Pastor Mary Haley

February 28, 2020

If you have been a part of the Hebrews Bible Study, then you know that there has been much discussion about the Tabernacle, and so I’m excited for today’s passage. If you have not been following the Bible Study, you will have no trouble following today’s devotion.

Today’s devotion is on Exodus 35:1-3. Within these three verses we see clear instructions given by the Lord to Moses. These instructions are in preparation for the construction of the Tabernacle. You will notice that Moses calls together the entire community of Israel to receive these instructions, which are to observe the Sabbath. The construction of the Tabernacle will continue throughout 5 chapters until the end of Exodus, and the Lord is very clear that throughout this entire process the Sabbath must be observed, or there would be dire, if not fatal, consequences for anyone violating this very important law. We already know from Exodus 20, where the Lord gave Moses the 10 commandments, that one of those laws was to “remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (20:8) Also, prior to the construction process of the Tabernacle, we learn about its blueprints in Exodus 25 – 31, and the law of observing the Sabbath was outlined at the end of 31 in verses 12 – 17. So, the Lord emphasized the grave importance of observing the Sabbath after giving the blueprints of the Tabernacle and again before the construction process of the Tabernacle began.

Question: Since you and I live under the new covenant of Christ, are the instructions for observing the Sabbath relevant now since these instructions were given to Moses for the Israelites approximately 2,600 years ago in reference to the construction of the Tabernacle?

Note #1: ”1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.” (Hebrews 8:1-2)

Note #2: Friends, Jesus is our High Priest. He ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, created by God (not man), and so we now have the privilege to go directly to him. We no longer need an earthly “tabernacle” (place or person), because we have direct access to the tangible presence of God when we “tabernacle” with His Son, Jesus, who is seated at His right hand in heaven.

Answer: YES! We need to set time aside, as our Sabbath, to rest in the holy presence of Jesus. The commandment is 6 to 1…6 days of work, and 1 day to be kept holy and for the Lord. Everything you and I have is thanks be to God…our families, friends, employment, retirement, housing, transportation, luxury items, health, time, etc. If the Lord gives us all of these people, places, things, moments, opportunities, etc…and we can’t even give Him 1 holy day, what are we saying to Him, or what are we not saying to Him? We must give thanks to the Lord, we must set time aside for Him and Him alone, we must honor Him for His holiness.

Exodus 35:1-3 NLT
Instructions for the Sabbath

1 Then Moses called together the whole community of Israel and told them, “These are the instructions the Lord has commanded you to follow. 2 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. 3 You must not even light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath.”

Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for being my dwelling place. I love being able to come directly to You any time and any place. Help me, Lord, to set aside more time to spend uninterrupted with You. I want my Sabbath time with You to grow. Everything I have and all that I am is because of You. I pray all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written by: Jennifer Auer, Pastor Mary Haley’s Assistant

Intro: Until Christ’s return, we will never experience a deficit of challenges or battles in this dark and sinful world. The world and human hearts are corrupt apart from the redemption found in Christ and the righteous renewal of humble hearts by the Spirit. To think things are going to get better—through external human effort and dialogue—is to live deceived. Satan is a liar! Evil lies in order to gain control! However, the Spirit gives Christ’s followers discernment: the Wisdom that comes from heaven. In other words, the ability to perceive the Truth.

Open your eyes and observe as evil prowls looking to devour what it perceives as vulnerable. You want a real time example? Russia using its lust and greed for more power and resources by attacking Ukraine. So, how do believers in the world shine as lights in the midst of these ongoing evil acts of injustice, corruption, and war? The answer is we, as believers, must consider the battles that are ahead, seek to live obedient to the Lord’s commands, reach for the endless supply of divine grace, and ask God to use us in the midst to draw more people toward the Savior.

The Old Testament history of Israel is essential for God’s people to know and internalize if we are going to understand our future and God’s work of grace. To get to the Promise Land, Israel had to understand God was greater and more powerful than any foe they faced; greater than any evil. Satan, the god of this world, is NOT God’s equal. Just to remind believers, evil has no power over you unless you give in to it, because Jesus—the name to whom all of heaven and earth must one day bow—lives in you. Victory is possible as we “partner” with God. Salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ!

