Digging Deeper~ 17th Week after Pentecost

Ex.17:1-7:The Israelites were thirsty in the wilderness & they complained against Moses. Moses talked to God about it & God told him to take his rod with him in front of the elders & God himself would stand before him in the form of a stone. Moses was to strike the stone & water would come out of it. 

Ps. 78:1-4,12-16:This Psalms reminds the people of God of the needs God did to lead the Israelites safely out of Egypt, including giving them water from a rock.

Phil.2:1-13: Live in love, just as Jesus did who loved us so much that he died on the cross for our sins. Even being willing to died the lowest of deaths for us. Work to be like him knowing that God will help you to do so.

Mat.21:23-32: The Chief Priest & elders asks Jesus as to whose power he is doing miracles. Jesus asked them, By whose power did John the Baptist baptized people".  He told them that he would only answer him if they answered him.They answered him that they did not know for fear of looking bad in front of the people. Jesus then told them that he would not answer them. Then Jesus told the parable of two brothers who were asked by their Father to go out in the field and work. One said that he would go , but did not do so. they other one said, NO". But did later. Then Jesus told them that Harlots would go to heaven before they did.

The theme is love. God lead his people out of slavery out of love. He also provides all they needs while they wondered in the wilderness. Even being willing to be struck by Moses to provide water for them.Jesus was the rock that stood in front of Moses (1 Cor.10:4; John 4:10 ). 

Jesus became a human to show us how to live & then died for our sins. He did all this by the power of God the Father (Mat. 21:23-32). Why did he do that? Because of love (John 3:13&14: Phil. 2:1-13). Paul tells Jesus followers to show others the love Jesus showed by acting loving towards each other. Paul went on to tell us that we can do this when we love other using God's love. We do not have to do this alone. 

Challenge of the week:

This week, seek to "work out your salvation by showing love to others, even when they are hard to love. 

Accomplishment of the week:

Who did you show love to this week? How did you do that?

Digging Deeper~ 16th week after Pentecost

Ex. 16:2-15: God provided manna to the Israelites in the wilderness.

Ps. 105:1-6,37-45: Israelites told to trust in the Lord for he had proven that he would care for them in the wilderness. 

Phil.1:21-30 : Paul's pull between wanting to be with Christ & staying on earth to share Christ with them. 

Mat.20:1-16: Parable about the landowner who hired people to work for him at different times during the day, but paid them all the same at the end of the day. 

The theme is God's faithfulness.

In Exodus 16:2-15, we read how God took care of the Israelites in the wilderness by providing manna for them each day, so that they would not starve. In Psalms 105:1-6,37-45, we read a song that speaks of trusting in God for he had taken proven his faithfulness in taking care of them in the wilderness. In Matthew 20:1-16, we are told of the landowner who pays each person who he had hired what he had promised at the end of the day. God is like that landowner, he promises that if we follow him & work for him, he will give us eternal life at the end of our lives. Lastly, we read of how Paul a bond servant of God shares how he is torn between serving the Lord and being with the Lord (Phil.1:21-30). We too may find ourselves pulled between these desires. Let us be as faithful to God as he is to us.

Challenge of the week:

This week, take time to thank God for his Faithfulness to you. Also strive to be faithful in your walk with God. 

Accomplishment of the week:

So how did you do this week? 

Digging Deeper~Week 15 after Pentecost

Ex. 14:19-31:God parted the waters to let the Israelites cross over and be saved. God also put the waters back & drowned the Egyptians.

Ps. 114: Speaks of when the waters were parted & when water came out of a rock for Israelites to drink.

Or Ex. 15:1b-11,20-21:A song of how God saved the Israelites from Egypt. 

Rom. 14:1-12:Do not judge your brother, & do not make him stumble in his faith. 

Mat. 18:21-35:Jesus speaks of forgiving others, because God has forgiven us.

