Seek His Face

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day seven)

This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah. Psalm 24:6

I love playing hide-and-go-seek with my young sons. They like to hide in places where they think I can’t see them, like a lamp or curtains. They think because they can’t see me that I can’t see them, but almost always, a part, or most of their body is exposed. The only thing that is always covered is their face which is turned into a corner or hidden in their hands. They have hidden their face from me in an attempt to hide their whole self.

There is something intimate about seeking the face of someone. We can be present in the room, but if we don’t get face to face with them, we can still be  disconnected.

Do we seek the face of God? As we begin this series on stewardship, it is important for us to first look at our individual and personal connections with God. When we seek His face, we will enter into a place of deep and intimate connection with Him. It is that connection that will guide us as we navigate His plan and His will for our life, this church, and His Kingdom.

Kingdom Servants

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day six)

Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place? Psalm 24:3

Psalm 24 is not, at least directly, a psalm about stewardship, and yet it fits perfectly. It is a song that declares the greatness, holiness, and majesty of God, the King of Glory. Before Scripture ever calls us to give or manage resources, it first calls us to lift our eyes and recognize who God is.

As we begin our new series, Kingdom Generosity, we are not starting with money, but with identity. This series is about how we live as servants of the King of Glory. In God’s economy, stewardship always flows from belonging. Before we ask what we do with what we have, we must ask who we are and who we serve.

Psalm 24 serves as the perfect reminder. Ultimately, we discover that our identity as Kingdom servants finds its home in Jesus, who alone can ascend God’s holy mountain.

Telling

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day five)

I love Psalm 24:1. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.”
It is clear, concise, and straightforward. It leaves no room for questioning or debate. It eliminates any kind of speculation or challenging. It assigns ownership, priority, and significance to the right person- God. It calls for recognition, submission, and humility. It exalts the sovereignty and enormity of God. It presses against the ego and pride of the human flesh while drawing awe and amazement from a heart that has surrendered to the Lord. When reading this verse, is there worry or worship in your soul?  Is there conviction or confusion? Is there freedom or fear? The response will be telling.

Origin

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day four)

For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

 David’s poetry in this psalm is meant to remind us of the poetry of the creation narrative. The earth and the cosmos were all created by the King of glory and for the King of glory. There is no alternate purpose for anything in God’s created world. He created everything, from the Milky Way to the atoms that form the soil, to allow his glory to be reflected, known, and celebrated.

Because God created it and owns it, nothing in this world has purpose other than what God has given it. That includes us. We were created by the King of glory and for the King of glory. When we think of creation as anything other than the Lord’s, we misuse it. When we think of ourselves as anything other than the Lord’s, we miss our calling.

Reference Point

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day three)

1The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

The Psalmist begins this psalm with a declaration that the Lord is sovereign over all things. That’s a great place to start anything. It orients our reference point to the fact that everything belongs to God, and we are simply caretakers and stewards of that which He has given to us for our time on this earth. If everything the earth contains belongs to Him, then we actually own nothing. We tend to think of stewardship in terms of money, but it is so much more than that. We are called to be good stewards of many things, and I am excited to dive into this together.

As we collectively orient our stewardship reference point on this declaration of God’s sovereignty, may we remember well that our purpose is to glorify the Lord with all that He has blessed us with. God has called us to be good stewards of our time, relationships, finances, all of creation, our talents, our bodies, and so much more. The list could go on and on. Today, spend time orienting yourself to the frame of reference that everything is already God’s, and that you are simply a steward of what He has given to you. Is there anything in your life that needs confession and redemption back to His purpose?

Great Care

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day two)

The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. v. 1

Do you remember, as a child, visiting a fancy store, or someone’s house that had really nice things, and your parents warning you not to touch, or to take great care not to break or damage anything? There may have been a fear of having to pay if something was damaged, or that we wouldn’t be able to replace the item. Regardless, we learned to treat other people’s property with great care. This is a great reminder as we begin our stewardship study. The psalmist clearly states that everything belongs to the Lord, and therefore we must manage it with great care. The Lord has given us the responsibility to steward his creation, and we must do what we can to care for things that belong to him.

Monday Re:Vlog – 1/12/26

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Minister Megan Langan walk us through Psalm 24:1-10  in our Re:Verse Series: “Kingdom Generosity – Stewardship in God’s Economy.”

To watch the Re:Vlog video, Click Here!

Greater Than He

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day seven)

[…] yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:28b

How can the least in the Kingdom be even greater than the greatest man born of a woman? Simple, John was only born of a woman. He was not born again under the New Covenant. We know that John was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, but due to his death preceding the death of Christ, He was unable to fully participate in the New Covenant; and thus, he was fully unable to experience regeneration as we are able to through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is not a knock on John. Jesus was explaining that we are going to get something so much greater than anyone who lived under the old covenant, even those filled with the Spirit.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

As born again believers, we get to experience a Living Hope. We get to experience His Kingdom here on earth. We get to taste Heaven now.

Good Questions

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day six)  

One of Luke’s consistent emphases is that news about Jesus did not stay contained. It spread quickly, widely, and almost uncontrollably. From the earliest chapters, Luke tells us that fear, wonder, and word about Jesus moved through towns, synagogues, and households (Luke 1:65; 4:15, 36–37; 5:15; 7:16–17). This is simply the nature of the Kingdom of God. When God’s reign breaks into the world, it unsettles the status quo. People talk. Questions surface. Expectations are challenged.

John the Baptist heard these stories too. Sitting in prison, he sends messengers to Jesus with a question that feels surprising: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Hadn’t John already seen the Spirit descend at Jesus’ baptism? Hadn’t he proclaimed the coming kingdom? And yet, like many in Israel, John may have expected a different kind of Messiah.

Luke invites us to notice an important distinction. John’s question is not dismissive skepticism; it is sincere seeking. He brings his confusion honestly to Jesus. That posture stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ hometown, whose familiarity bred contempt rather than faith. Luke reminds us that the Kingdom spreads not only through miracles and proclamation, but through honest questions brought humbly to Jesus—questions that keep us listening rather than closing ourselves off.

Questions and Doubt

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day five)  

This week we see the honesty and the vulnerability of the scriptures. The heroes mentioned in the Bible have flaws and weaknesses. John the Baptist is no exception. He is portrayed as he really is. Fiery. Finite. Faith-filled. Fallible.

So how do you go from being full of conviction to being consumed by questions?  Maybe it’s the wrong question. A better question might be, “What do you do when you question (even doubt) the goodness and character of God?”  (The doubts and questions will probably come to all of us in some form or fashion.)  John the Baptist gives us a good example to follow. He engages Jesus. He seeks and searches for Jesus. Doesn’t internalize. Doesn’t start debates with others. He reaches out in honesty and humility to the Christ. And Jesus in return, is just as tender with John as he is with the blind and the lepers. Jesus then teaches John (and us) to recall and consider what Jesus has done (is doing), and to reflect on our own experiences and encounters with Jesus rather than our current circumstances. Celebrate and take notice of the things Jesus has done in us and around us. To remember. To rejoice in what we’ve already seen and experienced. To make and then revisit our own “ebenezers”
Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’ve come. (The Ebenezer is a reminder of a time and place we have felt and witnessed God’s love and grace.)