Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 150:1-2

Psalm 150:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord

1 Hallelujah!

Praise God in His sanctuary.

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

2 Praise Him for His powerful acts;

praise Him for His abundant greatness.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:8

Proverbs 17:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible

8 A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 Peter 1:10-12

1 Peter 1:10-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.

Evening Scripture Reading - 1 Samuel 2:1-11

1 Samuel 2:1-11

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer

1 Hannah prayed:

My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn is lifted up by the Lord.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 There is no one holy like the Lord.

There is no one besides You!

And there is no rock like our God.

3 Do not boast so proudly,

or let arrogant words come out of your mouth,

for the Lord is a God of knowledge,

and actions are weighed by Him.

4 The bows of the warriors are broken,

but the feeble are clothed with strength.

5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food,

but those who are starving hunger no more.

The woman who is childless gives birth to seven,

but the woman with many sons pines away.

6 The Lord brings death and gives life;

He sends some to Sheol, and He raises others up.

7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;

He humbles and He exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the garbage pile.

He seats them with noblemen

and gives them a throne of honor.

For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;

He has set the world on them.

9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones,

but the wicked perish in darkness,

for a man does not prevail by his own strength.

10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;

He will thunder in the heavens against them.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

He will give power to His king;

He will lift up the horn of His anointed.

11 Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 149:6-9

Psalm 149:6-9 Holman Christian Standard Bible

6 Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths

and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7 inflicting vengeance on the nations

and punishment on the peoples,

8 binding their kings with chains

and their dignitaries with iron shackles,

9 carrying out the judgment decreed against them.

This honor is for all His godly people.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:7

Proverbs 17:7 Holman Christian Standard Bible

7 Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;

how much worse are lies for a ruler.

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 John 5:6-12

1 John 5:6-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Certainty of God’s Testimony

6 Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. 10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.) 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.

Evening Scripture Reading - Titus 1:15-16

Titus 1:15-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible

15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 149:1-5

Psalm 149:1-5 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 149

Praise for God’s Triumph

1 Hallelujah!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

His praise in the assembly of the godly.

2 Let Israel celebrate its Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

3 Let them praise His name with dancing

and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre.

4 For Yahweh takes pleasure in His people;

He adorns the humble with salvation.

5 Let the godly celebrate in triumphal glory;

let them shout for joy on their beds.

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - One of the Hardest Things to Do

Many years ago, a person came up to me during a prayer meeting and told me that Christianity is the easiest thing to do. He continued by saying that all you have to do is accept Jesus and ask for forgiveness. 

When you think about it, the first few steps are very easy to do, but it still takes a lot of effort to make that decision and take those steps. But, for the sake of discussion, let’s put the decision aside. It is easy, but what we are called to do is often very difficult especially when you view them from your old, sinful ways.

In chapter five of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, while delivering the “Sermon on the Mount”, tells those listening to him, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

God provides for all of His children. When you think about it, we all started as God’s handiwork. In the beginning, we were all created in His image. He breathed life into us and gave us the gift of a soul. But, over time, we become disobedient and become part of this fallen world. We walk in darkness and do evil to ourselves and one another. God, out of His love for us, gave us the gift of salvation through His son, Jesus. We all have a choice to accept or reject His gift.

Once we accept that precious gift, we proclaim to the world our acceptance of God’s salvation by following Jesus’ example of being baptized. That symbolic act shows how we die and are raised to walk in the newness of life as a believer and follower of Christ Jesus and as a child of God the Father.

As a child of God, we must live a life that is Christ-like and have an attitude that goes along with it. Jesus, in his famous sermon, tells us how we are to act and how, as a child of the Father, to live our lives daily. This is where the hard part comes into play.

When we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, we also gave up the things of this world. We gave up our sinful ways in order to walk daily with the Lord along the path of righteousness. This means we are to be obedient to God’s will and accept what He has laid out for us. Simply put. In order to be obedient to God, we must be disobedient to ourselves and deny our natural tendencies. 

In his sermon, Jesus reminds us of the words of Leviticus and its teachings to the children of Israel. 

