8:1-11)

As Bible.org states, “The tragic death of David’s son is a consequence of David's sin, but it is NOT the penalty David deserves for his sin.”

There are consequences to sin. David and Bathsheba suffered the consequence of their sin, which was that they lost their son conceived as a result of their affair. However, King David’s response to that was quite humble. (Please see 2 Samuel 12:14-21).

Too many of us, after suffering the consequences of our sin, don’t move on. Consequences are meant to teach us, just like a parent who disciplines their child. However, it should train us to be stronger and better, not continue in the same unhealthy sinful cycle. David had his son by Bathsheba taken away as a consequence of his sin. Did he keep mourning after that? No. He moved on. 

Jesus came, died and resurrected to set us free from the guilt of our past. Let’s truly live that out! The enemy no longer has a hold on us and his lies no longer have to keep us in bondage. We are conquerors because of Jesus, who is the reason why we no longer have to live defeated, but live grateful and victorious everyday! 

Thank You Jesus for You, the most precious gift we could ever ask for. Amen! 

-Michelle Gaddi

Hebrews__6

Scripture

 

Hebrews 6:12

 

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

 

Observation-What does it say?

 

The writer of Hebrews had observed those who came before him and what they did to inherit what God had promised them, and he encourages his readers to imitate their example. 

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

We inherit what God has promised, specifically speaking of the promise of salvation, through faith and patience.

 

What I find interesting is that the posture of faith and patience is contrasted with laziness. Our faith and patience must be active, not passive sitting around waiting to die or for Jesus to come again. He explains what this active faith and patience looks like a few verses prior:

Hebrews 6:10-God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

 

If we want to inherit what God has promised, we must be faithful to work, to demonstrate our love for God by helping other believers. And not just having stories of helping them in the past, but continuing to help them until the very end. 

 

Life Application 

 

Consider how I can demonstrate my love for God today by helping others. 

 

God, I long to inherit all you have promised me. I don’t want to forfeit it because I become lazy or self focused. By your grace, give me strength to endure and fill my heart with your love. May I never settle where I am but continually pursue you for more! Amen.

 

-Levi Thompson

Hebrews___5

Scripture  Hebrews 5:12-14  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.  But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Observation-What does it say?  In the beginning part of this chapter, the author is highlighting Jesus’ role as our great high priest.  Through Jesus, and his sacrifice on the cross, our debt for sin has been paid.  He fulfilled the old testament law requirements of sacrifice for sins, once and for all.  He is the perfect high priest appointed for God as mediator for all time.  It is through Jesus we have our freedom from the law. At the end of the chapter and into the next, the author shows some frustration for the immaturity of his audience.  They have gotten stuck in a rut, which isn’t only hindering their growth, but also puts them in danger of falling away from the faith altogether.  A remedy to this is discipline in searching and studying God’s word. Understanding-What does it mean?  My commute to work is just a little bit under an hour.  Having this much time can feel like a bit of a waste, so I like to listen to educational based podcasts, so I feel like I am making good use of the two hours a day.  I recently started listening to a podcast by a former Navy SEAL.  One of his catch phrases is, “Discipline equals freedom.”  It seems contradictory, as the idea of discipline evokes the thought of being restricted to something.  Almost as though you have a ball-and-chain stuck to your ankle.  But, he points out the fact that pushing through times of adversity, becoming a master of our circumstances, allows us to become stronger versions of ourselves.  Discipline involves having a clear goal as to where you are going.     Athletes attempting to qualify for the Olympics have a clear sight on their goal.  Despite going through days where they don’t feel the desire to work out, they discipline themselves to their cause.  Paul gives us a similar charge.  Having our sights set clearly on spending eternity with Jesus, he encourages us to have discipline in our spiritual walk.  To the Corinthian church he writes “24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I [l]discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Life Application:  Jesus, in this world of instant gratification and convenience, help me to search daily for the narrow road.  Help me to dig down into the trenches of this spiritual warfare we live in.  Help me to hold the line.  When I have run my race and reached the finish line, I not only want to hear you say well done, but I also want to know that I helped bring my Christian family through this warfare as well.  

 

-Tyler Galloway