Matthew____28

Scripture

Matthew 28: 18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority on heaven and on earth have been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Observation

After Jesus rose from the grave and made Himself known to Bis disciples and close follower He assigns them a very important mission. Jesus’ last commands to His followers are these verses above, we know them today has the Great Command or the Great Commission. He seems to save His very most command or mission for last, as after this He ascends into heaven.

 

Understanding

I know it has been a while since we’ve been in the actual building of church, but let me put a little throwback in here. When I was first old enough to go to “adult church” (I was like 12 or 13) I remember at the end of each sermon we would have to get up and recite the Great Commission verses. These verses became engrained in my head, and my heart for that matter. Here’s the deal, not only were they important to us (as they are church’s foundational verses, other than Isaiah 43:19), but they obviously are very important to Jesus and His followers! If we break these verses down, here’s what we can glean:

“Therefore go…”: this is a command! Meaning it is not optional or if you feel like it. Being a follower of Christ is not a sideline sport, we are called to go and minister to others. This doesn’t have to be an extravagant mission trip either, we can start in our own family, workplace, grocery store, gym, etc. The main objective is to GO, and not keep the Good News to ourself.

“Make disciples… teaching them to obey…”: Making disciples doesn’t mean you have a bunch of groupies following you around like Jesus did. Making disciples is as sharing the Good News and then keeping that person accountable in their walk with God. Now obviously everyone’s journey is different and discipling someone also requires teaching them the foundation of what Jesus laid out for u sin HIs life. The great part about teaching is that you learn along the way too (I think that part is pretty great)!

“And surely I am with you always…”: Now all of this seems pretty daunting, but Jesus reminds us that we are never forsaken. He is always with us, that’s right always! Even when we don’t see or understand the will of God, He works it together for those who trust Him and obey His commands. And this command in the verses above are pretty important.

 

Life Application

Another throwback from church in a building was P.I.I. cards. The acronym was as follows: Pray, Invest, Invite. The goal was to have a list of about three people that we were continually praying for, and investing in little ways. Then when the opportunity came we would invite them to church. I think the P.I.I. cards and the Great Commission work in tandem together. So take some time to revisit or create your own P.I.I. card if you forgot or haven’t already. Jesus gave us an important mission and I don’t want to let Him down.

-Allison Khan

Psalm_16

Scripture

Psalms 16:1-2, 7-8 NIV

“Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Observation-What does it say?

This Psalm was written by King David and my Bible says it is a miktam, which defined is “a literary or musical term,” so basically, this is one of his poems or songs.

Understanding-What does it mean?

Take refuge in the Lord.

I love King David’s humble heart. He acknowledges that apart from God, He has “no good thing.” He receives His counsel from God, keeps His eyes on Him and continues to be stable and secure regardless of what is going on around him, because the Lord is on His side.

Life Application

We are called to pray for our leaders and government, but they were never meant to replace our faith and security in the Lord. The only “savior” of the people is our One True Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Just like King David says in this Psalm, let us keep our eyes ALWAYS on the Lord. If we keep our eyes on Him, no matter what is going on around us or what unlikely circumstances we find ourselves in, we will continue to remain stable and secure, unable to be shaken. Thank you Lord!

-Michelle Gaddi

Psalm 15

Scripture 

Psalm 15:1 

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?  Who may live on your holy mountain?”

Observation-What does it say?

King David writes this Psalm and lists the characteristics of people who can dwell in God’s sacred tent and holy mountain.

Understanding-What does it mean?

God is concerned with our character, more than He is with our outward appearance.

If you look at the list in this Psalm (blameless, righteous, truthful, not slanderous, no wrong done to a neighbor, honors and fears the Lord, keeps oath even when it hurts, lends money to poor, etc.), there is nothing in this list that talks about outward appearance such as how beautiful/handsome someone is, what type of clothes are worn, the amount of money they make, education, how big their house is, type of car they drive, their profession, how many followers they have on social media, etc. It all has to do with the person’s character and integrity.

It is fitting that King David wrote this Psalm because God didn’t chose him based on his outward appearance either. For those who don’t know King David’s story, he was the youngest son tending sheep, while his older brothers “looked” more qualified than he did to be king. However, God still chose David because of his heart, not outward appearance.  This is what the Lord told Samuel (who was sent to anoint David as king):  

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

Life Application

Invest time in being a person of Godly character and integrity and be willing to go through trials with the Lord, which is how character is refined. (James 1)

Instead of trying to impress and prove ourselves to the world and people who don’t really truly care about us, why don’t we live our lives trying to impress the One who truly matters? The One who will always be there even if everything was taken away. The One who holds eternity in His hands and not only sees, rewards and will judge things done in public, but things done in private as well. 

-Michelle Gaddi