2 Corinthians 4 - 11.12.24

SCRIPTURE:  2 Corinthians 4:16-18  ”Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

OBSERVATION:  In this chapter, Paul is instructing the believers in Corinth to renew their commitment in serving Jesus, look beyond this brief life, and demonstrate their faith to others. 
Paul told them to follow His example as one who did not lose heart when difficult times arose. He followed Christ above all things, and did not allow the things of this world to deter him from sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

APPLICATION:  When difficult times come, we should remember that God is with us, and even when we feel weak, inadequate, overwhelmed, un-qualified, or stressed to the max, every situation we find ourselves in is another opportunity to tap into God’s power and experience His supernatural miracle working ability.  He is always available when we call out to Him!

PRAYER:  Lord, even when we are hard-pressed on every side, we don’t have to be crushed, perplexed, or in despair.  We don’t have to feel struck down or defeated because… our earthly momentary troubles are ALL temporary, and our eternal hope is in You!  Please help us/me to fix our eyes on You, and the glorious things that are up ahead for those who keep our trust in You. Amen

- Robin Orefice

Judges 8 - 11.11.24

Scripture

‭‭Judges‬ ‭8‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT

“As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.”

Observation

Gideon led a group of 300 warriors to go and conquer the Midianites. Gideon and these men had already conquered and killed over 120,000 men with his small army during his leadership. It was obvious that God’s favor was with Gideon and with God on his side, he was eventually able to defeat and conquer the Midianites. During the rest of Gideon’s lifetime, there was peace among the Israelites and the land. But, as soon as Gideon died, things were about to change. The Israelites went back to their wicked ways, worshiping idols and forgetting about God. 🤦🏽‍♂️

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Application

How soon we forget.

Before we get on the Israelites for always seeming to forget about God, and going back to their old ways, we need to pump the brakes here, look in the mirror for a second, and see if we can sometimes do the same thing. It may not be on the scale of the Israelites here, but if we are honest with ourselves, we are just as guilty of forgetting God sometimes too. It could be a time where we received some bad health news. We ask others to pray for us. We even seek God harder than we ever did before. But, as soon as the doctor comes and gives us the news that we are in the clear, we get back to our lives, forgetting God, and allowing the busyness of life get in the way of our relationship with God again. It can be a vicious cycle too! We receive a life crisis.  We then seek God. He helps us. We go back to our “scheduled program”. Rinse and repeat! We treat God like He is our personal “magic genie”, only seeking Him whenever we need something and whenever He gives it to us, we forget about Him. How self-centered can we be? You will see as we continue to read the book of Judges that the Israelites go through this same cycle.  We need to learn from their mistakes, NOT repeat them! 

“These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” -‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We need to seek God daily! Not just when we need something either. We need to give Him our praise and thanksgiving DAILY. We need to give Him our concerns DAILY. We need to follow Him and His ways DAILY. Just look what God has done for the likes of Moses and Gideon, and see how God’s favor was with them, and how He blessed them. They were men who sought after God  DAILY.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I forget about Your goodness and faithfulness. Forgive me for ever treating You like a vending machine or my personal magic genie. God, You are so faithful even when I’m not. You desire a daily relationship with me because You love and care for me. May I seek You each day, to give You all my praise and concerns. Help me to walk Your path the way Moses and Gideon did, so I may be blessed and a blessing to those around me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

1 Corinthians 16 - 11.8.24

SCRIPTURE

For God’s people. 1 Corinthians 16:13 -14: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

OBSERVATION

In the book of 1 Corinthians Paul is recognizing the needs of the Christians in the towns mentioned; giving them encouraging words; recognizing what they have done, and telling them he would come to these churches as soon as he can.  But IN THE MEANTIME he is giving them instructions to be ready, stand fast and to love.

In these scriptures, Paul is encouraging Christians to:

WATCH—

1 Peter 5:8-9 "Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith"

( Matthew 24:42, 26:41, Mark 13:37 )

STAND FAST—

Liberty in Jesus:  Galatians 5:1

Christian unity: Philippians 1:27

The Lord HIMSELF: Philippians 4:1

The teaching of the apostles 2 Thessalonians 2:15

BE STRONG—

Power of His might  Ephesians 6:10

His grace  2 Timothy 2:1

DO EVERYTHING IN LOVE—

In a sense, each of these mean the same thing, simply saying it in a different way. Christians are to be like strong soldiers, on guard, watching for their Lord’s return but also being aware of temptation to choose something not good for us with bad consequences.  And to do it all with Love.

APPLICATION

But what does it mean to us?   It all is accomplished through FAITH. Stand firm in Faith, be courageous and do it all in LOVE. 

TWO Lessons: be prepared for His returning for us and the hope of our salvation

Be prepared for temptation that brings us harm.

Here are three ways to stand firm in your faith:

• Praise God.  Praise God for who He is and what He has done in your life. Praise can renew your strength and activate power in your life. 

• Pray for others.  Praying for others is a way to turn your heart toward others. Intercession is the highest expression of love. 

• Spend time with God.  Quiet time with God is a way to be intentional with your relationship with God. You can go to a secluded place to hear God more clearly or rest in His presence ANYWHERE. 

Standing firm in your faith is an active position, not a passive one. It's when you let God take over and live out His principles daily.  And spending time with other believers to share your conflict and your life’s journey and ASK FOR PRAYER.  All of these show our love for HIM and others.

PRAYER

Lord, there is so much to consider BUT this we ask that we Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love.  Because of your promises we TRUST IN YOU AND YOUR GRACE that YOU WILL!!! And we give you the glory of your word with humble adoration.  And Lord, give us the opportunity to share your words to others in our daily walk so that they come to know YOU.  WE know someone plants a seed and another one waters it…So today Jesus let us be gardeners of your word. Amen.

- Charleen Zakarian