We should avoid world's man-made religions

Thank you LORD for reminding me that man-made self-religion is useless, and therefore, I should avoid world religion, avoid self-religion and that I should lean wholly on Christ.

Click on this video below to hear lecture-sermon of Pastor John Piper

Text: Colosians 2:16-24  NIV

Freedom From Human Rules

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 

17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 

18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 

19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 

21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 

22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 

23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHTS

(From sermon of Pastor John Piper) - see transcripts below

00.01 for now, we turn to Colossians 2 20 to 23 and finish chapter 2. if with Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world why as if you were still alive in the world do you submit to regulations do not handle do not taste do not touch referring to things that all perish as they are used according to human precepts and teachings these have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body but they are of no value in stopping the Indulgence of the flesh so father as we try to understand this

00:53   

text and how being dead with Christ makes us alive to him but not to the forces of the world that commend self-religion to us help us I pray to grasp this recognize wherever it manifests itself in our experience so that we are freed from it by holding fast to Christ pray this in Jesus name amen 

these Elemental principles here if with Christ you died to the elemental principles we've seen before in chapter 2 verse 8.

01:39

see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental principles of the world and not according to Christ these are two great Alternatives you can live by these rules that you are running into in this self-religion that worships Angels or you can live by Christ so he's back here now speaking of these Elemental principles and I believe they refer right here to these rules this this word stoichaya which is sometimes translated Elemental Spirits it just means the basic fundamentals of

02:20

any subject if it's cosmological beings then it's going to be Elemental Spirits if it's religion it could be just Elemental principles which is what I think it is here it's the ABCs of the basic world religions the elemental principles of the world why as if you were still alive in the world you submit to regulations these regulations I think are these Elemental principles you're gonna try to run your life lead your life get right with God by not handling not tasting not touching and he says if you've died with Christ

03:02  

how in the world are you doing that because to die with Christ and that's what we saw back here in 212 right you have been buried with him in baptism in which you were raised with him through faith so by faith expressed in the immersion and coming from out of the water we have died with Christ and that death here now is applied to the fact you're not alive in the world not meaning we're not in the world but meaning we are dead to the fundamental things of the world like a religion that says don't handle don't taste don't

03:42

touch a self-made religion so that's the issue here what is going on don't you realize that you have died with Christ he's going to say this in the very next paragraph you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God when Christ reads your life appears then you will appear with him in glory put to death therefore what is Earthly in you so the point of dying with Christ is that sinful earthliness that which makes the world or the Earth anti-christ competing with Christ we die to all of that and this particular focus

04:29

is the self-religion of do not handle do not taste do not touch so what does he do then to dissuade them from acting as though they hadn't died with Christ what he does is give five weaknesses of these Elemental principles these regulations these human precepts these appearances of wisdom this asceticism this severity to the body he gives reasons why that's also useless so let's just enumerate them here one they are simply of the world just like he said we saw back in 2 8.

05:21

see to it that no one takes you captive by philosopher emptied deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental principles of the world and not Christ so the world is where these principles are coming from they are in the world and you have died to the world in that sense you've been transferred and you are with Christ in seven you in heaven you can't live by a world-made religion that's number one number two they are simply perishable as they are used in other words they don't have any significance

06:00

they don't have any substance they don't have any abiding value and you're turning them into the means by which you relate to God number three they are merely human precepts human teachings like you said back here human tradition in 2 8. they don't have any Divine warrant they don't have any Divine Authority they are being made up which leads now to the next one to four they have an appearance of wisdom humans can give the appearance of wisdom and that wisdom is found in asceticism severity to the body

06:56  

there are lots of religions that have asceticism and severity to the body and they they look like wise religions wow if you can have self-control to put down your appetites for food and drink and sex and and other world pleasures that God created for us to use then you look like a wise and mature person but his point is it's just an appearance because what it is is self-made religion it looks wise it looks like you've got control but this is and the word here is really interesting self-made is kind of a

07:40

paraphrase it's just self-religion and I think it's self it's from self and it's by self is a religion that you made up it's human precepts and it's religion you're going to perform you're going to do this which is why the fifth point is so crucial this self-made religion which involves all these rules that you're going to keep with severity to the body they're not going to work they are of no value in stopping the Indulgence of the flesh because the flesh remember is not just

