Live your life without Fear!

S - Scripture
Psalm 118 v. 6. With the Lord by my side I do not fear. What can man do against me? 

O - Observation
No Fear. That's the confidence of being in the Lord. This may be easy to say when things are going well, or your facing some general stress of life. But what about the big one, the Fear of dying? This much is true, 1 Corinthians 15 v. 54b-55, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? But thanks be to God, who give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Yes, even death has been marginalized, its a step that will be taken for those who believe to a place with Jesus. That is why Jesus said this in Matthew 10 v. 28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." For those who believe in Jesus, people here on earth can only kill your body.
 
A - Application
Am I living my life as if the Lord is on my side?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to live my life without Fear!    Love Will

Deal with Distress

S - Scripture
Psalm 118 v. 5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.


O - Observation
Distress. We are all going to experience this as sometime in our lives. Webster defines distress as misery, suffering. There's two fundamental truths about distress. One, we will have them, and God has already dealt with it. John 16 v. 33,"I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Two, God allows suffering for a purpose. Romans 5 v. 3 & 5, "Knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does NOT disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the holy Spirit which has been give to us. Notice the theme in all three verses today, God loves and delivers.

A - Application
How an I handling the distress in my life?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for overcoming the world.    Love Will

Image by jplenio from Pixabay 

Be precious to God - But take your time!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm 116 v. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.



O - Observation
Dead in the Lord. Precious. Makes me think of three things One, the martyrs. Those willing to die for the name of the Lord. These are people who sacrifice it all for the glory of God. They will have a special place in heaven. Two, those who die (non martyred) in their faith. 2 Timothy 4 v. 7-8a, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness." Staying true to God, even to the end. Not losing faith, nor hope as your physical body wastes away. Being rock solid until your last breath. Precious. Third, Jesus is the Lord over Life and DEATH.  His victory over death is sure, 1 Corinthians 15 v. 55, "O Death, Where is thy victory, O Death, where is they sting?"

A - Application
Am I committed to dying in the Lord?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Let me be precious in your sight, but give me some time before you call me home.   Love Will

Image by James Chan from Pixabay 

Striving

 Striving

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: Acts 24:16(NIV) So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

O - OBSERVATION: Striving is something we’re all familiar with. Here Paul in testifying before

Felix makes this comment. He strives to keep his conscience clear before God and man. It almost sounds like Paul is striving to be worthy of the Resurrection, although we know he understands that God’s Grace is the reason for salvation because of Ephesians 4:8,9. He by God’s inspiration wrote this book. So I believe Paul is actually striving to refrain from the temptation to sin that Grace may abound as he writes in Romans 6:1,2 What then shall I say, shall we go on sinning that grace may abound? We are those who have died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? 

A - APPLICATION: Satan is always probing on our weak spots and the striving is in saying no to him. When Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4:10, He said, “Away from me Satan”. A great line to remember when we are tempted! So, we strive, but always remember with great humility we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and when we fall down, we repent and He restores us by cleansing us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:,9

P - PRAYER: Gracious Father, we strive to run the race for the crown of life, but it is only because of Your Grace and Love manifested in Christ Jesus that we can finish the race to eternity with You! In Jesus Name, Amen 

Drink from the Cup of Salvation

S - Scripture
Psalm 116 v. 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

O - Observation
The cup. Webster defines cup as a small round container with a handle on one side that you drink from. Most of us have a favorite cup that we drink from. Usually, I think of hot chocolate or coffee when I think of cups. But there is a much better cup, more importantly better stuff in the cup. Matthew 26 v. 27-28, "And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."  Yes, this is the cup of salvation. The forgiveness of sins, the cleansing of our souls. Jesus knew this cup was special, had a high price. He prayed while in Gethsemane, Matthew 26 c. 39b, "My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nether less, not as I will but as thou wilt."

A - Application
Am I drinking from the cup of salvation?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for providing me with the cup of salvation.  Love Will

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

Be intentional with the Blessings you receive

S - Scripture
Psalm 116 v. 12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me? Praise the Lord.

O - Observation
What next? What to do after God has blessed you? First, thank God for the blessings. Job said it quite well in Job 1 v. 21b, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD." Job experienced all that he had, he lost. He recognized his blessings. Second, we need to react, use our blessings. Luke 6 v. 38, "Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." God has flowed each of our blessings proportionality as he sees fit, so that we can play these forward. Luke 12 v.48b, "Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required." What an awesome opportunity.
 
A - Application
What are you doing with the gifts you have been given?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thanks for the blessings. Help me to put them to use for your kingdom.  Love Will

Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash

God will bless you!

S - Scripture
Psalm 115 v. 13  He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and small.

O - Observation
Everybody. God promises that he will bless us all, regardless of our station in life. That's what's cool about our God. He's not exclusionary. The old Testament records many real examples of this. Great. David, when his life was just starting, stated to King Saul that he was not afraid of Goliath. 1 Samuel 17 v. 37, "And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine." And God did. God asked Solomon what he wanted. He asked for wisdom. He got it AND riches. The small. Rahab the whore. She hid the Israelite spies when they were casing out Jericho. She helped them since she heard and believed the stories of their God. Not only was she and her family spared, but she is in the linage of Jesus.

A - Application
Am I confident that God will and is blessing me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for blessings you give me.  Love Will

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash