James 2 - 6.27.23

SCRITPURE:  James 2:14,15  "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can his faith save him?"

OBSERVATION:  James, the half-brother of Jesus, and the lead pastor in Jerusalem agreed with the apostle Paul that a person is saved by grace through faith, and works do not contribute to salvation.  But James went on to stress that genuine faith will eventually produce good works, as it did in the lives of Abraham and Rahab.

APPLICATION:   I pray I will not judge others according to my own standards because God alone knows the condition of every heart and the reason behind our actions.  If I have true faith in God good works will follow, and it will demonstrate my genuine love for Him. 

PRAYER:  I pray my love for God will continually grow, and that the evidence of my love for Him will bring forth much fruit and good works produced by faith.  One of the marks of a true believer is how I help the poor and under-privileged, so I pray that I will use my resources wisely as I willingly and cheerfully meet the needs of others.  I pray as I read God's Word that I will be a doer of His Word, not just a hearer, " Because if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works - this person will be blessed in what he does." ( James 1:25).

Lord, thank You for all You have given me!  I pray You will help me to be a good listener of Your Word, and that I will apply it, and practice it daily as I serve You with good works - simply because of my great love for You.

- Robin Orefice

James 1 - 6.26.23

Scripture

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Observation

James is writing to the 12 tribes of Jewish believers in this passage. He is encouraging them to not let the trials in their lives bring them down. Instead, James urges them to see those trials in their lives as a chance for them to grow in the faith. It’s a chance for them to lean further into God. Its a chance for them to see God’s mighty hand at work in their lives because of their faith in Him. And when they see God’s faithfulness, it will build on their faith, causing them to grow and grow each time troubles arise.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭

Application

A faith that cannot be tested, cannot be trusted.

I love the analogy of trials and our faith, and how ‬‬it relates to exercise and our body’s muscles. You see, when you workout, you are exercising your body’s muscles. Sure, at the time it may bring your body discomfort, and maybe a little pain. It may even cause you to be sore for the next couple of days. But, with the proper rest and nutrition, your body recovers, and becomes stronger, ready to take on the next challenge. 💪🏽

And the same goes with our faith and the trials we face in life. Each trial brings on its own challenge. It can bring us pain and discomfort. It can stretch our faith in ways we didn’t know we can stretch! But know as we go through them, if we give them the proper nutrition, (fully putting our faith in God), we can walk away from these trials stronger and better. We become more mature in our faith. We see and know firsthand of God’s faithfulness! We know that whatever life throws our way, we will not be shaken. We will not shy away from adversity. We will stand strong in our faith because we serve a God who is with us no matter what!

““Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”” -Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭

Prayer

‬‬Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness. Although these trials in life may be discomforting, and may even bring me pain, I know that You are with me. I know if I stand firm, and fully lean in on You, that You will get me through it. You may not always remove me from the difficult situation, but You will always give me the strength to get through it. I know Your intentions sometimes is to refine me through “the fire”,/ life’s difficult situations. I know at the end of the day, the goal is to be more like Jesus. Help me to live strong in my faith so I can be like Him more and more each day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

-Moses Gaddi

Jeremiah 30 - 6.23.2023

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Jeremiah 30:14-17

All your allies have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
    and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
    and your sins so many.
Why do you cry out over your wound,
    your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins
    I have done these things to you.

“‘But all who devour you will be devoured;
    all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered;
    all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
But I will restore you to health
    and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

The Lord God is speaking to Jeremiah about what will happen to Israel (the nation that represents God’s people). In the verses above God makes it clear that He struck them as an enemy would because of their many sins. He follows up by telling His people not to cry out but also that (He) will make sure that all who devour you will be devoured. And in verse seventeen He says He will restore them to health and heal their wounds. Groovy.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

I sometimes can’t help but feel that after some serious introspection and intense reaching out to the Lord, that maybe, just maybe, the situation I am in is because of my own wrongdoing, my own bad attitude, my own sin. Today I hang onto your words, Lord. It’s time for me to stop crying out. It’s time to suck it up and move forward. I got what I deserved from my Lord and my creator. I hang on to Your promise. I am a child of Yours. I am a child of God.  I am one of God’s people. You will destroy my enemies. I will stop crying out. You will restore me. I will sin no more. You will Heal my wounds.

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

I praise you and I worship my God this morning. my Creator. my Savior. my Lord. my Discipler. my Teacher. my Mentor. my Greatest Ally. I love you for all you have taught me, and pray that you will continue to teach, disciple, and guide me. I repent of my sins. I love you Lord. Bless all of God’s people, Your people this day. In the name of Jesus do I pray. Amen.

-kenneth lee