Week 12 - Psalms, Songs, and Thoughts

Spend time reading these Psalms. Do they stir up songs in your head? Then don't leave them there; sing them to the Lord!

Psalms 63:1-3
Psalm 20:5-7
Psalm 104:1-3; 31-33
Psalm 32:1-7
Psalm 127
Psalm 8

Week 11 - Foolishness or Wisdom?

Read these:
Look up these scriptures in context on God’s foolishness and our wisdom:
Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 3:18-20; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 12:9-10.

Ask yourself:
Do I really believe that God can and does intervene in MY life…in spite of my weaknesses, my sinful nature, my self-centered attitudes?
Do I have to fully understand his logic to trust and obey Him? Just how powerful is this God?

Pray about it:
Talk to God…about stepping out into the unknown…taking a leap of faith…really trusting Him enough to work His plan in your life.
Praise Him for His “nothing-is-impossible” power.

Week 10 - Numbers or Nails?

Story: Safety in Numbers?
David's Census, 2 Samuel 24

Question:
What about me? Am I only at peace when my circumstances are under control—steady job, cancer-free, reliable car, healthy relationships? Am I happy only if I’m living the American dream?

Answer:
My strong confidence is in the fear of the LORD. Proverbs 14:26

I succeed not by might nor by power, but by the Lord’s Spirit. Zechariah 4:6

No weapon formed against me will succeed. The LORD defends his servant and gives me victory. Isaiah 54:17

The Lord’s grace is all I need; his power is strongest in my weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but I trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

Moral:
There is only one safe place—in the Lord’s hands.

Week 9 - David at En Gedi--Living Water

Through the Desert:
Have you been through a desert recently? What (or Who?) quenched your thirst through this time?

At the Oasis:
Do you schedule regular times each week to drink at the oasis with the Lord? Look at your calendar and pencil in a date with God this week. Meditate on scripture; talk to the Father; praise Him for He is and what He’s done.

In the Word:
Read Psalm 63 each day this week. Seek out a deeper message each reading. Let the words of David become your own love song to God.

Week 8 - Repentance

What is repentance?
To think differently.

Think:
Think about a repetitive sin that you can’t seem to shake (we all have those). What thought patterns do you need to change about it to help you quit committing it?

Pray:
Ask the Lord to help you consistently think differently about that sin, to see it the way HE sees it. Then thank him for forgiving you for it.

Do:
Results of repentance are often visible. Do you need to make restitution to someone you’ve sinned against? Do it this week! You will be blessed and God will be glorified.

Week 7 - Confronting Our Sin

Read:
Meditate on 2 Samuel 11, 12 and Psalm 51, seeing yourself as David.

Ask:
How aware am I of my own sins?
If the “Nathan” in my life were to confront me tonight, which sin would he choose to talk about?

Pray:
Spend extra time this week discussing your sins with God.
Agree with him that you need His help.
Ask for His guidance if you should share this with a friend.
Thank Him for His forgiveness.

Selected Verses from Psalm 51 (The Message)

1 Generous in love--God, give grace!
Huge in mercy--wipe out my bad record.

3 I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down.
4 You're the One I've violated,
and you've seen it all,
seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.

6 What you're after is truth from the
inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Week 6: Favorite Psalms

First and Last Verses

These six psalms were read on Wednesday night. Re-read one psalm in its entirety each day this week. Allow the rich language to enhance your own intimate communication to God and from God.

Psalm 23, Thursday, Oct. 11
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 51, Friday, Oct. 12
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
9 Then there will be righteous sacrifices; whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 63, Saturday, Oct. 13
1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Psalm 71, Sunday, Oct. 14
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

Psalm 131, Monday, Oct. 15
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.

Psalm 139, Tuesday, Oct. 16
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Week 5: Finding Your Voice to Celebrate God

Ask Yourself…

1. What’s something I love to do (hobby, work, study) and/or spend a lot of time doing (or wish I could!) because it is important to me?

2. How do I see God’s presence in the midst of that activity? How is He a part of it? How do I see God working in me through it?

