Deuteronomy 27 - 10.03.24
SCRIPTURE :Deuteronomy 27:9-10 NIV
“Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel,
“Be silent, Israel, and listen!
You have now become the people of the Lord your God.
Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.””
OBSERVATION
BE Silent—and Listen
Moses gives two commands- Be Silent and Listen.
Once Joshua led the Nation into the Promised Land—
They were to STOP—and reaffirm their Covenant Promise to The Lord-
To keep ALL The Commandments.
Joshua was commanded to plaster some large stones on Mount Ebal and write clearly on them ALL The Laws that God gave His People —in addition to building an altar for sacrifices.
God saw this covenant as a Solemn Marriage Covenant.
Any breaking of His Laws was likened to Adultery in God’s eyes.
God wanted His People—who HE had set apart for Himself-
To WHOLLY commit themselves to HIM.
APPLICATION
COVENANT RELATIONSHIP STILL REMAINS
Give God the 1st Place of Love and Honor— and everything else will fall into place.
If we Love and honor God Foremost-then we will Love what He loves and naturally desire to do those things that are pleasing to Him and bring Him glory.
““This is the NEW COVENANT
I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.””
(Hebrews 10:16 NLT)
“And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
The second is like it, ‘You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’
The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”” (Matthew 22:37-40 AMP)
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband—-to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 11:2 AMP)
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
(Psalm 16:11 ESV)
PRAYER
LORD Jesus,
Thank You for pursuing me. Thank You for continuing to Love me and grow me and Teach me. Thank You that YOU Stand by me THROUGH everything. Circumstances will never dictate Your ability to provide anything at anytime -anywhere.
You are GOD and there is No other. In your Presence is FULLNESS of JOY and at Your Right Hand are Pleasures—Forevermore. May my life tell Your Love story.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
Tina L Kudelka
Acts 23 - 10.2.24
Scripture
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Acts 23:11
Observation
At this point in the story of Paul, he has accomplished great things for the Lord, taking the gospel to the Gentile nations, and bringing a large number of Gentiles to the Lord. Paul was impressed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:21) that he should go to Jerusalem. The Lord had impressed on his heart that he was awaited by “chains and tribulation” in Jerusalem (Acts: 20:23). This was also confirmed by other Christian believers who prophesied that Paul would face imprisonment in Jerusalem (Acts 21:11). His friends pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:12). But Paul was determined to go, convinced in heart that this was God’s perfect will for him, declaring that he is not only ready to be imprisoned but also to die for Jesus (Acts 21:13).
Now Paul has been dramatically attacked by Jews in Jerusalem, and has been arrested by the Roman soldiers. He was brought before the chief priests and their counsel. He faced so much hatred and attacks from his own people, that the Roman soldiers had to “rescue” him and bring him back to the barracks.
This was a very discouraging moment for Paul. He might have doubted if he had missed God’s plan for his life. Did he do the right thing by coming to Jerusalem, though warned by well-wishers and friends not to do so? The Lord appeared to him. This was not a dream or a vision, but a visitation from Jesus. Jesus personally came to Paul and strengthened him. Jesus told him to take courage, as he needed to testify about Jesus in Rome, just like he did in Jerusalem.
Paul spent the rest of his life in imprisonment and wrote almost half of the new testament from prison - 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament are attributed to him. History tells us that Paul was executed in Rome. But he was in the center of God’s perfect will concerning him, accomplishing God’s purpose for him. As he said towards the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Application
Christian life is not a bed of roses. We are not promised a life without troubles, when we give our life to the Lord. In fact, Jesus himself promised that we will have trouble in this world. But we are more than conquerors through Him (Romans 8:37). Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We read in Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12).
If you are going through a trial today, do not lose heart. When you pass through the waters, He will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2)
Be encouraged. Take courage. The Lord has a purpose in whatever you are going through. Cling onto Him, and He will see you through, and He will deliver you, because that is what he has promised. “Because he clings to me I will deliver him; because he knows my name I will set him on high” (Psalms 91:14 NABRE).
