September 2020 week 2
Friday, September 11th 2020
“Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”
Matthew 26:69-75 KJV
Peter knew what it felt like to honor God and not honor God. Though Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, Jesus still pursued him and wanted to keep him close. Peter wrestled, like us, with belonging. The Word of God refers to Christians as strangers to this world, meaning we and our hearts do not belong to this world, but to God. When we give our lives to God, we become His child and servant. Thus, we break free from being a slave to the world.
As His children, we are called to live a life accordingly and set apart from worldly desires. I began to find victory against my struggles when God became the sole desire of my heart. I finally found freedom from my sin because God and His plan mattered most. Peter responded to God’s grace and was a significant contributor to the early church. If God could rescue and redeem Peter, there is hope for us too!
Dear Lord, thank you for your love for us. Bless us to live a life that honors you today. A life of victory. In Jesus’name.
Amen.
Thursday September 10th 2020“
Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.”
Psalms 25:1-4 KJV
David, who wrote Psalm 25, knew how it felt to be overwhelmed. He desperately wanted to honor God, even in hard times. But the battle to do the right thing and the battle against enemies who wanted to end his kingship were wearing David out. He was desperate and scared.
David pleads with God, “…let me not be put to shame” (Psalm 25:2 NIV). In other words, “don’t let me fail!” The whole psalm is David reminding himself that God won’t fail him, ever. “…none who wait for you shall be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3 ESV).
When you think you’ve hit rock bottom, remember: The rock at the bottom of rock bottom is Jesus. Through Jesus, we have access to the Father through the Holy Spirit. And because Jesus defeated sin and death, we know that the hardships we face, while painful at the moment, will not last forever.
Dear Lord may your joy and peace be our portion this day. Put a new song in our mouth that we may worship you, for we are confidence in your word, that you are in control and we are safe in you.
Amen
Wednesday , September 9th 2020.
Mark 1:15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Jesus beginning His public ministry proclaimed that the kingdom of God was at hand. The response was not only to believe this in faith, but also to repent. The essential beliefs one holds to are evidenced by how one responds to the faith they claim to possess by the practice of repentance.
While believing in Jesus and His gospel are essential, He also included the call to repent, to turn from one’s sin and follow Jesus and His teachings. At conversion, the Holy Spirit enters a sinner’s heart, causing one to be born again and made new, this results in one believing and professing Jesus as Lord over oneself. Believing in Jesus means understanding that He is Lord and we are not. The acting out of this new reality is found in repentance, where the believer turns from allegiance to self and the world, to allegiance and worship of Jesus Christ.
Dear Lord, thank you for sending your Son to save us. As we move on from today, help us to never forget our first love and the assurance of our salvation.
Amen.
Tuesday, September 8th 2020
1 Chronicles 29:17 (New Living Translation): “ 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.”.
What God cares about most is our heart. Not our physical appearance or our performances. He sees all the good that we have accomplished but He’s more concerned about how we are transformed and changed inside. He looks at the intent of our heart and our motives. And if we want to truly live a life that pleases God, we have to guard our heart, and keep it pure and Holy.
Dear Lord, keep us from any temptation that’ll corrupt our core this day. Deliver us from any evil that is afflicting us and keep us on your way everlasting, that we may truly honor you.
Amen.
Monday September 7th 2020
Col 3:23-24 “23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.[a]”
As we have been taught in church a few sundays ago “what matter most is not making the right decision but what we do after we have taken one. “
When our purpose is wrong or unclear, everything else becomes a burden. It is very easy to lose track of what matter most once we start living the choice we made or the life we chose. We got into that school, that job, that relationship, that ministry… that we’ve wanted and we become so busy, so overwhelmed to the point that the only time we stop to consider what we’re doing is when something goes wrong. Because, somehow – unconsciously- we started living for us, trying on our own strength to meet the world’s expectation. Today’s verse from colossians reminds us to stop and re-consider that in order to reap the full benefit of what we are doing- including our day to day tasks – is by intentionally keeping in mind that we’re doing everything for God not for people. We are accountable to God’s standard in all we do and once we seek to please Him, eveyrthing else fall into place.
Dear Lord, Give us a heart that will seek to please you. And guard us to always remember to willingly do everything with You in mind, as you renew your blessing to us each day.
In Jesus name.
Amen.