Read: Psalm 52:8-9 Study: What does the Psalmist mean by saying, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.”? Did you know that there are olive trees that take up to twelve years to produce their first fruit? This means that we may not see the fruits of the Lord’s work…

Read: Psalms 37:9 Study: Remember that the Israelites were taken from their land when the Babylonians conquered them. They were made to live in a foreign land while other people claimed the land that they called home. In this Psalm, they are reminded that being patient will pay off. Those who were doing wrong in…

Read: Psalms 27:14 Study:  The theme for this week is waiting and patience. Patience is something that is difficult for most of us. We are busy people with busy schedules. In the age of the internet, when things are at our fingertips whenever we want them, when Amazon Prime delivers anything within 2 days, we…

Read: Matthew 20:20-28 Study: Jesus kept talking about the Kingdom of heaven, his Kingdom. Weren’t “kingdoms” about power, about who held the most powerful positions? James and John thought they’d be smart, and make their bid for power before the other disciples. “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. In Heaven’s Kingdom, there…

Read: Luke 14:7-14 Study:  For Jesus, generosity was not just about giving money. It was an attitude that touched all of life. In Luke 14, he wasn’t giving advice on a clever way to make yourself look good to others. Consistent with all of his life and teaching, he urged people to avoid selfishly pushing…

Read: Luke 12:13-21 Study: A man quarreling with his brother over an inheritance triggered Jesus’ telling of this short but haunting story. A rich farmer reaping a large crop, he said, thought about nothing but how to keep it all, adding it to his already overflowing food and wealth. Fixated on his worldly fortune, he…

Read: Genesis 14:19-20, 28:16-22, Malachi 3:7-10 Study: The idea of giving one-tenth of what we have to God didn’t start in a church finance office. Genesis said Abraham and Jacob his grandson responded to God’s presence in their lives by giving back one-tenth to God in ways that fit their time and place. After Israel’s…

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Study: In this section of scripture, Paul calls us to sow with generosity and cheer. Often times, when we give, we do so out of obligation. What would it look like to give with cheer? How would your life change if you worked with the mindset of giving? Today, think about…

Read: Daniel 3:17 Study: God delivers! The God who created the entire universe has promised to deliver us from the flames and trials of life. This is not saying that life will be easy if you follow Christ. If fact it might be even harder. But, when we follow Christ, God promises that he will…