3. How do I show God that I love Him? How can I intentionally choose to celebrate His presence?

Week 5: A Passion for His Presence

I. First Parade (2 Sam 6:1-5)

Where is the ark of God now?

“LORD, if we obey your voice and keep your covenant, then we are your treasured possession among all peoples.”
From Exodus 19:5

II. Broken Plans (2 Sam 6:6-11)

When failure comes, do I lose my voice?

“LORD, where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?”
From Psalm 139:7

III. Victory Celebration

How do I celebrate His presence?

“O LORD, blessed are we who join in the festival,
and walk in the brightness of your presence.”
From Psalm 89:15

Week 4: David and Mephibosheth--Invited to the King's Table

1. Look at the first four categories of “Tonight’s Verses” below—all attributes of God’s nature toward us, echoed in David’s treatment of Mephibosheth.

2. Turn the tables. Ask yourself what your response is:
* How are YOU modeling those same attributes?
* Are you faithful to keep your word?
* Do you say “I’m sorry” first, or wait for the other guy to apologize?
* Put faces on the “the unlovable” in your life—how are you treating them?
* Are you extending grace to those at work; in school; at home?

3. Pray a 2-part prayer to God right now.
A. Thank Him for His faithfulness in loving you in each of these ways.
B. Then ask His help for YOU to live this way towards those you see this week.

Week 4 "Tonight's Verses"

Lessons from David and Mephibosheth:

Remembering Promises
2 Samuel 9:1-3
Genesis 3:14-15
Exodus 2:23-25
Romans 4:13-25
Galatians 3:6-18

Initiating Reconciliation
2 Samuel 9:4-5
Acts 17:24-27
John 3:16-17
Romans 5:6-11
John 9:39
John 10:10
John 12:32,46

Loving the Unlovable
2 Samuel 9:6
John 10:2-4,14
Exodus 33:17-19
Isaiah 43:1
Isaiah 45:3-4
Matthew 8:2-3
Luke 7:37-39
Luke 19:5-7

Extending Grace
2 Samuel 9:7,9-13
Luke 22:15-18,29-30
Luke 12:37
Revelation 19:9
Matthew 8:11
Ephesians 2:6-7

The Response?
2 Samuel 9:8
2 Samuel 19:26-28
Ephesians 2 (excerpts)

Week 3: Jesus and Goliath

Think:
Read 1 Samuel 17 looking for parallels: between the Israelites and us; between Goliath and Satan; between David and Jesus.


Talk:
Discuss your thoughts on this story with at least one other person this week. Ask what parallels they see. Discern the spiritual lessons you are to learn from the comparisons.

Week 2: He Knows

Think it:
Read PSALM 139 from an opposite, negative viewpoint…“O Lord, you have NOT searched me, and you do NOT know me.”

If God did NOT know everything about you, how would your life be different?


Tell it:
If you’re grateful that the Lord DOES know everything about you, let Him and others know about it!

Week 2: Who Knows Me?

My doctor may know something about
my body

My teacher may know something about
my mind

My broker may know something about
my money

My mother may know something about
my past

My friend may know something about
my quirks

My spouse may know something about
my habits

But who knows ALL

…inside my heart?

…inside my soul?

…inside my spirit?

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar."

Psalm 139:1, 2

Week 1: David's Advice on Baggage Handling

Read:
Reflect meditatively on different translations of Psalm 23.
Which verse speaks most to your heart?
Which verse do you have the most trouble believing?


Talk:
Do you perceive a “need” you feel is NOT being met? Dedicate time this week to talk it over with the Lord.


Listen:
Be on the lookout for His response to your prayer in predictable and unpredictable places.

Week 1 Psalm 23 (The Message)

1-3 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.

From One Worshiper to Another

On this last night of our nine weeks of gathering together as an all-volunteer community of worshipers, I need to tell you something.

I worship the Lord and I need the Lord—but I also need YOU. Through your own worship and need of the Lord, you enhance and clarify his presence to me.

