February 2, 2014 – Psalms 13 & 14 – God is there!

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

As we venture through the Psalms and Proverbs portion of our reading it will take on more of a devotional thought and less of the passage teaching of the New Testament study.

There are times in life where God feels distant. There are times in life where we feel that we are on an island all alone, even though we are surrounded by people. David felt that way throughout his life. But he knew that God was there and that even though he felt distant from God he put his trust in God. He knew God’s love was never failing and that God offered ultimate salvation. When you feel alone, when you feel distant from God, remember He is there, and His love is never failing. 

January 25, 2014 – Psalms 9 & 10 – Letting Go and Letting God

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

As we venture through the Psalms and Proverbs portion of our reading it will take on more of a devotional thought and less of the passage teaching of the New Testament study.

At different times in life we develop conflict with other people. From time to time it may be our spouse, or our children, or a neighbor, or a co-worker, or another parent of a kid on our kids sports teams. Sometimes that conflict will develop to a real deep level of bitterness and possibly even to the point where an enemy is created. How do you handle that in your life? Do you seek to ruin and bring problems to that person with whom you have conflict with? Or do you turn it over to God?

David had a lot of enemies. Whether it was his father-in-law Saul, or his own son Absolom David knew what it was like to be despised. He lived a good chunk of His life on the run from these two men and their supporters. Did he go on the defensive? When it was necessary. Did he go on the offensive? When the time was right. What David mastered was letting God lead. That meant that at times David did nothing and allowed God to bring justice to both of these men. At other times David was patient and allowed God to use him to bring justice to his problems.

Where do you stand? Do you take your problems into your own hand, not relying on God to lead and guide? I think we would be wise to read these Psalms again and see where David’s heart was toward his enemies and learn from him. 

January 12, 2014 – Psalms 5 & 6 – Taking a New but Old Approach

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Please say an extra prayer today. Nearly 20 West Side Christians and Teens are in Gatlinburg for the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention. Pray that our travels home today will be safe. Pray that the challenges our teens experienced will stick beyond this weekend. Pray that any bonds created during this weekend will grow when we return home. Pray that our teens will be ambassadors for Christ in their schools.

What Does this Passage Say?

• David has an amazing ability to articulate the attributes of God. He correctly labels God’s disdain for wickedness. He also shows that God delights in righteousness and offers protection to those who chase him.

• David battles with worry and agony. While he battles he also understands where he must go … he must go to God. David has faith that God has heard him, he does not question it. He might still be in agony, but he knows this truth; God cares and hears his every longing of David’s heart.

What is this passage teaching?

• One aspect I love about the Psalms is that they teach us how to praise God. They give us so many insights into the character of God. They show us the love and care God provides. They show us the righteous judgment that God must operate under. Simply put they give us a word picture of our savior.

How can I apply this passage to my life?

• Does your prayer life struggle? Do you struggle to praise God in your time of prayer? Do you find the majority of your prayer is requests? If so spend time reading the Psalms. Even start to pray the Psalms. By doing so you will learn to praise God, worship God, and then follow up with your own personal supplication and requests. You might just see a huge change in your attitude and appreciation for God! 

January 11, 2014 – Psalms 3 & 4 – Try Making God your Source of Strength

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Please say an extra prayer today. Nearly 20 West Side Christians and Teens are in Gatlinburg for the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention. Pray that our travels will be safe. Pray that our teens will be challenged to follow Christ more closely with their lives. Pray that our youth group will bond tighter during our time away.

What Does this Passage Say?

• Psalm 3 is a Psalm of David. David was the second King of Israel after his father-in-law Saul. David famously committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite (One of David’s Mighty Men), Bathsheba. Their son conceived in their affair died. Because of this sin God allowed disruption to take place in his family. One of the major disruptions was his son Absalom stealing the heart of the people and ousting David as king. During this time David is on the run. It is with this context David writes the words of Psalm 3.
• David has found he has many enemies, but he knows who is on his side … God. He has put trust in God and is crying out to God to lead him, sustain him, and protect him.

