An attitude of David during trials

S   Psalm 56
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4     In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows to you, my God;
    I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
    and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
    in the light of life.

O -   This psalm of David is a reminder to me of how my attitude  should be especially in challenging times and trials in my life.    David psalm is paired with a reading today of his son Absalom's death, following his overthrowing David as King of Israel.    I can imagine the great sorrow that brought David,  but we see here his great perspective on who God is in His life.   He can be trusted,  is worthy of our praise,  takes away our fear,  deserve our thank offering,  and delivers us from our stumbling, delivering us into His ways.

A - The application for me is to be encouraged in the Lord, not to be discouraged by circumstances and what I fear of those surrounding me.    I must continually reflect on the eternal leadership of God of my soul.   It is not to be troubled by things that are occuring in the world, or fear of what people think, but trust in God's plan for my life, eternally. 

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this message,  I pray my mind, heart and soul would be encouraged by David's words, and your Holy Spirit would fill me with encouraging words of truth and healing, and protection from the enemies whispers that distract me, or my own critical spirit.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen

The power of the holy spirit over the troubled soul

S  - Matt 26

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

O- Jesus was fully man and fully God.  He came from heaven to earth,  to save us.  One of the ways he did so was to fully experience what it means to be man and experience the pressures and tensions of this world, and to be fully tempted by sin.    Here we not only see him face pressures of the world, but the tension of being obedient to the will of God.   He faces so with close friends, recognizing he needs to surround himself with the strongest of men, and then faces it with prayer to God the father.   His sorrow was deep and genuine and we see that though he was fully God, and had a close relationship to God,  he soul was still overwhelmed with sorrow.  

A- The application is to understand that while Jesus soul was troubled to the point of death,  the spirit in Him was able to overcome.    For me at times my soul is troubled, my circumstances around me appear to be bleak and I feel overwhelmed.  My hope lies in the spirit of God that is in me, and its ability to overcome my own doubts and fears,  and trust in the Lords plan for my life.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your continued residence in my heart.  Thank you for continuing to overcome all my doubts and fears, and I pray that you would conquer all the doubts and fears in me.   Holy Spirit speak to quickly before my flesh reacts to what my mind and soul would believe to be true, and act outwardly in a ways that doesn't represent who you are or your love for those around me.  I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

rewards for followers of Christ - the first shall be last

S Matt 20
The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last

O-  This is a parable to help the followers of Christ eventually understand who they are and how not to grumble about those that follow them.   You see they are the first workers selected and will work their entire lives for the purpose of God and will face trials and tribulations and will receive their reward in heaven.   They will bring the good news to people who have lived their whole lives without following and serving God, but have been given salvation and eternity with God in heaven, and yet had to do very little.  This can and will cause a bitterness in those who have served God and lived for Him their whole lives, but Jesus is telling the disciples that can't be so with you,  you will become just like the pharisee's, instead the script is flipped and the last will be first, and the first will be last to enter into the kingdom of heaven and our attitude should be one of gratefullness and the extra ordinary generosity of our Lord and savior.

A-   The application for me is to understand the longer in the tooth I get as a Christian, the more my tendency will be to think like the servants that worked all day, that hey I somehow deserve more,  or deserve not to face the same trials and tribulations than those who have not been following and serving Christ face.   Today I face depression,  trials and uncertainty in my career, struggles in my marriage, and at times a lack of confidence in my parenting.   This has me grumbling and doubting what good it has done for me to follow God.  Today's scripture reminds me I have received the treasure of eternity with God, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide me through these seasons, and that is such a phenomenal gift that there is nothing to grumble about. 

P - Dear heavenly Father, I am sorry my heart has doubt about the great gift you have given me in my salvation.  I face trouble and hard work today, not because of you, but can now live differently through these trials.  My reward is in the eternal relationship I have gained with you.  Lord I ask for help erasing the doubts and fears in me and protect me from the enemies attacking my thought life.   I pray all this in Jesus name,  Amen.

 

Unforgiveness in relationships

S -Matt 18
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.

O -  This parable is of a servant whose master has forgiven his debt,   but who goes on to be unforgiving to one who is debt to him.    The lessons for me is blunt and convicting.  I have begged for the Lord's forgiveness, received his grace and his healing, yet I hold others to debt that God does not hold me to.  

A -  The application for me is my marriage and my co workers.  Under the stress of the moment, in my own disattifaction I have shown a lack of grace and forgiveness.   For my wife I have been tracking her debts and not forgiving them,   I have allowed them to build up and not honestly share them with her, and allow the process of forgiveness to cover them, and allow God's love and grace flow over it.    I have not gone to the Lord on our behalf , as man and wife, to present our problems and pray for a covering and a healing.  

P - Lord I pray now that the unforgiveness that remains in my marriage you would help Abby and I work through.  I repent for my selfish ways and ask that you show me how to lead us through this season.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.