Scripture:

Psalm 133:1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

"Unity"

I love that David uses the word 'brethren,'  NRSV uses the word "kindred" to represent family, to remind us that it is our common faith, our walk with Jesus that unites us, that causes us to speak the same language. Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4 says, "Two are better than one."    Life gets better when we do it together; our walk with Christ gets better when we do it in the body of Christ.  

Imagine this, your body if your legs didn't walk in unity, if each of them operated independently, each would go its own way, that would be a disaster.  In fact, you would never get anywhere, the same is if we try to do life on our own.   This is why the church is a vital part of our lives, our growth; it is the place where we find commonality in Christ, where we unify in our language, our walk, our talk.

Walk in Unity with Christ, walk in Unity with other Believers, do life in community.    This changes everything; it provides strength. Solomon says we have more strength, it brings wisdom because the bible says there is wisdom in the multitude of counsel.   Solomon said we are not easily overcome, and that in itself is a good reason to walk in unity with other believers.

Lord, it is one of our strengths, unity, when we walk in harmony with our brothers in Christ, teach us to grow in community to become stronger in community.   Remind us that we are the family of God, working together for the Kingdom, transforming our motives, our work, making us stronger, wiser, better because of you, and unite us in Christ, Amen!

Scripture:

1 Chronicles 10:13

13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.

Unfaithfulness and disobedience lead to death; in the case of Adam and Eve, their disobedience led to spiritual death and separation from God and His plan for them.   You have to wonder like I do, why anyone would stray from the presence of God, why they would let their desires, the rebelliousness, drag them away, why did Adam and Eve, why did Saul, if in His presence there is freedom (2 Cor 3:17), if in His word there is life (Psalm 119:93) then why choose your way, your direction.   

There is a way that seems right to a man, and its end is death. ~Proverbs 14:12  

Not to quote Forest Frank, but we should always decide "Your way is better!" Your way is better, God, your ways bring life, direction, purpose for my life.

To seek the Lord, to be faithful to Him, to be obedient to His leading.  Jesus said if you love me, keep my commands (John 14:15).   

Lord, that we would "CHOOSE" you, that we choose your "WAY," that we would be "OBEDIENT" to your leading, and as a result our lives would be full, as a result we would be blessed, that we would find our lives.  That as we die to ourselves, and become reliant on you, you promised that we would find life, let us live in that space Lord, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Psalm 81:7

You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

'Sempre Fidelis' 

The Lord is reminding you and me that He is Sempre   Fidelis, "always faithful."   While it seems a little cryptic: "The secret place of thunder, the waters of Meribah."  Get this, the secret place of thunder is Mount Sinai, where the Lord spoke to Moses and gave the 10 commandments, and the waters of Meribah were the place where the people cried out for water, and Moses struck the rock and water came forth.

These are reminders that even in times of testing, where our faith is being tested, God is still faithful, that He still answers us, and He still delivers us from our troubles. 

So today if you are in a place where you are asking God, "Where are you?"   You can know that He has not abandoned you, or left you. He is faithful, He is still speaking, just cry out to Him, He still delivers, trust Him, in your time of testing, may the Lord find you full of faith.

Don't let your situation distract you from the presence of God in your life, don't let it convince you that you have been abandoned. Remember that He still provides, He still speaks, He still delivers. 

Lord, thank you that you still answer prayers, you hear our cries, and in our trouble you rescue us, in our struggles you answer us, in our need you meet us, thank you Lord that you are "Always Faithful," Sempre Fidelis and that you never change, or waiver, I pray that we would not lose hope, that we would always seek you, always trust your timing, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

1 Chronicles 4:10

10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my [a]territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

Jabez means pain; his mother named him that because he was born in pain.  What we know about Jabez is that he was important enough for God to redirect the author's writing of the lineage of the tribe of Judah, not to mention a King, or someone of high position, but a man named Jabez (pain).  This story is as much about not letting your description be your definition. The world may try to keep you down, or even drag you down, but you decide how you respond. Something amazing is that it says he was more honorable than his brothers; that is how we know that he was not defined by his name.   

Something else, though...  His prayer! It was powerful too. See, when you want to change the world around you, and you want to bring the Lord into it, that is something that moves the hand of God.  Notice his prayer:

• Lord Bless Me
• Enlarge my territory (area of influence) 
• Your hand would be with me.
• Keep me from Evil
• Keep me from becoming what the world says I am (pain.)

That's the kind of prayer that changes things, bless me, enlarge me, make me greater than I could ever be without you, be with me, keep me from evil, don't let the world define me, give me greater influence.

This is a world-changing kind of prayer. 

No matter what the world says about you, what people say about you, don't let your life and your heart for God be defined by this, pray big prayers, ask God for the impossible, ask Him to do the impossible for you, ask Him to keep you from the things that don't belong in your life...  Pray Big! 

Lord, I pray that you would enlarge our territory, our area of influence, that you would be with us, that you would keep us from evil, help us to change the world around us, to not be defined by it, bless us, enlarge us, empower us, in the name of Jesus, amen!

Scripture:

Psalm 78:4

We will not hide them from their descendants;

    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.

"Legacy of Faith"

Our faith is meant to be shared. How God works in our lives.  (Matthew 5:15) You don't hide a lamp under a basket, nor is a city on a hill hidden.   Neither should our faith be kept to ourselves; that ideology that your faith is your own is nonsense; it was never meant to be hidden or kept to yourself, but rather declared to the world, passed on to the next generation.  The greatest legacy you can leave is to teach others to love Jesus, to know His ways, to walk in them.   

You should tell of His wondrous works in your life, share your testimony.   Believe it or not people want to know how God works in your life.   And this legacy will shape the generation to come.

Lord, I pray that your word, your name, never stop being declared, that we would make Jesus famous in our generation, that our hearts would be devoted to you, that our lips would not cease in declaring your praises and your wondrous works, that the next generation would be a Joshua generation.   We pray that in Jesus' name, Amen!