Ezekiel 18 - 1.5.26
Scripture
Ezekiel 18:32 NIV
“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”
Observation
In this passage, the people of Israel are in the midst of life’s struggles. They believe God is punishing them for their ancestors’ sins, when in fact they couldn’t be more wrong.
Ezekiel then gets a word from God. God tells the people of Israel that He is holding each person accountable for the lifestyle they are choosing to live by. The current struggles they are experiencing is from their own sinful behaviors, so if they want to blame anyone, then they need to look no further than in the mirror.
But, in God’s grace, righteousness, and mercy, He offers the people of Israel liberation from the burden of ancestral sin. God offers them a fresh start and direct relationship based on personal choices, not inherited guilt, calling everyone to choose righteousness and live.
Application
Choose righteousness and live!
Some people picture God to be someone who is just waiting for us to mess up and the moment you do…WHAM!!! God is ready to just pounce on us, punish us, and send us to Hell. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
The verse I chose today shows you God’s heart for people. He doesn’t want to send anyone to Hell. He doesn’t want ANYONE to spend eternity separated from Him and His love. God loves us all! But, God is a holy and righteous God. He is just and He cannot contradict Himself. He can’t just allow sin to go unpunished and “sweep it under the rug”. So, God provided a way for all of us to be cleansed from our sins. He provided a way for us to be righteous. He provided a way for ALL to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Enter Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” -John 3:16-18
God came out of the comforts of Heaven to be born in the flesh as Jesus. He was the only one to live a perfect and sinless life. Yet, He willingly died a sinner’s death on that cross and because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we all have that opportunity to be righteous through Him. We all have the opportunity (just like the Israelites in this passage) to turn away from our sinful way of living and to choose righteousness; to choose Jesus and live! When it’s all said and done, God will hold each of us accountable for our actions and choices in life. We can’t live off of our parents’ faith. It has to be our choice, our decision. What will that choice and decision be for us today? What will we choose to do with the name of Jesus? 🤔
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your heart for humanity and not wanting to see any perish, but for all to have this opportunity, this free gift of salvation that was paid for us by Jesus. I pray that others may know You the way I do. Give me the courage and boldness to share Your message to others around me so that when that day comes when You hold them accountable for their actions and choices, they will be found righteous because of their faith in Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
Romans 1 - 1.2.26
Scripture: Romans 1:18-20
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Observation
Paul is writing to the Romans about the works of Jesus Christ. The Good News of Jesus is more than facts to be believed; it is also a life to be lived – a life of righteousness, justified freely by God’s Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Paul is giving us the bad news before he gives us the Good News. We are all under the wrath of God because of sin and he explains it in two words.
Ungodliness – refers to a lack of reverence or obedience to God, a lack of worship. Encompassing impiety, wickedness, and sinful behavior that goes against commands, often characterized by irreligion, worldliness, or actively opposing God’s nature and will. It’s essentially living apart from God, characterized by sin and a rejection of divine principles, leading to spiritual separation and potential judgement. (Google)
Unrighteousness – means violating God’s moral standards, encompassing injustice, wickedness, dishonesty, and deliberate opposition to divine law, separating people from God’s holy character. (Google)
Application
In this world that we live in there is so much ungodliness and unrighteousness. In these scriptures Paul states, there is no excuse for not knowing God. His invisible qualities are clearly seen. He keeps the earth moving on its axis. He keeps the sun and the moon at their proper distance so we don’t burn up. He wakes us up every morning with breath in our lungs. I just got back from a vacation on Kauai, HI. God’s handiwork is all over that island. The majesty and beauty of that island is so incredible that you cannot deny God’s hand on it. The magnificent shoreline and how the waves and water keep their boundaries. It rains everyday so that the land is green and lush. God is so evident there and in our everyday lives here where we live.
People are under God’s wrath for rejecting God and living in sin but He gave us His son Jesus Christ to bridge the gap. If we repent of our sins and ask Jesus to come live in our hearts…everything changes. THE GOOD NEWS!
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving us your son so we don’t have to experience your wrath. Thank You for making a way for us to be in right relationship with you. Thank you for being so present on this earth, that we can see your hand all around us. Thank you for loving us so much that you would let us enjoy your magnificent handiwork. You are a Great and Marvelous God and worthy to be praised by all mankind. Give us boldness to share your Good News with everyone we encounter. We worship and adore you!
- Michelle Craig
Psalm 131 - 1.1.26
Scripture:
“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 131:1-3 NIV
Observation:
I believe David writes in this psalm to testify about the importance of where we find our contentment and where we focus our minds.
He uses this metaphor of a weened child to help us visualize what it means to know the source of our life. A child knows that their mother is what brought them into this world and lives in dependence. This psalm invites us to rid ourselves of dependence on anything else and live humbly dependent on our abba father.
As I read this psalm, I was so thankful that this was going to be offered to us to read as a church on the 1st day of 2026. So often, the first day of a new year brings us to feel like we have to add so much to our lives in order to change them into our ideal lives.
David is testifying to us of what it looks like to be people who live letting go of what is futile and what clutters our minds. To care for this world by not consuming it to the point of destroying ourselves, rather consuming Christ and finding hope and contentment fully in Him, in order to love this world and God’s people well. In order to walk into this new year and strongly represent Jesus as His disciples and His children, we must be strengthened by the things we consume and what we focus our minds and hearts on. This psalm offers us a chance to declutter our minds and souls by fixating on what brings true contentment to our lives always—resting our hope in the Lord and living to prioritize His presence. We must see that in order for 2026 to be the year that God has for us, finding all our hope in the Lord and living to prioritize His presence will be the pathway there.
Like a weened child, 2026 can be the year of knowing we need a beautiful relationship with the source of all peace, all hope, all joy, all love, and all life. We will undoubtably find that if we daily and moment-to-moment choose to fixate our eyes and whole lives on our ultimate comfort rather than temporary comforts or distractions found on our phones, in the media, and in this world.
Application:
* Today, a way you can tangibly apply this scripture is to physically set aside your phone and any media for the first day of 2026. Put your phone in a drawer for an hour or the whole day to help you notice the noise and eliminate it. I love this quote from John Mark Comer:
“This new epidemic of distraction is our civilization’s specific weakness. And its threat is not so much to our minds, even as they shape-shift under the pressure. The threat is to our souls. At this rate, if the noise does not relent, we might even forget we have any.” - John Mark Comer from Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
By setting aside distraction for the first day of 2026, you may recognize how much your mind is consumed with noise and weight that is not yours to carry. In this time pick up time in the beautify and presence of the Lord.
* As our church heads into 28 days of prayer and fasting, print this psalm out and put it somewhere you can continually see it - do this to remind yourself that letting go of what is not meant for you and handing it to God, who is meant to hold it for us, and is worth it in the long run.
Prayer:
Abba father,
Thank you for being the father who cares to carry us and all we try to hold on our own, even when it is not ours to hold. Thank you for your patience with us as we navigate living in this world while not becoming it. Lord teach us the way David lived. Show us the fruit that comes from setting aside the things that consume our minds when they are not supposed to be carried by us. Teach us to lay things down and find contentment in being dependent on you, rather than comforts of this world. Help me not concern myself with what is too great for my arms to hold, help me learn to hand this off and into your arms and strength. I love you so much Lord, I love you and all you are. In your name, Amen.
- Tess Schrupp