Scripture: 2Corinthians (NIV) 6:16 As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people…18 And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty.

Observation: Paul was quoting from several Old Testament passages that show the relationship God, our Creator desires with us. He does not want to know us from a distance, but close up. He does not want us to know Him from a distance, but close up. As Jesus taught us to pray, He is “Our Father…”

Application: A sweet lady in the care home service we had this morning told me, “I hardly ever pray; I just talk to God all day long!” It made my heart smile. God surely enjoys living in her life and sharing her days. I imagine that God just cannot wait for her to wake up in the morning so they can enjoy each other’s company for another day! That is the way I want to be with God and me.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how privileged I am to be a part of your family! What a joy to share another day with you! Amen

Scripture: 2Corinthians (NIV) 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again!

Observation: Christ died for us and in response to His love, we have died to ourselves. He is now alive with power over death and the grave. His resurrected life now lives within those who believe! They now have a higher purpose than to live for themselves; they now live for Him!

Application: When a hero loses his life in the acts of saving another, the one saved has been known to dedicate their life to the memory of the one who saved them. When the hero is Jesus, and the one saved is Leon, the least I can do is to dedicate my life to living for Jesus! And since He rose from the dead and now lives in me!!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me to live in such a way that the Resurrected Jesus can be easily seen in me! Amen

Scripture: 2Corinthians (NIV) 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.

Observation: A sports team may be great, but if they only face weak opponents, no one will know how great they are. Their greatness can only be seen as they overcome great opponents.

Application: What God has placed inside me is greater than what I experience on the outside. Being “hard pressed,” or “perplexed,” or “persecuted,” or “struck down” cannot overcome the life of Jesus that lives in me. The greater the difficulty I face, the greater the life inside is seen to be! How I respond to trouble can reveal the character of Jesus who lives within me.

Prayer: Jesus, may it be easy for others to see your life in me. Help me not to give in to trouble and become discouraged. Amen

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 89:1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Observation: Man has discovered music to be a great medium to express love. Saying, “I love you” has meaning; singing “I love you” adds another dimension to the words. So it is natural that man would express his love for God, and to God, in song. Yet the greatest theme for a song is not our love for God, but God’s love for us.

Application: The Lord’s love is not to stay within my heart; it is to be expressed with my mouth. It is to be sung and declared! It is to be proclaimed in a way that others can hear and understand. Having experienced His love, it is my pleasure and privilege and responsibility to make it known.

But the greatest use of music I have found is in expressing my love to God. I like to take songs written about God and sing them to God. “And YOU walk with me and YOU talk with me…” Sometimes I hear a song the world is singing and I think that song should be sung to God!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, oh how you love us! Your love is the greatest theme for my song! Amen

Scripture: 2Corinthians (NIV) 2:10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Observation: I hear Paul saying that his forgiveness has been given under the ever watchful eye of Jesus. The Great Forgiver had forgiven Paul. The Great Forgiver was watching Paul as he forgave. The Great Forgiver lived in Paul helping Paul to forgive.

Application: Whatever I do or say, I do it in the presence of Jesus who by the Holy Spirit lives in me. He is watching me as I forgive. He hears my words. He knows my heart. I must remember that I am forgiving “in the sight of Christ.” He taught me to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven…forgive us our debts AS WE forgive our debtors.” He taught me that if I do not forgive, I will not be forgiven!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, if anyone needs forgiveness, I need forgiveness. So it is important that I be a forgiver. I want you to be quick to forgive me, so help me to be quick to forgive others. Amen

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 50:6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.

Observation: Here we live on a planet that is constantly spinning (at the equator about 1000 miles per hour—1600 km/hour). If that is not enough motion, the earth is traveling around the sun, a trip of 600 million miles (970 million km) at 66,000 miles per hour (107,000 km/hour). If that is not enough, the sun is traveling around in the Milky Way Galaxy, and if that is not enough, the Milky Way Galaxy is traveling around in the Universe! With all of this motion, how could there be order? One would think it would be chaotic!

All this motion, yet today when we look at the big dipper, we look at the same stars the first ocean navigators used to cross the oceans.

Application: The Creator is righteous; He did it right! He set things in order. When I look at the stars, I know the same creator is doing things right in my life. He is setting things in order. He is a God of justice! I am but a small piece in the large picture, but I am a special piece because the Creator loves me!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, what a special privilege it is to be your child. You are bringing order to my life and using me to bring order to others nearby. Use me for your glory! Amen

March 31: Judges 9-10; Psalm 49; 1Corinthians 16

Giving

Scripture: 1Corinthians (NIV) 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Observation: Paul was encouraging the churches to give an offering to be sent to help the church in Jerusalem. The area around Jerusalem was experiencing a drought. Food was scarce and expensive.

Giving was to be in accordance to one’s income. Even the poor can experience the joy of giving. Giving was to be as regular as their income. They received their income weekly; they met together weekly; and they could give weekly. Faithfulness in the regular giving of a smaller amount is much better than the infrequent giving of a larger amount.

Application: I should give in accordance to what I have received and as regularly as I receive.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the Great Giver. Thank you for teaching me to be a giver and allowing me to experience the joy of giving. Amen

Scripture: 1Corinthians (NIV) 15:21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Observation: In this we see that the Omnipotent and Omnipresent God is also Omniscient. He is all knowing and all wise. He knows how to be perfectly Holy and perfectly Loving at the same time! Man was created sinless, yet yielded to temptation and became sinful. God could not just wipe out sin and pretend it never happened. A proper holy payment had to be made to equal the sinfulness of sin. The proper payment (eternity in hell) would be required from everyone who sinned. That is unless someone without sin would offer himself to be sacrifice on behalf of the sinners. The loving God sent His Son to be that very sacrifice!

Application: In Adam, God’s holiness demands I pay for my sin by spending eternity in hell. In Christ, my penalty has been paid and I will spend eternity in heaven in the Presence of a Holy and Loving God! It is truly amazing!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, this week as we celebrate the death and resurrection of Your Son, thanksgiving overflows for your great mercy and grace. Father, thank you for Jesus! Jesus, thank you for dying and resurrecting! Holy Spirit, thank you for leading me to Jesus! Amen

Scripture: Judges (NIV) 7:7 The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let the other men go, each to his own place.”

Observation: In Judges 6:5, we read that the Midianites had come into Israel as “swarms of locust. It was impossible to count them…” Gideon had raised an army of only 32,000 of which 10,000 went home because they were afraid. God told Gideon that 22,000 was too many and gave instruction for reducing the number. Now there are only 300 left! BUT GOD SAYS, “That is enough!”

Application: Numbers may be small. Money may be insufficient in my eyes. I may be desperate for someone to help. But if God says it is enough, I need to be listening for His plan! He is about to do something that will give me the victory and Him the glory! Everyone will know that the victory did not come by my wisdom and strength. What I have is all He needs!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I am depending on you! I trust you to use the little I have to bring the needed victory. For you, what I have is sufficient! Amen

Scripture: Judges (NIV) 5:3 Hear this, you kings!
Listen you rulers!
I will sing unto the LORD, I will sing;
I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel

Observation: This is a song written by Deborah, one of the judges in Israel. Israel had sinned and God raised up the Canaanites to rule over them until they repented. After they repented God gave them victory over Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army. In the King James Version, the third line is “I, even I will sing unto the LORD.”

Application: It is proper for others to praise God because of what He has done for me, but I must not rely on others to give my thanks. It is my responsibility to give Him thanks. “I, even I will sing unto the LORD!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I, even I praise you for your loving care. I, even I praise you for the victories you have brought into my life. I, even I praise you for the victories yet to come. Amen