I Corinthians 4

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes” (5). The Corinthian believers criticized Paul for not measuring up to their expectations of worldly success (7-8). But Paul said that God was the Judge who mattered; he saw “the motives of the heart” (5). Serving the Lord from the heart meant that sometimes the apostles were “hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands ... when we are slandered, we answer kindly” (11-13).

“At that time each will receive their praise from God” (5). The measure of our lives is not meeting worldly expectations, but being faithful to the voice of Jesus.

I Corinthians 3

“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (7). Paul urged the Corinthians to think as spiritually mature people, not babies (1). Immature people put their trust in successful leaders, but mature people have their eyes fixed on Christ. Paul taught that each person has a unique part to play in the Body and should do it faithfully (5), recognizing that our work is completely dependent on God – who makes things grow.

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (16). God’s Spirit chooses to dwell among us and work through us – for Jesus’ glory, not ours.

Psalm 83

“O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear” (1). The psalmist voiced the cry of God’s people when faced with injustice and suffering in our own lives, and in the world. Israel was outnumbered against enemies who plotted against them and wanted to destroy them completely (3-4). God’s people prayed that their threats and evil plans would come to nothing, like “chaff before the wind” (13), and that all would know “that you alone are the Most

High over all the earth” (18). “Do not stand aloof, O God” (1). Our God does not stand aloof and distant from our suffering. He heard our cry for help and came down into our very midst, for our salvation

Psalm 82

“God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the ‘gods’” (1). The psalmist proclaimed that the One God is far above both spiritual powers and above human leaders and systems. These leaders are called to “defend the weak and the fatherless” (3), yet they often defend the wicked instead (2). They “know nothing; they understand nothing” (5); they are “mere mortals” (7). God’s people are not helpless in the face of these powers; our King is the Judge of all.

“Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance” (8). We don’t have to live in fear; we can trust the great Judge to make things right. Our lives are safe with him

II Chronicles 34-36

“But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy” (36:16). Tragically, although kings like Hezekiah and Josiah carried out reforms, the weight of generations of rebellion was too much, and the Lord allowed the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem (36:19). Refusing to serve God, the Israelites became servants of a foreign ruler. However, God preserved a remnant in exile (36:20).

“The Lord ... sent word to them through his messengers again and again” (36:15). God spoke through his prophets and finally through his Son (Hebrews 1), because he wants us to repent and find refuge in him.

II Chronicles 32-33

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria ... for there is a greater power with us than with him” (32:7). The people of Judah had reason to fear the Assyrian Empire; it had conquered many other nations (32:13). Sennacherib their king tried to destabilize the people by threatening and undermining their faith (32:14). But Hezekiah reminded them that they did not need either vast armies or false idols (33:1-6).

“With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (32:8). Courage comes from knowing the God of the universe loves us and is actively fighting for our good.

II Chronicles 30-31

“People of Israel, return to the Lord ... that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria” (6). King Hezekiah planned to celebrate the Passover as part of his intense spiritual reform in Judah, and he invited the ‘rebels’ in northern Israel to cross borders and join them. He urged them not to be “stiff-necked” like their ancestors, but to take the opportunity to repent and worship (30:8). Some ridiculed this invitation, but others “humbled themselves” and went (30:10-11).

“Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever” (30:8). God’s sanctuary is still open to all through Christ, if we are willing to humble ourselves and enter in.

I Corinthians 2

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (4-5). Paul was concerned because the believers in Corinth were obsessed with their leaders (Paul, Apollos, and Peter/Cephas, ch 1), which was undermining their faith in Jesus. Paul argued that access to God’s ways and wisdom was not limited to a gifted group, but was open to all God’s people, through the presence and power of the Spirit (12-16).

“But we have the mind of Christ” (16). God has poured out his Spirit on us, individually and together, so that we can know and follow Jesus.

I Corinthians 1

“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (9). Paul urged the believers at Corinth to be “perfectly united in mind and thought” (10), rather than quarreling over the supposed superiority of various Christian leaders (11-17). Worldly pride and competitiveness have nothing to do with Jesus, who chose to conquer by sacrificial love on the cross: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (25).

“God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things ...” (28). Focusing on success and status divides us, but gratitude for Christ’s love, which we don’t deserve, unites our hearts in humility.

Psalm 81

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (10). As Israel’s King, God promised to guide, protect, and provide for them; Israel promised in return to worship him alone and follow his ways (9). God fulfilled his part by rescuing his people from slavery: “their hands were set free from the basket” (6). Yet, they disobeyed God and chose instead to “follow their own devices” (12), ending in disaster.

“But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (16). Rather than the disaster of following our own ways, the way of Jesus leads to true satisfaction.

II Chronicles 27-29

“Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord ... they turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him” (29:6). King Hezekiah took responsibility for generations of idol worship and rebellion. He knew the Lord’s “dwelling place” (29:7) was a disaster; his ancestors had “shut the doors” and “put out the lamps”. Hezekiah called the Levites and priests to begin the hard work of repairing, restoring, and consecrating God’s house.

