Today’s Reading: Psalm 90, Luke 19:5-23, Mark 13:35-37
Good Morning it’s another Monday and I’m so blessed to be back with you! Mr. McG has been covering for me due to some travel and I’m so grateful! As your Monday hostess, I have the honor of introducing a new series we’re beginning on the character of God. As a newer Christian, I think this concept can be one of the most complex aspects of a living faith. As we mature in our faith we begin to deepen our interaction with God just as we do with our parents. Today we have three separate readings that highlight the big-ness of God. After studying each of them, I’d like to just focus on them separately today in our study together and allow you to draw some connections as you consider the character of God in your own faith journey.
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses, this Psalm speaks of the sovereignty of God over creation, life and death. When I first became I Christian I really struggled to understand the meaning of the word sovereignty. The dictionary defines sovereignty as: supreme power and freedom from external control. Moses reminds us that a thousand years are like a day to God. He is not limited by time. It’s easy to get so very discouraged when situations don’t seem to change when days, weeks, months or even years go by. Sometimes we wonder if God can see into the future. But what we learn from Psalm 90 is that God is completely unrestricted from time. Because of his sovereignty, God knows all of our sins.
“You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” Psalm 90:8
This should encourage us to come to him rather than trying to cover our sins from him. The end of the psalm reminds us that our time here on earth is so very finite. By loving and serving God we can weather the difficult times knowing our desires can only be satisfied by Him! If you’re going through a hard time that seems endless right now, this Psalm is for you. Take time to read it again, He’ll be with you when you do.
Luke 19:5-23
I love this story about Zacchaeus the crooked tax collector and his change for Jesus. It shows us that each of us have the capacity for change and the call to believe the best in others. Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the ten servants. If you are a part of the Eastview Christian Church congregation, you may have experienced this parable first hand with our Serve Project. Jesus followers are commanded to use the resources we are given to build and expand God’s kingdom. Understanding that there is no wealth that is truly ours is the key to a life in discipleship with Him. While we await the coming of Jesus again we must do Christ’s work.
Mark 13:35-37
Finally, we arrive at Mark 13, the cornerstone of our readings for today. The message is simple; watch for God. I was reminded of a little yellow bracelet my children wear from VBS when I read this passage. The bracelet literally says, “Watch for God” The intent was to give the kids a tangible reminder that God is always with you and that one day Jesus will come again. At the end of each day of VBS, the children were encouraged to share a moment in which they saw signs of God in their lives. They wrote them down on little post it notes and covered a wall with them by the end of the week. Mark is essentially giving us a bracelet that says, “Watch!” Sometimes I think it may be helpful to us as adults to write down our God sightings and post them on our wall. I know that I can get caught up in the day to day and miss the opportunity to see Him. Jesus tells us through this parable that we must stand firm by faith and not be surprised by persecutions. We must stay alert and be guided by our moral compass until he comes again.
Have a great week!