Egyptians ruler was keeping the Israelites from worshiping God as God wanted them to, so, God freed them & kept them safe by parting the waters to let them walk on dry land where the sea was, but drown the Egyptians. After that Moses and the people sang a song of praise to God for saving them (Ex. 14:19-31;15:1b-11, 20-21). Later a song was written for the Israelites to sing over the years(Ps. 114). 

We are warned to not cause others to stumble in their faith. We can do this by openly judging them for how they worship and serve God, also by not forgiving them (Rom. 14:1-12: Mat. 18:21-35).  

Challenge of the week:

This week seek to be more loving towards our younger brothers and sisters in the Lord. We can do that by not judging them, and forgiving them when they stumble in their walk while getting use to being a Christian. 

Accomplishment of the week:

How did you fulfill the challenge of the week?

Digging Deeper~Week 14 after Pentecost

Ex. 12:1-14: The first Passover when God told his people how to kill an unblemished lamb & put the blood on the door posts so that God would not kill the first born of man or beast in that household. 

Ps. 149:Let God's people praise the Lord.

Rom. 13:8-14: Instructions to love your neighbor. Take off the garments of darkness & put on the armour of light and Christ Jesus. 

Mat. 18:15-20 :Instructions on how to treat someone who has sinned against you. Then the promise of where two Christians are God is also.

God was giving plagues to the Egyptians, so that the Pharaoh would let them go. One of these plagues was to kill the first born son & beast in the land. But God wanted to protect his people from this plague, so he instructed them to kill an unblemished lamb & put the blood of the lamb on the door post so that the angel of death would passover that house without killing the first born in it.(Ex. 12:1-14). This did two things. First, it saved the valuable first born of God's people. Second, it was a picture of what Jesus would do for us. You see, Jesus is that unblemished lamb. He was God's first born. He was sacrificed for our sins when he hung on that cross. Now his blood covers our sins & when our lives are over. Our souls can go live with God in heaven because we are protected by the blood of Jesus. That is why we should take off the garments of darkness & put on the garment of light & Christ (Rom. 13:8-14). Because of God's salvation, we should praise him (Ps. 149).

But it does not end there. As God's people we are to act differently towards our neighbors & those who have sinned against us. We should deal with them in love and understanding. We are also encouraged that where two or more of God's people are, Jesus is with them (Mat. 18:15-20). 

Challenge of the week: 

This week check yourself. What spiritual garments are you wearing? Do you look and act like the world around you or do you look and act like Jesus Christ? Are you wearing the garment of darkness or light?  Or has someone sinned against you? Choose to deal with it as Christ Jesus has instructed us to do. Lastly, are you in an area where there is very few Christians. Take heart, my friend .If you can find just one other Christian to fellowship with. God is with you. If you are alone. Pray that God will give you the boldness to tell others of Jesus' love, so that others can become Christians also. 

Accomplishment of the week:

So when you checked yourself, what did you find that needed done? What did you do to fix it?

Digging Deeper~ 13th week after Pentecost

Ex. 3:1-15:God called Moses to lead his people out of Egypt.

Ps. 105:1-6,23-26,45c: Sing praises to God for his mercy. He showed it when he wanted to destroy his people for worshiping another god. But Moses reminded God of his promises to his people & God showed them mercy and did not kill them. 

Rom. 12:9-21: How to live as a Christian. In Christ's love towards others & do not love the world. 

Mat. 16:21-28:Jesus tells Peter that whoever follows him would have to pick up his cross and carry it. He also told him not to worry about losing his life for Christ's sake for those who do will get a award from God in the after life. 