• Psalm 4 is another Psalm of David. We are not given much context for the writing of this Psalm. David is again going through a rough time in his life. Maybe this is when he is on the run from his father-in-law Saul. Maybe it is during a war as king. Maybe it is when he is running from Absalom. We do not know when it is, but he knows this, God again is his strength and it is God he is turning to. This song of David also calls for his countrymen, other Israelites, to call on God, to make Him number one, and live for him with their lives. David will take comfort and strength from God.

 What is this passage teaching?

• Both of these passages show us where David’s security came from. David did not find strength in his own power and ability. David did not turn to others to secure him. David in his time of need turned to God.

 How can I apply this passage to my life?

• David was a beacon of light for his countrymen. He not only challenged them to turn to God he demonstrated it in his own life. Will you take David’s challenge and turn to God? Will you take David’s challenge and draw strength from God and God alone? God protected David and brought him through many storms. God will do the same for you if you will turn to him. 

July 19 – 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29 – 31, & Psalms 48

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29 – 31, & Psalms 48. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Examine your church, or even your own faith, do you have any sacred cows? A sacred cow in church vocabulary is something that is worshiped and held to a high level that isn’t God himself. Maybe for you and your church it might be the stained glass windows that were dedicated by a family years before in the churches history. Maybe for your church it is a program or event that has been done for years. Maybe it is a song that is sung at the beginning of service. Those types of things tend to be corporate sacred cows to churches. Maybe you have them in your own life as well.

Now sacred cows are not wrong (we wouldn’t call them sacred cows at that point, just worship aids) if held with the right perspective and the right attitude. There is nothing wrong with stained glass windows, traditional church programs, or even specific songs that are sung. However, when they are held at a level of worship that if they are damaged, done away with, or changed, and you or your church get all bent out shape, then you have a problem. You are letting an object, or a thing get in your way of worshiping God; they may have even taken the place of worshiping God. That is wrong!

We see this happen today in our reading. When the Israelites were in the wilderness after the Exodus because of sin God set snakes to strike and kill. To save his people God instructed Moses to erect a bronze snake that if they looked at it they would be saved. This was kept to remind them of this, to not fall into sin, and to follow God. But by the time Hezekiah rules in Judah, the people are now offering sacrifices to this bronze snake. What does Hezekiah order, he orders it destroyed.

Friends that is the right move. It might have been hard and sad to see such an important reminder destroyed, but it was necessary. When something becomes a hindrance in our worship to God, or even takes our worship to God, we have to eradicate it from our lives. Maybe this has been recognized by leaders in your church and they have done away with something. Examine your heart, find out why you are upset and then determine if you are in the wrong. Be honest with your selves, have you allowed something to become a sacred cow that should not be?

May 30 – Psalms 119

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 119. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

“You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your principles! Then I will not be disgraced when I compare my life with your commands. When I learn your righteous laws, I will thank you by living as I should!” (Psalms 119:4-7 NLT) Do you cherish the commands, laws, decrees, and instructions from God? Do you live by them? God’s Law teaches us what he considers righteous. God’s Law teaches us how he sees pure living. Learning from them brings us more and more into alignment with God’s desires for our lives. Are we going to mess us, slip up, and have moments where we do not honor God? Unfortunately the answer is yes. That is where Jesus work on the cross comes in and grace is able to abound.

What I love about the ending of that verse is the reminder it gives us that when we live according to God’s Laws we are thanking God for teaching us how to honor him. Do you think about how you live being thanks to God, especially in reaction to the grace and salvation you know and experience as a Christian?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 28 – Psalms 111-118

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 111-118. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

There are so many great things to choose from our reading. Cherish the words because I am unfortunately only able to comment on one idea.

