Gracepoint Church of Oroville - Gracepoint Church

Our psalm today takes up another important topic in the life of the pilgrim, security. This psalm reminds us that while traveling the way of faith may be difficult at times, but it ought not be worrisome. We may slip and stumble and fall, but God will always hold us!

In today's text we are reminded that Jesus not only loves all people, but that He also has all authority. If Jesus but speaks the word, our needs will be met. Don’t miss out on your miracle because you are waiting for a magic trick. If you are in trouble, there is no better decision you can make, than to come Jesus.

Psalm 124 is a song of hazard and of help. It reminds us that our story is framed not by chaos but by the reality that God is for us! The God who sustains us is the God who created heaven and earth.

As a person grows and matures in the Christian way, it is necessary to acquire certain skills. One such skill is service. Psalm 123 is an instance of service. In this, as so often in the Psalms, we are not instructed in what to do, we are provided an instance of what is done. In Psalm 123 we observe that aspect of the life of discipleship that takes place under the form of servanthood.

Psalm 122 is the third psalm in our study of the Psalms of Ascent. It is a psalm of worship — a demonstration of what people of faith everywhere and always do: gather to an assigned place and worship their god. As Christians, we must decide to worship God, faithfully and devoutly. It is one of the important acts in a life of discipleship.

Today we look at Psalm 121. Our hope is in God, the maker of heaven and earth. We trust in His divine providence to see us safely through to the journey's end.

Psalm 120 may seem like a strange place to start a pilgrimage given that it doesn’t explicitly speak of going on a pilgrimage. It does, however, express the feelings of homesick people settled in a strange land and the first step toward God is a step away from the lies of the world. Eugene Peterson writes, “The usual biblical word describing the ‘no’ we say to the world’s lies and the ‘yes’ we say to God’s truth is repentance.” We often think of repentance as being sorry for a mistake. In actuality it is something much deeper and more powerful than that!

An introduction to our new adult Bible study series: "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society." For more information on the current series see our website at: http://bit.ly/GracepointAdultSeries

Jesus didn’t come to join our team. Jesus came to offer us the gift of full participation in God’s ongoing work of reconciliation. Participation in the work of the kingdom requires risk. It means receiving our lives as gifts instead of guarding them as our own possessions. It means sharing the life we have been given instead of bottling it up for our own consumption.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, again and again we read in the Gospels about Him caring for the hopeless and the helpless. After watching Jesus heal a man who could neither hear nor speak clearly, the people around Jesus made this statement about Him, “He has done all things well.” Jesus doesn’t do mediocre, half-way or almost. Whatever your need today, be encouraged because Jesus does all things well!