Devotionals

Intro: For our Advent season this year, I have chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.
Today, is day six of our journey and our symbol is Jacob’s Ladder.

Last week, as we were decorating the church to celebrate Christmas, I spent quite a bit of time climbing up and down a ladder. If you are short in stature like me, most of the time a ladder is your friend. When you need to go closer to something out of your reach, you grab a ladder and start climbing until what you desire is within reach. We tend to climb up a ladder slowly; however, sometimes we can come down much too fast [yes, I fell off the ladder!]

Jacob is the son of Issac and the grandson of Abraham. Jacob is a hard worker, but the way he goes about climbing the ladder of success is not rooted in integrity. He deliberately deceives his father and tricks his brother, Esau, in order to get the Lord’s blessing. Because of his sinful actions, Jacob fearfully flees to Haran, but on the way, Jacob has a dream from the Lord. Isn’t it just like God to find us when we are running from ourselves? Anyway, God takes the initiative to communicate through this dream, because He wants to be closer to Jacob so He can redeem him.

In the dream, Jacob sees a ladder connecting heaven and earth. Strangely the ladder is not for Jacob to climb up in order to be with God, it is for God to descend from heaven to earth. The Lord is standing near the ladder in heaven and He knows Jacob. The same God who promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, reminds Jacob He is now with him.

From the Old Testament, we know the Lord desires to come close to His fallen human creation, but He cannot because He is holy. In the New Testament, the Lord descends and takes on human flesh so He can live with humanity. This way, He can heal what is broken…to bring and restore human beings in the shalom of God. The ladder is not for us; it is an image of Christ and His angels as salvation comes to earth. Christ is the One who connects heaven and earth in the Love of God. Jacob learns the Lord Jesus is the Way!

Genesis 28:10-17 NLT Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10  Jacob left the town of Beersheba and started out for Haran. 11 At sunset he stopped for the night and went to sleep, resting his head on a large rock. 12  In a dream he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down on it.
13  The Lord was standing beside the ladder [or stairway] and said:

I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping. 14  Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people. 15 Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won’t leave you—I will do all I have promised.
16 Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, “The Lord is in this place, and I didn’t even know it.” 17 Then Jacob became frightened and said, “What a frightening place! It must be the house of God and the gateway to heaven.”

John 1:51 NLT 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway [ladder] between heaven and earth.”

John 14:6 NLT 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for descending down the heavenly ladder to earth in order to have a relationship with us. Even though, like Jacob, we may try to climb our way toward you through our own efforts and works, the ladder is about your work of grace and love to restore us. You are the only Way to the Father. Help us to trust and wait for your timing; your appointed time to move in our lives. We need you, Prince of Peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: For our Advent season this year, I have chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.

Today, is day five of our journey and our symbol is a ram.

Children may look forward to Christmas with the anticipation of opening personal gifts and toys that have been picked out especially for them. I could be wrong, but I don’t imagine any child would be excited to find a ram as their gift under the Christmas tree. However, we serve a God who is the Master of unexpected and miraculous gifts; so, our lesson today is about a gift only God would give.

Picture Abraham and his son, Isaac, heading to worship the Lord. On their way, God asks Abraham to offer his only son as a sacrifice. In the grace of God, Abraham prepares to obey God, but just as he goes to sacrifice his son, God stays Abraham’s hand and provides a ram to take Isaac’s place. Now, that ram would be a monumental and unfathomable gift for any parent given such instructions, but God never planned to allow Abraham to fulfill this sacrificial task. It was a test involving faith and a very unexpected gift of provision.

This was a lesson for Abraham [and us] about the love of God; the Lord was revealing something about Himself and the future. God knew the pain involved in what he was asking of Abraham; because, in the future, He would live it. God knew Abraham needed a way of escape; because, in the future, He would want it. God knew the peace that would flood Abraham’s soul when he saw the ram; because in the future He would be the One to make peace between God and His human creation. God knew the joy of Abraham when the ram became the sacrifice in Isaac’s place; because in the future He would endure the cross for the joy of regaining a relationship with humanity.