The theme is answering God's call in leadership. It is not easy to be a leader for God. It can be down right scary! But that is no reason not to go ahead and do it anyways. Moses was scared when God called him to lead his people out of Egypt.For it was a big responsibility & cross to bear. But he did it anyways. We too have been called to pick our crosses up and follow Jesus, doing the calling he has for us (Mat. 16:21-28). I

t was not easy for Moses for the people he was leading out to freedom did not seem to always want what him or his God. They even proved it when they built a different god and worshiped it. This made God so mad, that he spoke to Moses about destroying them & make a nation from him & his children. But Moses being the good leader of these people pleaded a case with God showing him that He, God would be going back on his promise to these people if he did so (Ps. 105:1-6,23-26,54c). We too may need to pray and plead a case for a person, community, or country for salvation. in doing so we would be fulling Romans 12:9-21.

Challenge of the week: 

Who have you been called to minister to? What would be the first steps towards doing so? How will you accomplish those steps?

Accomplishment of the week:

What did you and God accomplish this week together to get you to your calling

Digging Deeper~ 12th week after Pentecost

Ex. 1:8-2:10: A new king who did not know Joseph made Joseph's people slaves. He was very afraid of their strength & wanted the boy babies killed at birth. But a couple from the tribe of Levi had a son and they hid him until the daughter of Pharaoh found him in a small basket. She adopted him & named him Moses. Ps. 124:A song of praise to God for saving his people from their enemies in the past. Our help is in the name of the Lord.  Rom. 12:1-8: Present your bodies as living sacrifices to God and use the gift that he has given you for the church.  Mat. 16:13-20: Jesus asked this followers who people think he was. Peter said, "You are the Christ, the son of God."  Jesus spoke a blessing and a prophecy over Peter for answering so well. The theme is Preparation. After the King who knew Joseph and protected his people had died the new king being afraid of Joseph's people made them slaves. But God had a plan to save his people from slavery. So he gave a son to a Levi couple who would love and protect him as well as they could.To do so, they made an ark to hide and hold him safely from sight. But the Pharaoh's daughter found him and adopted him. She named him, "Moses". This was the best way for God to protect him and have him prepared to lead God's people out of slavery into the promised land (Ex. 1:8-2:10).  Jesus was preparing this disciples for 3 years to be the ones who would take his message to the world. In Matthew 16:13-20,  we see how Jesus is preparing Peter for just that. Paul speaks of how we can prepare ourselves for service to him. We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices by living Holy lives, daily (Rom. 12:1-8). You see, God still needs people to go and sing a song of salvation such as the one in Palms 124.  Challenge of the week: This week, allow God to prepare your heart, mind, body, & soul to do whatever ministry he is getting you ready to do in the future.  Accomplishment of the week: How did you prepare this week? Where do you think that God is leading you? Click here to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward 1.21 GB (8%) of 15 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 22 minutes ago Details

Digging Deeper~ 11th week after Pentecost

Gen.45:1-15: Joseph revels to his brothers who he is and explains that he is now a ruler in Egypt. He also tells them that it was God's will for him to be there, so he could save his family in famine. Now the family was to move to Egypt to be with him. 

Ps. 133: How good it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. 

Rom. 11:1-2a,29-32: God has not castaway his people. His people are those who believe in him. 

Mat. 15:(10-20),21-28: Jesus first came to bring his people, the Israelite,s back to God. But then non-Jewish people were also coming to Jesus in faith. 

In Genesis 45:1-15, how God worked it out so that & Joseph to save his people from famine and death. Why did God go to great lengths to save them, because of a promise he had made to Abraham , Issac & Jacob After that Joseph's family was united and dwell together in unity (Ps. 133). . God is still trying to save his people,the Jews when he sent Jesus. But many of his own people would not follow his, so he also went to the non-Jewish and saved them (Mat. 15:(10-20), 21-28). Today, God still wanted to save all men including the Jewish people (Rom. 1-2a,29-32). God also wants us all to dwell  together in unity(Ps. 133).

Challenge of the week: 

How is your relationship with God?  Who can you reunite with this week that you have been separated from for a while? 

Who can you reach out to this week and tell them of God's great Love to help them to become united with God? Who can you help become united with a loved one or friend that they need to reunite with this week?

Accomplishment of the week:

So how did you put unity into your life this week? How?