08:26

skin and it's not just appetite it is a deeper sinful rebelliousness than that which means that ascetics these folks right here who are succeeding in being hard on their body they are as likely prone to boast which is a fleshly activity they are as likely prone to boast in their victories as gluttons are to idolize their appetites so Paul is pointing out here you can you can be a victim of the flesh you can be a Lackey of the flesh not only by being a glutton who has made his appetites his God but you can be in the sway of the

09:20

flesh as an ascetic as you boast in your triumphs over your body and in both cases you've you've been defeated because Christ is not your God you have replaced world religion or self-made religion and you are not living according to Christ so that's the point I think of this whole last three sections we looked at that the whole point is to realize that because of what Christ did on the cross and in his resurrection you have died with him you have been raised with him and he now is the substance he is

10:08

the reality and everything else that summed up in this self-religion is useless therefore avoid world religion avoid self-religion and lean wholly on Christ. 

From me:  Thank you LORD for reminding me that man-made self-religion is useless, and therefore, I should avoid world religion, avoid self-religion and that I should lean wholly on Christ.

Our focus should always be on Jesus

 LORD, thank you for reminding me that our focus should always be on You.  There are many things that take away my focus from You.  I should shift it back to You to bring clarity.  LORD, I have some many tasks and distractions, and none of them is more important that my time with You. Help me to remove those distractions or schedule my time properly so that I can remain focus on You every morning.  LORD, sometimes I try to do or juggle so many things. Please help me to remove those distractions and draw closer to You.

Priority of God’s Presence

Mary has chosen what is better. Luke 10:42

Text: Luke 10:38–42  New International Version

At the Home of Martha and Mary

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 

39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 

40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,

42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

ODB: In 2009, a research team at Stanford University studied more than two hundred students in an experiment that included switching between tasks and memory exercises. Surprisingly, the study found that students who viewed themselves as good multitaskers because they were in the habit of doing several things at a time, did worse than those who preferred to perform one task at a time. Multitasking made it more difficult to focus their thoughts and filter irrelevant information. Maintaining focus when our minds are distracted can be a challenge.

When Jesus visited Mary and Martha’s home, Martha was busy working and “distracted by all the preparations” (Luke 10:40). Her sister Mary chose to sit and listen to Jesus teach, gaining wisdom and peace that would never be taken away from her (vv. 39–42). When Martha asked Jesus to encourage Mary to help her, He responded, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one” (vv. 41–42).

God desires our attention. But, like Martha, we’re often distracted by tasks and problems. We neglect God’s presence even though He alone can provide the wisdom and hope we need. When we make spending time with Him through prayer and meditating on Scripture a priority, He’ll give us the guidance and strength we need to address the challenges we face.  By Kimya Loder

Commentary:  Mary and Martha had a brother named Lazarus with whom they shared a home in the village of Bethany (John 11:1–2). Jesus loved these siblings (v. 5) and may have frequently lodged with them. He miraculously raised Lazarus after he’d been dead for four days (vv. 17–44). 

Six days before Passover, Martha prepared a meal to honor Jesus. While Christ reclined at the table with Lazarus, Mary poured an expensive jar of perfume on His feet and then wiped them with her hair (11:2; 12:1–3). by Alyson Kieda

From me:  LORD, thank you for reminding me that our focus should always be on You.  There are many things that take away my focus from You.  I should shift it back to You to bring clarity.  LORD, I have some many tasks and distractions, and none of them is more important that my time with You. Help me to remove those distractions or schedule my time properly so that I can remain focus on You every morning.  LORD, sometimes I try to do or juggle so many things. Please help me to remove those distractions and draw closer to You.

Posted August 27, 2023

God remembers us. He does not forget us.

LORD, we are a forgetful people.  We tend to always forget small things like passwords, our keys, or cell phones.  Sometimes, we forget where we keep some important documents or essential devices.  LORD, thank you that You are not like us.  You always remember us.  Your strong unfailing memory assures me. Your memory can last for years, for centuries, for millenia, and though great spans of time have elapsed, You still dont forget us. You created us from eternity past (which could be many thousands or millions of years ago), but You still remember each of us, You know us by our own names, and You know every cell, every hair, in our bodies. You know us more than we know about ourselves.  Your enduring concern and love for us amazes me.   You discipline us for our unrepentant sins, but You still forgive us (if we repent) and you don't totally forget us even if go astray.   You said - "See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (Isaiah 49:15-16). Thank you LORD.  We worship You. 

Text:   Isaiah 49:13-16   New International Version

13    Shout for joy, you heavens;

    rejoice, you earth;

    burst into song, you mountains!

