Monday, June 1, 2009

Devotionals

I like to take notes during a Bible study or during church and then type up those notes as a means of reflecting on the Scripture and the topic.   We had 7 devotionals on this trip. Here they are:

Saturday Night

Romans 1:14-17
"I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the Gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'the righteous will live by faith.'"

-Obligated, but not doing it out of obligation.
-Boldness that is strengthened by passion
-Get to know people - take time to build that relationship, treat them like a regular person
-I am not ashamed because this is my responsibility. I have these good news that I have to share. People need these good news 
-We are here to be uncomfortable - which is a good thing

Sunday Morning - Crescent City Baptist Church

John 10:25-27
"Jesus answered, 'I did tell you but you do not believe. The miracles I do in My Father's Name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and the Father are one.'"

God speaks with authority. That same authority is in our life.

John 6:67-68
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God."

The words of God bring eternal life.

Charles was talking about the cell phone commercial where the guy goes farther and farther away and keeps asking, "can you hear me now?" and Charles compared that to how sometimes God is asking us "can you hear Me now?" but we are continuing to walk away from Him or ignore His voice or just don't hear Him. But it is so important to hear only God's voice, only His. To cling tight to the Living God and push all those other voices away.

Sunday Night 

Matthew 25:35-40
"For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me."
"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?'"
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'"

John 15:12
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

-Expansive, unconditional love - like the love of God. 
-Glory to God - small things matter - people will see the glory of God in small and big things. 
-Look out for the specific needs that people have. 
-Have a servant's heart - everyday of the year. There is always something we can do in our daily lives, no matter how small.

The above two verses are also the verses that Charles said are the backbone of the ministry, Carpenter's House.

Monday Night

Psalm 91
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the LORD, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 
'Because he loves Me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.'"

Specifically verses 1 and 4
Verse 1  "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." 
Verse 4 "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and your rampart."

-Power of God - inside us
-Fear - it prevents us from trusting in God

Proverbs 22:1-5
"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life. 
In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them."

Psalm 37:4 
"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."

-Our heart should be like God's heart, so that our desires are God's desires.

Tuesday Night 

1 Peter 5:6-11
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

-Humility is more than service. We have to also be humble in our mind - in our thoughts and attitudes towards God. 
-We like to do things where we see results, but sometimes God asks us just to do, no matter the sight of result. 
-Pride is like a beast.

HUMILITY - Key word of this devotional

I will post the last three Devos on a different post. I thought that our devotionals on Wednesday and Thursday night were really good, and I saw us bonding as a team so much those nights. Also, they are much longer so I want to make a separate post.

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