In our passage today, God’s message through Moses may seem discouraging, but it is not meant to make the people feel defeated. God simply wants them to remember the truth about their poor level of commitment in the past, as well as their human weakness, so they will repent (turn away from evil) and trust him completely. The same God who wrote his commands on stone tablets, writes his commands upon our believing hearts to encourage us to place all of our trust in His sufficiency. The battle is the LORDs! As his soldiers of grace, may we humbly pray for God’s intervening salvation, resist the work of evil in our hearts, and live the Truth in LOVE!  “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world (1 John 4:4).

Deuteronomy 9:6-12 (NLT)
6 You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people.

Remembering the Gold Calf
7 “Remember and never forget how angry you made the Lord your God out in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until now, you have been constantly rebelling against him. 8 Even at Mount Sinai you made the Lord so angry he was ready to destroy you. 9 This happened when I was on the mountain receiving the tablets of stone inscribed with the words of the covenant that the Lord had made with you. I was there for forty days and forty nights, and all that time I ate no food and drank no water. 10 The Lord gave me the two tablets on which God had written with his own finger all the words he had spoken to you from the heart of the fire when you were assembled at the mountain.
11 “At the end of the forty days and nights, the Lord handed me the two stone tablets inscribed with the words of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up! Go down immediately, for the people you brought out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Your all-powerful care of Your children. I pray for the protection and salvation of the people in Ukraine. I pray for Mr. Putan to receive a visitation from You; may the scales of spiritual blindness be removed from his eyes to see the evil he is perpetuating against others. I pray for the people of every nation to turn to You for salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: It should become more and more apparent [revelation] to the human race that we have zero righteousness to live spiritually victorious in this dark world without God. Every day may we understand humanity’s need for humility before God; according to Scripture it will be survival in the days prior to Jesus’ return. I want you to think about that statement, because at God’s appointed time he will be sending his angels to harvest the wicked from the righteous (Mat 13:49). In the meantime, “God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus” (Rev 14:12).

In our passage today, Moses seeks to persuade the people to remain humble and confident in God’s guidance and protection. Israel is getting ready to cross over the Jordan and into the Promised Land; this is their second attempt. Forty years earlier the giants in the land intimidated the leaders; therefore, evil successfully robbed them of the experience of possessing the land through the mighty hand of God. This time Moses wants them to trust God and following His instructions. Victory rests upon their willingness to place their faith in God’s unfailing ability—Grace.

God’s children may face giants of some kind every day. Sometimes these giants are physical in nature: sickness, disease or harm. Sometimes these giants are emotional bullies: pride, anger, unforgiveness, and unholy desires. Sometimes these giants attack and rob us through relationships: friendships die, marriages reach for divorce, and betrayal wounds the soul. This one thing is always true: giants come to shake our faith through fear, so we are too weak to lay hold of God’s promises. Don’t let evil giants intimidate you; reach for God’s courage and speak defeat to your giants. Like David said to the nine foot giant Goliath, “I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands…the battle is the LORD’s!” (1 Samuel 17:46-47). Faith in God and trust in His grace is what brings victory over the works of evil!

Deuteronomy 9:1-5 (NLT) Victory by God’s Grace
1 “Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky!

2 The people are strong and tall—descendants of the famous Anakite giants. You’ve heard the saying, ‘Who can stand up to the Anakites?’ 3 But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.

4 “After the Lord your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The Lord has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. 5 It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Prayer: Lord, according to Your Word to Isaiah, no weapon turned against me will succeed. I will silence every voice raised up to accuse me. These benefits are mine to enjoy as a servant of the LORD. Thank you for going before me each day and subduing my enemies so I may conquer them! Increase my faith I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro:  Have you ever struggled to forgive someone who has deeply wronged you? If we wait to feel like forgiving someone, we will wait a really long time. Our flesh does not want to forgive; it wants to blame.  As believers, we don’t always understand how forgiveness and faith go together; however, we cannot truly forgive unless we use our faith and ask for God’s help.  We are the most like Jesus when we forgive; by the act of forgiveness we reveal the essence and wholeness of the eternal realm to others.  