    For the Lord comforts his people

    and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

14    But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,

    the Lord has forgotten me.”

15   “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

    Though she may forget,

    I will not forget you!

16   See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

    your walls are ever before me.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

    [From ODB]   A man owned more than $400 million in bitcoin, but he couldn’t access a cent of it. He lost the password for the device storing his funds, and disaster loomed: after ten password attempts, the device would self-destruct. A fortune lost forever. 

For a decade, the man had agonized, desperately trying to recall the password to his life-altering investment. He tried eight passwords and failed eight times. In 2021, he lamented that he had just two more chances before it all went up in smoke.

We’re a forgetful people. Sometimes we forget small things (where we placed our keys), and sometimes we forget massive things (a password that unlocks millions). Thankfully, God isn’t like us. He never forgets the things or people that are dear to Him. In times of distress, Israel feared that God had forgotten them. “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me” (Isaiah 49:14). Isaiah assured them, however, that their God always remembers. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?” the prophet asks. Of course, a mother will not forget her suckling child. Still, even if a mother were to commit such an absurdity, we know God will never forget us (v. 15).

“See,” God says, “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (v. 16). He’s etched our names into His own being. Let’s remember that He can’t forget us—the ones He loves.

By Winn Collier

[From Commentary]   God’s people had been unfaithful and had stubbornly refused to repent and return to God (Isaiah 43:22–24). He used the Assyrian and Babylonian armies to chastise them (10:3–6; 39:6–7). Despite the severe discipline, God assured them that they were still His chosen people: “I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (43:1). He’d also restore them to Himself and bring them back to the promised land (49:8–13). Although He’d promised their restoration, the disillusioned Israelites charged that He’d abandoned them (v. 14). Responding to their despondency, God declared that His love for them is far deeper than a nursing mother has for her baby. Even if such maternal love failed, God said His love would never fail: “I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (vv. 15–16). It’s impossible for Him to forget His people.  by  K. T. Sim

[From me]  LORD, we are a forgetful people.  We tend to always forget small things like passwords, our keys, or cell phones.  Sometimes, we forget where we keep some important documents or essential devices.  LORD, thank you that You are not like us.  You always remember us.  Your strong unfailing memory assures me. Your memory can last for years, for centuries, for millenia, and though great spans of time have elapsed, You still dont forget us. You created us from eternity past (which could be many thousands or millions of years ago), but You still remember each of us, You know by our names, and You know every cell, every hair, in our bodies. You know us more than we know about ourselves.  Your enduring concern and love for us amazes me. You said - "See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (Isaiah 49:15-16). Thank you LORD.  We worship You. 

Posted August 12, 2023

God helps us in our sufferings and persecutions

LORD, from your word, You have shown us clearly the risks that we face as Christians.  The ones who went before us, some of them have suffered persecutions, torture and they wandered and suffered in desserts, mountains, forests and caves.  Some were killed.   There are risks for following You, and we understand that clearly.   Dear LORD, please give me strength and courage to let go of my life, and to endure sufferings, and to entrust my life fully to You.

Hebrews 11:32  New International Version

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,

Hebrews 11:35-40  New International Version

35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 

36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 

37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated, 

38   the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[ODB]  Jimmy hadn’t allowed the reality of social unrest, danger, and discomfort to keep him from traveling to one of the poorest countries in the world to encourage ministry couples. The steady stream of text messages to our team back home revealed the challenges he encountered. “Okay, boys, activate the prayer line. We’ve gone ten miles in the last two hours. . . . Car has overheated a dozen times.” 

Transportation setbacks meant that he arrived just before midnight to preach to those who’d waited for five hours. Later we received a text with a different tone. “Amazing, sweet time of fellowship. . . . About a dozen people came forward for prayer. It was a powerful night!”

Faithfully serving God can be challenging. The exemplars of faith listed in Hebrews 11 would agree. Compelled by their faith in God, ordinary men and women faced uncomfortable and unfathomable circumstances. “Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (v. 36). Their faith compelled them to take risks and rely on God for the outcome. The same is true for us. Living out our faith may not take us to risky places far away, but it may well take us across the street or across the campus or to an empty seat in a lunchroom or boardroom. Risky? Perhaps. But the rewards, now or later, will be well worth the risks as God helps us.

