Psalm 128-12.5.22

Scripture

Psalms‬ ‭128‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT

“How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways!”

Observation-What does it say?

In this psalm, the psalmist sings of all the joys a person will experience when they know God and follow His Ways.

Verse 2: You will prosper and be successful at your job.

Verse 3: Your family will be in order and will be fruitful.

Verse 6: You will have peace of mind knowing your children and grandchildren are following and love God.

Understanding-What does it mean?

No God…No peace. Know God…Know peace.

What a wonderful reminder of the joy and peace we experience for those of us who know God, trust God, and follow His ways. We know that our happiness is not determined by our outward circumstances, but rather through our spiritual condition. A condition of our faith in God, and the One He sent to die for us. We know that He will never leave us or forsake us. We know that He will provide our every need. And we know that we too will conquer death, and be with Him in paradise for eternity. It is a hope that cannot be broken. It is our hope in Jesus Christ! All praise, honor, and glory belong to Him!

Life Application

Have the attitude of gratitude.

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”-1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭7‬

So remember this verse wherever you go. And remember our joys in life are not determined by our circumstances, but rather our joy is found because of our faith in Jesus…and we choose to follow Him! 😊

-Moses Gaddi

Matthew 11-12.2.22

Scripture

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Observation - What does it say?

Jesus began speaking to the crowd that was around him. After addressing them about John the Baptist and the importance of repenting if you’ve witnessed God’s miracles, he speaks to those who are weary.

Do you find yourself tired as you read this? Do you find yourself weighed down? Jesus extends an open invitation to you. The invitation is to “all,” meaning no one is excluded from this encouragement to come. And he promises to give you rest.

Understanding - What does it mean?

If we aren’t experiencing rest and relief from our burdens, it’s our own fault.Jesus has extended the invitation and promise; the ball is in our court. Unfortunately, too often we find ourselves weary and burdened but rather than responding to the invitation to come to Jesus, we seek alternative solutions (anything we turn to first, instead of Jesus, is an idol) – from alcohol and prescription drugs that numb, to other people we’ve developed a dependency on, to binge watching on Netflix, to long naps in the middle of the day.

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

Someone once paraphrased this saying, “Don’t get drunk to forget your problems, get filled with the Spirit to conquer your problems!" It may not be getting drunk, but fill in the blank with what you tend to turn to in effort to forget your problems. Why not come to Jesus and find true rest and true peace?

Life Application

Choose to come to Jesus. As I write this, I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed and exhausted. It’s been a long week, lots of stuff going on that has been draining. And, as I look ahead there are some things happening over the several days that are weighing on my shoulders…. So this verse is really hitting home today.

God, thank you so much for this amazing invitation and promise! We take our eyes off of all that is going on around us and put them on you. We lay ourselves at your feet and ask for you to fill us with your Spirit to overflowing. You alone give us peace and rest. You alone give us strength for today. Forgive us for turning to other things. We repent and choose you today! Thank you for the peace and strength I feel even as I type this! Amen.

- Levi Thompson

Matthew 10- 12.01.22

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 10:7 TPT

“And as you GO, preach this message: ‘Heaven’s kingdom realm is accessible, close enough to touch.”

OBSERVATION:

Jesus sends His disciples out for their first mission trip. HE explains they are to GO to the lost sheep of Israel to preach the Good News, “Heaven’s Kingdom is—accessible—so close you can reach out and TOUCH it”.

Jesus sends His disciples with Authority to heal Every disease and sickness.

They were not to take any supplies-money-or even a change of clothes with them—but to rely COMPLETELY on GOD for EVERYTHING.

In His discourse, Jesus further explains about the cost of discipleship—and accompanies their instructions with warnings about endurance AND the Promise of Eternal Rewards for those who Take up The Cross and Follow Him.

UNDERSTANDING:

As you GO…Preach the Kingdom is SO Close—You can TOUCH it!

Is this not a Miraculous statement?

AND, it is every bit as TRUE Today—as it was when Jesus was sending out the Twelve.

Jesus was explaining that the Kingdom of Heaven was SO Close BECAUSE—HE has arrived on Earth. GOD, Himself as a human being was Present among mankind. AND, there’s MORE. HE was about to do something SO miraculous that no one could ever dare imagine. Be our atoning sacrifice for sin-so we could have restored relationship with God the Father.

“For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20 NLT)

Now, Those of us who are Believers Live with Christ IN us—and Heaven’s Kingdom is STILL Close enough to Touch.

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives IN them and they in God.” (1 John 4:15 NIV)

“Now Christ lives his life IN you!” (Romans 8:10a TPT)

“We are completely filled with God as Christ’s fullness overflows within us.” (Colossians 2:10b TPT)

LIFE APPLICATION:

God’s Heavenly Kingdom was Given SO it could be SHARED

“But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this—SO…you would broadcast HIS glorious wonders throughout the world.” (2 Peter 2:9 TPT)

LORD JESUS,

I am in awe today as I ponder your goodness. You freely give…and Give. AND more than that (because there is always MORE in Your Kingdom) Your Word says YOU are able to do immeasurably MORE—according to Your Power at work IN us—More than I could ever dare to imagine or ask (Eph 3:20). So, today I pray I will begin to dare to imagine and ask—to do immeasurably MORE and seemingly impossible things—that Broadcast your glory throughout the places You send me and all Christ Followers who share this passion. May others KNOW Your very Real and Genuine Love for them through the Good News AND that the Heavenly Kingdom is REAL and close enough to Touch. In Jesus Name, amen.

Tina L Kudelka