GracePointe Church of Christ in Elizabethtown, PA

The Joy of Psalm 128

The Joy of Psalm 128

Delight in the way of God, the way he works in your life, the way he makes you more like Christ. The ways of God include waiting on him. Waiting—Wait means “to twist, to entwine, to bundle together.” We move our heart into God’s heart and learn his ways. Many love the works of Jesus, because miracles are really awesome! We love to see God work. But there must be a people on earth who have tapped into God’s ways. To know the ways of God is to know his heart. Delight in his ways, no matter how strange they may appear to you at any given moment.

The Joy of Psalm 1

This Sunday we are reminded of the teachings in 2024

Texts: Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:46b-55/Ps 80:1-7, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

Texts: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Thess 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36

2 Timothy 4:1-8 = This is most likely the last thing Paul wrote, and his goal is for the WORD of God to be preached and for people to be saved.  Pastoral care is hard work, and working with people is hard work.  Some take your teaching, care, and counsel, some do not. Does this change our mission? NO!  Does this affect our hearts, of course it does. How can Paul write that “all things work for good for those who love the Lord?”  Was this naive?  I think Paul saw that God is the one who never abandons us, and will bring us home to be with him…regardless of how people react and respond.  

2 Timothy 3:1-17 = “In the last days" is a phrase that tends to point us to the future, but I don’t think that is Paul’s intention here.  Perhaps he is speaking of his last days or even saying something like, “When you mature you will notice some things you might have missed before…” Paul points out that people USE their faith for all sorts of means, but urges Timothy to avoid such people and to stay focused on living in the WORD of GOD, given to us to provide direction as we navigate this world with all of its schemes and pockets of brokenness.  Paul writes, “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”  May we be people who are dedicated to Scripture!  

2 Timothy 2:14-26 = As a person grows in the Lord, they learn what is important and what needs to be set aside as immature thoughts, actions, and yes…even arguments.  One of the best things we can do as mature Christians is learn when “not to go there” and stay away from conversations and disputes that are frankly, immature.  They do not lead to spiritual growth, but often to division, to thoughts of superiority, and to the replacement of Christ with SELF…when Christ should serve me instead of me serving Christ, we have entered the highway to Hell. Paul writes to Timothy, “24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness.” 

2 Timothy 1:15-2:13 = What is our MISSION?  Who do we serve?  Paul passes to Timothy a trustworthy saying that reminds us all that GOD is the one who has called us to this life and it is for His glory that we live and worship and serve.  No one should take the place of God in our lives, including our spouse, our kids, or our best friends.  Paul is feeling abandoned in prison, and perhaps Timothy is feeling alone in his ministry…and while that experience is real, what is also real is the presence and power of God in the midst of such times.  God provides for us because God called us to lead, serve, and to endure.