By Arthur Jackson

[Commentary]  The book of Hebrews begins by identifying Jesus as the full and final revelation of God. Under the old covenant, God spoke to His people through the prophets at various times and in various ways, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (1:2).   

What follows is an extraordinary statement about the supremacy of Christ.   The Son is the creator, sustainer, and “heir of all things” (v. 2). He’s fully divine—the “radiance” or reflection “of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (v. 3). After accomplishing our salvation, He took His place at the highest position in the universe, the right hand of God the Father (v. 3).

[From me]  LORD, You have shown us the risks that we face as Christians.  The ones who went before us, some of them have suffered persecutions, torture and they suffered in desserts, forests and caves.   There are risks for following You, and we understand that clearly.  Dear LORD, please give me strength and courage to let go of my life, and to endure sufferings, and to entrust my life fully to You.

Posted August 11, 2023

God punished Jerusalem for the disobedience of its people.

Thank you LORD for showing to us how You punished the people of Jerusalem for their disobedience to You, how they were conquered and vanquised by their enemies, the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Persians.  How you let Jerusalem become an empty city, where all its inhabitants were taken away as captives and brought to far away lands. How hunger and desolation have plaqued this land of your chosen people.  Indeed You punished them for their willful disobedience and willfull lack of repentance.  Teach us, from these, the great lessons. 

Lord, thank You that You gave us a "family home" here on earth, and thank you LORD that You have given me a good family; it is not a perfect family, but we are happy and satisfied and blessed.    Thank you LORD that You are blessing my children and grandchildren.  Help them to stick with You and not to depart from the right path.   Thanks for your many blessings to our family.  Help me to always be thankful and always stick to the right path, of trust and obedience.   I know that our earthly family home will not last forever, that it will decay and it will crumble and fall down as times passes, but Thank you LORD for giving me a home in Your forever family, and a home in heaven that does not decay.

Text:  Lamentations 1:1  New International Version

1   How deserted lies the city,

    once so full of people!

    How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations!

    She who was queen among the provinces has 

   now become a slave.

Lamentations 1:12-13 - New International Version

12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?

    Look around and see.

    Is any suffering like my suffering

    that was inflicted on me,

    that the Lord brought on me

    in the day of his fierce anger?

13 “From on high he sent fire,

    sent it down into my bones.

    He spread a net for my feet

    and turned me back.

    He made me desolate,

    faint all the day long.

Lamentations 1:16-20 - New International Version

16 “This is why I weep

    and my eyes overflow with tears.

    No one is near to comfort me,

    no one to restore my spirit.

    My children are destitute

    because the enemy has prevailed.”

17  Zion stretches out her hands,

    but there is no one to comfort her.

    The Lord has decreed for Jacob

    that his neighbors become his foes;

    Jerusalem has become

    an unclean thing among them.

18  “The Lord is righteous,

    yet I rebelled against his command.

    Listen, all you peoples;

    look on my suffering.

    My young men and young women

    have gone into exile.

19 “I called to my allies

    but they betrayed me.

    My priests and my elders

    perished in the city while they searched for food

    to keep themselves alive.

20 “See, Lord, how distressed I am!

    I am in torment within,

    and in my heart I am disturbed,

    for I have been most rebellious.

    Outside, the sword bereaves;

    inside, there is only death.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[ODB]  My brothers and our families spent the day moving our parents’ belongings from our childhood home. Late in the afternoon, we went back for one last pickup and, knowing this would be our final time in our family home, posed for a picture on the back porch. 

I was fighting tears when my mom turned to me and said, “It’s all empty now.” That pushed me over the edge. The house that holds fifty-four years of memories is empty now. I try not to think of it.

The ache in my heart resonates with Jeremiah’s first words of Lamentations: “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!” (1:1). An important difference is that Jerusalem was empty “because of her many sins” (v. 5). God exiled His people to Babylon because they rebelled against Him and refused to repent (v. 18). My parents weren’t moving because of sin, at least not directly. But ever since Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden, each person’s health has declined over their lifetime. As we age, it’s not unusual for us to downsize into homes that are easier to maintain. 

I’m thankful for the memories that made our modest home special. Pain is the price of love. I know the next goodbye won’t be to my parents’ home but to my parents themselves. And I cry. I cry out to Jesus to come, put an end to goodbyes, and restore all things. My hope is in Him.   By Mike Wittmer

[Commentary]  The book of Lamentations lyrically expresses the grief associated with the devastation of the city of Jerusalem in 586 bc. Seven times the book mentions Jerusalem by name—the chief city in the land of Israel (1:7, 8, 17; 2:10, 13, 15; 4:12).

