Psalm 104 - 11.25.25
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 104:33
“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”
OBSERVATION: The author of this psalm praised God for His greatness, splendor and majesty. As the Creator and Sustainer of the earth, he praised God for the way He set it on its foundations, and for filling it with His goodness.
God makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains that give water to all the beasts of the field. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate - bringing forth food from the earth and bread that sustains our hearts. He made the seasons; and the sun knows when to go down! He made all the creatures, and they all look to Him to give them their food at the proper time. Without God’s breath in them, all creatures and people will die!
APPLICATION: When I read this portion of Scripture, it reminded me NOT to worry ABOUT ANYTHING because God is sovereign and very much in control over all He made! God is giving us permission to give Him ALL our anxious thoughts, problems, worries, and frustrations in exchange for His peace - as long as we are willing to trust Him, and surrender our need to control over to Him!
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Who You are, and for Your eternal power. I thank You for all You have done to reveal Yourself to me through all You have made. I pray I will always remember the wonderful works You have done, and what a trustworthy, faithful loving God You are! I pray as I continue to observe Your powerful and creative hand in nature, that my trust will grow stronger and my faith will grow deeper.
- Robin Orefice
Matthew 18 - 11.24.25
Scripture
Matthew 18:32-33 NIV
““Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’”
Observation
In this passage, Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive someone who sins against him. Jesus responds to Peter with a parable. It was about a king who decided to bring in a man who had owed him millions of dollars. Unfortunately, the man couldn’t pay the debt he owed. So, the king ordered that this man’s family and all his possessions be sold to pay off the debt. The man pleaded to the king to be patient with him and to give him more time to pay off the debt. The king felt pity on the man, released him, and forgave the man of his debt. But, as soon as this man was released, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him money. Instead of showing his fellow servant the same mercy and forgiveness he was shown by the king, he decided to have his fellow servant arrested until he could pay off the debt. When word got out about this and the news spread to the king, THE KING WAS FURIOUS! He ordered the man to be captured, imprisoned, and tortured until he could finally pay off his debt.
Application
We must forgive the way Jesus has forgiven us.
I don’t know why, but whenever I sit in traffic and cars are struggling to merge onto the freeway, I think of this story. You see, I’m usually the car on the freeway that has a bit of compassion for those big rig trucks or cars trying to merge onto the freeway. I usually slow down and let them in. But then I see that the same car that I just let in, close the gap and ride the car’s bumper in front of him so that no one else can cut and merge in front of him. I get so angry and frustrated. I’m like, “C’mon my guy, show the same courtesy that I just showed you.”
This parable does have me think how we can be with God. How many times has God forgiven us? Multiple, if not thousands of times! But, how soon we forget. The moment someone wrongs us, we want to cut all ties and relationships with that person. Some of us even go the “Old Testament” way and seek revenge, (an eye for an eye). But God calls us to forgive. He calls us to forgive the same way Jesus forgives us. That is forgiving with no strings attached and unconditionally. It can be hard to do and easier said than done. It reminds of what C.S. Lewis wrote:
“Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.”
How easily we expect and want God to forgive us, but when we have to forgive someone else for the same thing, our hearts are hardened to the idea. Let’s not be those kinds of people. Jesus calls us to be holy, (set apart). So, even if the world thinks one way when it comes to forgiveness, let’s look at forgiveness the way God calls us to. The way Jesus forgives.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” -Ephesians 4:32
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for your forgiveness. No matter how many times I mess up, which is plenty, You choose to forgive me. The way You choose to forgive is something I can never fathom, but it is something You call me to do towards others. Please give me your forgiving heart towards those who wrong me. May I always remember what Jesus did for me in order for me to be forgiven. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
Matthew 15 - 11.21.25
Scripture: Matthew 15:1-2, 10-11
1 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Observation
My mother told us when we were kids to wash our hands before we eat. When we were outside playing, I’m sure when we came to the table with dirty hands many times, Mom did not want to see us touch food with dirty hands, especially when food is being passed around. Now as an adult, when Mary and I are at Disneyland, we know to wash our hands often. Most of the snacks at Disneyland are eaten using your hands, and I wonder how many people wash their hands.
The Pharisees were talking about ceremonial washing of the hands. Whenever you see the word “Pharisees” in the New Testament, it is generally not a positive story. Pharisees were the religious leaders who have read or been taught the scriptures. They are always trying to catch Jesus and the disciples doing something that is against the laws and traditions. Jesus, when responding to the Pharisees, looks at their heart.
In Matthew 15:17-20, it says “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Application
Washing your hands before you eat is just sanitary. Eating with dirty hands is just a bad look. It could also give you an upset stomach. Jesus was not concerned about what goes into your mouth but was concerned about what comes out of your mouth. Jesus is looking at the heart. Jesus was looking at people who thought they looked great on the outside, but inside they are dirty and have not a cleansed heart.
Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
We need a new heart.: Psalms 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
We need to guard our heart: Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, Guard your Heart, for everything you do flow from it.”
God is the strength of our Heart: Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and portion forever.”
We need a discerning heart: Proverbs 18:15 – “The Heart of the decerning acquires Knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for loving me. Search my heart O God, help me to have a decerning heart, and help me guard my heart. Let me have a loving and gracious heart. Let the things that come out of my mouth honor you Jesus. In Jesus name Amen.
- Robert Oberg