In our passage today, Jesus is teaching the disciples [us] about forgiveness and faith.  We place our faith in God, trust he knows the truth, and will one day right the wrong.  God does not need us to hold onto anger in order to prompt his memory.  This anger is poison for our souls; a poison that grieves the Holy Spirit.  Nor does God need us to judge the sincerity of a person’s repentance.  If someone says, “I’m sorry” we must forgive him or her. It takes Christ’s compassion and power to genuinely forgive someone; as well, it takes admitting and knowing how many sins for which Christ has forgiven us. 

Therefore, forgiveness is an act of holiness. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32). When we forgive others our hearts remain pure; the enemy has no place to plant his evil seeds of offense, bitterness, or anger.  As incredible as it sounds, forgiveness is God’s way of delivering us from evil.

Luke 17:1-4 (NLT) Teachings about Forgiveness and Faith

17 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. 3 So watch yourselves!  “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the many, many times you have forgiven me for sinning against you.  Help me to follow your example of holiness in how I forgive others who sin against me.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Intro:  The caves in the wilderness of En-Gedi were used many times as places of refuge. En-Gedi was a town near the west coast of the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert.  David and more than likely 600 of his men hid in these caves.  Don’t be surprised by the capacity; many of the caves could hold thousands of people. The terrain around En-Gedi was rocky and home to wild goats, but also very beautiful.  The waterfalls made this area an oasis in Israel. Today, En-Gedi is a nature preserve and one of the most popular places in Israel for nature enthusiasts.

In our passage today, David and his men are hiding in the caves of En-Gedi, because they are being hunted by King Saul.  Even though David has displayed great respect for the king, Saul wants David dead.  He sees David as a threat to his leadership.  However, that really is not the case and our passage reveals it.  David understood God’s anointing on Saul. Saul was God’s choice; David respected God’s will.  Even when Saul was vulnerable and he had the chance, David would not harm Saul. 

Our lesson today is a good one.  Like David, we must trust the timing of God with our lives. If we try to make things happen in our own strength and in our own time, we will regret the outcome.  May the Spirit help us be patient as we rest in God’s plan. It always takes more courage to do what is right and wait for God’s timing than to rush in and make a mess of things.  David chose to be an example of honor.

1 Samuel 24: David Spares Saul’s Life

1 After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-Gedi. 2 So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.

3 At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave!

4 “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe.

5 But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” 7 So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way, 8 David came out and shouted after him, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him.

9 Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? 10 This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ 11 Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.

12 “May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. 13 As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds.’ So you can be sure I will never harm you. 14 Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea? 15 May the Lord therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!”

16 When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you, my son David?” Then he began to cry. 17 And he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. 18 Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. 19 Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. 20 And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule. 21 Now swear to me by the Lord that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!”

22 So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went back to their stronghold.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for this lesson of honor and courage from David.  It is a wise word for our faith, because you are the One who makes good things happen in our lives.  May we live with patience knowing, as your children, we can trust you to position us for your will and work in this world.  Blessing be unto you, Lord, as we live each day for your glory.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

February 21, 2022

Today we will be reading Psalm 38, which is one of several penitential or confessional psalms. David, the Psalmist, brings us to the very painful and dark places of his sinful guilt. We experience his physical, emotional, and spiritual pain which he openly expresses to God.

Dear Friends: I initially did not want to share this psalm, because it is so painful…but the Spirit of Christ quickly moved to help me realize that is exactly WHY it has to be shared.

Reminder: YOU & I ARE SINNERS! We are ALL in need, just like David, of the Lord’s forgiveness on a daily basis, and at times, on a second-to-second basis.

Questions: Are you as open, raw, and honest with the Lord, as David, when you sin and seek His forgiveness? Is your relationship with Him so intimate that you grieve when you sin against Him and others by your actions, words, thoughts, or inactions?

Reminder: No earthly relationship compares to the one that you and I have with Jesus…not friends, not family, and certainly not those who consider themselves your enemies. Listen to David and choose to not hear them or to reply when they forsake you; rather, wait on the Lord (v.14-15).

In Closing: Friends, we need to hold the final verses of this psalm close to our hearts: “21 Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.” In the midst of pain and darkness, David never loses sight of WHO is most important, the Lord. He knows that he needs Him, close by and quickly, as He is the only One Who can help. That is the same Truth for our lives.