Jeremiah wasn’t the only person in Scripture who wept over Jerusalem. Jesus shed tears over the city. “As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes’ ” (Luke 19:41–42; see also 13:34–35). by Arthur Jackson

[From me] Thank you LORD for showing to us how You punished the people of Jerusalem for their disobedience to You, how they were conquered and vanquised by their enemies, the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Persians.  How you let Jerusalem become an empty city, when all its inhabitants were taken as captives to far away lands. How hunger and desolation have plaqued this land of your chosen people.  Indeed You punished them for their will disobedience and willfull lack of repentance.  Teach us, from these, the great lessons. 

Lord, thank you that gave us a "family home" here on earth, and thank you LORD that You have given me a good family; it is not a perfect family, but we are happy and satisfied.  Thank you LORD that You are blessing my children and grandchildren.  Thanks for your many blessings to our family.  Help me to always be thankful and always stick to the right path, of trust and obedience. I know that our eathly family home will not last forever, that it will decay and be crumbled as times passes, but Thank you LORD for giving me a home in Your forever family, and a home in heaven that does not decay.

Posted August 10, 2023

God's promise is enduring, it is eternal

LORD, we are just like grass, like flowers; we grow and bloom for a day, then the grass withers, the flowers fall, and then we are gone. Our lives are so empty and meaningless. As no one remembers the grass and flowers of this earth, no one will remember us.  But your Word is eternal and enduring. You promised eternal life to us, and by faith we have believed in You, dear LORD Jesus, and You have given us, by your grace, this enduring eternal life. That we can now live eternally, in your presence.  LORD, thank you so much.  Thank you so much for your grace.  Your mercy.  We dont deserve heaven but You gave us a life in heaven.   We look forward to our life in eternity with You.  LORD, our Beautiful Savior, I praise You for the gift of my salvation. Your love lasts forever, and I love You for it.

Text:  1 Peter 1:17-25  New International Version

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 

18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 

20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 

24 For,

    “All people are like grass,

    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

    the grass withers and the flowers fall,

25  but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

A reminder of the beauty and brevity of life grows outside my front door. Last spring, my wife planted moonflower vines, so named because of their large and round white blooms that resemble a full moon. 

Each flower opens for one night and then withers in the bright sun the following morning, never to bloom again. But the plant is prolific, and every evening presents a fresh parade of flowers. We love watching it as we come and go each day, wondering what new beauty will greet us when we return.

These fragile flowers call to mind a vital truth from Scripture. The apostle Peter, recalling the words of the prophet Isaiah, wrote, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall’ ” (1 Peter 1:23–24). But he assures us that God keeps His promises forever! (v. 25).

Like flowers in a garden, our lives on earth are short when compared with eternity. But God has spoken beauty into our brevity. Through the good news of Jesus, we make a fresh beginning with God and trust His promise of unlimited life in His loving presence. When Earth’s sun and moon are but a memory, we will praise Him still.

By James Banks

[Commentary]  Atonement is the act through which God and humans (who are alienated or separated from God because of our sin) are brought together in a personal relationship through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. 

According to Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible, the theological term atonement comes from Anglo-Saxon words that mean “making as one.” In the Old Testament, animals “without defect” (Leviticus 14:10) were sacrificed annually to make atonement for sin (16:34). When Christ came, the sacrificial system became obsolete through the “precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect,” who “was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (1 Peter 1:19; Isaiah 53:7). Jesus, “the Lamb of God, . . . takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). All who believe in Him receive forgiveness and new life (Ephesians 1:7). One day, His followers will celebrate with Him in the New Jerusalem at “the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9).

by Alyson Kieda

[From me]  LORD, we are just like grass, like flowers; we grow and bloom for a day, then the grass withers, the flowers fall, and then we are gone. Our lives are so empty and meaningless. As no one remembers the grass and flowers of this earth, no one will remember us.  But your Word is eternal and enduring. You promised eternal life to us, and by faith we have believed in You, dear LORD Jesus, and You have given us, by your grace, this enduring eternal life. That we can now live eternally, in your presence.  LORD, thank you so much. We look forward to our life in eternity with You.  LORD, our Beautiful Savior, I praise You for the gift of my salvation. Your love lasts forever, and I love You for it.

Posted August 8, 2023

God keeps us from harm.

