Psalm 97-10.19.22
Scripture
Psalm 97:7; 11-12
7All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!….11Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. 12Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
Observation-What does it say?
This Psalm covers the “greatness and wisdom of God.” “Considering the greatness of God and His goodness to His people, it is proper for them to rejoice in Him. The rejoicing should not be primarily in what He has given, but in the LORD Himself—with plenty of thanksgiving at even the remembrance of His holy name.” (The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik-enduringword.com)
Understanding-What does it mean?
Praise and Worship to God is not dependent on circumstances or situations or even based on what He has given us. True worship comes from thanksgiving just for Who He is…Holy, Good, Righteous, Loving, Creator, Faithful, etc. (fill in the blank).
Life Application
Worship happens anywhere and everywhere!
Today (which would be yesterday by the time you read this), I finally scheduled a physical exam for myself after a couple of years. Because it had been so long since I’ve been to the doctor for an overall physical, there were several exams, tests and shots that I was behind on and I agreed to have it all done yesterday. As I was sitting in the room on the exam bed, I started getting anxious and scared. So, you know what I did? I quietly sang a worship song to Jesus and automatically His peace and calm washed over me.
Wherever we are…in the doctor’s office, store, on a walk, doing chores, at our work desk or in the car, let’s worship the Lord for Who He is! No need to wait until Worship Wednesday, a Sunday morning, our circumstances to change or when He gives us something. He is worthy of our worship all the time!
-Michelle Gaddi
3 John 1-10.18.22
SCRIPTURE:
3 John 1:5
"Dear friend, you are showing faithfulness by whatever you do for the brothers, especially when they are strangers. They have testified to your love in front of the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, since they set out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from pagans."
OBSERVATION:
John, the author of this book was an apostle of Jesus. This was his third letter, it was addressed to Gaius, his dear friend whom he considered one of his children. In his letter, John emphasized the importance of a healthy growing church, containing two specific ingredients: truth and love. John commended Gaius for being a man who walked in the truth. Whatever he did, he demonstrated his faithfulness to God. His gift of hospitality testified to his love for God; to the traveling missionaries, and even to strangers. He set an excellent example to the members of the church regarding the importance of taking time to care for the physical and financial needs of the ones who devoted a large amount of time to ministry.
UNDERSTANDING:
To grow in our love for one another, we must follow the example of Jesus. When we love one another as Christ loved us, we are revealing God's message of love and salvation to the world.
During our Sunday morning pre-service prayer time a couple of weeks ago, Pastor Warren reminded us of the benefits of having left overs. He talked about how God loves to lavish us with good things, and when we have left-overs, we aren't to hoard them, we are to lavish others with the good things that God has blessed us with. When we give with pure motives, our giving results in God getting the glory, and that should always be our motive for giving.
LIFE APPLICATION:
Showing hospitality and being generous are ways we can show that we care. Speaking of hospitality and generosity...
I want to give a special shout out to Crystal and Rich for the gift of hospitality that they have lavished on us as they have graciously opened up their beautiful home for us to gather with our "In the City Group". They have sacrificed a lot for us! As God has blessed them, they have been so kind to bless us! We appreciate them both so very much!
Like Gaius, who loved to show hospitality and meet the needs of others, Crystal and Rich have done both, and they have set such an excellent example to our church body to follow!
-Robin Orefice
2 John-10.17.22
Scripture
2 John 1:5-6
“I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.”
Observation-What does it say?
In this second epistle, John is writing to the church, reminding them to be mindful of three things:
Discernment: The church needed the ability to separate the truth and error when it came to false teachings.
Love: According to John, no one can claim to love Christ or His church and then not walk faithfully in the truth. Love and truth distinguish God’s people from those who do not belong to Him.
Hospitality: The apostles Peter and John both agreed that hospitality is the Christian’s duty and joy, as well as an act of love (1 Peter 4:8-9). But John in this chapter reminds the church that hospitality does have boundaries. God’s people must not welcome, accept, associate with, or support anything or anyone who undermines the truth of the gospel (2 John 1:9-11).
Understanding-What does it mean?
The power of love.
No!..I’m not talking about the song by Huey Luis and the News from the 80’s movie, Back to the Future.😆 I am talking about God’s love. Let’s put it this way. Jesus simplified following the entire Ten Commandments by doing these two things that involve love.
“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.””-(Matthew 22:37-40)
So as you can see, love is the foundation of what we are to do as Christ Followers: My love for God and my love for my fellow man. It really sounds quite simple. But, keep in mind, Jesus calls us to love the unlovable and even calls us to love our enemies. It can be quite challenging at times. But, it’s through our love for one another, that people, especially non believers, can experience God and His love first hand.
Life Application
God is love.
Because God is love and we are His children, we are an extension of His love when we go out into the world and love one another. So, let’s go out into this dark world right now and share God’s love. Buy someone in need a gift card, send someone an encouraging text, give someone a helping hand, or let someone know that they are loved. Let people see the light and hope in His people, so that they too, can yearn for that love and experience in their lives as well.😊
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”-John 13:35
-Moses Gaddi