Psalm 38
A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage!
2 Your arrows have struck deep,
and your blows are crushing me.
3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
my health is broken because of my sins.
4 My guilt overwhelms me—
it is a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and stink
because of my foolish sins.
6 I am bent over and racked with pain.
All day long I walk around filled with grief.
7 A raging fever burns within me,
and my health is broken.
8 I am exhausted and completely crushed.
My groans come from an anguished heart.

9 You know what I long for, Lord;
you hear my every sigh.
10 My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,
and I am going blind.
11 My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.
Even my own family stands at a distance.
12 Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.
Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.
All day long they plan their treachery.

13 But I am deaf to all their threats.
I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
14 I choose to hear nothing,
and I make no reply.
15 For I am waiting for you, O Lord.
You must answer for me, O Lord my God.
16 I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me
or rejoice at my downfall.”

17 I am on the verge of collapse,
facing constant pain.
18 But I confess my sins;
I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
19 I have many aggressive enemies;
they hate me without reason.
20 They repay me evil for good
and oppose me for pursuing good.
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
Do not stand at a distance, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my savior.

Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for Your forgiveness. Help me to recognize sin before it takes place and to rebuke it in Your Name, Jesus. Quicken me, Lord, to seek Your forgiveness. Thank You for never abandoning me, and for always being available. I pray all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written by: Jennifer Auer, Pastor Mary Haley’s Assistant

Intro: I deeply enjoy my life and am grateful every day for the blessings of God. These blessings are nothing I deserve, but rather promises of grace God has given to me because I love Jesus and have accepted him as my Lord. If you know and serve Jesus, those blessings are there for you, too. Life is filled with challenges, so please do not think I enjoy my life because everything I face is easy or even pleasant. I experience challenges just like everyone else in the world. As a leader of God’s people, I may face more times of testing because I love others in my care; the challenges I face help me minister to others in an empathetic and loving way.

We can all enjoy our lives, because God is good and faithful to lead believers into his promises. He is not going to stop short of providing the blessings that accompany spiritual salvation, safety, and sustenance. Honestly, those are the things I crave most. I need the Lord to save me every day from the temptations to crave and follow the ways of the world. I need the Lord to cover me with grace, so I do not crave the sin that takes me away from my abiding place in Him. I need to Lord to bring me sustenance, because when I feed on the spiritual truths of the pure Son’s life found throughout Scripture, I will be less tempted to crave the pleasures of this world that cause me to rebel against the Living Word’s authority operating in my life.

The god of this world—Satan—tries to lure God’s children into darkness and evil by promising pleasure or enjoyment that is forbidden by God. Don’t believe the lies of Satan; God’s promises are better than any fleeting pleasure this world has to offer: physical pleasure, accumulating possessions, or pride in one’s status or importance. God offers you eternal promises and an invitation to enter into his never-ending glory. I taste a bit of God’s glory now, so I can only imagine the weight of God’s glory that awaits believers when heaven [divine order] overcomes earth [man’s rebellion].

1 John 2:15-17 (NLT) Do Not Love This World
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for blessing me with your indwelling presence. You help me resist the evil of the world by helping me remain focused on your goodness and grace extended to me each day. I love you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Power struggles are certainly common these days. We can witness them in every area of life. When people have strong opposing opinions, finding a compromise is very difficult. As human beings, we tend to dig in our heels in order to hold onto our positions for control. This causes us to become more polarized and unyielding.

These power struggles are not limited to the natural world or human relationships. If we are determined to hold onto our opinions and demand autonomy, we may find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual power struggle. The Holy Spirit is the power to live in the Word of God; apply God’s principles to our lives as we discover his guidelines. If we find our opinions contradict the Word of God, we may find ourselves in the midst of a power struggle with the Holy Spirit. If we find ourselves there, who’s going to win control?

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul encourages the Romans to understand life in the Spirit. He wants them to be real about the power of their fleshly desires that may contradict the work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power for every believer’s rebirth—the power to live for God. To let our sinful desires control us—things the Word of God tells us to avoid—opens the door for our minds to become hostile toward God. We simply cannot please two masters. When the Holy Spirit places righteousness on our hearts, may we be quick to obey.

