February 9th: Desiring God’s Will

by Paul Lewis

Scripture: Portions of Matthew 26:37, 38, 39, 42, & 44

He (Jesus) became anguished and distressed.

“My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.”

“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

…a second time…”My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

He went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.

Observation:

No matter the cost, Jesus was committed to the fulfillment of God’s will and purpose, even though he knew what it would cost him personally. His greatest desire, even above his own desire, was to see God’s will accomplished. In his humanity, Jesus didn’t want to go through the crucifixion. Notice the distress “even to the point of death” that he faced. Yet, even though he would have to suffer and die, he was willing if that what was necessary for God’s will to be accomplished.

Application:

Anything that I could suffer cannot be compared to what Jesus suffered, yet he was willing to endure it so that God’s will could be fulfilled and accomplished. I need to live with that same desire. No matter what God asks me to face or endure to accomplish his will and purpose, my answer must be YES!

Prayer:

Not my will, but yours Lord!

Listen to the Children Praise Him!

January 31, 2008

By Paul Lewis

Scripture: Matthew 21:16

They (the Jewish leaders) asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught the children and infants to give you praise.’”

Observation:

The children were praising God. I love to hear children praising God! They are unbound by “social expectations” and simply praise God with all of their hearts. Praises flow without restriction.

I have learned this week to look at passages like this with new eyes. Think of the children as new believers. Babes in Christ, newly adopted into His family. This verse says that they have been taught to give God praise. Children have no restrictions about giving God the praise He deserves. They learn what we teach them about praise and worship.

Application:

1. I need to praise God as a child does. Unbridled, unpretentious, with an open and grateful heart.

2. I rejoice knowing we have faithful men and women teaching our little ones to worship and praise God with all of their hearts!

3. I am thankful for the Fresh Start Coaches who encourage new believers to grow in Christ and take their next steps. They are leading them to praise and worship God with their lives!

4. We need more people willing to teach others how to praise and worship God. For some that means reaching their neighbor, for others that means working with the Children’s Ministry here at PVC. For others, that means helping New Believers learn what it means to praise and worship Jesus through the Fresh Start Ministry.

If you are a believer, you need to be teaching someone else how to praise and worship God. There are a number of ways you can participate in this process, just ask, and we’ll help you discover where God wants you!

Prayer:

God, help we to worship and praise your name in all that I do. Give me wisdom to teach your children how to live lives of praise!

January 30 - Improving Your Serve

ScriptureMatthew 20:26-28 (NLT)
²⁶ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Observation

· James and John wanted the “high profile” position, but they had no clue what it meant.

· Jesus modeled that leadership is about sacrifice.

· God does things very differently than we often do.

· Jesus impacted others by serving them.

· If we want to be like Jesus, we must become servants of people, just like He did.

· If anybody deserved to be served, it was Jesus. Why am I tempted to think that I deserve to have others serve me?

Application

· I want to be like Jesus in every way, so I will choose to be a servant of others.

· I want to impact the lives of others, so I will choose to find opportunities to serve.

· God gives us the ability to choose, so I will choose to serve others.

· I find great joy in serving others, so I will choose to serve them.

· I love bringing glory to God, so I will choose to serve His people.

· I want to hear Jesus say “well done, my good and faithful servant”, so I will choose to be a servant.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for meeting my needs. Thank you for thinking of your children first. I want to be more like Jesus, so I commit to developing a greater heart for service. Please help me to see those today that I can serve!

January 29: The Reason Was Worship

By Derrick Logan 

Scripture:
Exodus 8:1-9:35
Matthew 19:13-30
Psalm 21:1-10
Proverbs 6:1-5

Observation:

• The priority of God’s people is to worship Him. Moses was leading the people out of Egypt, not to just live somewhere else, not to have their own land, not to wonder aimlessly… but to worship God.
• The enemy has real power with real capabilities.
• God’s power is greater in every area and is always working for our good.
• Even after seeing the amazing power of God, some people will still have a hardened heart.
  • Pharaoh had a great deal to loose by allowing the Israelites to leave. They were a huge part of the countries work force. Without them, the structure of the country would be totally different.
• Jesus wants me to give everything to Him.

Application:

• Make worship the top priority.
• Remember that as real as God is, there is an equally real enemy, the devil. However, his power cannot compare to God’s and we’re safe relying on Him.
• Don’t become discouraged when people don’t except Christ in your time frame. Try putting yourself in their shoes. In their eyes, what do they stand to gain by accepting Christ? What do they stand to loose?
• Give everything to God. It’s really already His but He wants us to hand it over freely.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for reminding me that worshiping You is essential in my life. Your word says that if we didn’t praise You, the rocks would cry out for You. It’s not You who needs my praise; it’s me who needs to praise You. In worshiping You, we gain a clear perspective of reality: You are God and I am Your servant. Remind me of this daily, Lord. Thank you for taking control of the enemy and fighting that fight for us. It’s my heart to lead people to know You. Help me to not become frustrated when things don’t happen in my time frame. Help me to put myself in that person’s shoes and see things the way they see them. My life and everything I have is Yours, God. Take it and use it to prosper Your kingdom. Thank you for making a place for me to be a part of Your work. Amen.

