1 Thessalonians 4 - 5.11.23

Scripture

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT

“For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.”

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Observation

Paul writes his fellow believers to encourage them and remind them what happens to those who die in faith. They should not grieve like unbelievers do when a loved one in faith dies. But because they put their faith in Jesus, they should have confidence that since Jesus conquered death, that those who put their faith in Jesus will conquer death too. That all who believe in Jesus will be reunited with Him one day in paradise. That is the hope that we as Christians have that will never be taken away from us!

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“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”-John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭

Application

Knowing that death is not the end, is there anyone that I know who can benefit from hearing the gospel message and the saving grace of Jesus Christ?

Here at DSC we encourage having a PII List. What is PII? It is an acronym for:

P-ray

I-nvest

I-nvite

It is a list of at least 3 people who we want to see come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And one of the ways we promote that is by first praying for these people. Pray for God to soften their hearts and move in their lives. Second, we should invest in these people’s lives. Hang out with them over a meal or a cup of coffee. Speak to them regularly to see how they’re doing and ask if they need help or prayers for anything. Finally, be bold and courageous, invite them to church, or better yet, invite them to having a relationship with Jesus Christ by putting their faith in Him.

So who is on your PII List? Let’s pray for these people and invest in their lives today!

Prayer

Father God, I pray for not only the people on my PII List, but for the people who are on other’s list as well. I pray for You to soften their hearts, open their ears, and remove the scales from their eyes so they may hear and see You Lord. Help us to be bold and courageous. Give us favor as we invest in these people’s lives. Let Your Holy Spirit guide our words as we share with them the Good News, and invite them into a relationship with You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

Psalm 59 - 5.10.23

Scripture 

Psalm 59:16-17

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”

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Observation 

In the heading of this Psalm, it says that King David wrote it “When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.”

In the beginning of the Psalm, he vents to the Lord about his situation, but by the 2nd half, he turns his focus into worshipping the greatness of our God and who He is in light of the situation. Praying and worshipping through his circumstances is what gave David peace and strength. 

Application

Pray and worship in ALL circumstances.

Pastor Levi preached a great sermon last Sunday about how we are to do everything in love and praise God in ALL situations, whether in the grocery store, our job, school, hobbies, doing chores at home…you know the ordinary, mundane stuff of life. Here is a link to that awesome sermon: https://youtu.be/8n2OS6hLH98

I would like to add, through King David’s example, that we worship in ALL circumstances as well. Are you feeling anxious, depressed, in extreme emotional or physical pain? Praise Him too! That’s what King David did, even while being hotly pursued by his enemies. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for King David’s example that there is no excuse not to pray and worship You! I pray that whatever season, circumstance, location, or activity I find myself in, that I would always run to you in worship and prayer! Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi

1 Thessalonias 2 - 5.9.23

Scripture

I Thessalonians 2:4

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

Observation

Are we chasing the approval of the people around us or are we chasing after the heart of God?

Application

How many “likes” am I going to get on this journal entry? That sounds silly, right? But if I am honest, I often find myself spending far more time and worry trying to please people than I do trying to please God. I seek approval. I enjoy pats on the back and admiration. I seek status. I fear failure and embarrassment. I worry about what people think of me. I even worry about what people will think of me when I tell them I worry about what people think of me. How ridiculous and short-sighted it is that I would put the opinions of men before the opinion of God almighty! The first commandment is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. When I worry about pleasing people, I am not loving God and putting Him first. I am putting myself first.

Prayer

God, please forgive me for all the times I have not put You first. Please change my heart and help me to keep my priorities straight. The Bible says we can only serve one master and I choose You. I hope to hear from YOU - well done, good and faithful servant.

- Debbie Dunn