Through you, I’ve seen more of Jehovah these past nine Wednesdays. He’s been all over your face as you’ve sung praises to him with the totality of your voice and heart.

I’ve beheld his passionate grace for us through your stirring conversations with him.

I’ve heard him in your readings as you’ve put voice to his holy words with your personal emphases and accentuations.

I’ve been touched by his Spirit through your enthusiasm, sensing his movement unquestionably among us.

I’ve felt his heart beat through the music you’ve loaned us, music that’s moved you to worship and thus influenced me to expand my own experience.

This class has not been for spectators. Through mutual participation of our public yet personal worship, you’ve helped me turn my face towards his for this sweet hour together, as we’ve lived out our purposeful design of honoring our Creator.

So as I praise the Master tonight for his worthiness, now and forever, I also praise him for you. Thank you for sharing your worship of the Almighty with all of us. I have been blessed from your overflow.

To God be the glory!

Good night,
Lisa

Week 9 Assignments (Heaven)

Home, Sweet Home

1. Think about favorite memories from your childhood home. Write down a comparison between those memories and your expectations of heaven. Then thank God for his promise of a perfect “home, sweet home.”

2. Look up “heaven” in a concordance, studying several verses before and after each reference for context. Allow the information to deepen your appreciation of God’s care for you.

3. Initiate a conversation with an elderly Christian to gain their perspective on heaven. How does it challenge your own perceptions?

4. Log on to the blog to encourage others with your insights on heaven. Include favorite scriptures.

My Citizenship Is...Where???

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."
PHILIPPIANS 3:20


Philippians 3:20 tells us our citizenship is in Heaven.

This earth is not our home.

When people whose citizenship in another country come to live in the U.S., they must apply for and be granted a visa.

Make your own visa (type R for regular, H1/B for Non-Immigrant Worker type: Temporary Visitor for Business). Fill it out with your information, then cut it out and carry with you to remind you that you are a citizen of Heaven, with temporary living privileges in the U.S.

When Christ comes, you will no longer need your visa. You will be going HOME!! To YOUR country – the home prepared for you by Christ! Are you excited about His return? Are you ANTICIPATING it? Is there someone you know who is not ready for His return? What will you do this week to prepare them for His return?

Week 8 Assignments (Anticipation: The 2nd Coming)

How Do You Wait?

1. Start a new tradition. What do you do as you build anticipation for…Christmas? (decorations, baking, music, shopping) A coming child? (baby showers, budget, nursery) Vacation? (plan, pray, pack) Birthday? (invitations, parties, gifts)

How can you build anticipation for the coming of Christ?
Brainstorm ideas with your family for starting a new tradition to celebrate this great expectation.

2. Spend time in the Word with James 5:7,8; 1 Corinthians 16:22; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 2 Peter 3:10-13.

What encouragement do you gain from these words?
How can you encourage others with them?

3. Don’t waste the wait! Get your head out of the sand; spend your “waiting time” for the Second Coming productively. Try these ideas (adapted from how to pass time while waiting in line at Walt Disney World!).

* Initiate conversations with those next to you in lines (in stores, on planes, in doctor’s offices). Ask them if they know Jesus. Many new friendships begin this way.

* Bring your Bible with you to the ball field, to the lunchroom, to the playground.

* Listen to Christian music on your iPod or walkman—and sing out loud so others can hear the words.

* People-watch!—and pray for those you see.

* Play I-Spy with works of God’s creation, then praise Him for them.

Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Mine?

Or His?

When we sign our life away on the dotted line of Christianity, there is something we give up. Something big.

Our rights.

We give up the right to remain silent. The right to please only ourselves. The right to do what we want with our time. The right to spend our money however we please. The right to read whatever we want, watch whatever we want, listen to whatever we want.

But we also give up something much bigger: our eternal death. By voluntarily laying down our lives for Christ, he removes the real killer, the deadly consequences of our sin.

After the Word became flesh, the flesh would never be the same. Christ’s willingness to humbly compact his Deity into the shape of a human body was the bottom-line trade-off of his life for my life. An unbelievable bargain for me, but an absolutely unsurpassable sacrifice for him.

