Psalm 139 - 12.20.24

Scripture

Psalm 139:13-14 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Observation

This verse is amazing. David proclaims God as the creator from the time he was conceived. David knew how complex God made us and we need to Praise him always. God made us a physical body and a spiritual body. The physical body is a masterpiece on how it works together.

I am not much into science but here we go. Our bodies are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life, the smallest functional unit of a living organism, while an atom is the smallest unit of matter, consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and is the building block of all substances, living or non-living; essentially, cells are made up of many atoms combined to form molecules that make up the structures of a cell. There are over 37 trillion cells in a human body. How do those atoms go to the right place to make a hand, foot, eyes, nose, lungs, brains etc.? It takes information. God is the ultimate Data Programmer before computers were ever made. That kind of information cannot be by chance but by a creator. Think about this - there are over 6 billion people on earth.  We cannot count the number of cells God has knitted together and hold together each second.

Verse 14 says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. See what God says about us in Genesis.

Genesis 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The creation: what David put in a Psalms was elegant. What we have learned from science should blow our minds. And what God said should always have us in awe and we shall always praise and give Glory to God on how we were made. In Psalm 139:16 - Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Application

We need to protect life. Abortion tears apart what God has knit together. We need to speak up and let our leaders know how precious all of us are. We need to teach the young how valuable and precious they are. We need to love and respect and care for our elders. We need to develop relationships with others so they can see how valuable they are. Invite people to church or even to your house. Small things can lead to big things. In all things, always pray. His wisdom is better than ours. God made each one of us Special.

Prayer

Jesus, how can I not be in awe of your creation? You chose me to be created in my mother’s womb. You knew me before the foundation of the world (Psalm 139:16). Forgive me when I do not see how marvelous your creation is.  Jesus, you made me in your image. May I always praise you for that. May I always give you the glory. Thank You in Jesus name. Amen.

- Robert Oberg

Mark 8 - 12.19.24

S - 11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. Mark 8:11-13

O – Mark 8 shows us Jesus’ continued ministry. After taking a roundabout way back to Galilee through Decapolis, Jesus returned to Dalmanutha where Jewish leaders questioned his authority before he continues to Bethsaida and Caesarea. In this chapter, the Pharisees had tried to explain away Jesus’ previous miracles by claiming they were done by luck, coincidence, or evil power.  They demanded a sign from heaven, something only God could do. Jesus refused their demand because he knew that even this kind of miracle would not convince them. They had already decided not to believe. Hearts can become so hard that even the most convincing facts and demonstrations will not change them.

A – I love Mark as we get to read again and again, all the miracles, healings and ministry that Jesus did. He never gave up, said he was too tired, or too busy. When I read about the Pharisees asking for yet another miracle or sign, I think to myself, “How much more do you need?! You have seen miracle after miracle, healing after healing.”  But then I think about how often we do that! We ask for signs and miracles, yet He has NOTHING to prove.  We tend to forget the miracles He has done in our lives already. Where is the faith Mary talked about in her post on Tuesday? She referenced John 20:29  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

 I don’t want to test Jesus. I want to have a faith that trusts in Him alone because He has already proven who He is countless times. He owes me nothing! He has taken me from the death I deserve as a sinner and given me a new life, new purpose, and a faith and a hope I never had without Him. THAT is all I need to know.  I want to stay focused on what He has already done and not on what I want Him to do.

P – Lord help us not be a generation that continuously asks you for signs and miracles, but instead believes in you because of the faith that we have that you are who you say you are and that alone can be trusted.  Forgive me for any times that we doubt you and your powerful presence. Lord I thank you for all that you have done in my life, for the way you use me to minister to others, for the miracles you perform every single day, whether we see them or not.

- Crystal Flory

Mark 7 - 12.18.24

Scripture

Mark 7:15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.

Observation

I need to focus more on washing my heart than washing my hands.

Application

Washing your hands before you eat sounds like good advice. But the Pharisees’ hand washing wasn’t for practical purposes, it was ceremonial. They were washing their hands to cleanse themselves from the “unclean” things (including people) they came in contact with. This was part of their focus on the outward - following rituals and elaborate rules instead of following after the heart of God.

Jesus challenged them. He explained that the rottenness or dirtiness didn’t come from outside, or what they came in contact with, but from inside. He was telling them that they should focus on washing their hearts.

Vs. 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’”

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 We all have a heart of sin. And the only solution is to ask God to wash us.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for giving me a new heart. Thank you for your new mercies everyday. May I not grow complacent, following a prescribed schedule or list of boxes to check off instead of running hard after you. As I spend time in your presence and in your word, please continue to wash me clean. 

- Debbie Dunn