Proverbs 19 - 6.24.24

Scripture

Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.”

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Observation

In this proverb of King Solomon, he writes how people’s foolishness gets them into trouble, and even ruins their lives. Yet instead of holding themselves accountable for their own actions, they like to point the finger and blame God for the mess they are in.

Application

Take responsibility for your actions!

Isn’t it odd that some people say they have no use for God. They choose not to listen to God or follow His ways. Yet they suddenly want to blame Him and shake their fist at Him as soon as problems come into their lives. What’s up with that?!

Apparently this has been going on for awhile now. Even King Solomon writes about it in this proverb. King Solomon’s proverbs teach us about people’s foolishness. How foolish people prefer a good time (no matter the cost), rather than wanting wisdom or understanding. Foolish people are quick tempered, lack sense, and are deceitful. Foolish people are naive and often repeat the same mistakes over and over again. So you can easily see why foolish people usually end up ruining their lives. Because when you live and make decisions contrary to the Word of God, you wind up making a mess of your life.

How can we break the cycle? Simply by looking into the mirror and taking responsibility for our bad decisions and foolish choices. The next step is to change course. Instead of rejecting God’s ways of doing things, how about accepting that His ways are righteous and perfect. Instead of raising our fists and pointing the finger at God for our ruined life, how about admitting that we need God’s help, and reach out to Him with our arms wide open seeking His wisdom and help. Take advice from one of the wisest men who ever lived in King Solomon, and know that:

“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” -‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭23‬ ‭

Prayer

Father God, I pray that You bless me with the strength and discipline to walk the path you have paved for me. May I seek Your wisdom and guidance in everything that I do. Keep me away from foolish behavior. And may I be blessed all the days of my life because of it. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

Jude 1 - 6.21.2024

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Jude 1:22-23
Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

Be merciful to those who doubt?
Half-check mark.

Save others by snatching them from the fire?
Quarter-checkmark.

To others show mercy mixed with fear?
No-check mark.

Verses 22 to 23 of Jude 1 is guidance, given by Jude, for believers on how to deal with non-believers. What stood out to me was this request to show “mercy mixed with fear”. 

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

I am hoping that today I will be given an opportunity or several to show God’s mercy to others. I am not sure what situations may present itself but my hope is that in showing a form of mercy to others I will learn a little more about this concept of mercy-mixed-with-fear from God. 

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

What a powerful thing the concept of God’s mercy appears to be. I think I could spend an entire lifetime mining the depths, and the wisdom of that one concept alone. Thank you for sharing Your wisdom with me this morning, Lord. It is so amazing to me that as you showed me a glimpse of how to deal with others, showed me how to deal with the non-others. Be merciful. Be compassionate. Be against sin. 

Thank you Holy Spirit for what you have imparted to me. Thank you Father for your revelation. Thank you Jesus, my Savior, my Lord.

In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.

-kenneth lee

3 John - 6.20.24

3 John 5-6

S - 5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.

O – At the writing of this, Jesus’ final epistle, John, was nearing the end of his life. He was writing this personal letter to Gaius who lived a life of hospitality, to affirm and thank him for his Christian lifestyle, and to encourage him in his faith. There are 3 men talked about in this chapter, Gaius, the example of one who follows Christ and loves others, Diotrephes, the self-proclaimed church leader who does not reflect God’s values, and Demetrius who also follows the truth.

A – We could, and should, take a lesson from Gaius’ life and generously give to others and by opening up our homes to them. This is one way in which we actively can show the love of God. At DSC people are our priority. Showing hospitality to others—particularly strangers—requires a level of trust and acceptance that is not necessarily required of us in our everyday lives. It forces us to rely on a common bond in Jesus Christ, rather than a particular blood relationship or shared experience. It forces us out of our comfort zones and into a territory where we must place our trust in God. Although in the church’s early days it was common for traveling prophets and teachers to be helped along the way by people like Gaius who housed and fed them, it is even more important today to open our homes and show people we care. There are a lot of hurting people. As a church we still come across missionaries, speakers, or other Christian families visiting our city that may need a meal or a place to stay and we have an opportunity to partner with God in providing that. We also can do this on any ordinary day. We live in a very self-centered world with many lonely people who go through life wondering if anyone would even notice if they lived or died. We have many lonely people in our churches. Why not invite one of them into your home for a meal? I know this doesn’t come easy for everyone, but it is God’s will for us to use the blessings He gave us to bless and refresh others. That may mean getting out of our comfort zones and opening our homes to someone(s) we may not normally invite in.

P – Lord, help us as a church to really SEE the needs of others and DO something about it. Help us to live out making people our priority and put aside any self-centeredness that may dwell in our hearts. Help us want to open the doors of our comfortable homes to others who might not have what we have. Help us not take for granted that what we have is ALL because of You! Help us to see the lonely and bring joy and love to them by letting them into our lives. Even though hospitality always costs us something - whether it be time, energy (cleaning and cooking), or finances, help us remember the cost it cost YOU to give us Your son, and to see people as the unique creations of a loving God and not as objects or inconveniences. Help us to welcome people into our lives as you have welcomed us into your family! AMEN

- Crystal Flory