Dear loving God, thank You for being my place of shade and safety.  Thank you LORD that You care about us and that you keep watch over us.   Help me to find rest and courage as I grow in trusting You.  Help me to always find the care and the "tree shade" that You provide for me.  You dont want us to get harmed.  We remember your lovingkindness. Praise the LORD.

Text:   Psalm 121  New International Version

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[ODB]  Retired teacher Debbie Stephens Browder is on a mission to convince as many people as possible to plant trees. The reason? Heat. Extreme heat in the United States is the number one weather-related cause of death. In response, she says, “I’m starting with trees.” The canopy of heat protection that trees provide is one significant way to protect communities. “It’s life or death. It’s not just about beautifying the community.”

The fact that shade isn’t just refreshing but potentially lifesaving would have been well known to the psalmist who wrote Psalm 121; in the Middle East, the risk of sunstroke is constant. This reality adds depth to the psalm’s vivid description of God as our surest place of safety, the One in whose care “the sun will not harm [us] by day, nor the moon by night” (v. 6).

This verse can’t mean that believers in Jesus are somehow immune to pain or loss in this life (or that heat isn’t dangerous!). After all, Christ tells us, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). But this metaphor of God as our shade does vividly reassure us that, whatever comes our way, our lives are held in His watchful care (Psalm 121:7–8). There we can find rest through trusting Him, knowing that nothing can separate us from His love (John 10:28; Romans 8:39). by By Monica La Rose

[Commentary]  Psalm 121 is one of the “Songs of Ascents” (Psalms 120–134) set aside as a “mini-hymnal” within the overall psalter to give Jewish pilgrims songs to sing as they traveled three times a year to Jerusalem for the primary feast times (Passover and Firstfruits in the spring; Tabernacles in the fall). 

This particular psalm speaks directly to that pilgrimage—discussing the wrong (v. 1) and right places (v. 2) to look for assistance on the journey and offering promises of the specific areas of protection they can expect from God along the way (vv. 3–8). Psalm 121 is filled with confidence in God’s protection and provision. It’s an appropriate song of preparation for the worship they’d experience once they arrived in Jerusalem.  by Bill Crowder

[From me]  Dear loving God, thank You for being my place of shade and safety.  Thank you LORD that You care about us and that you keep watch over us.   Help me to find rest and courage as I grow in trusting You.  Help me to always find the care and the "tree shade" that You provide for me.  You dont want us to get harmed.  We remember your lovingkindness. Praise the LORD. 

Posted August 7, 2023

Sufferings produce perseverance and character.

Lord, thank you that You have promised never to leave us or forsake us.  Thank you LORD  that we have our hope in You.   Thank you LORD that you send us trials and challenges to improve our perseverance and character.  Help me to trust You more.  Help me to commit myself to Your care in what I currently face.   Lord, You promise that You’ll never leave me. Help me to hold on to Your promises even when I’m struggling.

Text:  Romans 5:1-5   New International Version

Peace and Hope

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[From ODB]  The memories flooded back when I rustled through some envelopes and glimpsed a sticker that said, “I’ve had an eye test.” In my mind I saw my four-year-old son proudly wearing the sticker after enduring stinging eyedrops.

Because of weak eye muscles, he had to wear a patch for hours each day over his strong eye—thereby forcing the weaker eye to develop. He also needed surgery. He met these challenges one by one, looking to us as his parents for comfort and depending on God with childlike faith. Through these challenges he developed resilience.

People who endure trials and suffering are often changed by the experience. But the apostle Paul went further and said to “glory in our sufferings” because through them we develop perseverance. With perseverance comes character; and with character, hope (Romans 5:3–4). Paul certainly knew trials—not only shipwrecks but imprisonment for his faith. Yet he wrote to the believers in Rome that “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (v. 5). The apostle recognized that God’s Spirit keeps our hope in Jesus alive when we put our trust in Him.

Whatever hardships you face, know that God will pour out His grace and mercy on you. He loves you.   By Amy Boucher Pye

[From Commentary]  The New Testament reveals much about the Holy Spirit. When we repent and receive Jesus as our Savior, God gifts us with the Spirit (Acts 2:38). Through Him, God pours His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). In this way, our bodies become the Holy Spirit’s temple and He lives in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). 

