Date: 03-11-2020

Title: Walking by the Spirit

(S) cripture:
    Galatians 3:3 (NASB77) Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

(O) bservation:
    The Galatians had been fooled by false teachers into believing that their relationship with the Lord, having begun in the Spirit could be advanced or deepened by their flesh. They were trying to grow by keeping the law in their own strength. They were trying to earn God’s favor by good works and not by trusting the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them.
    
(A) pplication:
    It is so easy to reduce my faith to a list of do’s and don’ts and not take seriously walking by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. It seems easier for me to “do” (in my flesh) than to “be” (in my spirit). It is easier to have a list to follow than to live based on a relationship where everything is not spelled out but where I must trust the Lord to lead and guide. That requires me to spend time with the Lord by reading His Word and in prayer. I need to listen for His voice and follow it rather than just look at a list someone else has compiled for me to follow. I will never develop the deep relationship I desire with the Lord by focusing on the law and trying my best to keep it. I am not to violate the law willfully but I am not to be focused on it – I am to be focused on Jesus.
    
(P) rayer:
    Lord, help me to stay focused on you and to be filled with your Spirit today as I seek to live for you. I want to walk by faith trusting you. Amen
    

Date: 03-10-2020

Title: Hypocrisy

(S) cripture:
    Galatians 2:14 (NASB77) But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

(O) bservation:
    Paul confronts Peter about his hypocrisy. He was requiring the Gentiles to live like the Jews and yet he was not doing it himself. This is in a time when the church was carving out its identity in a hostile world. The new believers were part of a new faith group (Christians) and they were still trying to figure out just what that meant. Some thought that it meant being obedient to all the Jewish teachings and ways. Paul though confronts that thinking with a freedom that comes from following Christ. There is a depth of commitment in Paul that goes beyond the surface to the core of their beings. Paul challenges Peter to be true to his faith in Jesus and not just to the traditions he grew up with. The new believers, especially the new Gentile believers, needed solid examples to follow and so Paul challenges Peter to step up and teach the truth of the gospel and to give grace and direction to the new believers.

(A) pplication:
    It is easy to say one thing and do another. That is hypocrisy. It is easy to make excuses for why I do or don’t do things. Too often I have been so busy doing ministry that I have neglected my personal devotions. I can make all kinds of excuses and yet they are just that, excuses. I preach and teach that people need to have a time alone with God and if I find myself not doing it, that is hypocrisy. This year I have renewed my commitment to this time with God. I will keep this journal of what the Lord is impressing on me each day I cannot preach one thing and do another. I confess my sin and commit to following through with this important part of my spiritual life. This time with the Lord is part of the balance I need in my life.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I confess my hypocrisy and sin. Thank you for your forgiveness. Grant to me the strength and encouragement to do your will and to follow you more closely. Help me to remember how important this time with you is for me as I grow and mature in You. Amen
    

Date: 03-09-2020

Title: Avoiding Deception

(S) cripture:
    Deuteronomy 13:1-4 (NASB77) ” If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘ Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 ” You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

(O) bservation:
    There are those who come proclaiming to be from God but are not. They deceive many by their great speech and personality. As the people of God, we are not to listen or follow them because they lead away from following the Lord. We are to love God with all we are and to listen and to obey his commands alone.

(A) pplication:
    When asked about the greatest commandment Jesus tells the people the same thing. We are to love God with all we have and are and our neighbors as ourselves. Sadly there are preachers and a theology (health and wealth, name it – claim it, or legalism) being preached that lead people away from the truth. I want my preaching and teaching to be so grounded and true to God’s Word that people are pointed to Him and not led astray. I want to Love God with all that I have and am and to listen and obey only Him.

(P) rayer:
    Father I want to live a life true to You and Your Word. I want my teaching and preaching to point people to you. Grant me wisdom and knowledge to preach and teach that way. Make me keenly aware when I am not being true to your word. Amen
    

Date: 03-08-2020

Title: Reflection on Mom

(S) cripture:
    Mark 16:1-6 (NASB77) And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, they •came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they •saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he •said to them, ” Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
    
(O) bservation:
    When the women got to the tomb the discovered something they were not expecting. The stone had been tossed away and Jesus’ body was not there. An angel told them that “He is not here, he has risen as he said.”
    