The ram reminds us that Jesus was sent, by God, to offer his life as a sacrifice in our place. We deserve to die for the sins we have committed against our holy God, but we serve a very merciful God who knows all about us, our hearts, our lives, our motives, our needs and He chooses to love us in a sacrificial way. Jesus is God’s most generous Gift; the Savior who pardons and provides abundant Grace.

There won’t be a ram under your tree this year, but please don’t forget the Gift of Christ that hung on a tree (a wooden cross) to provide a way for the world to enjoy eternal life in God’s love. When you think of the ram, remember God gave his one and only Son to save you!

Genesis 22:1-2, 9-14 Abraham’s Faith Tested
1 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.

“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

John 3:16 NLT “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Hebrews 11:17-19NLT
17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for stepping in and making a way for our salvation. You spared us the penalty of our own sin, by offering your Son, Jesus, as the sacrificial Lamb. You are so very generous to us and we thank you. Please forgive us when the challenges of life seem to overwhelm us. Help us put things into a proper perspective. Thank you for being with us and giving the Gift we really need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: For our Advent season this year, Pastor Mary has chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.

Today is day three of our journey and our symbol is The Starry Sky.

The starry sky is a reminder of the promise that God made with Abraham (who was once known as Abram) and with all of his descendants who place their faith in Jesus. God used the stars in the sky as an example to show Abraham how big his family would be because of his faith.

Do you realize that you and I, as believers, are a part of Abraham’s family? When God revealed this promise to Abraham, He was including us! Isn’t that amazing, you and I are grafted into God’s Family, first through the promise that God made with Abraham because of his unwavering faith and hope, and next through the birth of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice to save us from our sins and bring us into eternal glory with Him.

We need to remember that it took 25 years for Abraham and Sarah to have Isaac, in other words, it took 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram (who would be Abraham). Would you be hopeful for 25 years and cling to God’s promise through unwavering faith, like Abraham? The Apostle Paul tells us that “even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping – believing that he would become a father of many nations. For God had said to him, ‘That’s how many descendants you will have!’” as He was referring to the stars in the sky.

As we repent, reflect, and seek restoration for our hope in Christ this advent week of hope let’s step outside tonight or one night this week and look up at God’s creation in the sky. As you look up, remember God’s promise to Abraham that was fulfilled through the birth of Isaac and later through the death of Jesus, and allow Him to renew your hope and give Him great praise for being a part of His Family, because you, my brother or sister, are one of those stars that God was referring to as He made His promise to Abraham.

Genesis 15:5-6 (NLT)
5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

Genesis 22:17-18 (NLT)
17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Romans 4:18-25
18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Galatians 3:6-9 (NLT)
6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for coming and laying down Your life so that my life could be saved. Help to strengthen my hope in You and faith in You to be like Abraham, so that You can use me as a bright shining light for Your Kingdom. I place my trust, hope, and faith in You, Jesus, and I bow myself down before You so that You can work in, through, and all around me so that others may see, hear, and know You. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: For our Advent season this year, I have chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.
Today, is day three of our journey and our symbol is the Ark and the Rainbow.

Many years ago, God gave me a message to teach about venturing into the depths of His love. Because we cannot contain the fulness of God, the Spirit leads us from glory, to glory, to glory in his love and victory. The Spirit—the Living Water—is the One who washes the filth of the world off from us.

We begin with repentance at the surface level of God’s love where it is comfy, affirming, and warm. Everyone loves this season of splashing in the waters of the Spirit, but we must grow up, because spiritual immaturity does not bring glory to God or victory to our lives. Second, the Spirit calls us into the convicting love of God; some filthy areas of our hearts, minds, and wills get a real cleansing here. During these times, our faith must stretch for us to meet God’s will for our lives. We face trials and tribulations differently at this level; endurance and growth become our goals so we climb up closer to the presence of God in Christ [our Ark]. Lastly, there are the raging flood waters of God’s confrontational love where he calls us to rest in the truth of who He is so He can reveal his awesome and mighty power. Christ becomes the redemptive Ark of glorious hope that now carries us through every situation and protects us from evil. We need to rest in Christ’s salvation! In Him we now live, move, and have our being.