In chapter nineteen, the Lord says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

It isn’t enough to love yourself and your neighbor, but it is quite a different thing to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus tells us that we must do more as children of God. By going that extra mile, you show the world that you have truly overcome it as well as its disobedient ways. 

It is all well and good to read the words, but you must resist the urge to go back to your old ways or stop short. Following Jesus is all about denying yourself and becoming Christ-like in all areas of your life.

When Jesus was nailed to a cross to suffer for our sins, he prayed for those who mocked him. He endured every moment of his crucifixion just so that each of us could receive that gift of love and salvation from the Father.

In chapter twenty-three of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus, while on the cross, said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Instead of asking God to deliver him from the cross or to destroy those who were seeking his blood, Jesus asked God to forgive them for what they were doing. It took a tremendous amount of love and effort to ask for that. But, Jesus had only love in his heart for us and gave his life as our sacrifice and became the way back to the Father.

So, as children of God, it is incumbent on us to do more than just love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We must take that extra step and love our enemies. By doing that, our enemies will wonder why we’re loving them even when they are persecuting us. 

Paul, in chapter twelve of his letter to the church in Rome, reminds them of the words of the Book of Proverbs, “Instead, ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.’ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

When you act out of love, people who mock you will feel ashamed of what they are doing to you. They will begin to wonder why you aren’t returning evil for evil. Some will even ask you why you aren’t seeking revenge or asking God to destroy them. When they wonder about your actions, your actions have brought conviction to their hearts. They feel something stirring inside of them. It is that small, quiet whisper gently calling to them. It is the same voice you heard. It is the voice of the Master calling out to them just as he called out to you.

By being that example and forgiving those who persecute you and showing them love, you become truly righteous in the eyes of the Father. You have become Christ-like in all aspects of your life and an example to those around you. When you have achieved this, you can most assuredly stand firm in His grace.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:6

Proverbs 17:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,

and the pride of sons is their fathers.

Morning Scripture Reading - Mark 12:30-31

Mark 12:30-31 Holman Christian Standard Bible

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

31 “The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”

Evening Scripture Reading - John 13:36-38

John 13:36-38 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Peter’s Denials Predicted

36 “Lord,” Simon Peter said to Him, “where are You going?”

Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later.”

37 “Lord,” Peter asked, “why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You!”

38 Jesus replied, “Will you lay down your life for Me? I assure you: A rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 148:7-14

Psalm 148:7-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

all sea monsters and ocean depths,

8 lightning and hail, snow and cloud,

powerful wind that executes His command,

9 mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

10 wild animals and all cattle,

creatures that crawl and flying birds,

11 kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all judges of the earth,

12 young men as well as young women,

old and young together.

13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,

for His name alone is exalted.

His majesty covers heaven and earth.

14 He has raised up a horn for His people,

resulting in praise to all His godly ones,

to the Israelites, the people close to Him.

Hallelujah!

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:5

Proverbs 17:5 Holman Christian Standard Bible

5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,

and one who rejoices over calamity

will not go unpunished.

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 John 5:1-5

1 John 5:1-5 Holman Christian Standard Bible

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Evening Scripture Reading - Ephesians 4:1-6

Ephesians 4:1-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ

4 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 148:1-6

Psalm 148:1-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 148

Creation’s Praise of the Lord

1 Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise Him in the heights.

2 Praise Him, all His angels;

praise Him, all His hosts.

3 Praise Him, sun and moon;

praise Him, all you shining stars.

4 Praise Him, highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens.

5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,

for He commanded, and they were created.

6 He set them in position forever and ever;

He gave an order that will never pass away.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 17:4

Proverbs 17:4 Holman Christian Standard Bible

4 A wicked person listens to malicious talk;

a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

Morning Scripture Reading - Isaiah 54:9-10

Isaiah 54:9-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible

9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me:

when I swore that the waters of Noah

would never flood the earth again,

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you

or rebuke you.

10 Though the mountains move

and the hills shake,

My love will not be removed from you

and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”

says your compassionate Lord.