Psalm 27 - 12.7.23

Scripture - Psalm 27:9-10 - Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me the Lord will receive me.

Observation – Another Psalm written by David.  God offers help for today and hope for the future. Unwavering confidence in God is our antidote for fear and loneliness. Something many of us struggle with and that can become overwhelming during the holidays.

Application – So many people have had the sad experience of being forsaken by a mother or father.  Some of us come from broken homes, or our families have different beliefs which can cause division; some had a parent addicted to drugs or alcohol, or a neglectful parent; one who did not nurture or protect in a way that was needed by us. That pain may linger, and we can carry loneliness and/or anger with us into adulthood. We may fear we will never be good enough, or that God can’t bring us through our dark periods. But God is with us…. “Even HERE.” Even in the pain we carry with us, and the uncertainty of things to come. Only God can fill that void, heal those hurts, and direct us to others who may take the role of father or mother for us. I personally have dealt with much of the above pain growing up, and much of it found its way into my adult life. You wouldn’t know it now, but I was very lonely up into my 30’s, which is when I found Jesus. And the beauty is that HIS love is sufficient for all our needs, including the healing of our hearts from pain and abandonment.  Before I knew Him, God knew my life story.

Jer. 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

He KNEW me and He still knows me and knows exactly what I need! He has placed me in the most loving church family I could possibly have ever been put into. I have been nurtured and cared for by fatherly figures, motherly figures, sisters whom I never had growing up and great friends who honor me and care for me more often than I can count. GOD has never forsaken me, and His plan is still unfolding. If you believe in Him and confess with your mouth that He is Lord and Savior, you will be saved, and He will nurture you too and provide for all your needs.

Prayer – Lord, I thank you for all that you have brought me through; for knowing everything I have needed every step of my life. Thank you that you found me in that pit of loneliness and sinful living that was my life, and for showing me what it truly meant to be loved and live a life WORTH living. Thank you for bringing others into my life that I am able to love on, nurture, and help provide for. I can never repay you for your love, but I can certainly continue to look for ways to spread that love and kindness all around me! I pray that as a church family we will all look for ways to do this every day, but especially during this Christmas season. Lord, would you bring to mind today someone who could use some extra love, a smile, a coffee, maybe a hug or just some time with a friend….. and may we be obedient to your prompting. In Jesus’ name I pray!

- Crystal Flory

Jonah 4 - 12.6.23

Scripture

Jonah 4:1-2 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

Observation

Jonah thinks he knows better than God!

Application

Jonah says, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” That sounds like a God worthy of praise! But Jonah is not praising God, he is actually complaining that God is being gracious and compassionate to those that he thinks don’t deserve it. And what’s more, he says to God, I told you this was going to happen! I knew you were going to love those people even though I don’t think you should.

That sounds ridiculous, right? I am so thankful that God is gracious and compassionate. I am thankful that he is almighty and all-knowing and wants the best for me. But if I stop and really think about it, there are plenty of times that I have thought I knew better than God. There are times when I have ignored his guidance and direction, times when I decided to do things in my own strength or lean on my own understanding, times when I refused to put my trust in him. And when you think about it, that is just ridiculous too!

Proverbs 3:6 - in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for this humbling reminder that you are the almighty. Please forgive me for my foolishness, the times when I think I know better than you do. I can do things the hard way and follow my own understanding, or I can take the easy path and let you be the guide.

- Debbie Dunn

1 Corinthians 2 - 12.5.23

Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:9 - 14

9 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.  14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Observation

Paul writes to the church in Corinth after receiving reports of division in the church. Some in the church were having quarrels over who they follow in teaching (“I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos”) which created divisions. Chapter 1 guides the church back to the foundation of Christ crucified and God’s power and wisdom. Chapter 2 continues with how God’s power and wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit. Paul knows the Corinthian church (and all of us) need to understand more about the Holy Spirit in our life.

Paul reminds us in verse 9 about what was written in Isaiah 64:4 - no eye has seen, heard, or human mind can conceive - of the things God has prepared for those who love him. These unseen, unheard, and things our mind can’t conceive all come from what the Holy Spirit reveals to us. He begins with this Scripture as a highlight of the Holy Spirit’s purpose and spiritual depth of His involvement in our life. It goes deep!

Our human minds think that by reading and studying anything, we could gain wisdom on that topic. That’s not the case with God. Knowledge and wisdom are two different things. We can have all the knowledge and experience in the world about the things of God but without God’s Spirit within us, we really can’t have God’s true wisdom or direction. It all comes from the Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit to the Disciples during the Last Supper. He was trying to comfort and guide them about the upcoming events. He knew they would be discouraged and distraught after He left earth. In John 14:16 – 17 He says,  “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Sprit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” What a comfort to know the Holy Spirit is given to us, is an advocate and helper! I love how this verse calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth.” Real truth from the Holy Spirit can enable us to understand and comprehend God’s ways and apply Godly wisdom in our life.

Paul help us understand the Holy Spirit’s purpose in our life throughout this section of scripture: He reveals the unknown and even things we can’t conceive (vs 9), He searches all things including the thoughts of God (vs 10), He helps us understand what God has freely given us (vs 12), teaches us spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words (vs 13) and have God’s discernment (vs 14). Through the Holy Spirit we get an understanding of the deeper things of God, the spiritual side of life here on earth, and even the thoughts of God. The Holy Spirit is basically the conduit that channels everything God wants us to spiritually have, know, learn and live.

Application

There are many times where I’ve been unsure of the next step in life or in a decision. I can probably come up with a humanly wise decision but is it really God’s wisdom? Will the decision I make further His plan in my life, will it lead to the next step God has planned, or will it impact someone else for Christ? The only way to really know the answers to these questions is to see things through the Holy Spirit’s lenses. In life, I can’t see anything in front of me without my glasses. I’m literally blind as a bat without glasses. That’s how important they are to me! The same is true with the Holy Spirit. As a believer and follower of Christ, I can’t see God’s will, direction or have His wisdom without the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit when we ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior but must be diligent to seek after and ask God for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, wisdom and direction in everything. We can keep our eyes and ears open to His promptings, His voice, and His wisdom.

Prayer

Lord, help me to always seek you and the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. Help me to hear your voice when prompted by the Holy Spirit. Guide me in your path, your direction and give me your wisdom in all that I do today and the future. I only want to seek you and live for you!

- Mary Oberg