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 Guyana, Palestine, Zambia, Georgia, Mauritania and the church in these countries as well as the lost. May our leaders fear the Lord more than they fear man. May our hearts seek the Lord in the midst of uncertainty. May those who serve be filled with courage and endurance 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 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 NIV We will continue our discussion of the Bible Project video on justice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14THPoc4-4) The “pattern of this world” is all about selfishness, ease and convenience. Pay attention to how many advertisements use images of self and ease to entice consumers. “Have it your way, no limits, easiest ever!” ring in our ears from morning til night. The life of justice and righteousness that God longs for (and that He created us for) is not easy but it is very possible. Below are some action steps to get you started from the Book of Acts and publicchristian.com: 1) When we find principles or values that are clear to us, let’s take them seriously. It’s dangerous to ignore them. Things we are confident in from the Bible can bring great blessing, transformation, and power into our lives. 2) The Book of Acts model some great principles of love in action: a. EVERYBODY: Repeatedly we see God’s concern to include everyone who is willing. People of many languages at the Pentecost festival – foreign widows needing food assistance – an official from central Africa – even high-ranking soldiers of the enemy occupation. b. IT’S ABOUT JESUS: Although the Holy Spirit is mentioned more in Acts than in any other book, whenever there is a sermon Jesus is the featured personality. Two things stand out: People are urged to believe in Jesus, which was often demonstrated by their being baptized in his name. AND When the Holy Spirit is working in the believers, they end up doing the kinds of things Jesus himself did, or taught about. It’s about Jesus. -nicole 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 2 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 13:1-15:19 1 Kings 15 tells the same story that we find this morning in 2 Chronicles 13. What’s interesting is both books tell the story from a fairly different perspective. Go back and read 1 Kings 15:1-8. How do they differ? Chronicles is a perspective that comes from the southern kingdom of Judah. Therefore, the material we find in it will be found in favor of Judah. In chapter 15, what was is the problem that is being pointed out regarding Israel? (v 3) But notice, what did they do and what was the result? (v 4) This is a powerful theme throughout scripture. How does this principle work in the New Testament/New Covenant? 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 Paul continues his conversation on Tongues vs Prophecy and the place of each in worship. Verses 32 and 33 are important to this whole conversation. What is Paul saying here?  Inserted here is a brief statement about women in worship. Which seems completely out of place to the discussion. So we must be missing something. How could this idea of women in worship fit with Paul’s final remarks in verses 39-40? Psalm 101:1-8 Psalm 101 is a psalm of David. What is David communicating in this psalm?