(A) pplication:
    Today would have been my Mom’s 93^rd birthday here but it is her first in heaven. Her faith and witness impacted so many people. As a wife, mother, Sunday School teacher, camp director and counselor, retreat leader, song leader, pre-school teacher and director or friend, she invested her life in the lives of so many and we all are better for it. She continually impacted my life and ministry as a Christian and pastor. I miss her today but an so excited for her celebration in heaven. It is her first birthday with Daddy since 1984 and her first in heaven, what a celebration she is having. Today I am reflecting on how blessed and fortunate I am because I got to call her “mom”. I want my life to impact others like she did.    

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for giving me to Bob and Betty Crouch as their son. I want to impact others like they did. Use me today. Amen
    

Date: 03-07-2020

Title: People Pleasing

(S) cripture:
    Mark 15:15 (NASB77) And wishing to satisfy the multitude, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified.
    
(O) bservation:
    Pilate wanted to release Jesus but he wanted to please the people more and so he gave in to their request and demand to crucify Jesus.
    
(A) pplication:
    Fear of people or wanting to please them to gain their favor will cause you to do things you know are wrong. I must be a person of conviction and principle. I must do what is right whether people like it or not. I cannot be controlled by whether people will like me or not. I must do what the Lord sets before me to do regardless of whether it pleases the people or not. The only one I must please is the Lord.
    
(P) rayer:
    Lord, I want to be liked as much as the next person – maybe more. I can fall into this trap. Give me wisdom to recognize when this is happening and the courage to do what you ask instead. Amen
    

Date: 03-06-2020

Title: Remember

(S) cripture:
    Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (NASB77) ” When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt; and the LORD brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 ‘Moreover, the LORD showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; 23 and He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ 24 “So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. 25 “And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.

(O) bservation:
    Moses has just recounted the release from slavery in Egypt, the receiving of the Commandments and the call to obedient living in the promised land. He then gives this instruction to the people. When asked the “why” of the law, give this answer and explanation. The Lord God delivered us and commands us to obey him so that we might live and prosper in the land. That obedience will be for us our righteousness.
    
(A) pplication:
    Most of us have asked the “why” question concerning the law. I may not have been delivered from Egypt but my life was delivered from the slavery to sin and spiritual death. Obedience to the Lord God is what allows me to live life to its fullest and to enjoy a close relationship with the Lord. This obedience is by faith and allows me to walk by that same faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. God does not leave me on my own to live the life he sets before me but rather he has taken permanent residence in my life through the Holy Spirit. I obey God only by the strength the Holy Spirit gives me. I live for the Lord each day only by the power of the Holy Spirit in me. That is my righteousness, not from my own doing but by the Holy Spirit living in me. Today I renew my desire to be filed by the Holy Spirit and to walk by faith in Him.
    
(P) rayer:
    Lord I thank you for placing your Spirit in me to empower me to be the person you want me to be. It is good to remember why we are to obey you. It has always been for our benefit. Today Let me live for you. Amen
    

Date: 03-05-2020

Title: Be On The Alert

(S) cripture:
    Mark 13:35-37 (NASB77) “Therefore, be on the alert– for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning– 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 “And what I say to you I say to all, ‘ Be on the alert!'”

(O) bservation:
    Jesus tells the disciples to live each moment as if he might return. They were to be faithful each and every moment so that whenever he returned they would be found faithful. They were to “be on the alert” or to be watchful.

