Psalm 32-7.20.22
Scripture
Psalm 32: 3-5; 7, 10-11
3“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgression to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin….7You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance….10Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Observation-What does it say?
This is such a powerful Psalm, written by King David. According to bibleref.com, “Psalm 32 follows David’s confession of the sins of adultery and murder. Psalm 51 records his initial response when confronted by the prophet Nathan. The background of David’s sin, Nathan’s rebuke, and the aftermath are found in 2 Samuel 11-12. For some undisclosed time, David refused to acknowledge his sin, but when he finally confessed it, the Lord graciously forgave him.”
Understanding-What does it mean?
Confess sins quickly to the Lord.
King David points out that when he kept his sins hidden, kept silent and wouldn’t acknowledge his sins to God, it tortured him! In this summer heat, I love how King David said that his “strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
God’s love never failed David, but unconfessed sin did keep him distant from God. After he confessed, he no longer experienced guilt and was able to rejoice again!
Life Application
Come clean to God.
Do we have any unconfessed sin(s) in our lives that we need to come clean with the Lord? Remember, He knows them all already, so why hide from Him?
True freedom comes with being in reconciled relationship with the Lord. That includes trust and confessing our sins freely to Him! As we kick off our Rooted Challenge tonight at 7p, it’s a great time to confess our sins to Him and return our hearts and trust completely to Him! I’ll start.
Dear Lord, please forgive me when I have failed to put You and time spent with You first in my life. I confess that extra sleep and other worries and distractions take first place at times. I desire more of a Mary heart and spirit because You know that I am completely like my sister Martha. Please forgive me. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Luke 14-7.19.22
Scripture
Luke 14:12-14
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Observation
Jesus encourages His listeners to give to others (time, talent, finances, love) without expecting repayment.
Understanding
So much of human interaction is transactional, even when we don’t realize it. I buy you lunch this time, but it is kind of an unspoken expectation that the next time you might pay. I do you a favor, but I expect you to be available to help when I need a favor. I give you love and respect with the expectation that I will get love and respect in return. Jesus asks us to give – with no expectations. He asks, what good does it do for the kingdom if we give and expect something in return?
I think in order to do this, we have to ask God to give us His heart to love others like He does. We have to ask Him to help change our mindset from me first to others first. On our website we have a list of our core values – what we stand for at Desert Streams. One of them is: People are our Heart – we care more about each person than what they bring to the table. That’s what I want to do.
Life Application
I’m embarrassed to say that last week, when a work colleague told me they were retiring, my first thought wasn’t, “Congratulations - I’m happy for you!” My first thought was, “Ooh, I’m going to apply for that job.” Of course I didn’t say it out loud, but it’s an indication of my heart. That’s not the person I want to be.
God, thank you for forgiving me when I fail. Thank you for continuing to work on me. Please give me a heart to love others like You do. Teach me to put others first.
-Debbie Dunn
Luke 13-7.18.22
Scripture
Luke 13:8-9 NLT
“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Observation-What does it say?
Jesus calls the people to repent from their sinfulness. In doing so, Jesus uses a parable of the barren fig tree to illustrate the importance of repentance. In this parable, a man planted a fig tree in his garden. The man comes day after day to see if this fig tree is bearing any fruits. But, each day he sees nothing blooming or growing. So, he tells his gardner that he has waited 3 years and he still hasn’t seen a single fig. So, he orders the gardener to cut it down. But, the gardener pleads with him to give it one more chance. The gardener says he will give this fig tree the special attention it needs, and give it plenty of fertilizer. But if nothing blossoms after a year, then he can cut it down.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Is my life producing any figs? Or am I just “wasting space” like the fig tree in this story, that deserves to be cut down.
As I read this parable, I looked at God as being the man who owned the garden. I saw the gardner as Jesus. Finally, I related myself as the fig tree. God, the creator of the universe and the reason why I exist, created me, to bring glory and honor to Him. I must bear fruit for Him. Unfortunately, my sinfulness prevents me from bearing any sort of fruit that can bring any glory and honor to God. My sinfulness deserves me being cut down, and taken out from the ground where I was planted. But Jesus, being the gardener, intervenes on my behalf. He gives me the special fertilizer and special one on one attention that I need so I can grow. (Jesus came to this earth to show me how to live, and He died for my sins so I can spend eternity with Him in the Father’s presence). So the rest is up to me. What am I going to do with the name of Jesus? What am I going to do with this “second chance”? Will my life bear fruit that will please God? Or am I just essentially “taking up space in this garden”, needing to be cut down and taken out because I’m not producing any kind of fruit?
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”-John 15:8
“Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” -Colossians 1:10
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” -Galatians 5:22-23
Life Application
Live life with a purpose to bring glory and honor to God.
Father God, thank You for the second, third, and many chances You have given me in life. Thank You for sending Jesus to show me how to live. Thank You Jesus for dying for my sins. You intervened on my behalf so I wouldn’t be cut down and thrown out. I pray that my life produces the fruit that brings You glory and honor in Heaven. I pray that my life produces fruit that can feed others in need. May they find You as being the source of that fruit. May my life be filled with purpose. May it be to bring You all the glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi