Foundations July 1, 2012

Introduction

Read: Psalm 111

The book of Psalms is the longest book of the Bible.  It consists of 150 poems or songs.  Most people think that the Psalms were all written by David which is partially true.  David did write the majority of them (73) but he is not the only author of the Psalms.  Solomon (Ps. 72, 127), and other wise men such as Heman and Ethan (Ps 88, 89), Moses (Ps 90), Asaph (Ps 50, 73-83) and Korah (Ps 42-49, 84, 85, 87) were also writers of Psalms.  Still the remaining 49 Psalms are anonymous.  This book of the Bible is gripping and real and possesses some of the most inspiring subject matter in Scripture.  Many show David’s character and faith in God as he writes openly and honestly about his experiences.  Others are praise oriented; such hymns delight in showing gratitude to the Divine Creator.  There are many references to the natural world around us in the Psalms, the writers saw God’s hand in nature and how He sustains the world.  Historical Psalms look at man’s need for salvation and how God has provided a means for redemption.  Other Psalms are filled with confession, laments or cries for help, rejoicing and prayers.  There are also Psalms that are Messianic, this means that they speak about Jesus.  Finally, there are Psalms that describe the liturgies of the Jerusalem temple and the ritualistic worship of the day.  The Psalms are filled with worship, praise, prayer and repentance which make them useful in devotions.  It is a book filled faith and trust in the Lord.    This is evident by the core theme of the Psalms which is God being the centre of life.  He is the Sovereign King of all and He delights in the humble who acknowledge their dependence on Him in all things.  The Psalmist’s hope was for the future because he trusted God’s ways to be just and put his hope in God and God alone. 

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.     Thank the Lord for providing us with the Bible, a book that is relevant to our everyday lives! 

2.     In what ways is God the centre of your life?  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can grow in keeping Him at the centre of all you do.

3.     Praise Him for His goodness, that He is just and that we can hope in Him. 

Foundations June 30, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 25:17 - Jeremiah 27

Ephesians 2:21-22 (NIV) In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

We are part of the body of Christ. We are the Bride. We are a building, a holy temple. The Holy Spirit is working in us, binding the church together by the unity of His Spirit. Through His gracious gifts we can minister in and outside of the church for His glory, and the effectiveness of those gifts is dependent upon the fruit in our lives. If you want to be used by God to do great things, you must allow Him to do the work of character building that comes with the development of the fruit in your life.

Today you are going to spend your devotional time lifting up the body of Christ at Southland. The best way to deal with any hard feelings or jealousies you may have towards anyone in the church is to pray for them and for a change in your own heart. Our church needs continual prayer and intercession and God wants to use you in that area as well.

PRAYER POINTS

The following are some suggested prayer points, though feel free to ask God for other prayer points, as well as how to pray specifically.

1.  If you have a cell group, or a ministry you are a part of, spend time praying for the members.

2.  Pray for any people towards whom you are harbouring offense.

3.  Pray for Pastor Ray and Fran and the Canadian Church Renewal ministry they are starting.

4.  Pray for our teaching pastor, Kris Duerksen, as he studies and works on doctrinal papers.

5.  Pray for our various church ministries and the pastors who oversee those areas. (See website for a list of pastors and ministries)  

6.  Pray for our board of elders as they lead the church in unity

7.  Pray for Tupendane Africana

a.  Pray for the safety of the containers that are being shipped

b.  Pray for Southland as we develop discipleship materials

8.  Pray for our needs: money for Four Winds housing; east entrance; safety during new construction

Foundations June 29, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 23-25:16

Galatians 5:26 (NIV) Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

After listing off the fruits of the Spirit that we are urged to cultivate, Paul finishes the section with this final warning: don’t be conceited or provoke and envy each other. Our human nature is always there to threaten the work of the Spirit. God develops a fruit in our lives and Satan wishes us to become prideful over the new fruit, to see it as a personal accomplishment and grow conceited over it. Or he would wish to stir up discontent over our fruits as we watch others operate in theirs. He stirs up envy, causing us to forget the grace God has shown to us with the gifts we’ve been given and the fruit that’s been grown in our lives. Satan knows that arrogance and envy are body-killers and destroyers of the church, and all too often we play into his hands and wreak havoc in relationships through gossip and slander. We wish to downplay another’s gift while exalting our own and so we speak badly of another brother or sister in Christ. Jesus takes this kind of behaviour very seriously. The church is His bride. Like any loving groom, He is ready to defend His bride from anything that would try to destroy her. And it hurts Him immensely when the bride is destroying herself. Like one who cuts or starves their body is the person who slanders his brothers and sisters. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Remember that the fruit is cultivated in our lives. It takes work. If you desire to grow in one of the fruits, bring that thing before the Lord in prayer. Surely God also desires you to grow in these areas and He will help you and He will use you to build up the body!

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Are you envious of the fruit you see in the lives of others? Ask God to search your heart on this issue and confess the hard feelings you have. Pray a blessing for those you envy. Pray that God would increase the fruit in their lives.

2.  Are you proud of fruit in your life? Are you starting to see it as your own accomplishment? Give glory to God for the fruit He has worked in you and ask Him to continue to grow humility in your heart.

Foundations June 28, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 19-22

And the fruit of the Spirit is… self-control.

1 Thessalonians 5:6; So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

The world is like a place of nighttime where we await the dawn of our coming King. The longer the night – the longer it takes for Jesus to return – the more we yearn for the dawn when He will make the earth His kingdom.

Christians are people of the day, people whose hope is in the coming of Christ, people who know that life on earth is a mere shadow and life with Christ is the real deal. Unlike the world, which is full of people who are spiritually and morally unaware and without conscience, we are to be alert and self-controlled while we wait for Jesus’ return.

This means that we are to be aware of what we do and why we do it. We must be conscious of our spiritual growth and our love for others. We are to be sensitive to Jesus’ voice as He corrects or commends us. If we are self-controlled, we will be able to keep in step with the Spirit, as Paul commands in Galatians, because we will be attuned to Him.

Paul continues in Thessalonians, “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” As children of light, we are to live self-controlled lives focused on faith, love and the hope of our eternal salvation. These are things the dark world needs and we must discipline ourselves to bring these things into each relationship, that we might lead others to the King. And one day we will see Him face-to-face and receive that glorious crown of life promised to us!

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Make a list of things you have to look forward to in the life to come when Jesus will rule as king. What are some real, tangible things you look forward to? Ask God to build a joy and excitement for the day when these things are fulfilled!

2.  Ask Jesus what it means for you to be self-controlled and alert as you wait for His return. How does this apply to your day today?

3.  Focus on these three things: faith, love and the hope of eternal salvation. How can you bring these things into your relationships today?

Foundations June 27, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 16-18

And the fruit of the Spirit is… self-control.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NIV) For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Timothy had been given some sort of gift that enhanced his ministry. But now he needed to build that gift. The gift was a spark that Paul urged him to fan into a flame. Sometimes we think that God will just give us everything we need to accomplish His will and we can just sit around in comfort until that happens. We think that if God wants us to teach, He’ll make us eloquent. If He wants us to go on a missionary journey He’ll send us a few grand in the mail. Sometimes miraculous things like this seem to fall into our laps, but for the most part we are to fan into flame the gifts God has given us. Perhaps Timothy was afraid to exercise his gift, but Paul exhorted him saying that God didn’t implant a spirit of fear in us, but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.

God desires that we would discipline ourselves to grow in the areas He has called us to. If you feel God is leading you to volunteer in a specific ministry, He can give you what you need to do that. We are much too concerned with being the star, being the best at whatever it is we want to do. God is not concerned that we are the best, but that we give Him our best. He is the best, so He can give us what we need, but He wants us to work hard at the jobs He gives us. If you feel you should share the gospel with your boss, discipline yourself to do it! If you feel God gave you the gift of tongues or healing, discipline yourself to practice it. If you are getting married, discipline yourself to stay pure and prepare to be a loving husband or wife. Whatever God is calling you to do, discipline yourself as you take steps towards your calling.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  What is a gifting, calling or task God has given you that He wants you to develop in or prepare for? What is keeping you from doing your best?

2.  Ask God for a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. How do you need to use self-control to grow and prepare in this area?

3.  Ask God to show you any areas of laziness in your life and confess these areas to Him.

Foundations June 26, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 13-15

And the fruit of the Spirit is… self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

We are called to have self-control, to have restraint over our actions and thoughts and feelings. This is an area of many facets that we can all find a spot to grow in. Most of us allow ourselves to overindulge in something we shouldn’t, weather it is overeating, overspending, or overthinking!

When we find ourselves stuck on something somebody said to us, unable to forgive and get over the issue, we lack the self-control to command our thoughts. When we find ourselves reaching for that third helping that we are not at all hungry for, we are lacking the self-control to stop. When we agree to do something that we have zero time for, we are lacking the self-control to say “no.”

This proverb tells us that the man who lacks self-control is like a city with broken down walls. In the time that this was written, walled cities were the norm and any city without a wall was an open target to the enemy. Those of us who lack the self-control to command our thoughts or say no or stop gossiping or eating or whatever are easy targets for Satan. All he must do is send one little temptation our way and we’ve as good as stumbled.

The key to this problem is discipline. We need to discipline ourselves to do what we must to conquer our problem. If we say yes to everything, we must start practicing “No!” If we often overeat, we must start throwing our napkin into our plate or getting up from the table. If we overspend, perhaps it is time to budget or cut the credit cards. And the Holy Spirit has practical instruction for you in all of these areas!

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal a few areas where you lack self-control.

2.  Choose one area to focus on today. What is the problem? How do you know you lack self-control?

a.  Ask God to show you if this is an area of sin in your life? If it is, repent of it.

b.  Ask God to show you how this weakens you to the enemy.

c.  Ask God for a step of discipline you can take in order to grow in self-control in this area.