Author: Norm

November 15, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7:1-6 OBSERVATIONS 1. Yikes, God will judge us the same way we judge others? Is He just trying to scare us away from judging others? Judging fairly is impossible for us, there are so many variables and circumstances, which only God knows. In addition there are our own biases and blind…

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ? Corrie Ten Boom “How would your life be different if…You stopped worrying about things you can’t control and started focusing on the things you can? Let today be the day…You free yourself from fruitless worry, seize the day and take…

November 14, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:25-34 OBSERVATIONS 1. Most of this is about why we should not worry. Because God cares for flowers and animals, and you are even more valuable than they are. Because life is more than the the things we usually worry about. Because God knows what you need. Because worrying doesn’t help…

Need a little drama in your life… then push the red button. But be warned, if you push the button, it will add some drama!

November 13, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:19-24 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus is talking about what we value, what we consider our ‘treasures’. If we treasure temporal things, we will be disappointed, their sheen will fade. But there is treasure that never fades… heavenly treasure. But what is this treasure? People, family, relationships… not things? The things that God…

November 12, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:16-18 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus does not say we must fast, He is addressing when we choose to do it. To fast is to voluntarily withhold yourself from something (food, drink, other activity) in times of crisis, sorrow for sin, or to draw closer to God. In the OT there were prescribed…

November 11, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 7 OBSERVATIONS 1. David feels he is innocent, and being treated unfairly. Anyone who is cruel, unjust, mean deserves to pay for their crimes (even himself, David admits), but the innocent do not deserve it. He pleads with God to step in and punish the wicked, and rescue the innocent.

November 9-10, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Genesis 32:1-37:1 OBSERVATIONS What do you notice in this passage? APPLICATION What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER

November 8, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:9-15 OBSERVATIONS 1. This prayer is so familiar, it’s hard to make new observations. What stands out again to me is the brevity and simplicity of this prayer. Just the facts. God doesn’t need the commentary. Could I present a request in one sentence?

November 7, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:5-8 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus also challenges public praying for attention, and calls us to go into a private place. Not sure what He meant by a closet… my closet would not be big enough… though some peoples walk in closets are bigger than my bed room… but I assume He meant…