Psalm 36 - 4.7.23

Scripture

Psalm 36:1-4

1 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2  In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. 4 Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.

Observation

This is another Psalm from one of my favorite leaders, King David. In the beginning, he speaks about the wicked (those without God in their lives) and the last half of the Psalm, he gives praise for God’s love and faithfulness. Then in verses 10-12, he asks for God's love to continue and that the proud would not come against him.

Application

Unbelievers are blind and lost and need the Lord.

King David describes the sinfulness of the wicked as them having no fear of God. They flatter themselves (are so prideful) that they don’t detect or hate their own sin. Their words are wicked and deceitful. They commit themselves to a sinful course. Basically, their lives are so lost and dark, whereas the faithful are protected by the love and faithfulness of God. It is our job as faithful servants of the Lord to share His love and light with a lost and unbelieving world.

We must continue our mission to the lost. Who are the people on your PII list?

For those who are new to DSC, PII stands for Pray, Invest, Invite. We keep a list of unbelievers who do not have a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and we pray for them, invest in their lives, and we invite them to church and/or a personal relationship with Jesus.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray that you would continue to give us Your heart for lost sinners. Holy Spirit, help us to be bold to share our faith with those who need You. Help us to be strong and courageous, even in fear of failure or rejection. Please give us such a deep love for them that we would want them to be part of our family and may that love override any fear we may have to reach out. Amen. 

-Michelle Gaddi

2 Corinthians 12 - 04.06.23

SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my Power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

OBSERVATION:

Paul is writing his second letter to the Corinthian Church to address several concerns. In this passage Paul directly confronts the accusations made by the false teachers who challenged his apostleship. In so doing, Paul opens up about an experience from fourteen years prior where God permitted him entrance into Heaven. Paul heard the ‘language of Paradise” and understood it. A language he was not allowed to repeat upon his return.

God honored Paul with many supernatural experiences—visions, revelations, angel visitations—but being transported into Heaven!!! How does someone begin to comprehend that experience?

In God’s wisdom—to prevent Paul from becoming prideful—Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh”. We don’t know exactly what this thorn was and it is foolish to speculate. What we do know is that it afflicted Paul causing challenges—and he prayed three times for it to be removed.

God’s response… “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my POWER is made PERFECT in weakness.”

APPLICATION:

Embrace—no—BOAST…in your weakness!

God’s POWER is made PERFECT in our weakness.

If God allows a weakness in our lives—a so-called “Thorn in our Flesh” could it be that God desires to DO something miraculous THROUGH us?

God’s POWER is made PERFECT in our weakness.

We can have reason to rejoice—IF we, like Paul, view this as an opportunity for God’s POWER to be at work in our lives.

The word “Power” comes from the word dunamis—meaning God’s Miraculous Power—for Marvelous Works.

“In conclusion, be strong IN the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.” (Ephesians 6:10 AMP)

PRAYER

Dearest LORD Jesus,

Thank you for Your Grace-which is an unending supply to meet EVERY single need-even BEFORE we know the need ourselves. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit-whose Power is Beyond human comprehension. Forgive my doubt and my times of unbelief. I’m so thankful for Your Word that is a constant encouragement to bring new life and new revelation. I look to the future with exciting expectations of Your Power working IN my weakness—and all the more to Boast in You and Your Love and Glorious strength manifest In me. Here I am Lord, send me.

Tina L Kudelka

Psalm 34 - 4.5.23

Scripture 

Psalm 34:8

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Observation 

King David wrote this when he was on the run (literally) from his enemies.  If you read through the whole Psalm, although David was not in great circumstances, he did a few things.

He praised and glorified the Lord (verses 1-3).

He sought the Lord and declared God’s power and goodness (verses 4-8).

Then in verses 9-22, he started encouraging outwardly. 

Application

Encourage yourself in the Lord and turn that encouragement outwardly to others who need it too! 

Are you in a rough place? Believe me, you are not alone. However, what we do in these seasons truly matter. Are we going to allow the enemy to bring us down a dark spiral or are we going to press in deeper into the Lord, worship, His Word and community? 

If you haven’t heard Pastor Levi’s sermon from last Sunday called “Press In”, I highly recommend that you watch it. Here’s the YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/ORgWAQpo_Wo

Prayer

Dear Jesus, I want to be like King David and even in hard circumstances, be able to encourage myself and others out of it through You. Thank You for being such a bright light in dark places and that Your light cannot be overcome. Your strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, so I pray we continue to press into You every day for strength and encourage others to do the same. Amen. 

-Michelle Gaddi