The story of the flood reminds use of the depths of Almighty God who can be gentle, compassionate, and inspiring, as well as powerful, holy, and awesome. Humanity did not learn the lessons from the garden, because they continue to eat rotten fruit. We become what we eat; therefore, the world becomes filled with violence and evil. So, God chooses to do something about it. He sends water..lots and lots of water; but, he chooses to preserve Noah [whose name means “rest”], his family, and every kind of animal. Then, God promises to never flood the world again and provides the rainbow to remind Him of that promise—a sign of God’s faithfulness to His covenant of redeeming grace.

Genesis 6:11-21 NLT
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

Genesis 7:17-8:1 NLT
17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. 19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, 20 rising more than twenty-two feet[a] above the highest peaks. 21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
The Flood Recedes
8 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.

Genesis 9:8-13 NLT
8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.

Hebrews 9:15 NLT
15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Prayer: Lord, we know you are powerful yet gentle, sovereign yet merciful, holy yet compassionate and we worship you. Take us into the depths of your love so our lives may glorify you. Our hope rests in you, Lord! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: For our Advent season this year, I have chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.
Today, is day two of our journey and our symbol is the fruit.

The garden was a perfect environment for humanity, because everything was operating in the harmony [shalom] of God. But, there was an imposter lurking within the garden; a spirit of evil that twisted the Word of God in order to tempt Adam and Eve to sin against divine authority. [From our lesson yesterday, we remember there are realities we can see, as well as realms of invisible realities that exist beyond our natural senses known only to God].

In God’s love he set a warning, but gave human beings a choice. In the visible, it seemed like it would be all right to eat the fruit and it looked delicious, but “What was it exactly God said, again?” Adam and Eve knew what God said, but they wanted what they thought they lacked to make them happy, so they chose to please their human flesh and exalt their desires rather than obey God.

Adam and Eve lost the divine and glorious oneness God provided in the garden, because they disobeyed Him when they ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. The first couple desired wisdom and Satan made the fruit looked tempting. Fruit can look good on the outside, but be rotten on the inside or provide a very bitter taste that lingers. We were created to eat spiritual fruit that feeds us eternal life. We cannot judge whether spiritual fruit is good or bad by human visual examination alone, because there is a great deal of evil lurking within certain decisions—evil that injures and destroys our oneness with God. Only God knows what is really going to be “good” for us, because He made us. We need God to teach us how to identify good spiritual fruit or we will fall for the rotten fruit Satan offers every time. Praise God for the work of the Holy Spirit!

So from the first Adam, we received a sin nature; something human beings never had when God formed us. Yet, in God’s goodness and in His appointed time, through the root of Jesse, we have a new Adam to follow—Jesus Messiah the sinless One who takes upon himself the sin nature of the world [the cross] and reconnects us in the righteous oneness of God. We must choose Jesus and follow Him as the Way to eternal life. He has been made Wisdom for us and He leads us to feast on righteous fruit. Our lives can once again sing in the harmonies of God by our obedience to receive Jesus. He is the only one who can heal and restore us when we lose our righteous way.

Genesis 2:15-17 NLT
15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Genesis 3:1-6 NLT The Man and Woman Sin
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

Romans 5:12, 15, 19 NLT Adam and Christ Contrasted
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.
19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

1 Corinthians 15:22 NLT
22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping us understand the destruction hidden within the fruit of sin and disobedience. Help us to lean on your Word rather than on our own understanding. Heal and forgive us when we sin through selfish words or actions. Empower us to live godly lives in oneness with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: For our Advent season this year, I have chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.

Today, we begin our journey and our symbol is the world.

It is important to remember God created all things in heaven and on earth through the Word, breathed the Spirit of life into creation, and declared his workmanship “good.” Therefore, from the beginning it has been God’s story to reveal and, by faith in our Creator, our story now to live. Depending upon our vantage point, the earth can appear huge or very small all at the same time. For example, glimpses of the earth from space reveals the grandness of continents and oceans, yet it also becomes clear from that same vantage point the earth is small in comparison to the universe around us. Such is our God. He is up close and personal and at the same time beyond our ability to comprehend or encompass.

From the beginning of Scripture, we note God’s desire was to be present and a part of everything He created. He brought order and life to that which was void and lifeless. I can only imagine how excited the Creator must have been as he looked around at what His Word and Spirit made: day, night, waters above/below, creating land, seas, trees, seed-bearing plants, sun, moon, sea life, animals, and then the crowning achievement—a man and a woman to reveal His image [nature and character] in the world. Everything created would then take root, multiply, and procreate life.

