Ascension PCA

I Samuel 16:1–13

I Samuel 16:1–1316:1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.The post The Anointed One appeared first on Ascension PCA.

Psalm 90

Psalm 90A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.90:1   Lord, you have been our dwelling place    in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth,    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.  You return man to dust    and say, “Return, O children of man!”  For a thousand years in your sight    are but as yesterday when it is past,    or as a watch in the night.  You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,    like grass that is renewed in the morning:  in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;    in the evening it fades and withers.  For we are brought to an end by your anger;    by your wrath we are dismayed.  You have set our iniquities before you,    our secret sins in the light of your presence.  For all our days pass away under your wrath;    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.  The years of our life are seventy,    or even by reason of strength eighty;  yet their span is but toil and trouble;    they are soon gone, and we fly away.  Who considers the power of your anger,    and your wrath according to the fear of you?  So teach us to number our days    that we may get a heart of wisdom.  Return, O LORD! How long?    Have pity on your servants!  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,    and for as many years as we have seen evil.  Let your work be shown to your servants,    and your glorious power to their children.  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,    and establish the work of our hands upon us;    yes, establish the work of our hands!The post A Trembling Heart appeared first on Ascension PCA.

John 17:20-23

John 17:20-23“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.The post A Prayer for Unity appeared first on Ascension PCA.

Luke 24:36–49

Luke 24:36–49As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”The post Resurrection Life appeared first on Ascension PCA.

Psalm 110

Psalm 110The post The King Comes (Palm Sunday) appeared first on Ascension PCA.