(A) pplication:
    I must do the same. Trouble is that there are times when I am not being faithful and am even willful in my sin. I ignore the Holy Spirit’s prompting and do what I want. I am not watching or being faithful. Today I renew my commitment to be on the alert and faithful to Jesus. I will seek to live in such a way that it will not matter when he returns.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I confess my sin and want to experience your forgiveness anew. Fill me with your Spirit and use me today. I give myself fully to you. I want to be living each moment as if you were returning then and I would not be alarmed or ashamed of what I was doing. Amen

Date: 03-04-2020

Title: Knowledge Is Not Enough

(S) cripture:
Mark 12:28-34 (NASB77) And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘ HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘ YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher, You have truly stated that HE IS ONE; AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

(O) bservation:
When questioned about the greatest commandment Jesus quotes the Deuteronomy 6:4-5 which is called the “Shema” in the Jewish tradition. The scribe was well versed in the Old Testament and agrees that Jesus gave the right answer and quoted it back to Him. Jesus recognizes the response of the scribe as intelligent. We are told that the scribe was not far from the kingdom but are never told that he became a follower of Jesus. His knowledge was perfect but it was not enough. We must act in faith on the knowledge we have and follow Jesus to be part of His Kingdom.

(A) pplication:
Today I am reminded that knowledge is a good thing but not enough if not accompanied by faith, trust and action. I want to let my knowledge fuel my faith in following Jesus more closely.

(P) rayer:
Father I thank you for the gift of knowledge you have allowed me to developed. I thank you for revealing yourself in the scriptures so that we might know you. Today I want to follow you more closely and continue to grow in my relationship with you. Amen

Date: 03-03-2020

Title: If Jesus Came To Our Church

(S) cripture:
    Mark 11:15-17 (NASB77) And they •came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘ MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”

(O) bservation:
    When Jesus entered the temple, he saw the emphasis was on commerce and not on worship. He then forcibly cleared the area. The temple leaders had taken the area set aside for Gentile worship and made it a marketplace. The leaders were also selling sacrifices at inflated prices. The leaders had lost sight of the purpose of the temple. It had become something that rather than honoring God was dishonoring and so in addition to clearing the area he reminded the people of the purpose God had set for the temple.

(A) pplication:
    As I thought about this passage, I thought about two things; 1) Our Church and 2) our personal lives. Both of these have been described as “temples” in the scripture.
    Some Questions that came to mind for me to reflect and act on:
        1) Would Jesus pull out his whip if he came into New Baptist Church?
        2) Are we focused on the purposes God has set for our gatherings together?
        3) Are we so focused on the commercial that people are distracted from worship?
        4) Is my life so caught up in money that I am distracted from true worship?
        5) Am I inviting people to join our church or to follow Jesus?
        6) Does Jesus need to pull out his whip in my life to drive out the things that hinder me and others from honoring Him with our worship and obedience.
These are serious questions that we need to ponder. More than pondering as a church and as an individual I need to act to correct any area where we are not in obedience to the Lord. Today has been a good day for reflection but must be followed by action.

(P) rayer:
    Lord Jesus you know my heart and I want it to be clean and tender before you. Do what cleansing that needs to be done and mold me into the person you want me to be. Let my life be one that honors you. At New Baptist Church help me to keep the focus squarely of you and the purposes you have for us. Let our church be a place where people worship you and fellowship with each other and make a difference for you in our community and world. Amen

Date: 03-02-2020

Title: Driving Out Bad Habits

(S) cripture:
    Numbers 33:55 (NASB77) ‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live.

(O) bservation:
    As Moses prepares the people to take the promised land, he gives them God’s instructions. They are to drive out all the inhabitants because if they do not, those that remain will always cause them continual trouble.

(A) pplication:
    In the scripture we see that God does for his people what they cannot do for themselves, but He expects them to do what they can. In this passage He gives them the land, but they must drive out the inhabitants. When Peter was in jail (Acts 12) the angel removed his shackles (what he could not do) but told him to put on his sandals (what he could do). This by no means is a works-based salvation but it is obedience to the command that God gives us. When we become a follower of Jesus, God forgives our sin (what we cannot do) and we are expected to obey and follow (what we can do). Most of us come to Jesus with some bad habits in our lives. Jesus cleanses and forgives us but with His help we must them drive out of our lives. Those habits are like the inhabitants of the promised land in the passage for today. If we allow them to remain, they will be the things that hinder our spiritual growth. This kind of obedience is tough and is always a choice we make. Today I will look for those things that need to be driven out of my life so that I might grow and enjoy my life in Christ.

(P) rayer:
    Lord help me to identify those things that need to be driven out of my life and give me the strength to drive them out. My desire is to live for and follow you today. Amen