LET'S PRAY TOGETHER Lord, let our souls rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Father, we pray for Nigeria, Turkey, Ireland, Comoros, Costa Rica and the church in these countries as well as the lost. Help us to not grow weary of doing good. Help the “helpers” who put themselves at risk to serve. Help us to have hearts ready for change. May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us: wherever He may send us; may You guide us through the wilderness: protect us through the storm; may You bring us home rejoicing: at the wonders You have shown us; may You bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors. Amen
MEDITATION (Jesus) stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16b-21 NIV We will continue our discussion of the Bible Project video on justice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14THPoc4-4) When we confess Jesus is our Lord and open our hearts to His Holy Spirit, radical changes come our way. But what if, unlike the apostles, our lives just keep chugging along and we don’t see change? The Bible Project video states that when we let God’s Spirit rule our lives we are changed. The “radical new way of living is not easy or convenient” and it “requires a lifetime commitment”. What if the lack of transformation is rooted in our hunger for ease and convenience? In the book of Matthew, Jesus told the parable of the sower and explained that “The seed ‘falling among the thorns’ refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” How do we break out of the ruts that lead to spiritual stagnation? Micah 6:8 lays it out, “(God) has shown you, humans, what is good. So what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Walking humbly with God means to each day orient toward Him and practice the discipline of walking in step with Him through prayer, study, and fellowship. Out of this relationship comes more love, mercy and a life filled with acts of justice. So let’s get practical. Over the rest of the week we will be looking at how to break the bonds of spiritual stagnation and embrace the radical new way of life Jesus modeled for us, re-read Paul’s prayer to prepare your heart. I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better. I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead.” Ephesians 1:17-20a NIV
-nicole *from the Bible Project video on Justice
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING Our daily scripture reading comes from the following link… http://listenersbible.com/devotionals/biy/ If you have any insights into our daily readings, please feel free to share them with me. I would encourage you to visit https://bibleproject.com/explore/1-2-chronicles/ for an overview of 2nd Chronicles and https://bibleproject.com/explore/1-corinthians/ for an overview of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. These videos will help with the “big picture” and the main themes. 2 Chronicles 10:1-12:16 After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king. How did this go? (chapter 10) The result of Rehoboam's leadership is a divided kingdom. We will see the kingdom divide into a northern kingdom or Israel, and a southern kingdom or Judah. The Levites will go with Rehoboam because Jeroboam did what? (12:13-15) Now, chapter 12 is actually kind of interesting. Rehoboam and all with him will turn from the Law of the Lord. (v 1) So what will God do? (v 5) In response, what will Rehoboam and the leaders do? (v 6) And then in response to their response, God's response will be... I wanted to see how many times I could fit response into that question. (v 7) I draw your attention to this, because this is important. God longs to relent from sending calamity. It is a theme we have been seeing throughout the Old Testament. And we see it in Amos, much like we see here. This is an important principle to remember. "Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15) 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 When one speaks in tongues, they speak to God. Whereas when one prophesies, who do they speak to? (v 3) Why does Paul say that he would rather people prophecy? (v 5, 12, 19) Proverbs 20:15-24 I particularly like 22. How about you?