January 28th: The Good Shepherd

By: Ryan Nunez

Scripture:

Psalm 23:1-2

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.”

Observation:

Over and over again our relationship with God is compared to that of a shepherd and his sheep. To be honest, it is not the most flattering analogy. Sheep are not the smartest most independent animals. Their shepperd provides for their every need. However, if the shoe fits…

Application:

This passage provides so much comfort in so many different situations. I have read it often when people are hurting or are in trouble. Today as I read it, I was not hurting, in trouble, or wanting…it was just a normal day, and it still provided so much comfort. It was a great reminder of how the heavenly father sees me and takes care of me. I left today’s reading with a sense of joy, peace and thanksgiving.

Prayer:

God, thank you for being my shepherd…for caring for me, even when I don;t think I need it.

January 27:Now Go

By: Daniel Conner

Scripture

Exodus 4:1; 10-12

“But Moses protested again.”; “But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Observation

It’s interesting to me that it says in verse 1, “But Moses protested again.” How many excuses does someone need to come up with when talking with God? Each verse Moses gives another excuse as to why he shouldn’t do what the Lord has asked. Pretty bold! Maybe too bold! When I read this it reminds me how patient our Lord is, and also how powerful, knowing that it is Him who causes people to speak, and to hear, and to see.

Application

Moses was scared and he began to make excuses because he was more reliant on himself than he was on the Lord. How many times has the Lord told me that He wants me to do something, to say an encouraging word to someone, to share my store of how Christ changed my life, to go and pray with someone, or any kind of random kindness, and I get scared because I’m more worried about what making sure I will say the right thing, or how it comes across. And in reality, God is saying “this is not about you, it’s about Me wanting to show my love to someone else”.

I think we tend to get scared when we think of what could happen, the fear of rejection. But the Lord reminds us as He did Moses, is it not I who causes people to speak, and to hear, and to see. Now GO!

What is the Lord asking me to do today that I have been making excuses in my heart about?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for reminding me that it is not about me, it’s all about You. Help me to be open and receptive to whatever you maybe asking me to do, and when I hear you speak Father, may I be quick to ACT.

January 26th: Enough Faith

Posted by Jeremiah Hann

Scripture:  Matthew 17:20

“‘You don’t have enough faith’, Jesus told them.  ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it would move.  Nothing would be impossible.’”

Observations:

When the disciples weren’t able to heal the young boy, everyone is confused.  So the disciples ask Jesus why they weren’t able to heal the boy.  Jesus responds and tells them that they didn’t have enough faith.  Imagine that… The guys following Jesus, seeing everything that he does, don’t have enough faith.  They get to witness first hand that Jesus is God.  that he can perform miracles, yet they don’t have enough faith.  Jesus tells them that even with the smallest faith, they can accomplish anything.  Nothing is impossible when you have faith in Christ.

Application:

I am constantly reminded that Christ is in control of every single aspect of my life.  When I have faith that God will take care of me, he does.  When I have faith that God will provide, he does.  However, it’s so easy to forget about all the awesome things that Christ has done for me.  The moment things don’t look perfect, or things seem to be getting rough, I sometimes forget about what Christ has done.  I forget that in every single aspect of my life, God was there taking care of me.  He has seen the entire path of my life, and knows where I am headed.  I need to have faith as small as a mustard seed, and remember that when I put my faith and trust in Christ, that he will never fail me.  He will always take care of me.

Prayer:

God I pray that today and everyday I can remember that you are always working in my life.  No matter how hard things seem, you are there.  No matter what’s happening in my life, you are there.  Help me to every day put my faith in you.  Help me to always remember that when I have even the smallest amount of faith, you will take care of me and nothing is impossible.

January 25: One of the few…

By: Brent Hodges

Scripture

“For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey…But in the end she is as bitter as poison…her steps lead straight to the grave.”  Proverbs 5:3-5

Observation

This was quite a heavy passage.  We were never promised the easy road; in fact, we were told that narrow is the path to life and few will find it!  Temptation is going to be attractive and if we aren’t deeply rooted in God’s Word, we are going to stumble and stumbling comes with a laundry list of regrets and consequences.

