Psalm 114 - 11.25.24

Scripture

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭114‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

“The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!”

Observation

The psalmist in this chapter is reminding the reader of the “good old days”. These were the days when God delivered His people out of slavery in Egypt and led them into the Promise Land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. The psalmist tells the reader how God provided safety for His people by literally moving seas, rivers, and mountains for them. God made what seemed impossible, possible. It’s a psalm that not only shows you just how great and awesome our God is, but also the great lengths God will go through to provide for His children.

Application

What’s there to worry about when God is on our side.

“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”-Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬b

We tend to forget sometimes just how BIG and AWESOME our God is. It’s like I heard from Pastor Greg Laurie: “If you have a big God you will have small problems. If you have big problems, do you have a small God?”

Well, for those of you that don’t know, we serve a BIG God! He is AWESOME in power! And as you can see from this psalm, God will literally move heaven and earth for His people. Why?..because He loves us soooo much! We are precious to Him. So much so that He came out of the comforts of Heaven and died on a cross for us, to free us from our sins, and to give us the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. ❤️ Now who wouldn’t want a God like that in their life? 

Prayer

Father God, You are AWESOME! Nothing compares to You. I am humbled that a God like You, loves me so much. Forgive me for forgetting just how powerful and sovereign You are. May I always be reminded of who You are and what You have done in my life, and in Your people’s lives. May it strengthen my faith and hope in You, especially when I hit difficult times. I thank You for Your faithfulness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

Galatians 1 - 11.22.24

Scripture

Galatians 1:10:  “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Observation

Paul in this chapter of the letter states his title and by what authority his title was given. Paul gives a quick greeting and then prays. Now Paul is not going to hold anything back. Paul scolds them and gives a stern warning about what is going on in the Churches in Galatia. There are some that are distorting, perverting, or adding to the truth of the Gospel. They are now preaching a different Gospel than the one they originally received. Paul tells them the consequences.

Paul then reminds them that the Gospel he taught was not given to him by man but by revelation of Jesus Christ. He finishes this chapter by giving them his testimony.

Application

As a supervisor at work, I have been given authority from management above me to lead, speak and teach about safety. I have given my testimony about some things that happened to me or other employees. When safety rules are broken, there is consequences. Some are immediate and natural consequences like getting injured or worse, and some consequences come later such as a write up, suspension and termination. When I talk about safety, the tone is not a whiny “do it for me please.” I need to be firm so the employees can go home to see their families every day. Their lives may depend on me and the training

.

Paul was firm. He knows some people in the Churches would be lost if they didn’t hear the truth. I am sure some people did not like his tone. Paul wasn’t going to give them a time out or go to bed without supper. The Truth was not going to be a casualty. Paul knew who he was in Christ.  As a good servant, he was going to remind them of who God the father was and who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Prayer

Lord, let the Holy Spirit give me words when I talk about you Jesus. Let me not talk in my own understanding. Let me speak the truth. Let me stand firm in your truth. Let the good news go forth. Thank you Jesus. Amen

- Robert Oberg

2 Corinthians 13 - 11.21.24

S - 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

O – Paul asks the Corinthian Christians to consider a sobering question: “Am I really a Christian?” We are rightly concerned that every believer has the assurance of salvation and knows how to endure the attacks that come in this area from Satan. At the same time we also understand that there are some who assume or presume they are Christians when they are not.

To examine yourself, in fact, is to submit to the examination and scrutiny of Jesus Christ the Lord — and this never to fix attention on sin but on Christ — and to ask Him to reveal that in you which grieves His Spirit; to ask Him to give you grace that it might be put away and cleansed in His precious blood.” Self examination “takes the chill away from your soul, it takes the hardness away from your heart, it takes the shadows away from your life, it sets the prisoner free.

 Unless indeed you are disqualified: Paul knew there were some among the Corinthian Christians who were disqualified for eternal life and salvation. Their thinking was worldly because they were of the world, not of the Lord. This is a hard truth to confront, but it is better to know now than when it is too late. The word for disqualified is simply the negative of the word for test in this same passage. If we don’t examine ourselves and test ourselves now, we may find that we ultimately don’t pass the test and are disqualified. (Blueletterbible.org)

A – We are often eagerly ready to examine and test others, aren’t we? It’s easy to see the wrongs (the sins) that others are doing, but how often to we sit back, take a pause, and ask God, “What in my life is not pleasing to you? What do I need to do to get right with you?”

Mt. 7:5 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

We should be examining and testing ourselves first! The Corinthians were criticizing Paul and not taking the time to examine themselves. I think this is still a big problem in the churches today. Everyone is so quick to let someone else know what they should change in their lives, without changing what is wrong in their own lives. This creates division, anger, resentments and is not what God intends. May we take the time each day to just ask God to point us to the area(s) in our lives that we are grieving His heart and to repent, ask for forgiveness, and watch God move amongst us in a powerful way.

P – Lord forgive me for those times that I am quick to see the faults of others, the sins in others, and not in myself. Help me to view myself and others through Godly eyes and not worldly eyes. May I encourage my brothers and sisters and lift them up the way Paul was trying to do, and not tear any of them down with my words or my actions. May we all take the time to ask you each day what things you want removed from our lives and what you want added. Help us to confess our sins, repent, and turn away from those things for good! Lord, I don’t want to be disqualified at the end of my life. I want to live for you and make you proud. Thank you that your grace and mercies are made new each day and that it is NEVER too late to change our lives and be exactly who You call us to be! Amen.

- Crystal Flory