Matthew 16-12.8.21
Scripture
Matthew 16: 24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Observation
After declaring to His disciples that He is going to die, Jesus states that to be a true follower of Him one must deny themselves. In addition, in order to gain eternal life, the disciples first had to lose it in the physical world.
Understanding
I always read this passage and think that it sounds extremely confusing and self-explanatory at the same time. That in order to follow Jesus we must die to ourselves and listen to and obey His commands to us. Additionally, in order to gain eternal life in Heaven we have to deny it here on earth to a certain extent. These concepts are so easy to define, but so hard to live out. We live in a society that says that dying for someone is in many ways the most romantic thing you can do for someone. And while I think it is amazing to sacrifice for the ones you love, Jesus contends here that “dying for Him” isn’t what He fully wants. He wants us to live for Him. Meaning, no matter the cost we follow Him fully and that we sacrifice our desires for His instead.
The difference between dying for something and living for something is the amount of times that you do it. Think about it: on earth you can only die once, whereas when you live for something you live continually making the most of what you are given. I understand that some people quite literally die for Christ and I am not trying to detract from that, but taking up our cross is a task that is continual and not just one and done.
Life Application
I want to reach the point where I can confidently say “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Until then I will bare my cross and follow Jesus continually in the hopes of one day making it to Heaven. Sorry for sounding kind of morbid today, but with all that being said let’s live for Christ!
-Allison Khan
Psalm 58-12.7.21
SCRIPTURE:
Psalms 58:1,2
"Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones? Do you judge people fairly?
No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land."
OBSERVATION:
David was angry at the unjust leaders in the land of Israel. He took his anger to the Lord, and cried out to the God of justice.
UNDERSTANDING:
God's promise of blessing to His covenant with Israel was if they humbled themselves, turned from their sins, and worshiped Him, then they would experience earthly prosperity in the promised land. "If you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come and overtake you, because you obey the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 28:1,2) "But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all His commands and statures I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you," (verse 15).
It's important for us to differentiate what God has promised to Israel as a nation and what He has promised to the Church. Today we are under God's grace, and His promise to His children is that He will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what we face in this life, He has promised that He will meet every need that we have. God has not promised us health and wealth, but He has promised us eternal spiritual blessings that apply only to the believers. So what is the Church's role regarding how we should be dealing with the unjust political leaders of our land? God has called us to pray fervently for all government officials so that we'll have a peaceful environment in which to worship God and communicate the gospel. "First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, Who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
LIFE APPLICATION:
I pray for the unjust leaders of our land; that God will draw them to Himself, and that they will turn from their sins, believe Jesus is Lord, and receive God's forgiveness and grace.
As David cried out to God regarding the unjust leadership in the land, I pray we will follow his example, as we pray to the God of justice, Who rewards the righteous, and Who judges the earth!
-Robin Orefice
Joshua 9-12.6.21
How to be Deceived
Scripture
Joshua 9: 14 and 15
“The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.”
Observation
Joshua stands out as one of the greatest leaders of the Old Testament. He had the difficult task of following in the footsteps of Moses, who was used by God to take the entire nation out of their bondage in Egypt. However, he was unable to bring them into the Promised Land. Joshua takes up the mantle and starting with the battle of Jericho, follows God’s command to take the battle to all the enemies of the Lord, taking possession of the Land He promised to Abraham generations before. None of our Biblical heroes were perfect, (and the Bible makes sure to show their failures). There is one failure God shows us about Joshua’s leadership and this is it! He allowed himself to be deceived. How did this happen?
Understanding
How to be deceived...
1. If you want to be deceived, fail to notice when you are being set up. It should have been obvious to the Israelites that the Gibeonites were over the top with displaying their “proofs”, that they came from far away- rather than a people living nearby. When people are trying so hard to prove something to you, you are likely being set up.
2. If you want to be deceived, don’t inquire of the Lord. If the Israelites would have simply taken time, after getting the pitch from the Gibeonites, to bring it all before the Lord and ask for guidance, this would have been a different story. Because our discernment is often faulty, we have to discipline ourselves to ask God before we act.
3. If you want to be deceived, surrender your decisions to the group mind. Joshua had been given the command to conquer the Promised Land and its inhabitants, not make treaties with them. Rather than going along with the crowd and rubber stamping their decision, Joshua should have been an independent leader, find out what God wanted him to do, and obey.
Life Application
O Lord, I am your servant and I belong to no one else. The world, the flesh and the enemy are constantly attempting to set me up to be deceived. Train me to consistently inquire of You before making crucial life decisions. Help me be a man who will obey You, even when I’m being pushed by those around me to follow the crowd. Thank you for the guidance, discernment and wisdom of Your Word and Your Spirit. I know that as I cling to You, You will keep me from being deceived. Amen
-Gary Emery