Psalm 98 - 3.15.2024

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Psalm 98:1,2

Sing to the Lord a new song,

    for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

    have worked salvation for him.

The Lord has made his salvation known

    and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

The absolute, unadulterated joy of Psalm 98 stood out to me. I wasn’t sure if I would journal about psalm 98 today but then when I re-read the apostle Paul’s words to Timothy I just knew that the same Spirit which exalted the Savior in psalm 98, was the same Spirit that urges us to pray for, petition, intercede and thank all people. Yikes. What a tall task you ask of us, Lord. 

But what would it feel like, to please our Savior.

My loving God who wants all people to be saved.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

Sing to the Lord a new song! I will apply what I have learned today by singing unto the Lord! Help me to find a song to praise and worship you with today!

I will petition, pray for, intercede, and thank all people today! Including the ones in authority over me!

Thank you God for Your Spirit of Joy! Thank you God for Your Spirit of Peace!

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

Lord, help me to apply what I have learned this morning. Fill me with the joy that is in psalm 98. Fill me with the joy that the psalmist is singing about. Fill me with the joy that is my loving Savior Jesus Christ.

Lord, I pray for the future president of this country. May they come to fully know and obey you. I pray for the political leaders in California, that they would turn their hearts completely towards you. I pray for the christian leaders in our nation, may you grant them wisdom and love. I pray for the christian leaders in our state, may they be filled with your joy, wisdom and love. I pray for our local church leaders, may you continue to use them to bring the love of Christ to all people. May we all choose to live lives that want to please You. The One who desires that we would all be saved.

I thank you Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

I am grateful for my pastors, my bosses, my parents, and all the various societal leaders who work in the background to give me the life that I currently have. I am grateful for it all.

In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.

-kenneth lee

1 Timothy 1 - 3.14.24

S - 1 Timothy 1:12-16: 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 

O - This is a letter from Paul to Timothy, who is the first “second-generation” Chrisitan mentioned in the Bible. He was Paul’s protégé and Paul thought of him like a son. This letter is full of fatherly advice to Timothy; warnings about false teachers, how to guard his motives and stand firm in his faith, while ministering to others and living beyond reproach. Timothy was originally influenced by his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, who were believers, then he became an imitator of Paul’s life and pastored the church at Ephesus.

A – People can feel so guilt-ridden by their past that they think God could never forgive and accept them. But consider Paul’s past…He had not only scoffed at the teachings of Jesus, but he had hunted down and murdered God’s people before coming to faith in Christ. God forgave Paul and used him mightily for his kingdom. Wow! That is some amazing grace! And that grace extends to us as well. And for that I am sooooo thankful.

This book is also a great reminder of the profound effect a Christian home can have on family members as well as the effect we have as Christian leaders. Do I live a life worthy of emulating? Do I live up to the standards of a good leader? Sometimes I feel like no one should follow me because of what I’ve done or who I used to be, but I must continually remind myself that yes, I will always have work to do, but I am no longer a slave to my past sins and that God has given me a purpose.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

That’s one of my favorite scriptures. No matter how shameful our past is, God can, and will forgive us. He will use each one of us if we make ourselves available. And then we have the chance to bring others along side of us and watch God use them for His glory.

I also took note that these two men, both worthy of following… started from two complete opposite places. Some of us were a complete mess all on our own, with no Christian background before we encountered Jesus and some were raised by Christian families….BOTH have equally important rolls to play in bringing people to Christ. Don’t let your past dictate how YOU pursue your walk with Jesus!

P – Lord, I thank you so much for finding me in my pit of death, destruction and despair that I was in all those years ago. For loving me so much that you gave your son for me so that I could live a life worthy of being your daughter. Thank you that I didn’t have to do a thing to earn your love; that it was there my entire life just waiting for me to receive it. I pray today that each one of our own circles of friends and family will come a little bit closer to feeling that love just like each one of us in the DSC family has. Use us to bring them to you Lord. Thank you that you consider us worthy of the task. May we act in obedience and love to bring them to you! Amen.

- Crystal Penrod Flory

Psalm 96 - 3.13.24

Scripture

Psalms 96:1

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth

Observation

God’s mercies are new every morning. Will we give him the same devotion?

Application

Do you like it when we sing a new song during worship on Sunday mornings? Sometimes it takes a little work - you have to read the words and learn the tune before you can get comfortable. Some of us are more open to change than others (not me!). Change can be exciting, but it can also be challenging. It takes far less effort to continue doing things the way we have always done them. But Psalms 96 (and other verses) says, Sing to the Lord a new song. How can we do that?

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. God's love and mercy is new every morning, erasing our sins. We can start fresh every morning. And every morning God gives us a new opportunity to follow him, to show him our love and devotion. And it's up to us to make the most of that opportunity. Will we go through our day, checking off the boxes, or will we look for opportunities to serve him in a fresh new way? Will we challenge ourselves?

I admit I am a list follower. I am one of those people who write things on the list just to check them off! But I can't continue to follow God that way. An example is this morning's journal entry. I read all three chapters in today's reading and nothing jumped right out and caught my attention. In full transparency, often times I will just move on, feeling like I accomplished what I was supposed to do. I read the chapters - check that off my list. But this morning I decided to dig. Reading commentaries about Genesis 34 made me wonder why Dinah went out to visit the women of the land alone (in an unknown place of foreign people and foreign gods). And what would the consequences ultimately be for her brothers taking revenge into their own hands? I read about some reasons the Thessalonians could have been idle. And I wondered - why does God want us to sing a new song? When I put in the effort to dig deep, God spoke to me. He doesn't want my complacency - he wants me to follow him with the same devotion that he shows to me.

Prayer

Thank you for speaking to me today. Thank you that your mercies are new every morning. Thank you for your faithfulness. Help me to remember to start every new day asking how I can serve you best.

- Debbie Dunn