Creation is truly a wonder; it speaks to my heart and allows me to follow the love of God for me. Creation is a personal gift for each of God’s children; we are to take good care of the world and one another because in doing so, we are acknowledging our Creator and sharing our gratitude for designing such a beautiful place. Every part of our world is unique and we have been uniquely designed to enjoy life in our place of the world. Yet, we must realize there are tangible things we see around us and understand and, because we are made by the Almighty invisible God, there are things around us we cannot see but are nonetheless still true and waiting to be discovered. Therefore, faith must lead the way for all our journeys.

OT Testament Reading
Genesis 1:1-2, 27-30 NLT The Account of Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
27
So God created human beings [Heb. ha-adam] in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

New Testament Readings
John 1:1-3 NLT Christ, the Eternal Word
1 
In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
2 
He existed in the beginning with God.
3 
God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.

Colossians 1:16 NLT Christ Is Supreme
15 
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 
for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him and for him.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for making this beautiful world and for drawing near to us through relationship. We know you are supreme in authority and power over heaven and earth. Please open our eyes to see the creative ways you have chosen to renew our souls through nature, the work of your Living Word, and to trust your care for us in the Spirit for the things we cannot see. Because you are compassionate, creative, and entirely good, please continue to mold and shape us as we enjoy life with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: When I was a small child, the expression on my father’s face told me whether he was please or displeased with my actions. Dad was very transparent that way and all it took was one look…”the look”…and I knew how he felt. Honestly, if Dad looked at me in a certain way, it was always enough to stop whatever I was doing before discipline commenced.

In our passage today, the psalmist wants God to face him. It is not unusual for a psalmist to speak of God’s face as a way of inviting His presence. To seek God’s shining face is to experience His blessing, provision, and protection. It is welcoming God into every aspect of life and asking to be led by love and guided in God’s will where salvation is promised. The shining face of God brings acceptance and an invitation to experience His glory. However, when God hides His face, it leads to chaos and shame.

Psalm 80:7 NLT
Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies.
    Make your face shine down upon us.
    Only then will we be saved.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the favor and grace we find as you make your face shine down upon us. We desire your presence, provision, and protection for our lives. We long for a stronger relationship with you so we can display your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: This morning very early I decided to turn on the news so I could get caught up on the very latest things happening in our nation and the world. I spend very little time reading the news online or watching it on cable, but I do try to stay informed. Today, I saw more about: 1) the innocent hostages released by hamas, 2) the innocent Jewish teacher in NYC (Queens) who was harassed and threatened by pro-Palestinian high school student protesters, and lastly 3) the “crash and carry” robberies violating innocent business owners. I prayed, Lord, please bring an end to the evil aimed at the innocent in your world. Shortly thereafter I read Psalm 7 and God’s principle of retribution presented itself before me. How would you define “retribution?”

Sometimes we compare retribution with vengeance, but they are really not the same thing. Retribution is about seeking justice but it is not personal; it is about taking issue with unrighteousness or wrong doing. Retribution takes no pleasure in the suffering of others, its goal is simply to mete out justice and remove the danger from society by deterring other criminals. In the Old Testament Law, retribution was to be proportional to the crime committed. Think about the phrase “an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth” (Ex 21:23-25). Jesus taught, “Don’t resist one who is evil” (Mat5:38). So, how are we to view retribution, today?

I believe God made it very clear that the judicial system was established to take issue with evil actions against the innocent (Ro 13:1, 6). So, it is the duty of government and those in authority to protect the innocent by enacting retribution on those who perform acts of evil. Yet, more and more it becomes apparent that our system of protecting the innocent is failing miserably. In fact, I believe this apathy to take issue with evil actions/criminal and violent behavior is being orchestrated by Satan in order to lull wicked people into thinking they will face no retributive action for the injustice they perpetuate against innocent people. But, Satan is a liar! (John 8:44).

In our passage today, David reminds us about the law of divine retribution. In other words, how God will take issue with humans who choose to do evil and thinking they will get away with it. God maintains moral order in the world by meting out justice. When a person or group of people are determined to rob, steal, or destroy the innocent, they position themselves for their own destruction (Mat 26:52). This is called sowing and reaping.