 Application

Breaking this passage down really gave me a clear picture…if I choose to focus on the temptation, I’m going to stumble.  Why?  Because I find it attractive!  However, if I prepare for temptation by rooting myself deeply in God’s Word, I am able to see the consequences of the temptation…not the temptation itself.  Consequences aren’t attractive to me.  I don’t want to betray my wife’s trust or destroy my family.  I don’t want to cause conflict at my workplace.  However, if I focus on the temptation, Satan has a way of making me blind to the consequences…I want my eyes wide open to see God’s will for my life.  I want to be one of the few.

Prayer

Lord, may I honor you with the choices I make.  May you grant me the wisdom needed to discern truth and avoid temptation.  May I stand firm, put on your armor, and be a warrior for you.

January 24: Praise God

By: Darius Sanders

Scripture:
Matthew 15:31
The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.

Observation
Jesus did unbelievable things here on this earth. In this passage alone He healed mute people, crippled people, blind people, and even lame people (no teenagers, this does not mean He healed “lame” people by making them “cool”, it means He healed people that couldn’t walk). The crowd responded in two ways to these miracles. They were amazed and then they immediately praised God!

Application
It’s great to be amazed at the things that God does for me, but my response should also be to praise Him. Praising God gives Him the credit for the things that He does in my life and the lives of others. For those who know me, whenever someone gives me a compliment about something I’ve done well, my first response is to say, “Praise God!” as that immediately gives the glory back to Him and points the spotlight away from myself. God does amazing things in our lives and the lives of others daily so I’m going to look for more opportunities to Praise Him daily.

Prayer
God, you are truly amazing. I praise you today for the life you’ve given me. I’ve been blessed with an amazing wife, a beautiful, healthy daughter, an incredible job, a cozy house, a reliable car, a church that I absolutely love, and countless other things. I give you all the praise both now and forevermore for the things You’ve done for me as well as others around me. I pray that as people share with me of the amazing things You’ve done in their life, I would take the time to immediately Praise You.

January 23: Honoring God

by Mark Gumm

We can honor God by trusting Him, by worshipping Him with a pure heart, by the words of our mouth and the things we think about, by how we act and treat others and care for our family, and by How we praise God for all he has done and continues to do in our lives and the world around us.

Scripture and Observations:
Genesis 46:3-4 Jacob heard God tell him “I am God. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt.. BUT, you will die in Egypt.” Do you think this would have been a heavy thought upon Jacob’s heart or something you and I would be fearful of?

Matthew 15:8-10
Jesus said “These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.”

Psalm 19 is a great picture of God’s awesome, wonderful, beautiful creation that speaks of His divine nature and attributes, and of the perfection, wisdom, truth and of His word, the Bible.

Application:
Gen 46 - I think that the words “I am God. Do not be afraid” should resonate within us as Christians. If we go in God’s strength and follow His direction, there is nothing we should be afraid of, for He has given us so many promises in the Bible the we can cling to in times of fear or unknown future or even impending death – Here are a couple verses to start with:
Matthew 28:20 I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth
Heb 13:5 never will I leave you or forsake you
John 10: Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Trust in God, trust also in me…I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also…Peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you.
Philippians 4 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 15 - Do you ever think about the words of songs that you sing? We should sing them with a heart’s desire to really mean and do what we are saying, as if they are our plea or promise to God from our heart. The next time you are singing a song that comes on the radio or while in a worship service, don’t just say the words – think about them and make them your prayer.

Our worship should be authentic and from the heart. This starts by taking time to ask God to check our heart and confessing anything that is wrong in our lives, and then having a desire to do what pleases God. We should spend time quieting our hearts before God before we enter into worshipping Him, and then see how He will make the words of the songs and the teaching of the pastor speak to us.

Psalm 19 - I should praise God continually (see also Psalm 34:1) - We are constantly surrounded by the beauty of His creation, but how often we can take it for granted. I see the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening, the moon and stars in the sky, I hear the birds sing or see the flowers bloom, I drive to work and see beautiful mountains and the clouds in the sky. As I go throughout my day, let me continually praise and thank God for all that He has made and for breath and life and family and home. Let all that is within me bless His holy name!
- I should also desire to read His word for the instruction and wisdom that will revive my soul, make me wise, bring joy to my heart, give me insight for living, and bring great reward when I obey it.

Prayer:
God please help me to trust in you in all of life’s circumstances, knowing that you hold my life in your hands and that nothing that happens to me does not first pass through you, an all-knowing and all-powerful God who has a plan for my life.
Help me to have a greater passion and desire each day for your word – make it more desirable to me than much fine Gold! Help me to memorize, recall and cling to the promises you give me in your word.
And may my worship and the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight today and every day - may all of my life be honoring you.