So when I live for me, that’s not genuine life—just an imitation of life. But when I live for Christ, I get the real deal—abundant, eternal life.

[Christ Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death
—even death on a cross! Philippians 2:7, 8

Week 7 Assignments (My Life in Christ)

What’s Next?

This week, experiment with one or all of these ideas about LIFE:

1. Take a survey of your current devotional life. Nonexistent? Sporadic? Consistent? Ask yourself: Would my life be different if I spent more time with God? Then try it and see.

2. Got Life?
Don’t be destroyed by lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Do some investigative work in the Word this week on what “life” in Christ really means.

3. This is your life.
Think about 3-4 significant spiritual events in your life. Write a paragraph about one of the events, detailing its effect on who you are today.


4. Memorize this pivotal verse about Christ’s sacrifice:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

"Will You Pray for Me?"

Intercessory prayer is going to bat for your brother. Or neighbor. Or stranger halfway across the world. Maybe they’re talking to God, too. Maybe they’re not.

It’s one of the most important things you can do for someone. So don’t take it lightly when someone asks you to pray for them. And certainly don’t DO it lightly.

Intercessory prayer is serious stuff. It takes diligence. It requires patience. It demonstrates love.

* WHO can do it?
Only priests. Do you qualify? Ask Peter and John. (1)

* WHAT do I ask for you?
Paul wrote (2):

That He will give you the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation
That you will be filled with fruit of righteousness
That you will know Him better
That He will enlighten the eyes of your heart to know hope

That your love will abound in knowledge and insight
That Christ will dwell in your heart
That He will strengthen you with power
That you will know Christ’s love

That you will be filled with knowledge of His will
That you will please Him in every way
That you will overflow with love for others

That you will be worthy of His calling
That He will fulfill every good purpose of yours
That you will be strengthened in every good deed
That He will give you peace at all times and in every way

* HOW OFTEN do I ask?
Always. Night and day, most earnestly. Constantly. Don’t stop. Keep asking. (3)

The Lord sincerely desires for me to pray for you, and for you to pray for me. So let’s approach the throne confidently and expectantly that not only will He hear us, but that He eagerly awaits the conversation and is most ready to act.

(1) 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6

(2) Eph. 1:17-19; 3:16-19; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 3:12-13, 2 Thess. 1:11; 2 Thess. 2:16-17; 2 Thess. 3:16

(3) 1 Thess 1:2; 3:10; 5:17; Phil 1:3,4; 2 Thess 1:11; Col 1:9; Eph 1:17

Week 6 Assignments (Intercessory Prayer)

Can we do it?

1. Take a prayer walk. Pair up with a friend or Life Talk and take a walk around the neighborhood. Pray over the families that live there and the activities that go on. Don’t do it to be seen, but to see.

2. Collect-a-Prayer. Set up a prayer area in your home with a small basket, a pen, paper, Bible, and notecards. Place names in the basket of “the one” non-believers that you are praying for this year. Light a candle to remind you to pray for Christ to light up their lives.

3. Today’s prayer is…. Focus on one group at a time.
Allocate your Sunday prayer time for our church family.
Monday—your immediate family.
Tuesday—extended family.
Wednesday—close friends.
Thursday—neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances.
Friday—the lost around the world.
Saturday—yourself!