Psalm 7:14-16 CEV
14
An evil person is like a woman
    about to give birth
to a hateful, deceitful,
    and rebellious child.
15 
Such people dig a deep hole,
    then fall in it themselves.
16 
The trouble they cause
    comes back on them,
and their heads are crushed
    by their own evil deeds.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for providing a greater understanding of retribution and the importance of godly justice. I pray for you to deliver people from evil; I pray for them to want to be saved from their own self-destruction. Thank you for loving us enough to discipline us, so we do not face this kind of reaping or harvest. We place our hope in Jesus who has promised to one day usher in a just world as the Spirit transforms the world into a place of righteousness and peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In today’s passage, Paul was imprisoned for a second time in Rome, and he was writing to Timothy, his spiritual mentee, who was thousands of miles away sharing the Gospel message about Christ in Ephesus. Paul knew his death was coming soon, and he wanted to speak encouragement to Timothy who he considered his “true son in faith” (1 Tim 1:2). Think about Paul’s situation for a moment, he was imprisoned for sharing the Gospel message about Christ alongside of murderers, yet all he could think about was making sure that Timothy continued to share the Good News about Jesus long after he was gone. The best part is that the Romans believed that by putting Paul’s physical body in prison they could stop the spread of Jesus’s Message. But here we are, about 1,958 years later, learning from Paul and hopefully listening to his guidance about being “A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus” because every single one of us will one day physically die, but the Word of God can never be imprisoned, and it lives on (as our spiritual presences do) for all eternity with Christ.

Paul begins today’s letter with, “Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus (v.1).”

Read that again but this time insert your name and either son or daughter:” __________, my dear (son/daughter), be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus (v.1).”

Paul knew what it meant to “suffer” for his faith in Christ as he was chained like a criminal for it, but his message seeks for us to know that although we will suffer for our faith in Christ, we must never lay our faith in Christ down. We are to remain confident in our faith and hopeful in our trust that the Word can never be chained or imprisoned as He lives for all eternity.

How do we endure? Paul tells us in the beginning of his letter that we are to be loyal like a soldier (to Jesus), disciplined like an athlete (to His Word), and work hard like a farmer (for His Kingdom) (v.3-6). He goes on to remind us about Jesus’s path as a descendant of King David up until His resurrection. His path was paved for Him, and He was called to walk it out. The same is true for you and me, we are not called to carve our own path, God has our path carved out for us, and all we have to do is follow Jesus and walk it out because through our faith and salvation in Christ brings eternal life and glory with Him.

2 Timothy 2:8-13 (NLT)

8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

11 This is a trustworthy saying:
If we die with him,
we will also live with him.

12 If we endure hardship,
we will reign with him.
If we deny him,
he will deny us.

13 If we are unfaithful,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny who he is.

Prayer: Jesus, I want to be a good soldier for You so You can use me to help further spread Your Gospel message and to keep growing Your Kingdom. Help me to endure suffering for You, to not be afraid, to not be embarrassed, but to stand tall and firmly rooted in You. I long to spend eternity with You, Jesus, and I want all of humanity to choose You. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: God has generously poured within us [grace] everything we will ever need as worshipers of the Most High. There is nothing we lack if we are focused on worshiping the Lord. In our passage today, the psalmist—worship leader—instructs us to serve and worship the Lord with gladness. Did you know gladness is the sign of a servant heart?

It is alway a blessing to worship with my spiritual family; I feel secure and joyful. Therefore, I exuberantly express my gratitude and joy when we sing praises and when we open the Word of God. I cannot contain the excitement and joy I feel in worship; it just spills out because I know I am His!

When we know we belong to God, that knowledge permeates how we think and marks our actions and words. We are not worshiping others around us; people do not deserve our worship. Instead, we are joyfully focused on exalting the Lord for his goodness and grace extended to us. Joy is a choice and worshipers should be joyful people.
Psalm 100 A psalm of thanksgiving
1 
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 
    Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
3 
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 
For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Prayer: Lord I will enter your presence with joy and thanksgiving, because I recognize your sovereign right to rule your world. You made me; I am yours. So, hear my praise and receive my love today in Jesus’ name. Amen.