Romans 16 - 9.10.26

Scripture: Romans 16:20

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Observation: 

The power of peace.  This scripture stuck out to me, sandwiched between a long list of greetings and Paul’s doxology to the church of Corinth, this short passage in Romans 16 stands out in how the defining power the peace of God carries is expressed. 

Peace, from God, is powerful - powerful enough to crush Satan under our feet. The peace of God, peace who IS God, is mighty and powerful. True and steadfast peace is found in Him and our belonging we have in Him amidst all we face in our lives destined to a rollercoaster of experiences throughout our days.

Further, the peace of God is one that has the last word - see that word “soon?” We eagerly await the day when His will and His heart is the manifest reality everywhere we look after Jesus returns and when all attacks from Satan will be finalized and silenced; though, I know we need peace now. So, what do we do?

These past few weeks in church we have been turning a corner to become a church that even more than holds a church service, but one that beholds Jesus. This past Sunday Katie reminded us of the powerful rhythm it is to behold Jesus in the midst of our lives throughout whatever they may hold, she asked if we will become people who behold Him? This got me thinking how intimate and immediate our access is to not just the giver of peace, but the man that IS peace. Not only is He peace, but there is peace in the fact that He enters in all with us and advocates for us within whatever we may face. How does peace come into your mind and your heart when you truly ruminate in that the savior of the world calls you friend, to know that the blood of Jesus has the final say, to know that the truth is He is working all things for good to those who love Him. . . . When I am in the midst of a storm, because I know Jesus, I have the opportunity and access to behold the man himself that is peace and whose unwavering presence delivers peace. Peace far more powerful than a person, but greater in the form of a man available to behold. 

When we are in the midst of a storm, do we seek to behold the man of powerful peace talked about in Romans 16? Peace is found in His eyes, His face, His consistent heart. Peace is Him, Himself. Scripture says Jesus does not just have peace or does not just give peace, while both of these are true, what is even greater is that He himself IS peace (Ephesians 2:14). So whenever I am in the midst of a ruminating spiral, where all I can think about is what could happen or fear based thoughts - I have the opportunity to turn to the man who himself is peace, in whom I have full access to, whose availability is limitless when I am face to face with circumstances that need His power and a mind that needs His peace.

When I am in need of peace, I don’t just find a feeling from God, but I go and find the man that is peace. When you are in need of peace, may you be reminded that you can find it knowing there is no battle or victory you or I have been in alone, but this man has and will be in every single experience with us - holding our hand and never forsaking anyone.

Application:

As we are repeatedly calling our church to do, I echo this rhythm of life again and invite you in, would you behold him?

For those reading this, if your heart is weary or if you are carrying stress, maybe even more belief in fear than in faith, may you “be + hold”. Be where you are and be in your current state + hold Him. To hold him is to create space and picture Him, allowing space and margin for your mind to align with His face, His voice, His words, and His heart - not rushing past who He is in His entirety to hurry back into worry, but beholding Him in the midst will cultivate an understanding in our hearts that peace is not only on the way, but immediately available in the man who is peace himself and in all things with us that we face.

Prayer:

Jesus, show me who you are in the midst of where my mind is. Jesus, show me your face and reveal to me deeper who you are in the midst of my storm and in my worry - as I come to you in my truest most vulnerable state, will you show me who you remain to be no matter what. Thank you for BEING the peace that I have which surpasses all understanding. 

In Jesus mighty and peace filled name, Amen.

- Tess Schrupp

Proverbs 30 - 9.9.26

Scripture: Proverbs 30:8-9

… give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.

Observation

What freedom we experience when we fully give God control and walk in His will for us.

With success or prosperity, we can fall into the trap of self-reliance or feeling like we deserve the blessings in our lives when they are really gifts from God. With struggles of any kind, it is easy to let anxiety and fear take over. We must guard against anything that takes our eyes off God. We must refocus our minds on Him daily, acknowledge that He is Lord, put our trust in Him, and let Him lead and guide us where He wants us to go. Give us this day our daily bread.

Application

Philippians 4:12-13 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Like Paul, I can say that I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I haven’t yet truly learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, but I am growing in my faith. And that’s why I need to refocus my eyes on Him every day. I believe that He will give me the strength to do whatever it is He has placed before me.

Prayer

God, may I focus my eyes on You today and your will for my life, trusting You in all things. I thank You that in the hardest times of my life, you have surrounded me and drawn me close. May I seek Your presence with all my heart in good times and in bad. Your presence is available at all times, if only we will seek after You.    

- Debbie Dunn

Numbers 20 - 9.8.26

SCRIPTURE: Numbers 20: 1-13 

1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

OBERSERVATION

Here in this passage, we see frustrations from the day-to-day struggles start to boil. Israelites did not have water to drink in the desert. They were complaining to Moses, complaining about God’s plan for them, and reminiscing over the abundance they had in Egypt while being in bondage. I believe Moses was very frustrated at this point. He was leading a multitude of people through a desert with low water supply and his sister recently passed away. At this breaking point, Moses acted a bit out of character. Instead of Moses specifically doing as God instructed, he called the Israelites rebels and struck the rock twice. He did not honor God as holy at this point and even asked the question, “must WE bring water out of this rock?” instead of solely pointing to God that provided the water. Unfortunately, Moses was not allowed to bring the Israelites into the Promise Land due to his disobedience. I happened to see a video about this very topic a couple of weeks ago, but by God’s grace, Moses was able to witness something even better. Moses was able to be in the Promise Land to witness God face-to-face like he longed for in the wilderness by seeing Jesus Christ transfigured along with Elijah (Matt 17:1-13). Although Moses let his frustrations get the better of him, God being holy, just and merciful allowed Moses to witness His glory.

APPLICATION

As we deal with life, people, jobs, and responsibilities, we will get frustrated especially when we see sin, injustice, and blasphemy against God. Moses did not sin by becoming angry with the Israelites’ complaints; he sinned by disobedience and irreverence towards God’s command in a moment of weakness. Ephesians 4:26 says “In your anger, do not sin.” We as human beings have emotions, but our emotions should not draw us to sinning because God chastened those who He loves (Heb 12:6) such as He did with Moses. 

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I thank You for being merciful even during our times of weakness and frustration. I pray that we can listen to You, Holy Spirit, during every interaction that we may be Christlike. Please give us the words to speak when it is necessary and guide us with our actions to truly represent You. Lord Jesus, I thank You for the example of Your holiness in this passage and also the mercy given centuries later when Moses was able to see You face to face when You walked the earth. Please give us strength to remember Your Words given to us to be the salt and light of the earth to set an example to others.

- Darrence Hamilton