Matthew 1 - 7.24.24

Scripture

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us”. (Matthew 1:23, NKJV)

Observation

In the first chapter of Matthew, we read about the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they were married, she learned that she would conceive by God’s Holy Spirit. Joseph being a good man, considered secretly calling off the wedding without embarrassing Mary. While he was contemplating this, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him that Mary had conceived of the Holy Spirit. In verse 23, we read that all this happened so that God’s promise would be fulfilled that a virgin will bear a son and he will be called Immanuel which means “God with us”. Jesus came so that we would have God with us.

It is interesting that whenever God’s children felt inadequate to do the tasks in front of them, God did not give them a motivational message of “you can do this, you got this”. Instead He always said, “I am with you”. When Moses was afraid of facing Pharoah, God said “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). When Joshua balked at the formidable task of stepping into Moses’ shoes as the next leader of Israel, God said “Just as I was with Moses, I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5). When Gideon was fearful of leading Israel, God said “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16). God tells us in Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you”.  When Jeremiah was fearful of the task God asked him to do, God said “I am with you” (Jer 1:7). The list goes on and on. The last recorded words of Jesus before his ascension into heaven after resurrection was “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Application

God with me makes me the majority. God with me is all I need. When I walk into those tough corporate boardrooms for negotiations for work, God is with me. When I face challenges at home, God is with me. When I struggle with parenting my children, God is with me. Whatever I am facing, I have all the help I need when God is with me. I will say with the Psalmist, “I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I will not be moved” (Psalms 16:8). Because God is with me, I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalms 46:2,3). A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me, because God is with me (Psalms 91:7). 

Prayer

Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Thank you Jesus, because you are Immanuel, God with me. Thank you for your promise that you are with me always to the very end of the age. Thank you because you are with me today as you were with Moses and as you were with Joshua and as you were with David. Help me to be conscious of your presence with me always. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight (Psalms 19:14). May everything I do bring glory to your name. May your will be done in my life as it is in heaven. May my life be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you (Romans 12:1). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

- Asha Chacko George

Revelation 22 - 7.23.24

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation 22:6, 16-17, 20-21

“Then He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His slaves what must quickly take place.”

“I Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.  Both the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”  Anyone who hears should say, “Come!”  Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen!  Come Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.  Amen.

OBSERVATION:  The time is near!  The book of Revelation ends where it began: with Jesus speaking through an angel to John, who, in turn relayed the message to the seven churches of Asia.  The principles to live by are for believers of all time.  The main principle that stands out from the beginning is that Jesus could return at any minute, and we are always to be ready!

APPLICATION:  For those who haven’t received the gift of eternal life, Jesus is telling all lost humanity there is still time to repent.  As Christ-followers, we must be diligent to share the Good News of Jesus Christ before He returns!

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, You are the source of life, and we have been given a beautiful glimpse of what it will be like when we see You face to face!  The New Jerusalem will be a magnificent place to spend eternity, and the inhabitants will live forever in Your awesome presence! “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent - Jesus Christ.

“ Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what will be has not been revealed.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” ( 1 John 3:2,3).

Thank You Lord that we have Your promise that one day You will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain won’t exist either, because You, the One seated on the throne, are making all things new!
I pray we will depend on You to help us prepare to live in our eternal home, and that we will be diligent to share the Good News so that many others will join us! 

- Robin Orefice

Psalm 8 - 7.22.24

Scripture

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

Observation

In this psalm, David writes about all the glorious things God has created and put in place on this earth. David is in awe of the splendor of God. David can’t even fathom how a God so BIG and AWESOME in nature, can care so much for something as insignificant as we mere mortals. God cares and loves us so much, that He is willing to partner with us and give us authority to help Him accomplish His mission. How blessed are we? How majestic is He? 🤔

Application

As small as we are in scale to this universe, God still keeps us in mind and loves and cares for us so deeply.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.”-Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬a

“Yes, God even knows how many hairs you have on your head.”-Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬a

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” -Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭

God knows us intimately. His desire is for us to know Him in that same way. But how do you get to know someone intimately? 🤔

By spending time, (uninterrupted time) with them. By knowing their likes, their dislikes, and the desires of their heart. By knowing their character. By communicating with them, and letting them communicate with you. By truly taking the time to listen to one another. You see where I’m getting at here right? 😉

It is an honor and privilege that the God of the universe, this super intelligent, eternal being, desires to spend time with a mere mortal, and sinner like me. It’s still hard for me to fathom! He loves me so much that He even came out of the comforts of His home in Heaven, to live a lowly life and die a sinner’s death. All this so I can have the opportunity to have a relationship with Him and spend eternity with Him. Now who wouldn’t want to know and serve a God like that?!

So I do my best to get to know Him more each day by spending time in His Word, spending time in prayer, and also taking the time to listen to what He has to say (PB&J: Prayer, Bible Reading, & Journaling). I’ll do my best to tell others about Him because when you’re in a great relationship, you can’t help but tell others about it. And I’ll do my best to make Him proud and do things that won’t upset and disappoint Him. Because at the end of the day, this is a relationship I must cherish.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I am truly humbled by how much You love and care for me. With all the extravagant and beautiful things that You created in this world, You consider me Your masterpiece. You choose to partner with me, an imperfect being to accomplish Your mission on this earth. I am in awe of You. I choose to honor You. I choose to worship You. May the life I live be pleasing to You. May the relationship we have together arouse others to desire that same type of relationship with You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

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-Moses Gaddi