One…two…your sin will haunt you:2 Samuel 12:1-31
Jesus tells of His death & resurrection: John 16:1-33
You hands made me and formed me: Psalm 119:65-80
The Lord works out everything for his own ends: Proverbs 16:4-5
2nd Samuel 12: 11 was fulfilled just like the Lord told David. David’s sons Absalom and Adonijah tried to usurp the throne from David. Absalom did it for a while. Adonijah did it mainly when David was up in age. Even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he let sin mess up part of his life.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that when we pray God the Father hears us directly. In John 16:26-27, Jesus said that when we pray He doesn’t have to ask God on our behalf because God loves us! Check that out – we have access to the One who created everything & is the source of all blessings! We don’t have to pay a preacher to pray for us. We don’t have to hire an attorney to be our advocate. We simply pray in the name of Jesus & God will hear us because He loves us.
Life of sin bad news
Life of prayer access to the Father
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
May 26 (Tuesday) -- Greater Love Has No Man Than This - That a Man Lay His Life Down for His Friends
Getta your eyesah offa the wife of Uriah: 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27
Jesus is friend and lord: John 15:1-27
The earth is filled with your love, oh Lord: Psalm 119:49-64
Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed: Proverbs 16:1-3
Loving Jesus and obeying Jesus go hand in hand. John recorded Jesus as saying that He’s both our friend and our Lord.
No one loves us as much as Jesus. Jesus died for us, His friends. That’s the greatest example of love (verse 13).
Now it’s our turn. In John 15:10 Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.”
Who’s up to obeying Jesus? I want to remain in His love, do you?
Jesus is friend and lord: John 15:1-27
The earth is filled with your love, oh Lord: Psalm 119:49-64
Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed: Proverbs 16:1-3
Loving Jesus and obeying Jesus go hand in hand. John recorded Jesus as saying that He’s both our friend and our Lord.
No one loves us as much as Jesus. Jesus died for us, His friends. That’s the greatest example of love (verse 13).
Now it’s our turn. In John 15:10 Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.”
Who’s up to obeying Jesus? I want to remain in His love, do you?
Monday, May 25
May 25
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John's gospel is a very Trinitarian gospel. You hear a lot about Jesus' divinity, his claiming the "I Am" statements for himself. He also writes a lot about the times Jesus spoke of his Father, his being sent by the Father, his going to be with the Father, his being the same as the Father. And now, here we read about the promised Holy Spirit. Jesus is soon to die for the sins of his people, then he will rise again and go to be with his Father. We celebrate Pentecost this coming Sunday and it is very important (we will celebrate by welcoming several students into the membership of the church) as the day God sent his Spirit to rest on his people. This passage gives us a great deal of information about the role of this Holy Spirit. Though we wait for the day of Jesus' return, we now have the presence of His spirit to comfort, strengthen and lead us to great acts for the kingdom.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 24, 2009 (Sunday)
May 24
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In today's passage from 2 Samuel we read two very interesting stories, back to back about the ark of the covenant. They are both very famous stories and very interesting in contrast. The first is the story of a man who tried to stop the ark from falling off of planks when it had been set up wrong. Upon touching the ark he immediately died. This is a very dramatic story that displays the holiness and majesty of God. His worship is to be done in such a way as to appreciate his awesomeness and greatness... but then, right after is the famous story of David undignifiying himself by taking off his kingly garments (though he did have normal clothes on) before the slave women (which basically meant humbling himself as a man) and dancing before the ark. This shows us that we should worship God with reverence for him, yet humility for ourselves. We are nothing and God is everything. And we shouldnt be afraid to worship him in awe and great excitement.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
May 23, 2009 (Saturday)
May 23 -------------------- 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39 John 13:1-30 Psalm 119:1-16 Proverbs 15:29-30
Today's passage begins the longest chapter in the whole Bible. The longest chapter comes to chapters after the shortest. The longest chapter in the whole Bible is a long meditation upon God's law or word, it is a in depth look at how good God's plan for us is. This chapter is also an "acrostic" in Hebrew, each set of verses or "stanza" begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet (which doesn't come through in the English). This means that the author is showing how complete and finished is God's word, God's plan for us. His word is perfect...
May 22, 2009 (Friday)
May 22
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Today's passage from John is a great reflection from Jesus upon the meaning and purpose of his death. Jesus knew his mission was to come into the world to die to save his people from their sins. Yet at the same time Jesus prays to his Father to "glorify his name". In overcoming death and sin, in rising again on the third day, the name of the Father, the name of God is glorified and shown to be the name that is above all names. Our God is a great God.
In John we read about Jesus walking his disciples feet. Here we see more clearly what God's plan for us is. Jesus says this is showing his love for them. In washing their feet he is becoming humble and symbolizing his act of sacrifice that will cleanse his followers from their sins. Yet right after this we learn of the great betrayal of Judas, who will hand him over to be crucified.
Friday, May 22, 2009
March 21 (Thursday) -- We want him to die...again
David rescues his wife (err…I meant “wives”): 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13
Wanted dead or alive – the man who raises the dead: John 11:55-12:19
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: Psalm 118:1-18
The path of life leads upwards for the wise: Proverbs 15:24-26
Imagine someone who had been dead for 3 days telling you about Jesus resurrecting him from the grave. Then imagine other folks not liking it & wanting to kill both Jesus & the resurrected man.
Poor Lazarus. He’d already died once and the chief priests were wanting him to die again. :)
It’s funny, but of the times I’ve done things for the Lord, usually the most active naysayers are the ones who claim to be religious. It’s been a while since that happened to me. I guess I’ve become slack in serving the Lord.
Wanted dead or alive – the man who raises the dead: John 11:55-12:19
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: Psalm 118:1-18
The path of life leads upwards for the wise: Proverbs 15:24-26
Imagine someone who had been dead for 3 days telling you about Jesus resurrecting him from the grave. Then imagine other folks not liking it & wanting to kill both Jesus & the resurrected man.
Poor Lazarus. He’d already died once and the chief priests were wanting him to die again. :)
It’s funny, but of the times I’ve done things for the Lord, usually the most active naysayers are the ones who claim to be religious. It’s been a while since that happened to me. I guess I’ve become slack in serving the Lord.
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