I love the attributes of God. Today the Psalmist reminds us of that by comparing against other “gods” and deities. “Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have hears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot makes a sound.” (Psalms 115 4-7 NLT) Their gods are formed by human hands, and while they have physical features, they are simply just a carving. Their gods do not hear their prayers. Their gods do not communicate to them. Their gods do not move and work in their life. Their gods are just a human creation.

But our God, the one true God is master and creator of all. “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.” (Psalms 115:3 NLT) The Psalmist reminds the nation of Israel to trust in the LORD. Over and over again we are reminded to trust in the Lord. Why? Because our God is a living God who cares deeply about us. He is not an inanimate object, he is living, breathing and strong enough for us to put our trust into him!

Little side note, as I was this post I was listening to Spotify and the song Those Who Trust by Waterdeep Worship came on. What an awesome song as I was writing the words “trust.” God reassures in some really cool ways. Here is a video of a worship band singing this song after their opening prayer.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 26 – Psalms 131, 138, 139, 143, 144, & 145

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 131, 138, 139, 143, 144, & 145. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

In our reading today we are reminded by the Psalms that our entire lives matter to God. In Psalm 139:13 we read “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” These simple words remind us that God was the one designing us and creating every facial feature, every personality quirk, and every line in our finger print.

As we keep reading today we are reminded that God’s work did not stop at birth. He is involved today as well. “Reach down from heaven and rescue me; rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies.” (Psalms 144:7 NLT) Or “The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.” (Psalms 145:17-20 NLT) What a great reminder that God is involved in our every day lives. I find comfort in that, do you?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 23 – 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, & Psalms 57

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, & Psalms 57. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When God is bringing judgment upon Israel in the form of a plague of death God instructs David to offer a sacrifice and he gives him the precise place to do this. The site is the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, and Araunah wants to give it to the king free of charge plus everything needed for the sacrifice. I think we learn a very valuable lesson from David’s response … “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24 NLT) Wow, does that not cut you to your core?

How often do we give God what cost us nothing? Many times our churches are full of these types of gifts … hand me down toys for the nursery, used playground equipment, tattered books for the library, and all sorts of various decorations. Now giving the churched used but still good gifts is nice and appreciated if it is something the church really needs. But how often do we replace our TV with a new one and give the old one to the church. That gift, while appreciated did not really cost the giver. If our gifts really cost us, too many churches would not be feeling the budgets grow smaller and smaller.

I wonder what the church could do if its members gave an offering to their church like David did; offerings that caused them to stretch their faith, offerings that caused them to rely on God, offerings that really caused them to sacrifice. If this was the type of giving our churches experienced more mouths could be fed, more poor could be clothed, more life skills could be taught, but most importantly the reach of the gospel would go much further and much deeper.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 22 – Psalms 95, & 97-98

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 95, &  97-98. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Office Clip Art

“Sing a new song to the LORD, for he has done wonderful deeds.” (Palms 98:1 NLT) Music in church is one of the most highly contested elements of any churches life. The reason for this is music is a very personal preference. Music takes us to many places and times. We connect with music on an emotional and mental level.

I love country music. Whenever I hear the song Austin by Blake Shelton it takes me back to a yard I mowed in high school. For whatever reason the summer that song was new every week when I mowed that particular yard that song came on the radio in my headphones. When I hear the song Breath I am taken to Ohio Teens for Christ when David Crowder lead worship and introduced it to us the first time. When I hear the song Don’t Take The Girl by Tim McGraw I am taken to Myrtle Beach summer of 1994 where I bought that cassette tape as a nine year old.

Church music is highly contested in church because we all have an emotional and mental connection to it. We remember the song that was being sung as we walked down the isle to give our life to Christ. When we sing a familiar song we remember the first time the lyrics spoke to us and the worship that ensued because of it. We connect and are protective of music because it speaks to us in ways other things do not.

