Episodes
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Change & Injustice: Psalm 107:33-43
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Change & Injustice
Psalm 107:33-43
The Homeless Brought Home (v. 33-38)
- The psalmist turns his attention to those who have been uprooted from their homes
- The land has stop producing good things (v. 33-34)
- Because of the evil deeds of some who live there
- And everyone is affected
- However, God’s plan for them is not simply upheaval
- But rather to bring them to someplace better (v. 35-38)
- We often fear change
- Because we fear the unknown
- But, we are called to trust God in the unknown
- Because it is not unknown to Him
- Because of the evil deeds of some who live there
The Righter of Wrongs (v. 39-43)
- The psalmist reflects on how those who have abused their authority will be humbled
- And how those who have been humble will be raised up
- This is a reflection of God’s justice
- This is not always something that happens here and now (see Matt. 5:2-12)
- We need to have a long-term view of God’s work in the world
- “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
- This is not always something that happens here and now (see Matt. 5:2-12)
The Wisdom of Thankfulness (v. 43)
- We must learn to trust Him even when our lives our in upheaval
- Because though our lives change, our God is unchanging
- He is our certainty in uncertain times
- Because He uses these situations to change us
- To helps us learn to trust Him better
- To conform our character to that of Christ’s (Rom. 8:28-32)
- In everything, God is for us
- He uses hardships to mold us and refine us (Rom. 5:3-5)
- Because though our lives change, our God is unchanging
So What?
- Can we be thankful in the face of change and injustice?
- Trusting God is working for the good to transform us & redeem the suffering
Meditation Verse: Psalm 107:43
Friday Nov 24, 2017
Loving Well: Quality Time, Various Texts
Friday Nov 24, 2017
Friday Nov 24, 2017
Loving Well: Quality Time
Various Texts
Quality Time
- Time spent in giving another person one's undivided attention in order to strengthen a relationship
- It is about being present
- Including being a good listener
- Don’t confuse quantity with quality
God as the Lover
- God is shown throughout Scripture spending time with people
- Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:8a)
- It was only after they sinned that they hid from God (Gen. 3:8b)
- Abraham is called “friend of God” and they spoke together often (Gen. 8:17ff, 2 Chron. 20:7; Jas. 2:23)
- As was Moses, spending time in His presence (Ex. 33:11)
- The Tabernacle is often called the Tent of Meeting because it was where Israel would come to be with God
- Overwhelmingly, Scripture speaks to God’s desire to be near His people (Ps. 34:18; 145:17-18)
- Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:8a)
Our Response of Love
- As God desires to be near to us, we need to desire to be near to Him (Ps. 73:28; Isa. 55:6)
- One the best ways to do this is through Quiet Times
- Time spent in prayer and the Bible alone
- Giving God our undivided attention
Loving One Another
- Make time together a priority
- For couples: Dates, devotions, prayer, daily face time
- For families: Family game night, devotions, prayer, dates with your kids
- For friends: studies, prayer, fun together
- Being present when we are together
- Face time over screen time
- As a Church when we gathered together, Jesus promises to be in our midst (Matt 18:20)
- Worship: Coming before God together (Col. 3:16)
- Fellowship: Small or large events together (Heb. 10:24-25)
- Hospitality: Inviting people into our homes (Rom. 12:13; 1 Pet. 4:9)
- It is about doing life together
Loving Our Community
- Being available to others
- Be a good listener
- Support community events with our presence
Know Yourself to Love Other Better
- God is the master Lover who loves in ways that connects with us
- We are allowed to experience God as He made us
- And we are not going to always thrive in giving and receiving love in each of these ways
- We must strike a balance between speaking our own language well
- While being stretched to speak others’ language too
So What?
- Are we loving through how we use our time?
- Making others a priority in our schedules
- Giving others our undivided attention
Meditation Verse: Hebrews 10:24-25
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Sickness. Psalm 107:17-22
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Sickness
Psalm 107:17-22
A Theology of Suffering (v. 17-18)
- The psalmist turns his attention to those who suffer physical affliction or illness
- Here connected to disobedience to God
- Scripture does NOT teach that all afflictions or illness is a direct result of personal sin
- Sometimes it is the result of living in a fallen world
- Sometimes it so that God’s purposes might be fulfilled (John 9:3; 11:4)
- Either personally or on a bigger scale
- Like in Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
- Sometimes God doesn’t provide a clear reason
- Like with Job (Rom. 11:33)
The Great Physician (v. 19-20)
- Regardless of the reason for the affliction or illness, our response should be the same
- To call out to God
- He is able to heal us
- Though our healing is not always physical
- And He promises to be with us through our suffering (Ps. 41:3)
- He promises to never leave us nor forsake us (See Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5;1Kgs. 8:57; 1 Chron. 28:20; Heb. 13:5)
The Praise of the Restored (v. 21-22)
- We are called to thank God for His work of restoration in us
- Both physically and spiritually
- And share His work in us with other
- Understanding that often times of suffering can draw us near to Him
- And though we might not understand the reasons
- He is still working for our good! (Rom. 8:28)
So What?
- Can we thank God as we suffer?
- Trusting Him to work things out for our good and His purpose
Meditation Verse: Psalm 107:20
Monday Nov 06, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Chains Psalm 107:10-16
Monday Nov 06, 2017
Monday Nov 06, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Chains
Psalm 107:10-16
Imprisoned by Our Mistakes (v. 10-12)
- The psalmist points to those who have been imprisoned
- Not wrongfully
- But, because of their own sinful activity
- This is not simply a reference to those who have committed crimes and are in jail
- It refers to all who suffer under the consequence of their mistakes
- Have you felt shackled by your mistakes?
- The past can haunt and define us if we let it
- At times this imprisonment can be from God
- As a means of both discipline and protection
- And sometimes we can get stuck in a prison of our own making
The Breaker of Chains (v. 13-14)
- The good news is that God wants to set us free from this imprisonment (Luke 4:18-19)
- And this freedom comes from knowing the truth (John 8:31a-32)
- All we need to do is call on Him for help
- And this freedom comes from knowing the truth
- This doesn’t always mean that the temporal consequences go away
- But rather, that God can redeem our past
- Using it for good
- But rather, that God can redeem our past
The Thankfulness of the Forgiven (v. 15-16)
- We are called to thank God because He can break every chain
- And redeem our pasts!
So What?
- Are we imprisoned by our mistakes?
- We can call on Jesus to set us free!
- And praise Him for redeeming our pasts!
Meditation Verse: Psalm 107:14