The Spirit gives us love, joy, peace (Galatians 5:22), encouragement (Acts 9:31), and hope (Romans 15:13). He also teaches us and guides us. Jesus told His disciples, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26; see 15:26). The Spirit enables us, like Peter, to speak boldly about Christ (Acts 4:8). He also warns us (20:23) and gives us spiritual gifts (Hebrews 2:4). The Spirit of truth, our Advocate, is with us forever (John 14:16–17).  by Alyson Kieda

[From me]  Lord, thank you that You have promised never to leave us or forsake us.  Thank you LORD  that we have our hope in You.   Thank you LORD that you send us trials and challenges to improve our perseverance and character.  Help me to trust You more.  Help me to commit myself to Your care in what I currently face.   Lord, You promise that You’ll never leave me. Help me to hold on to Your promises even when I’m struggling.

Posted August 6, 2023

The dangers of unrepentant sin.

LORD, thank you for outlining to us your main design for discipline of church members.  Help us to humbly and lovingly confront someone regarding a sin issue.  Help us all to understand the dangers of unrepentant sin.  Help me LORD to become teachable so that I dont fall into unrepentant sin. Dear LORD, please help me also to love others enough to lovingly warn them when I see them falling into sin.

Text:  Matthew 18:15-20  New International Version

Dealing With Sin in the Church

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 

16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 

17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 

20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In 2010, a tsunami struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing more than four hundred people. But the deaths could have been prevented or minimized had the tsunami warning system been working properly. The tsunami detection networks (buoys) had become detached and drifted away.

Jesus said His disciples had a responsibility to warn fellow disciples of things that could harm them spiritually—including unrepentant sin. He outlined a process in which a believer who’s been sinned against by another can humbly, privately, and prayerfully “point out” the sin to the offending believer (Matthew 18:15). If the person repents, then the conflict can be resolved and relationship restored. If the believer refuses to repent, then “one or two others” can help resolve the conflict (v. 16). If the sinning person still doesn’t repent, then the issue is to be brought before “the church” (v. 17). If the offender still won’t repent, the individual is to be removed from assembly fellowship, but he or she can certainly still be prayed for and shown Christ’s love. 

As believers in Jesus, let’s pray for the wisdom and courage we need to care enough to lovingly warn one another of the dangers of unrepentant sin and of the joys of restoration to our heavenly Father and other believers. Jesus will be “there . . . with [us]” as we do (v. 20).  By Marvin Williams

[From Commentary]  Matthew 18:15–20 contains three ideas that are sometimes treated individually with no relationship to each other. However, the context of verses 15–17 determines the interpretation of verses 18–20.

Verses 15–17 discuss the process of forgiveness and restoration for a believer in Jesus who sins. They outline the responsibility that fellow believers have to one another to confront sin when it’s identified and to restore when it’s confessed. 

In this context, the statements about binding on earth and heaven (suggesting that the forgiveness and restoration offered by the church is done in the authority of God) and receiving what two agree on (a protection against the potential abuse of singular authority) are directly related to the forgiveness and restoration of a believer in Jesus.  by J.R. Hudberg

[From me]  LORD, thank you for outlining to us your main design for discipline of church members.  Help us to humbly and lovingly confront someone regarding a sin issue.  Help us all to understand the dangers of unrepentant sin.  Help me LORD to become teachable so that I dont fall into unrepentant sin. Dear LORD, please help me also to love others enough to lovingly warn them when I see them falling into sin.

Posted August 5, 2023

LORD, help me to make the right choices.

 LORD, you are a just and holy God and you hate sin.  You hate corrupt deeds and greedy actions. You will one day hold all people and all nations accountable for what they have done.  You will reveal the fire of your jealous anger.  (God is jealous against all false gods and idols that man have created and worshipped).  LORD, help me to think and act correctly.  Help me to make the right choices.  Help me to avoid the wrong choices that bring shame to your name. LORD, please help me pursue good choices for You.

Text:  Zephaniah 3:1-8   New International Version

Jerusalem

1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction.

  She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God.

3 Her officials within her are roaring lions;

    her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people.

  Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.

5 The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong.

   Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,

    and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

6 “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished.

   I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through.

   Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.

7 Of Jerusalem I thought,

    ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’

  Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her.

   But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.

8 Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,     “for the day I will stand up to testify.

   I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms

   and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger.

   The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[From ODB]   My friend’s eyes revealed what I was feeling—fear! We two teens had behaved poorly and were now cowering before the camp director. The man, who knew our dads well, shared lovingly but pointedly that our fathers would be greatly disappointed. We wanted to crawl under the table—feeling the weight of personal responsibility for our offense.

