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Re:Verse passage – Psalm 19:1-14 (day seven)

Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;

Have you ever wondered what made David a “man after God’s own heart?” This man who committed heinous  crimes and found himself in questionable circumstances again and again. Yet, this is the man that was chosen by God over  everyone in Israel. This is the king that would point us to the King of Kings. Why? Why David? I believe it was moments like this.

Moments of confession show that he faithfully returned to the Lord after moments of heinousness. Here we see him asking for forgiveness from sins he may not have known he had committed as well as the ones that were presumptuous, where he simply knew better and continued in sin.

Repentance is essential to a right relationship with God. If we are honest with ourselves, we have moments of heinousness too. We have those presumptuous moments where we choose the world’s way over God’s way.  If we too want to be men and women after God’s own heart, it will begin in confession and repentance. Spend some time today using the Re:Verse as a model to pray for the forgiveness of your sins that have been both hidden and presumptuous.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 19:1-14 (day six)

Step outside on a clear night and look up. For thousands of years, the stars have quieted us. They have humbled us; awakened something deep within us, a sense that there is more.

David saw this clearly: the heavens are not silent.

They declare. They proclaim. They pour forth speech. The sky is not random; it is revelation. But the heavens are not the answer to the meaning of life. They point beyond themselves. The stars tell us that God is glorious, but they cannot tell us how to know Him. They awaken wonder, but not relationship.

So David moves from the stars to the Scriptures.

Because the God who reveals Himself in creation has chosen to speak more clearly. Not just to be seen, but to be known.

And it only makes sense that a God who speaks would speak even more clearly.

And He has, in Jesus, the Word made flesh.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:4-8 (day six).

(Sorry for the late post! I’ve been at All-Church Retreat enjoying a little “community.”)

The Spirit of God gives gifts in the context of Christian community. Scripture is clear: Jesus didn’t just redeem individuals, He redeemed a people. In a world marked by division, separation, and rivalry, the church bears witness to a different reality. In Christ, we are one body. We are family, not because of shared background, ethnicity, economic status, gender, or season of life, but because of what Jesus has done.

That’s why spiritual gifts never exist in isolation. Their place and purpose are always within the body. This reframes an important question. The primary question is not, “Do I know my spiritual gift?” but “To what degree am I participating in the community Jesus has already secured for me?”

Historically, the church understood this well. In the early centuries, discerning spiritual gifts was not an individual project but a communal one. Gifts were named, affirmed, and stewarded together.

My conviction, more and more, is that we must get back to that kind of community, or as Pastor Chris would say, “deeper relationships.”

Will you join me?

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 10:28-30 (day two)

“…we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.”

When African-American students gather to proclaim certain areas as Black spaces, or when marginalized groups of any ethnicity make attempts to recover and reclaim heritage by emphasizing achievements or accomplishments in music or other fields, it’s not uncommon to hear complaints of “reverse discrimination” or bigotry. When one’s ethnicity does not feel minimized or diminished for most of one’s life, it’s hard to imagine how deep the fears of disappearing really go. How much more so here in this passage when a people – who have a heritage of God’s activity in their midst through generations and who sense that they have been on the brink of perishing after their neglect of the scriptures – see a way back from despair? Racist? Or revived?

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 4:1-8 (day seven)

Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. vs 1

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me!” Were you ever told that growing up? I understand that the people in my life that tried to get me to believe that really were trying to help, but that may be the biggest lie I was ever told. I have had broken bones. They healed. Yet, all it takes is one negative word and I tail spin into a funk of discouragement, connecting the dots of every other negative word anyone has ever said to me. The sting of words may not hurt as much as the broken bone, but the impact may last longer. Words can hurt!

Discouragement is the devise of the enemy. Quite the opposite of faith which believes the promises and love of God to be true. Faith is hope. Whereas discouragement feeds off negativity and allows us to forget the promises of God. Discouragement believes the worst.

Although it is the opposite of discouragement, faith is also the weapon against discouragement. Just like Nehemiah and the Israelites building the wall, we must press on believing and knowing the promises of God are true. Sticks and stones may break down the walls, but the Word of God has told me to trust in Him. His Word is stronger than any insult or stone that may come flying our way.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 2:19-22 (day three)

“[You] are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the corner stone…”

Jesus is so great that he doesn’t feel the need to be the only one doing everything. He actually allows others to matter. Amazingly, Paul doesn’t say that Jesus is the totality of the foundation of God’s work in the world. Rather, he’s the cornerstone, the criterion by which all things are regarded. And simultaneously, he eagerly invites you to come with him – to bring your experience, your skill, your personality, your laughter, your wounds, your beauty, your tears, your voice, your longings near to his side where you belong, expending your energy alongside his to love this world and stay with it. Jesus is making all things new, and he bids you come and make it new with him.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Kings 19:3-8 (day five)

And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. v.5

What a difference a nap and a snack make. I love the fact, here, that God let Elijah sleep. It feels like an epic nap because Elijah was awakened, ate, and then fell asleep again. Elijah had just had a “mountaintop” experience with the Lord, only to be followed by an extreme valley. As Elijah descended into that valley exhaustion, despair, and depression began to set in. But God knew what Elijah needed.

So, he let Elijah sleep. Then, He let Elijah eat. Then, He let Elijah eat and sleep again. Elijah thought that he knew what he needed, and he thought he knew the best way out of the situation he found himself in. We all are guilty of that at times. But God knows best. God knew that there was still work for Elijah to do, and He provided everything that Elijah needed to accomplish the work he was called to.

God knows the work that He has called you to today, so rest in Him to provide you with everything you need.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Jimmy Gunn
Associate Pastor, Preschool & Elementary

Re:Verse passage – 1 Kings 18:30-39 (day seven)

Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.” 1 Kings 18:22

What is a prophet? Put simply, a prophet is God’s messenger. They are given a word from the Lord that is to be delivered to the people. The prophets of Ba’al believed they could summon the power of their god with their own words and actions. They believed their god existed to meet their needs. They were not divinely inspired, nor were they carrying a message. They were false prophets. The prophet Elijah brought a message directly from the Lord: there is only One True God!

Do prophets exist today? Absolutely! Today, you will hear a message directly from the Lord out of the mouth of Pastor Chris or Pastor Danny. These men have been seeking the Lord all week to hear what message they are supposed to deliver to you.

Likewise, false prophets exist in plenty today. Many of whom will tickle your ear. If a prophet/pastor tells you that you that God exists to meet your needs or that you can summon His power to make yourself more financially prosperous, they may be leading you closer to the worship of Ba’al than the worship of Jesus.

Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day seven)  

But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. vs 20b

There is a little bit of Samson in all of us. Maybe not so much the ability to wipe out an entire army with the jawbone of a donkey, but more so, we are like Samson in the orientation of our priorities. Many people might say that the sin that led to Samson’s demise was the 7th commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” I would argue that the sin that most immediately led to Samson’s demise was actually the 1st commandment, “You shall have no other God’s before me.” The moment his strength left him was not the moment he slept with Delilah, but the moment he prioritized her above God. He deemed his ungodly relationship as more important than his relationship to God.

We may not be in an ungodly relationship or committing adultery (even though this happen more regularly than we might think according to Jesus) but we do choose ungodly things over God on a regular basis. Just look back over your week. How much time did you spend with the Lord? How much time did you spend on your hobby? How much time did you spend on your phone, tv, computer? Where we spend our time will show us what we prioritize. We are more like Samson than we might think.