Leviticus 26 - 7.5.2024

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Leviticus 26:6-8
“‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

The part of these verses that stood out to me was, “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.”

Speaking to the Israelites during a time before ours God says that if the Israelites will obey Him, He will bring peace to their land, remove the wild beasts, and prevent enemy “swords” from passing through their country. The hyperbole (or is it literal considering the warriors of renown during King David’s reign?)is what struck me. Five would overcome a hundred. One-hundred would overcome ten-thousand. And their enemies would fall.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

It is so wild to me at times to read about the interaction God had with people so many thousands of years before Christ. I often wonder, Father God, what our nation would be like if we obeyed you? Would we become a nation of peace, where we could lie down and not be afraid? Would war no longer come to our country? Would our enemies all fall to us? 

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

Teach me Father God, in how I may align into greater obedience with Your Will today. I think about the offer made to your people in the above verses and I can’t help but think I want that for my family. For my town. For my country. For all of Your people. Bless us with peace. Bless us with strength. Bless us with prosperity.

In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.

-kenneth lee

Proverbs 27 - 7.4.24

Proverbs 27:9, 17

S - 9  Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,

     and the pleasantness of a friend

    springs from their heartfelt advice (NIV)

17  As iron sharpens iron,

     so a friend sharpens a friend (NLT)

O - Proverbs 27 is an inspirational guide on navigating life's challenges and relationships with wisdom. It imparts the significance of humility, the importance of genuine friendship, and the value of diligent work and prudent stewardship. These words of wisdom are timeless, offering guidance for life in any era and reminding us that while life may be unpredictable, wisdom will always guide us towards a life of integrity and fulfillment. These verses elaborate on the essence of true friendship, advising the reader to value and maintain strong friendships (Biblehub.com)

A – Growing up I had a handful of close friends who have stayed with me through adulthood. I treasure those relationships for the value they have because we have been through decades of life together…laughter, tears, children, losing parents, and getting old! LOL However, only one of those friends is a Believer and as a young woman I was hurting and longing for something more. When I became Christian 23 years ago, I discovered it was JESUS I missed in those friendships and why I still could feel so alone even though I love them dearly. When I discovered friendships through my church family it opened my world to deep, spiritual connections with like-minded brothers and sisters. THIS is what I was missing. There is something life-giving about growing in the Word together, and doing life together while we partner with God to bring others to know HIM. I am always amazed to think back on how lonely I was in my youth and to see how blessed I am now, with so many great friends that I honestly can’t get enough time in with any of them! I have learned that the only way we can sharpen each other and help each other grow is to be present (which means being focused and engaged on the here and now, not distracted or mentally absent). It includes self-sacrifice, opening your home to others, letting people see your “mess”, inviting people to coffee or lunch, taking the time to check in on people and see how they are really doing. It may mean holding one another accountable or showing someone an area you believe them to be in sin, or causing themselves harm. God created us to be in relationship with Himself and with other believers and to work together to invite the unsaved into relationship with Him. It is a privilege, and it feeds the SOUL.

If you haven’t been involved in small groups, outreaches, or you have never invited anyone to meet you outside of church, I would encourage you to seek God on how you can make that happen, and with whom. And when you are struggling with something, don’t isolate or attempt to solve the problem on your own. Seek God of course, but also seek the counsel of a Christian brother or sister. I promise it isn’t as scary as it might seem, and you may find that others have been where you are. Or maybe you have just gotten busy with your own life lately and have been MIA for a while. I encourage you to take the opportunity to connect with your DSC family. God will work through each of us to give wise counsel to each other IF we seek Him and seek out helping others.

P – Lord Jesus, I pray you would put other’s who need some wise counsel in our thoughts and in our path. I pray that you will give us the WISDOM needed in each of the situations we come across to help encourage those people. Help us to take off the blinders to what other people need, to put others FIRST as you have called us to do, to sacrifice our time, money and comforts in order to bless someone who needs a tangible connection. I pray you continue to use me to bless others and to have discernment when others need connection. Help us amid our busy lives to not let anyone in our DSC family slip through the cracks unnoticed. Help each of us to be SEEN. In Jesus’ name I pray.

- Crystal Flory

Proverbs 26 - 7.3.24

Scripture

Proverbs 26:11

 As a dog returns to its vomit,
    so fools repeat their folly.

Observation

This gross illustration is meant to capture our attention. May we be as disgusted by our sin as we are by vomit.

Application

I don’t know about you, but if I throw up a particular food, I never want to go near that food item again. But Rover doesn’t agree. Rover easily forgets how the sock he ate caused so much cramping, pain, and nausea. Once the trauma is over, he forgets all about it. Out of body, out of mind. But not out of sight. A few minutes later, he sees the sock, and in its partially digested state, it looks particularly enticing. So he tries it again.

We are not like Rover, right? Sin is like that sock. Once we are freed from it, sometimes we forget the pain it caused, both to us and to God. And sometimes, in our folly, even though we have repented and been forgiven, we return to it. And that should disgust us!

If we are wise, we learn and grow from spending time in the word, listening to wise instruction, and from our previous failures and mistakes.

Proverbs 9:9

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

  Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Or we can be like Rover.

Proverbs 26:3

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey

  And a rod for the back of fools

Prayer

Lord, may I be so disgusted by my sin that I run away from it. I don’t want to be a fool, returning to my sin over and over. May I be the wise person who spends time with You and listens and puts that instruction into practice. Thank you for your word to me today.

 - Debbie Dunn