God gave Zephaniah a message for the people of Judah that contained potent words about personal responsibility for sin (Zephaniah 1:1, 6–7). After describing the judgments He would bring against Judah’s foes (ch. 2), He turned His eyes on His guilty, squirming people (ch. 3). “What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,” God proclaimed (3:1 nlt). “They [are] still eager to act corruptly” (v. 7).

He’d seen the cold hearts of His people—their spiritual apathy, social injustice, and ugly greed—and He was bringing loving discipline. And it didn’t matter if the individuals were “leaders,” “judges,” “prophets”(vv. 3–4 nlt)—everyone was guilty before Him.

The apostle Paul wrote the following to believers in Jesus who persisted in sin, “You are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. . . . [God] will judge everyone according to what they have done” (Romans 2:5–6 nlt). So, in Jesus’ power, let’s live in a way that honors our holy, loving Father and leads to no remorse.   By Tom Felten

[From Commentary]  Though the prophet Zephaniah (1:1) is rather obscure, there’s no mystery about the message he was commissioned to deliver—it was one of judgment for God’s people (1:4–2:3; 3:1–7) and the surrounding nations (2:4–15). 

The phrase the day of the Lord is found here more than in any other book in the Old Testament. The term refers to ongoing periodic judgments when God called peoples and nations to account for their attitudes and actions which opposed His, as well as the time of future judgment when Christ returns. Zephaniah 1:15–16 summarizes this time of reckoning with these words: wrath, distress, anguish, trouble, ruin, darkness, gloom, clouds, blackness, a day of trumpet, and battle cry.  by Arthur Jackson

[From me] LORD, you are a just and holy God and you hate sin.  You hate corrupt deeds and greedy actions.  LORD, help me to think and act correctly.  Help me to make the right choices.  Help me to avoid the wrong choices that bring shame to your name. LORD, please help me pursue good choices for You.

Jesus is the Great Builder.

LORD, this earth has plenty of beautiful objects, places and people, and You are the ultinate creator of everything that we see, both the man-made and the natural. You are the Great Builder.     “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain,” we read in Psalm 127:1.   You are also building your Church, your body, here on earth and there are many beautiful aspects of the Church.   We give You honor and praise for your wonderful creations.  LORD Jesus, You deserve all my praise. May my life and words give You that praise on this day and every day.

Text:  Hebrews 3:1-6  New International Version

Jesus Greater Than Moses

1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 

2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 

3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 

4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 

5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 

6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[From ODB]  From the spiral staircase to the expansive bedroom, from the hardwood floors to the plush carpeting, from the huge laundry room to the well-organized office, the realtor showed a potential home to the young couple. At every corner they turned, they raved about its beauty: “You’ve picked the best place for us. This house is amazing!” Then the realtor responded with something they thought a bit unusual yet true: “I’ll pass along your compliment to the builder. The one who built the house deserves the praise; not the house itself or the one who shows it off.”

The realtor’s words echo the writer of Hebrews: “The builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself” (3:3). The writer was comparing the faithfulness of Jesus, the Son of God, with the prophet Moses (vv. 1–6). Though Moses was privileged to speak to God face-to-face and to see His form (Numbers 12:8), he was still only “a servant” in the house of God (Hebrews 3:5). Christ as the Creator (1:2, 10) deserves honor as the divine “builder of everything” and as the Son “over God’s house” (3:4, 6). God’s house is His people.

When we serve God faithfully, it’s Jesus the divine builder who deserves the honor. Any praise we, God’s house, receive ultimately belongs to Him. by Anne Cetas

[From Commentary]   The reminder in Hebrews 3:4 that “God is the builder of everything” is reinforced in principle elsewhere in Scripture. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain,” we read in Psalm 127:1. 

Before their building initiative was abruptly terminated, the boast of the vain builders in Babel was, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). Before his humiliation, King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). But afterwards, he “praised the Most High” and “honored and glorified him who lives forever” (v. 34). by Arthur Jackson

[From me]  LORD, this earth has plenty of beautiful objects, places and people, and You are the ultinate creator of everything that we see, both the man-made and the natural. You are the Great Builder.   “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain,” we read in Psalm 127:1.  We give You honor and praise for your wonderful creations.  LORD Jesus, You deserve all my praise. May my life and words give You that praise on this day and every day.

Posted August 1, 2023