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you because you are always with me. Thank you because every day of my life is written in your book. Thank you because you have a purpose for everything you have allowed in my life. Help me to be obedient and to seek your face and your kingdom above all. Lead me into your plans and purposes for my life. I cling onto you and trust you, knowing that you will deliver me out of this trial in your time. Thank you because the battle belongs to you, and you have the victory. Make my life a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
- Asha Chacko George
Psalm 59 - 10.1.24
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 59:16,17 "...I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble. To You, my strength, I sing praises, because God is my stronghold ---my faithful God."
OBSERVATION: So, what caused David to praise God here in this psalm? Let's go back a bit: King Saul was after David. He wanted him dead! He was jealous because after David had come back from killing Goliath, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. As they celebrated, the women sang: "Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands." Saul was furious and resented this song, and he watched David jealously from that day forward.
The next day an evil spirit sent from God took control of Saul, and he began to rave inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual, but Saul was holding a spear, and he threw it, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David got away from him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David, but left Saul. Saul resigned David and made him commander over 1,000 men. David led the troops and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him. When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him.
Saul's daughter, Michal loved David, but David didn't consider himself a good match because he was a poor man who was common, but Saul told his servants to tell David that he desired no other bride-price except 100 Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies. Actually, Saul intended to cause David's death at the hands of the Philistines. When David and his men went out and killed not 100, but 200 Philistines and presented their foreskins to the king, Saul gave his daughter to David to be his wife. But when he realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter loved him, he became afraid of David, and Saul was David's enemy from then on!
Saul ordered his son, Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but since Jonathan liked David very much, he told David that his father intended on killing him, and to be on guard in the morning and hide in a secret place and stay there. Saul sent men to David's house to watch and kill him in the morning. But Michal warned him to run for his life that night or he would be killed in the morning.
David fled, and he, along with his men hid in the back of a cave. Saul and 3,000 of his men were coming to get him! Not knowing that David and his men were in there, Saul went into that very cave to relieve himself. David secretly cut off the corner of Saul's robe, but his conscience bothered him because he had sworn to the Lord that he would never do such a thing to the Lord's anointed, and he persuaded his men not to rise up against Saul.
David went out of the cave, and called to Saul and showed him that he could have killed him in that cave. King Saul wept aloud, and told David that he was more righteous than he was for doing good to him after all the evil that he had done to David. "May the Lord repay you with good for what you've done for me today." Then Saul knew that David would be the next king, and the kingdom of Israel would be established in his hand, and he asked Saul to swear that he would not cut off his descendants or wipe out his name from his father's family. David agreed.
APPLICATION: This brings us to the answer as to why David was singing praises to God. At the beginning of this Scripture David was crying out to God to deliver him from his enemies, and to protect him from those who were rising up against him. And at the end of the psalm David gave all the glory to God for how He had answered his prayer, and delivered Him.
God answered David's prayer. He miraculously intervened! King Saul, who was out to get him, was delivered into David's hands, but David chose to spare him because he was God's anointed.
David experienced God's love and mercy, in the good times as well as the bad, and He knew that God's love was boundless. He knew he could cry out to Him, and receive the help that he desperately needed. As David's life was being hunted down, and as he was hiding out and running for his life from the one who wanted him dead because of his jealousy, David remained faithful to the Lord by not harming King Saul, even when he had the opportunity to do so!
When others fail us, we can trust that God will handle the situation in His perfect way, and His perfect timing. We can ALWAYS depend on God's availability and on His unfailing love!
PRAYER: Thank You Lord that we can learn from David's life that even in the grimmest details of his life, He was able to keep his trust in You. He was honest about his feelings, and transparent regarding the desperate need that he was in. As You were David's Helper, his source of strength, and his Fortress, You are ours as well! You are the One we can run to and be safe when our lives are in danger. I pray we will not only pray to You, but that we will praise You THROUGH the trials that we face. You are such a good and faithful God to us! I pray we will have stories like David of how we have put our faith and trust in You, and how You have met us in our times of need.
- Robin Orefice