Sunday, November 25, 2012

Week 48

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:
  • Sunday: Daniel 1:1-2:23; 1 Peter 3:8-4:6; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 28:14
  • Monday: Daniel 2:24-3:30; 1 Peter 4:7-5:14; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 28:15-16
  • Tuesday: Daniel 4:1-37; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 28:17-18
  • Wednesday: Daniel 5:1-31; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 28:19-20
  • Thursday: Daniel 6:1-28; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 28:21-22
  • Friday: Daniel 7:1-28; 1 John 1:1-10; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 28:23-24
  • Saturday: Daniel 8:1-27; 1 John 2:1-17; Psalm 120:1-7; Proverbs 28:25-26
Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of 1 Peter:

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15-17
"Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!"

Observation:
Followers of Jesus Christ are different. They stand out among those who do not know Jesus. This passage calls us as Christ-followers to be transparent yet grace filled about our convictions. Note that when we worship Christ as Lord, people will take notice. Some will ask us about our hope in Jesus. Peter says that when we give our answer, we should to so in a gentle and respectful way.

That last point cannot be stressed enough! Someone once said, "Jesus commands us to let our light shine – but there's a difference between shining and glaring." Being effective witnesses for Jesus is not about winning arguments; it's about winning souls. Remember the old saying: "Convince a man against his will and he is of the same opinion still."

Faithful living always brings critics. There will be those who speak against us because of our faith in Jesus. That's why it is so important to attend to the way we live. One of the biggest criticisms people level against Christians is that they are hypocrites. So the key for us is to make sure that our practice of faith matches our profession of faith. Nobody is perfect, but the more our actions align with our words, the stronger our witness will be to those who are searching for the "real thing."

Application:
At Woodhaven Community Church we talk about worshiping God, loving each other, and serving the world. In a word, we're talking about upreach, inreach, and outreach. We live most effectively when we reach up to God in worship, reach in to one another as a community of faith, and reach out to the world in faithful witness and service. That's what this passage is all about!

It makes a huge difference in our lives when we worship every day through Bible reading, prayer, and discernment. That's the main reason we emphasize the daily devotional practice we call SOAP. When we are engaged in this daily spiritual exercise, we are better equipped to engage an unbelieving world with grace and wisdom. The more consistently we SOAP, the better prepared we are to be Jesus' faithful witnesses in word and deed.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we want to be faithful and effective as your followers. We humbly acknowledge that we cannot do this without your support and guidance. So please help us to orient ourselves in you by beginning each day in worship and adoration...and give us the right words to share when people ask us about our faith in you. We also realize that our words mean very little without the actions that match them, so please help us to be faithful to you in both word and deed, for Jesus' sake. Amen!

Have a great week!

Faithfully,
Chuck

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Week 47

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:
  • Sunday: Ezekiel 37:1-38:23; James 1:19-2:17; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 28:1
  • Monday: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27; James 2:18-3:18; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 28:2
  • Tuesday: Ezekiel 40:28-41:26; James 4:1-17; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 28:3-5
  • Wednesday: Ezekiel 42:1-43:27; James 5:1-20; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 28:6-7
  • Thursday: Ezekiel 44:1-45:12; 1 Peter 1:1-12; Psalm 119:17-32; Proverbs 28:8-10
  • Friday: Ezekiel 45:13-46:24; 1 Peter 1:13-2:10; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 28:11
  • Saturday: Ezekiel 47:1-48:35; 1 Peter 2:11-3:7; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 28:12-13
Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Ezekiel:

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:4-6
"Then he said to me, 'Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, "Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."'"

Observation:
This is a message of hope and restoration. The dry and scattered bones symbolized God's people that were captives in many foreign lands. The Assyrians invaded the 10 northern tribes more than 150 years before Ezekiel's prophetic ministry. The Assyrian king led the Israelites into captivity, dispersing them throughout his vast kingdom. He then repopulated the land with foreigners, whom he had taken captive from other countries. Then in Ezekiel's more recent past, the Babylonians led the rest of God’s people into captivity. Israel lay in ruins. Only a few of Israel’s poorest were left behind to tend the land. Everything looked hopeless. But what appeared to be dead and gone by all human reckoning was about to come back life! God would bring his people back to life, as it were, restoring them to their land and ultimately bringing Jesus Christ into their midst, who would not only deliver them, but would also bring life to all other peoples.

Application:
We serve a God who can resurrect dry bones in our lives too! As long as we are alive, we have the chance to surrender to Christ and let his Spirit breathe new life into our situation – whatever it may be! We sometimes do an amazing job turning everything in our lives into a valley of dry bones. In other words, we can make a mess of things! But God is in the business of restoration and new life. Today I want to take inventory of my life and ask God bring restoration and new life wherever it is needed.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me new life in Jesus Christ! I live only because you brought hope and restoration to me personally. Yet there are dry bones strewn throughout my life that also need your healing breath, mainly because of my own doing! Please, for Jesus' sake, let your healing grace abound! Amen.