4. Memorize this verse for those you pray for:

I pray…that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18,19

Excerpts from the Worship Blog

Grace is complex yet simple…Although I tell Him how thankful I am every day, believe me, I welcome the opportunity to tell Him one day face to face.
* * *
I don't really have a "favorite" name of God…I just like that He has so many! He's so…BIG that one name isn't enough- he needs a whole bunch.
* * *
Many have influenced my Christian walk: Sandra, Sharon,..
* * *
My favorite name of God is "The Creator"…has all the elements of an ambitious talented entity. It brings together nature and the arts. Just look around. God's creativity is everywhere.
* * *
We were asked last week to think of a quality of God. I thought a lot about the sovereignty of God…. I read this article today…an example of a complete trust in our God, El Shaddai (God Almighty)!
* * *
To humble ourselves before God without reservation, this is the goal and struggle of worship.
* * *
Alive..approved..built up ..chosen..standing firm..in Christ.
* * *
When I hear the word "worship" I think about the word "freedom".
* * *
There were improvements in strength and stamina…but also spiritual growth that come from spending time together on a consistent basis.
* * *
Sitting alone in the swing, Grandpa’s old hands open a tattered shape note songbook. “When I look down from lofty mountain’s grandeur… Then sings my soul, my Savoir, God to Thee…” It is his time of worship and thanks to Abba.
* * *
It really felt like I was looking right into the face of Jesus. It was one of those moments that should never have to end!
* * *
When we get those occasional glimpses into what it really means to know the Creator of the universe, (what we really have in Christ right this very minute!) the only appropriate response is thankful worship.
* * *
No matter what is going on in my life and no matter how bad things seem, there is only one answer --GOD!!!
* * *

Week 5 Assignments (Psalms)

1. Share a Psalm. Handwrite a verse (or a whole Psalm!) and give it as a gift to a friend this week. It will be treasured.

2. Spend 5-10 minutes daily this week reading in Psalms.

3. Personalize Psalm 145. Read it aloud, inserting your name and your personal circumstances as appropriate. Give this offering of praise to the Father from you.

4. Memorize as much of Psalm 34 as you can! You won’t regret it. (And you may know more than you realize.)

Here are a few verses to get you going:

7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

A Prayer from Our Class

To: Our God
From: The Wednesday Worship Class

Dear Lord,

Again tonight we bow before your brilliance. We bring our two mites, multiplied by 30+ voices and 30+ hearts. How gracious you are to accept our offering of worship! We desire to bring you pleasure, to make you smile.

Yet we are weak, so you empower us. We are dirty; you make us pure. We are empty; you flood us with fullness.

See how we need you? And you never disappoint.

You pull us into your arms, hold us close, and love us just the way we each need.

When we walk out of this room tonight, our worship is just beginning. Reveal to us still more ways this week to show and tell that we love you…and your goodness and your holiness and your mercy and your….

For we are believers.

And we are worshipers,
of the one true God,
by the power of the Spirit,
through the grace of our Savior Jesus.

We love you, Abba Father,
Your children

Week 4 Assignments (Prayer)

Try one or all of the following suggestions this week:

1. Commit the next 7 days to consistently pray about the requests in the bulletin, if you don’t already. Keep the list in a convenient spot so you won’t forget. Follow up next week by asking the requestee, when appropriate, how things turned out, or send them a note to let them know you held them up to the Father this week. That’s one way to worship God and show love to each other!

2. What are your greatest difficulties in praying? List three, and then pray several times this week for help in overcoming them.

3. Practice meaningful conversations. When you’re with a friend this week, take a break from talking just to each other, and include God in the conversation. Pray together to Him about the very things you were sharing with your friend.

4. Memorize:
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 JOHN 5:14,15

My Whole Name

What’s your middle name? Who knows it? Who calls you a nickname?

While our names are not who we are, they do represent who we are. Hearing our name, we always turn and look, regardless of who is calling it. We choose our children’s names with much deliberation. We bestow names on our animals (and even inanimate objects!) befitting their personalities or looks.

Names matter.

What about God? Do we know his whole name? What does he call himself? What does he want us to call him?

Does he turn around and look when he hears his name, regardless of who is saying it, and regardless of how they’re using it?

The distinctive name God gives himself is the tetragrammaton (“word with 4 letters”) YHWH, which we translate as Yahweh, Jehovah, and LORD (all capital letters).

It means? “I AM” (Exodus 3:14-15). “He Who Is,” or “the One that Exists.”

But to us, it also means that through His holy name, we exist. We are. And we are made holy. And whole.

Our whole name then represents more than who we are; it also reflects Whose we are.

Speak His name often—He will always turn around and listen.

His name is definitely a name that matters.