So how do we balance this encouragement of “Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds” with our connection to “old” music that has already spoken to us. I think the answer is this, new songs have the ability to connect us with God in worship in a way another song did not. New songs have the ability to teach us new truths about God. New songs come from a new perspective, and new view point, a new joy, and even new heartaches, allowing us new insights into God’s character. Rejecting new songs means you are saying you have arrived in your understanding of who God is and indicates an unwillingness to grow as a disciple.

The beauty of it all is when the old songs merge with the new to paint a complete picture of who God is in our lives. The blending of the old and new allow us to more fully express our worship with God in new and old ways. Finally what is really exciting to me is that a new song gives me a new opportunity to make a new emotional and mental connection with God!

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 21 – 2 Samuel 22-23 & Psalm 57

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 22-23 & Psalm 57. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

As I have written before the success of leaders is dependent upon those he or she has around them. No matter the skill set of a leader if his people are not behind him, on the same page as her, or simply helping them, no leader will be successful. David was only successful because of the men he had around him. He had his three top guys who were almost as famous and skilled as David. He had men willing to cross enemy lines to bring him a drink of water from his hometown. David was powerful and mighty because he had surrounded himself with the right men.

Are you a leader or a follower? If you are a leader surround yourself with the right men and women to help you achieve what it is you have been called to lead. If you are a follower ask yourself how are you helping your leader achieve what they have been called to lead? Their success depends on your support. Also ask yourself if you are being helpful or becoming a hindrance? Finally, not everyone is a leader and that is ok. If everyone was a leader then there would be no followers, which would result in no help for leaders, creating a vicious cycle of no accomplishments or fulfillments.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 20 – Psalms 5, 38, 41, & 42

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms  5, 38, 41, & 42. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Word Clipart

I recently read a story about a village who was struggling through a drought. Months before, the rain clouds had disappeared. The streams had stopped flowing. The lake beds were beginning to show. The crops were brittle and brown. Now the cracks in the dirt were growing into ant sized canyons. Each day the villagers went to their local church to gather to pray for rain. One day a traveler stopped by and joined the villagers in their daily prayer meeting. When the time of prayer had drawn to a close he asked an elder if he could say a few words. He was granted permission and here is what he said...

 “I have sat and heard your prayers. They were all solemn and thoughtful, but you have no faith. The item that you left at home proves your lack of faith. With this serious lack of faith you will never see the answer to the pray you so earnestly seek. What is the evidence of your lack of faith? No one in here believes in your prayers so much so that you thought to bring an umbrella!”

 David prayed with expectation. David hurts and he prays. David rejoices and he prays. When David prays he expects answers. “Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3 NLT). David knows that the answers might not always be what he wants, but when he prays he expects something to happen.

Let me ask you, are you praying like David … expecting results? Or are you praying like the villagers … expecting no results metaphorically leaving your umbrellas at home?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 18 – Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61, 62, & 64

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61, 62, & 64. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Some of the best memories I have of my life include times of worship. As a follower of Christ for my entire life I have had numerous intimate moments of worship. Some of them have been in a corporate setting at church or at convention, and others have been while I have been alone, with no one else around. The settings are different, but on the memorable instances one thing stands true; I have entered the sanctuary of God.

In David’s time on the run, entering God’s sanctuary of worship might be just what sustained his life. Read again David’s words … “I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glorious presence dwells.” (Psalms 26:6-8 NLT). David had such a relationship with God that he was able to enter God’s sanctuary.

I have connected with God several times in my life where I feel I have entered his sanctuary. All those times are when I come to worship already feeling closer to God. If you want to enter God’s sanctuary and truly feel his presence it is something you will have to foster long before entering worship.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 16 – Psalms 3, 4, 12, 13, 28, & 55

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 3, 4, 12, 13, 28, & 55. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip-art

Do you have any enemies? What do you do about your enemies? Do you fight them off? Do you ignore them? Do you try to make amends with them? Do you pray for them? As a Christian I believe it is your duty to do several things … work to resolve the issues with them, pray for them, and if the issue cannot be resolved then simply ignore them. The last thing you should do is fight them and retaliate against them.

