March 7, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for March 7th: Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-22 Theme: Wisdom and Folly; Song: Take Time to Be Holy UMH 395 1 Corinthians: The Bible is full of words of wisdom. The Book of Proverbs makes wisdom a mother that we can all relate to. Even the Book of Psalms encourages us to make wise choices. But the message is clear is that wisdom only comes from God, not from the world around us. Paul goes one step further and explains that what makes common sense to the world, is the exact opposite of what God tells us to do. We all live in the world, so we are all tempted to use the worlds wisdom. Lent is our chance to be strong, to pull away from the world and to listen to God. The biggest challenge of Corinthians was divisions and strife within the Body of Christ. Paul is trying to remind us to take care of our disagreements according to the Bible and love, and not the world and revenge. Psalms: Psalm 19 is divided into three parts, but the message is for us to be able to identify God, for us to listen to God and for us to be Godly people. Where else can we find God but in nature? Every season God puts on a show that we can only marvel at. When we look at God’s handiwork all around us, we are reminded that God is also at work in us, in those around us, and in our church. When we have a prayer life, we have a relationship with God. We start to listen to God in making our decisions. I think the ending of Psalm 19 is important – it encourages us to think of our own redemption. No matter how good we think we are, we are sinners and we need to ask for God’s forgiveness before we can go on in a life of faith. Questions: Who do you look for when you are looking for wise words? What are some things that God tells us to do, that the world does not support us in? How does nature inspire you in this current season? What is your relationship with God like? How does it need to improve?