Romans 8:1-8 Life in the Spirit
8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you [me] from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature [our flesh]. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit to guide me away from sin and into righteous living. Thank you for my rebirth; for delivering me into a life of peace and wholeness. I am so glad I belong to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Last week, I shared a devotional about religious spirits—demonic influence that seeks to deceive and lead people away from the truth of God’s redeeming love for them, as well as his perfect work of grace to deliver them from evil. Jesus dealt with these wrong spirits all the time, because they masqueraded as the purity of God [pretending to be angels of light] in outward physical appearances, but Jesus knew on the inside their souls were a mess and their hearts were far from his love. In fact, Jesus’ greatest correction took place with the religious leaders [Pharisees] and religious scholars whom he left to shepherd and guide his people toward the Kingdom, so they could be healed by the truth. These leaders were so busy exalting themselves and accusing others of unrighteousness, Jesus declared judgment over them.

In our passage today, Jesus has an encounter with religious spirits; it takes place at a Pharisee’s dinner table. Jesus does not stop to do the usually ceremonial hand washing before eating; therefore, the hateful accusations directed at the true Light begin. Jesus is deliberately provoking these demonic spirits, so he can get the attention of these deceived hosts. Sometimes I marvel at the fearlessness of Jesus each time he confronts evil. He is always motivated by love [wanting their wholeness], so he never budges from speaking the whole truth.

God has compassion on his human creation, because he remembers we are made from the dust. May we have mercy, a heart for justice [help others rise to the righteousness of Christ], and love unconditionally without enabling the destructive habits of others. If all we do is focus on the failures and sinfulness of unbelievers or the spiritually immature, like the scholars and Pharisees, we have not passed through the Kingdom’s doorway ourselves. God is love—regenerating and compassionate—so start praying for God to move in miraculous ways to bring new life to those around you. Be the Light!

Luke 11:43-48, 52 (VOICE) Woe to you, Pharisees! Judgment will come on you! What you really love is having people fawn over you when you take the seat of honor in the synagogue or when you are greeted in the public market.44 Wake up! See what you’ve become! Woe to you; you’re like a field full of unmarked graves. People walk on the field and have no idea of the corruption that’s a few inches beneath their feet.

Scholar (sitting at Jesus’ table): 45 Rabbi, if You insult the Pharisees, then You insult us too.

Jesus: 46 Well, now that you mention it, watch out, all you religious scholars! Judgment will come on you too! You load other people down with unbearable burdens of rules and regulations, but you don’t lift a finger to help others. 47-48 Woe to you; you don’t fool anybody! You seem very religious—honoring the prophets by building them elaborate memorial tombs. Come to think of it, that’s very fitting, since you’re so much like the people who killed the prophets! They killed the prophets; you build their tombs—you’re all in the same family business!

52 So, religious scholars, judgment will come on you! You’re supposed to be teachers, unlocking the door of knowledge and guiding people through it. But the fact is, you’ve never even passed through the doorway yourselves. You’ve taken the key, left the door locked tight, and stood in the way of everyone who sought entry.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making your children lights in the world. May we have the wisdom to stay the course in love, so we can help others enter into your Kingdom living. Help us to speak the truth with compassion and listen carefully as the Spirit guides our way each day. Cause us to be bold and fearless against evil, because greater is the One who lives in us than anything or anyone we encounter in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: What we put into our minds makes a great deal of difference. What we watch on television, what we read, how we handle our conversations, actually develops and shapes our thoughts and attitudes. We are to deliberately think upon the things that are true like the Word of God, because our thoughts become words, actions, and habits that either reflect the righteousness of God or reflect the unrighteousness of the world. We cannot have the peace of Christ if we feed on the stinking thinking of this sinful world.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul teaches the church at Philippi about true peace which is confidently knowing that God is in control of all things. The peace of God can be found and experienced even when we face conflict and challenges, because true peace radiates from the indwelling Christ. God’s peace is not bound to this natural realm in which we live. To practice appropriating God’s peace we need to pray, express our needs to God, and thank him for the goodness he brings into our lives, every day. Then, we can breathe and know the peace of God is guarding our hearts and minds. God is with you, today. Enjoy Him!

Philippians 4:6-9
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the peace that passes all understanding. Thank you for guarding my heart and mind as I live making you Lord of my life each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.