So what do you do if they will not allow you to make amends? You turn it over to God. That is what we see David do. David was on the run from Absalom when he writes our Psalms today. He hands his enemies over to God to let him decide what will happen to them … “Arise, O LORD! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! Victory comes from you, O LORD.” (Psalms 3:7-8 NLT) David also writes … “May the LORD cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues.” (Psalm 5:3 NLT). David turns the dealing with his enemies over to God.

I believe that is what we should all do. When you have an enemy or even a simple conflict with others, begin with turning it over to God. God will deliver punishment if it is needed. God will provide you the opportunity for healing if it is best. When we let God deliver the punishment for the wrong doing we are surrendering control to him and reaffirming that he is truly Lord of our life.

On a side note, if you are the one in the wrong you are the one who needs to seek forgiveness and apologize for what you have done. Do not become someone else’s enemy.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 14 – Psalms 32, 51, 86, & 122

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 32, 51, 86, & 122. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When David was caught in his sin with Bathsheba heavy remorse took over his life. His heart truly was tormented by what he had done in his sin. That is evident in his fasting and prayer while the child lay sick. We find his broken heart in our reading today. We see his prayer for transformation in Psalm 51.

What stood out to me was the truth found in Psalm 32. David describes what the unconfused and un-confronted sin in his life did to him … “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long” (Psalm 32:3). Have you ever been there? Ever had something turning inside your heart that you just could not get a grasp around? Learn from David, free yourself … “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All m guilt is gone” (Psalm 32:5). Want to be free, confess the sin in your life.

Confess the sin in your life first to God. There true freedom will be granted. However, you need to do the same with those you have wronged, those you have hurt, and those you have sinned against. Confession is good for the soul. Confession will open up true freedom.  

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 12 – Psalms 65 – 67 & 69 -70

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 65 – 67 & 69 -70. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

  

Photo Credit: Microsoft Office Clipart

God is creator of everything that exists. There are some who believe in no God at all. There are others who do not want to argue whether there is God or not. Then you have a group that believes there is a God, but beyond creation he has nothing to do with this globe. They believe that God created everything in existence, set the laws of science into motion, and than walked away taking a cosmic vacation. Those folks tend to be called deist.

David was not a deist. We see that in our reading today in the very first chapter. David wrote … “You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain for you have ordered it so.” (Psalms 65 NLT) God is not some big cosmic being that created, started, and then walked away. God is involved in the intricate details of our world each and every day.

Why is this so? Because God loves and cares about His creation. He made us to have relationship with us. He wants to know what is going on in our lives. He wants to be the person we run to when we are hurting and when we are celebrating. God created you for intimacy with him. I am thankful for that!

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 11 – 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalm 20

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalm 20. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you easily buy into every conspiracy theory out there? I would strongly dislike living my life that way. I have known people that feel everyone and everything is out to get them. I have known people that see a COP and believe that police officer just because of his job is a mean out to get them type of person. It would be horrible to live life that way.

That is sort of what we see in Hanun’s advisors this morning. David is sending a good will delegation to Hanun after his father’s death. David want’s to keep the good relationship between him and the Ammonites alive. But Hanun listen’s to the pessimist around him, humiliates David’s men and angers Israel.

Let me encourage you to proceed cautiously with people, but always look for the best intentions. Do not immediately assume people are going to wrong you, cross your back, and be evil. Be on guard, do not be a door mat, but balance that with grace, kindness, and welcoming arms.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 10 – Psalms 50, 53, 60, & 75

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 50, 53, 60, & 752 Samuel 8-9 & 1 Chronicles 18. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

In Psalms 50:7-15 the psalmist, speaking as God reminds us that nothing on this earth is out of the dominion of God. Everything is his. While this is not necessarily the intended teaching of this passage, it is a great reminder that nothing on this earth belongs to us; all of it is God’s. Is this fact something you think about often?

