Daily Worship (Oct 05)

Matthew 5:43–45 (NIV)
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Devotional Thought:
Jonah wanted nothing to do with Nineveh. They were cruel, violent, and wicked. In his eyes, they were beyond God’s mercy. But Jesus tells us something surprising: love your enemies. Why? Because this is the heart of God. God doesn’t only give sunshine and rain to people who deserve it—He gives them to everyone. That’s how big His love is.
For us, this is uncomfortable. We naturally want to hold on to our grudges. We want people to “get what they deserve.” But if God only gave us what we deserved, none of us would be saved. We were all enemies of God because of our sin. And yet, while we were His enemies, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
So when Jesus calls us to love our enemies, He is asking us to share in God’s heart. Loving our enemies is not excusing their sin. It is showing them the mercy of God that has been shown to us. Just as Nineveh turned to God when they heard His word, God can use our love and forgiveness as a witness to people who seem far away. God loves the people you love to hate.

COMMA Questions:

• Context: How does the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) shape Jesus’ command to love enemies?
• Observation: What examples does Jesus give of God’s kindness to all people?
• Meaning: What does it mean that loving enemies shows we are children of the Father?
• Main Idea: How does this passage reveal God’s heart for those we see as enemies?
• Application: Who in your life feels like a “Ninevite” to you, and how can you show them God’s love this week?

Prayer:
Father, thank You that You loved me when I was still Your enemy. Help me to see others through Your eyes and not my own. Teach me to love those I want to hate, and to forgive as I have been forgiven. Let my life show others the mercy of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 139:7–10 (NIV)
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Devotional Thought:
Jonah thought he could run from God. He bought a ticket to Tarshish, the opposite direction from Nineveh. But God chased him down with a storm, sailors, and even a great fish. Why? Because Jonah could not outrun God’s love.
Psalm 139 tells us the same truth: there is nowhere we can flee from God’s Spirit. If we go up to the heavens—He’s there. If we go down to the depths—He’s there. Even on the far side of the sea, God’s hand will guide us.
This truth can be both terrifying and comforting. If we are running from God, it means He sees us. He will not let us go our own way without warning. But it is also comforting—because no matter how far we’ve fallen, no matter how dark the place, God is still there. His love still holds us fast.
Maybe you’ve been running—hiding your sin, ignoring God’s call, or pretending you don’t hear His voice. Remember this: you can’t outrun His love. Jesus went further than Jonah ever did—into the grave itself—so that He could meet you there and bring you home.

COMMA Questions:

• Context: How does Psalm 139 as a whole describe God’s knowledge and presence?
• Observation: What words in verses 7–10 describe God’s presence in all places?
• Meaning: What does it mean that God’s “hand will guide” and “hold fast”?
• Main Idea: How does this passage show us that we cannot escape God’s love?
• Application: Where in your life are you tempted to run from God, and how can you turn back to Him today?

Prayer:
Lord, thank You that Your love always finds me. Forgive me for the ways I try to run from You. Guide me back to Your presence and hold me fast by Your Spirit. Teach me to rest in Your love, even when I want to hide. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Ephesians 2:4–5 (NIV)
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Devotional Thought:
When Jonah was drowning in the sea, he cried out, “Salvation belongs to the Lord!” He had no power to save himself. The sailors couldn’t rescue him. His own choices had led him to death. But God, in His mercy, appointed a great fish to save him.
Ephesians 2 says the same about us. We were dead in our sins. Dead means hopeless, helpless, unable to fix ourselves. But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. Notice who did the saving: God. Notice why: His great love. Notice how: by grace.
This is the gospel. Salvation does not belong to us, our works, or our goodness. Salvation belongs to the Lord. He gives it freely through Jesus, who died and rose again to make us alive.
For daily life, this means two things: humility and hope. Humility, because we contribute nothing to our salvation but our sin. Hope, because God’s mercy is stronger than our failures. Like Nineveh, like Jonah, like us—God saves the undeserving. That’s why we can say with confidence: by grace you have been saved.

COMMA Questions:

• Context: How does Ephesians 2 contrast our old life in sin with the new life in Christ?
• Observation: What words describe God’s character and action in verses 4–5?
• Meaning: What does it mean to be “made alive with Christ”?
• Main Idea: How does this passage teach us that salvation belongs to the Lord and not to us?
• Application: How can remembering God’s grace in your salvation shape your attitude this week?

Prayer:
Gracious God, thank You that salvation belongs to You and not to me. I was dead in my sins, but You made me alive with Christ. Help me to live in humility and hope, remembering that it is by grace I have been saved. Amen.