Daily Worship (Aug 16)

Psalm 1:1–6 (NIV)
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Devotional Thought
Psalm 1 gives us a picture of a flourishing human life. The person who trusts God's wisdom is compared to “a tree planted by streams of water.” Its roots have a steady supply of water, it produces fruit at the right time, and its leaves do not wither.
That sounds a lot like Genesis 2. God placed Adam in a garden filled with trees and watered by a river. He gave Adam everything he needed for life. But God also gave him boundaries. Adam was free to enjoy God's world, but he was called to trust God's Word about how to live in it.
Psalm 1 teaches the same truth. We do not flourish by deciding for ourselves what is good. We flourish by delighting in God's instruction. His commands are not meant to keep us from enjoying life. They show us the kind of life we were created to live.
Jesus shows us this perfectly. Unlike Adam, Jesus always trusted and obeyed his Father. He delighted in God's Word and remained faithful even when Satan tempted him to step outside his Father's will. Jesus lived the truly flourishing human life.
Through faith, we are united to Jesus. He forgives our disobedience and gives us new life. As we grow in him, we begin to become the people God created us to be.
Think about a healthy tree. You cannot see its roots, but those hidden roots determine whether the tree will survive a storm and produce fruit. The same is true of us. A flourishing life grows from being rooted in God.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Psalm 1 introduce the rest of the Psalms, and why might it begin by contrasting two different ways of life?
• Observation: What differences do you notice between the flourishing person and the wicked people described in this psalm?
• Meaning: What does the picture of a tree planted beside water teach us about a person who delights in God's Word?
• Main Idea: According to Psalm 1, what kind of life truly flourishes?
• Application: What is one area of your life where you need to trust God's wisdom instead of simply doing what seems best to you?

Prayer
Father, you created me and know what is best for me. Forgive me for looking for life apart from you. Root me deeply in your Word. Thank you for Jesus, who perfectly obeyed you and gives me new life. Help me trust your wisdom and grow into the person you created me to be. Amen.

Ephesians 2:8–10 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Devotional Thought
Genesis 2 shows that work was part of God's good creation. Before sin entered the world, God placed Adam in the garden “to work it and take care of it.” Work was not a punishment. God made human beings to cultivate his world, develop its possibilities, and use his gifts for good.
Ephesians 2 helps us see how this calling connects to the gospel.
Paul first makes something very clear: we are not saved by our work. Salvation is God's gift. We cannot work hard enough, behave well enough, serve enough people, or accomplish enough good things to earn God's love. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
But grace does not leave us without a purpose. Paul says that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.
That means Christians do not work for salvation. We work from salvation.
Your daily work matters to God. That includes more than a paying job. Studying for a test, raising children, preparing a meal, repairing a car, creating music, helping a neighbor, running a business, cleaning a room, or serving at church can all become ways of loving God and loving others.
God created humanity to cultivate his world. In Christ, he is restoring us so that we can once again live for the purpose for which we were made.
You do not need an impressive job to have meaningful work. You need to recognize that you are God's workmanship and ask how the work in front of you can be done faithfully for him.

COMMA Questions

• Context: What does Ephesians 2:1–9 say God has done for people who were spiritually dead, and how does that help us understand verse 10?
• Observation: What words or phrases in verses 8–10 describe God's work, and which ones describe our work?
• Meaning: What does Paul mean when he says that we are God's “workmanship” and were created in Christ Jesus for good works?
• Main Idea: What relationship does this passage show between God's grace and the good work we do?
• Application: What ordinary work has God placed in front of you right now, and how could you approach it as part of your calling to love God and serve others?

Prayer
Lord, thank you that my salvation does not depend on my accomplishments. You have saved me by grace through faith in Jesus. Thank you also for giving me meaningful work to do. Help me use my time, abilities, and opportunities to serve you and bless others. Teach me to see even ordinary work as a gift from you. Amen.

Colossians 1:15–20 (NIV)
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Devotional Thought
Genesis 2 gives us a beautiful picture of life in right relationship. Humanity is in relationship with God, with the created world, within ourselves, and with other people. Adam and Eve can even stand completely exposed before one another without shame. Everything is as it should be.
Colossians 1 shows us that Jesus is at the center of that picture.
Paul says that everything was created through Jesus and for Jesus. Jesus was not God's emergency plan after humanity got into trouble. The Son of God was involved in creation from the beginning. Everything exists through him, and everything ultimately belongs to him.
Paul also says that in Christ “all things hold together.” The world finds its proper order in him.
That means we cannot truly flourish while leaving Jesus out of the picture. We were made for him.
But Paul goes even further. The One through whom everything was created is also the One through whom God is reconciling all things. Jesus made peace through his blood shed on the cross.
The Creator became our Redeemer.
That changes the way we think about our relationships. Jesus reconciles us to God, but his work also begins changing how we relate to God's world, ourselves, and other people. Because we belong to Christ, we can care for creation instead of simply consuming it. We can receive our identity from God instead of trying to invent ourselves. We can forgive, serve, love, and seek peace with other people.
Human flourishing is not simply having enough money, comfort, or success. We were created through Christ and for Christ. The good life begins by living in relationship with him.

COMMA Questions

• Context: What does Paul say about Jesus in Colossians 1:13–14, and how does that prepare us for the description of Christ in verses 15–20?
• Observation: Make a list of everything this passage says Jesus created, holds together, rules over, or reconciles.
• Meaning: What does it mean that all things were created “through” Jesus and “for” Jesus?
• Main Idea: According to this passage, why must Jesus be at the center of a truly flourishing life?
• Application: Which relationship needs Christ's restoring work most clearly in your life right now: your relationship with God, creation, yourself, or another person?

Prayer
Jesus, all things were created through you and for you, including me. Forgive me for trying to build a good life apart from you. Thank you for making peace through the cross and bringing me back to God. Restore my relationships and teach me to live the life you created me to live. Amen.