Let me challenge you to think of all things in this way. When you do it will change and shape the way you approach life. You will see all as blessings from God. It might cause you to take better care of the possessions which God has entrusted into your care because they are His and not yours. Remembering that all belongs to God and you are just a caretaker might even cause you to be a little more generous as God has been with you. I wonder how that might impact the world we life in.

How do you think this simple mind shift might disturb they way you move through life?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 8 – Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, & 39

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, & 39. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When I was in college I learned of the ACTS structure to prayer. Is it something you have heard of or used yourself? If you have never heard of it all it is an acrostic to help you structure your prayer life … Adoration, Confession, Supplication, and Thanksgiving. It suggests starting your prayers with Adoration to God, then transitioning to Confession of what is going on in life, with a second transition to Supplication, i.e. asking for God to work in your life and the life of others, followed up by the final transition into Thanksgiving for all God has done for you and others. It is a great structure for someone at the beginner level of prayer. If you want you could even call it Biblical by matching the structure up to the Lords Prayer of Matthew 6:9-13.

I share that structure to share my thoughts from todays reading. I know for myself I am good at the confession part, I am even amazing at the supplication part, and I am also getting better at the thanksgiving part of the structure. This is true in multiple areas of my life. I have no problems doing those things with other people. When I mess up, when I am wrong, I try my best to own up to it and share that fact. I try my best to ask for help before frustration sets in. I am not the man who tries to put something together without the instructions. I also try to do a good job of saying thanks when it is needed. Of course I have room to grow in all these areas, but I feel I do them well in both life and in prayer.

The area I struggle is in showing adoration. I struggle to find the words to express my love and appreciation of things. I do not know why, but for whatever reason adjectives do not come easy to me. This is true in all areas of my life. My wife loves to hear me praise her appearance, her role as a mother, and the things she does for me. But when needed the words just do not seem to be there. To combat that I have a notebook that everyday at 2:00 I write down a “praise” of my wife. I am doing this to help build my vocabulary as well as to be conscious of her need to hear this from me.

As I was reading to day, a thought jumped into my mind … if you struggle with adoration like I do in my prayers to God, David gives us some pretty good examples throughout the Psalms. By reading the Psalms we are given a plethora of adjectives that correctly describe the character and many attributes of God. Let me challenge you to use the Psalms to enhance your prayer life.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 6 – Psalms 80, 96, 100, 101, 105, & 132

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 80, 96, 100, 101, 105, & 132. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

How do you define integrity? Many people will define it in a plethora of ways. Some people define integrity as always doings what you say you will do. Others will say that integrity is matching the public person to the private person. Still others might say integrity is doing the right thing no matter how hard, costly, or devastating it might be. In our society we hold integrity with very high value.

Sadly, too often we have seen countless examples of people who were known for their integrity, but one misstep, one thoughtless action, one lazy moment caused the integrity they had worked so hard to build to be completely shattered. In the sports world the examples are endless … Jim Tressel of Ohio State, Joe Paterno of Penn State, Lance Armstrong, etc. It does not end with sports, we find the shattering of integrity in the news media, in our government, and sadly even in our pulpits. If the people we hold in high esteem cannot foster genuine integrity, how can we?

The answer is simple … a daily walk with Christ. A great beginning place can be found in the words of David in Psalms 101:2-3 … “I will be careful to live a blameless life-when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.” (NLT) I love this. Integrity begins in your own home, it is protected even when no-one is watching, it begins with the people you love and care about on the most intimate of levels. It’s owning up to your mistakes and never trying to hide something under a rug. It’s seeking forgiveness as soon as a realization is made of wrong doing. It’s growing daily in authenticity. That’s the key … integrity begins with a daily walk with Christ.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.