January 27-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 57:1-3, Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me. 3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me—God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 69, Week 4, Day 1: Early in David’s life, a jealous King Saul was intent on having him killed. At one of his lowest points, David was hiding in a cave with the king’s soldiers searching all around him. He wrote the prayer found in Psalm 57. David cries out in despair but also David has hope that God will win the day. David’s story didn’t end in the cave in which he was hiding. God came through for him as found in 1 Samuel 24. God didn’t answer his cry for help the way David expected, but He did answer. God proved time and time again He cared for David and was able to do the impossible. The past victories in David’s life gave him the ability to hope, and hope allowed him to trust God’s plan for his life.
Relate it to your life.
Hope is another way of saying, “Stay tuned. There’s more to the story.”
Do something.
“Father, I offer you my deepest despair, hurt, and pain. Hear my cry for help. Give me hope that You are with me and will offer me a better day ahead. Amen.”
January 28-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 56:8, You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted page 72, Week 4, Day 2: In this verse, David creates a beautiful picture of the love and adoration God has for us. He hasn’t forgotten about us. He knows exactly where we are and what we experience., And, whether, we see it or not, He is involved. God hears us. He empathizes with us. The Bible talks more about God comforting His people in times of pain than rescuing His people or changing their circumstances. Romans 5:3-4, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” It’s this hope-found only in our loving Heavenly Father-that enables us to take another step. To keep walking when all seems lost, knowing that Jesus walks alongside us. And, when our sorrow becomes too great and we cannot walk, He carries us.
Relate it to your life.
God captures every tear and redeems our suffering to give us the comfort of His loving presence.
Do something.
“Father, I take great comfort that I don’t walk through my pain alone, but You are with me. Amen.”
January 29-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 76, Week 4, Day 3: Imagine these three brave men standing before the most powerful man on earth with bold defiance. With one clenched fist they say, “God can rescue us and we believe He will.” In essence they are saying, “King, you think you control this situation? You think our lives are in your hands? You think you hold our ultimate fate? You couldn’t be further off. We serve a God who created the earth who holds the stars in His hands, who set you on your throne, and who will rule long after you and your empire are gone. God has this situation well in hand and is more than able to save us from your furnace.” Then, the second fist comes up and they saw with equal confidence, “Even if He doesn’t save us, we will not serve your gods.” Essentially, they are saying…We will trust God in life and in death.
Relate it to your life.
Whether God chooses to act or not, I will cling to Him and hold on with both hands.
Do something.
“Father, my love and trust in You is based on who You are and not what You will do for me. Amen.”
January 30-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
1 Peter 5:6-7, Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 80, Week 4, Day 4: The Apostle Peter, who wrote these words, was no stranger to pressure, pain, and suffering. Peter locked onto the fact that the key to making it through hard times is surrender. He teaches us to do this by humbling ourselves. Two things to note about his admonition: God will lift us up, but He will do it in His timing. Our speed and God’s speed are almost always different. We want things to get resolved immediately, but God is patient. God is working alongside us in every situation at just the right pace. Part of trusting God is not only believing He will lift us up, but that He will lift us up in the right time. Second, we can cast all of our cares onto God. We don’t need to worry about filtering our cares before Him. There is no care we have that is beneath bringing to Him.
Relate it to your life.
There is no better place to surrender ourselves than under God’s strength and loving care.
Do something.
“Father, I surrender my all to you, including, my need to know Your answers and timing. Amen.”
January 31-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Romans 5:2-5b, And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, pages 82, Week 4, Day 5: These verses tell us what produces Christ-like character. This change of character starts when we believe, to our very core, that we are loved by God. When we believe this truth, we realize problems and trials aren’t experienced for nothing. Instead, they produce endurance which produces strength of character. Strength of character produces joyful, confident hope. This isn’t the same as a life of comfort, but your comfort isn’t God’s goal for your life. Changing you into a person of great character, someone who is spiritually like His Son, is His plan for your life.
Relate it to your life.
If I allow God to do His work in me through my suffering, it will create positive change within.
Do something.
“Father, as much as I don’t like suffering, I ask You to use it for my spiritual growth. Amen.”
February 1-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 14:14, The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 85: During January 2010, a devastating 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. The number of those affected was overwhelming. The day after the earthquake, 360 families came to live on our church property, most of them members of our church. They lost everything. Their homes, belongings, and family members. So many kids with no parents came to us for help, and we wondered if they would ever have a normal life again. We didn’t know where to start, what to do, or how to help. We had no resources with which to help these people. The Lord started to move in ways we could not imagine. We prayed and glorified His name, and He revealed Himself miraculously. The Lord woke up His global Church from all over the world and sent people to help us. Pastor Samuel Metelus
Relate it to your life.
God often answers prayers through the resources of His people.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for hearing and answering prayer. Make me alert to the fact that You use people like me to respond to those in need. Give me a generous heart and an open hand to give and serve. Amen.”