Have a great week!






Faithfully,


Chuck

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Week 46: A New Way to Convey an Old Message

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:
  • Sunday: Ezekiel 23:1-49, Hebrews 10:18-39, Psalm 109:1-31, Proverbs 27:13
  • Monday: Ezekiel 24:1-26:21, Hebrews 11:1-16, Psalm 110:1-7, Proverbs 27:14
  • Tuesday: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26, Hebrews 11:17-31, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 27:15-16
  • Wednesday: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26, Hebrews 11:32-12:13, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 27:17
  • Thursday: Ezekiel 31:1-32:32, Hebrews 12:14-29, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 27:18-20
  • Friday: Ezekiel 33:1-34:31, Hebrews 13:1-25, Psalm 115:1-18, Proverbs 27:21-22
  • Saturday: Ezekiel 35:1-36:38, James 1:1-18, Psalm 116:1-19, Proverbs 27:23-27
Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Hebrews:

Scripture: Hebrews 8:10
But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds so they will understand them, and I will write them on their hearts so they will obey them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Observation:
This is one of those amazing verses that is a quotation from the Old Testament. We find it in Jeremiah 31:31-34, but also in this week's reading of Ezekiel 36:26-27:
25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. a 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.
God realized that the old covenant fell short: it was based on obedience of the rules (the law), with the intent to give the people life -- if only they lived by those rules. But God's people in the Old Testament (the people of Israel) did not understand that, nor were they able to obey those rules. So God came up with a new covenant so they would understand: he put his rules (the law) in their mind and in their heart. He did that by pouring out his Holy Spirit, who gives us understanding. (John 14:26)

Application:
What struck me in this passage is that God didn't change his laws. The laws and rules that God gave all boil down to the ultimate law of loving Him and loving others (Matthew 22:37-40). That was the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament! What changed in the New Testament is that God simply found a new way of conveying his laws of love. By pouring out the Holy Spirit, He poured out a little bit of Himself on each one of us. How amazing!!

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for showing mercy on us, by meeting us in our shortcomings. Thank you for giving your Son, and thank you for your Spirit who guides us and teaches us. Thank you for softening our stony hearts, and turning them into hearts of flesh that can show compassion and love to others. Help us never forget that. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Have a great and purposeful week.

In Christ,

Dick

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Week 45: Presenting our Gifts

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:
  • Sunday: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25, Hebrews 6:1-20, Psalm 105:16-36, Proverbs 27:1-2
  • Monday: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11, Hebrews 7:1-17, Psalm 105:37-45, Proverbs 27:3
  • Tuesday: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41, Hebrews 7:18-28, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 27:4-6
  • Wednesday: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24, Hebrews 8:1-13, Psalm 106:13-31, Proverbs 27:7-9
  • Thursday: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14, Hebrews 9:1-10, Psalm 106:32-48, Proverbs 27:10
  • Friday: Ezekiel 20:1-49, Hebrews 9:11-28, Psalm 107:1-43, Proverbs 27:11
  • Saturday: Ezekiel 21:1-22:31, Hebrews 10:1-17, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 27:12
Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Hebrews:
 
Scripture: Hebrews 7:26
"He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has now been set apart from sinners, and he has been given the highest place of honor in heaven."
Observation:
The book of Hebrews is somewhat difficult to understand at times. The author spends a lot of time explaining the principles of the Jewish priesthood, and how Jesus is the perfect high priest. What exactly does that mean, the fact that Jesus is a high priest? Well, for that we have to go to Hebrews Chapter 5 verse 1, where we find a 'definition' of what a high priest is:
"Now a high priest is a man chosen to represent other human beings in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers their sacrifices for sins."
So a high priest is chosen, and his main function is to represent other human beings in their dealings with God. The two main tasks a high priest performs for people are described here: 1. The high priest presents their gifts to God, and 2. he offers sacrifices for their sin.

Application:
The fact that Jesus is our high priest, means that he is the one who represents us in our dealings with God. According to the definition above, this means that He presents our gifts to God, and He offers sacrifices for our sin, which He did once and for all on the cross. I knew that Jesus offered sacrifices for my sin (himself, holy & blameless), but what struck me was the other task that the high priest does for us: He presents our gifts to God. What gifts are these? Well, I think these gifts could be our acts of service, our love for one another, our monetary offerings, etc. Whatever we bring to honor God, Jesus presents that gift to the Father. How awesome is that when you think of it?

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for representing us in our dealings with God. There is no better ambassador we could have than you. We love you and praise you, and want to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to honor you. In your name we pray. Amen.

Have a great week!

In Christ,

Dick