“The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it” (29:15). Jesus did the hard work of purification for us. He offered himself as both perfect sacrifice and priest, so that our fellowship with God can be restored (Hebrews 7:26-27).

II Chronicles 24-26

“Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you” (24:20). Neither enemies, natural disasters, nor plots could derail God’s plan, but each king faced a choice of whether to trust God. King Joash had been miraculously protected and guided wisely by Jehoida the priest, but as an adult, he turned away from God (24:17-18). He even killed the prophet who tried to warn him (24:21). Like Uzziah, “his pride led to his downfall” (26:16).

“The Lord can give you much more than that” (25:9). Like the kings, we each face the question of who to trust and where to find strength. God calls us to lean on him fully.

II Chronicles 22-23

“Jehosheba ... hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him” (22:11). Athaliah, mother of the slain king Ahaziah, wanted to get revenge by murdering the whole house of Judah, including her own baby grandchild Joash. But Joash’s aunt “stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered” and kept him safe for years. At the right time, the priest Jehoida (Jehosheba’s husband) “showed his strength” by bringing out the young boy and putting him on the throne (ch 23).

“The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised ...” (23:3). David’s royal line endured through plots, conspiracies, and assassinations. No power of the world can stop the Lord’s good plans.

Romans 16

“Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord ...” (12). Paul concluded his letter to the church in Rome by greeting people he knew and mentioning their roles in the continuing story of God’s redemption through Jesus. Ordinary women and men, Jew and Gentile, they were friends (8), co-laborers (3), house church leaders (5), and apostles (10). Persis worked “very hard” (12), and Apelles “stood the test” (10). These faithful believers (10) were probably unknown in society, yet God built his church through their witness in difficult times.

“All the Lord’s people” (15) are needed to be Christ’s Body in the world, extending God’s love, mercy, hope, and forgiveness wherever he has placed each one of us.

Romans 15

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me” (30). Paul called on the believers in Rome, Jew and Gentile both, to join him in accomplishing the task of spreading the gospel. His role was to go to new places (20), but he needed the help of the whole church, with prayers and finances, to get there (24). Together, the whole Body of Christ fulfilled the “priestly duty” of proclaiming Christ in the world (16).

As every believer does their part in living for and proclaiming Jesus, “with one mind and one voice” we can glorify God (6).

Romans 14

“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (13). Paul addressed the complex issues arising from believers from different cultures worshiping together, like different views of the Sabbath (5) and food (1-3). Paul urged believers to follow their own consciences before God (5), yet to be ready to give up their ‘rights’ rather than cause someone else distress (13-15).

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (19). In Christ we are free (14), yet our right to do ‘what works for us’ must submit to the law of love.

Psalm 80

“Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved” (3). The psalmist called on “the Shepherd of Israel” who is also the mighty Creator “enthroned between the cherubim” to come and save his people. “Make your face shine on us”, the psalmist prayed, meaning, turn your full, loving attention on us (14). The Israelites felt they had lost God’s protection due to their sin (4,12-13), and they were exhausted by “the bread of tears” (4-6). They needed to be restored to fellowship with their Shepherd.

“Revive us, and we will call on your name” (18). Like a fragile vine (16), when we are bruised and battered, the Lord’s tender care restores us.

Psalm 79

“O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple” (1). Although Jerusalem was meant to be the sacred, peaceful heart of God’s people, this psalm acknowledges that the same chaos and violence which infected the world also invaded the holy city. Jerusalem was “reduced to rubble” by her enemies, and survivors wondered “how long” the dark times would last (5). Like everyone devastated by war, they cried: “May your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need” (8).

“Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name” (9). Though sin has defiled God’s beautiful world, he has not abandoned us. Jesus is God’s answer to our desperate need.

II Chronicles 20-22

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (20:12). Facing a terrible threat, Jehoshaphat gathered the people at the Temple, the symbol of Israel’s total dependence on God. Rather than their warriors or allies, God was their refuge when calamity, the “sword of judgment”, plague or famine approached (20:9). God’s prophet encouraged them: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15).

“Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you” (20:17). Like Jehoshaphat, when we admit “we have no power”, the way is open for the Lord’s deliverance.

II Chronicles 17-19

“They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people” (17:9). While part of King Jehoshaphat’s story is found in I King 22, Chronicles relates Jehoshaphat’s emphasis on teaching the people the God’s law. Rather than simply strengthening worship in Jerusalem or requiring tithes and sacrifices, the king sent officials, Levites, and priests throughout the land to teach ordinary people the ways of God.

“His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord ...” (17:6). Jehoshaphat knew the Lord’s ways through his Word. He does not hide himself; he is the God who speaks, through Word and Spirit and especially his Son.