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 57:1-3, Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me. 3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me—God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 69, Week 4, Day 1: Early in David’s life, a jealous King Saul was intent on having him killed. At one of his lowest points, David was hiding in a cave with the king’s soldiers searching all around him. He wrote the prayer found in Psalm 57. David cries out in despair but also David has hope that God will win the day. David’s story didn’t end in the cave in which he was hiding. God came through for him as found in 1 Samuel 24. God didn’t answer his cry for help the way David expected, but He did answer. God proved time and time again He cared for David and was able to do the impossible. The past victories in David’s life gave him the ability to hope, and hope allowed him to trust God’s plan for his life.
Relate it to your life.
Hope is another way of saying, “Stay tuned. There’s more to the story.”
Do something.
“Father, I offer you my deepest despair, hurt, and pain. Hear my cry for help. Give me hope that You are with me and will offer me a better day ahead. Amen.”
January 28-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 56:8, You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted page 72, Week 4, Day 2: In this verse, David creates a beautiful picture of the love and adoration God has for us. He hasn’t forgotten about us. He knows exactly where we are and what we experience., And, whether, we see it or not, He is involved. God hears us. He empathizes with us. The Bible talks more about God comforting His people in times of pain than rescuing His people or changing their circumstances. Romans 5:3-4, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” It’s this hope-found only in our loving Heavenly Father-that enables us to take another step. To keep walking when all seems lost, knowing that Jesus walks alongside us. And, when our sorrow becomes too great and we cannot walk, He carries us.
Relate it to your life.
God captures every tear and redeems our suffering to give us the comfort of His loving presence.
Do something.
“Father, I take great comfort that I don’t walk through my pain alone, but You are with me. Amen.”
January 29-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 76, Week 4, Day 3: Imagine these three brave men standing before the most powerful man on earth with bold defiance. With one clenched fist they say, “God can rescue us and we believe He will.” In essence they are saying, “King, you think you control this situation? You think our lives are in your hands? You think you hold our ultimate fate? You couldn’t be further off. We serve a God who created the earth who holds the stars in His hands, who set you on your throne, and who will rule long after you and your empire are gone. God has this situation well in hand and is more than able to save us from your furnace.” Then, the second fist comes up and they saw with equal confidence, “Even if He doesn’t save us, we will not serve your gods.” Essentially, they are saying…We will trust God in life and in death.
Relate it to your life.
Whether God chooses to act or not, I will cling to Him and hold on with both hands.
Do something.
“Father, my love and trust in You is based on who You are and not what You will do for me. Amen.”
January 30-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
1 Peter 5:6-7, Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 80, Week 4, Day 4: The Apostle Peter, who wrote these words, was no stranger to pressure, pain, and suffering. Peter locked onto the fact that the key to making it through hard times is surrender. He teaches us to do this by humbling ourselves. Two things to note about his admonition: God will lift us up, but He will do it in His timing. Our speed and God’s speed are almost always different. We want things to get resolved immediately, but God is patient. God is working alongside us in every situation at just the right pace. Part of trusting God is not only believing He will lift us up, but that He will lift us up in the right time. Second, we can cast all of our cares onto God. We don’t need to worry about filtering our cares before Him. There is no care we have that is beneath bringing to Him.
Relate it to your life.
There is no better place to surrender ourselves than under God’s strength and loving care.
Do something.
“Father, I surrender my all to you, including, my need to know Your answers and timing. Amen.”
January 31-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Romans 5:2-5b, And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, pages 82, Week 4, Day 5: These verses tell us what produces Christ-like character. This change of character starts when we believe, to our very core, that we are loved by God. When we believe this truth, we realize problems and trials aren’t experienced for nothing. Instead, they produce endurance which produces strength of character. Strength of character produces joyful, confident hope. This isn’t the same as a life of comfort, but your comfort isn’t God’s goal for your life. Changing you into a person of great character, someone who is spiritually like His Son, is His plan for your life.
Relate it to your life.
If I allow God to do His work in me through my suffering, it will create positive change within.
Do something.
“Father, as much as I don’t like suffering, I ask You to use it for my spiritual growth. Amen.”
February 1-A Taste of Rooted
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 14:14, The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Observe what it is saying.
Rooted, page 85: During January 2010, a devastating 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. The number of those affected was overwhelming. The day after the earthquake, 360 families came to live on our church property, most of them members of our church. They lost everything. Their homes, belongings, and family members. So many kids with no parents came to us for help, and we wondered if they would ever have a normal life again. We didn’t know where to start, what to do, or how to help. We had no resources with which to help these people. The Lord started to move in ways we could not imagine. We prayed and glorified His name, and He revealed Himself miraculously. The Lord woke up His global Church from all over the world and sent people to help us. Pastor Samuel Metelus
Relate it to your life.
God often answers prayers through the resources of His people.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for hearing and answering prayer. Make me alert to the fact that You use people like me to respond to those in need. Give me a generous heart and an open hand to give and serve. Amen.”
Posted in Daily Devotionals