When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching Godâs word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.4 They couldnât bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, âMy child, your sins are forgiven.â
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READ: JOHN 13:35 AND 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-20; SOAP: JOHN 13:35
John 13:35 New Living Translation
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.â
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 New Living Translation
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting peopleâs sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christâs ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, âCome back to God!â
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When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, âWhere are you?â
10 He replied, âI heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.â
11 âWho told you that you were naked?â the Lord God asked. âHave you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?â
12 The man replied, âIt was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.â
13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, âWhat have you done?â
âThe serpent deceived me,â she replied. âThatâs why I ate it.â
Do you think this first sin impacted the relationship that Adam and Eve had with each other? What about with God? If so, how?
âWhy are you so angry?â the Lord asked Cain. âWhy do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.â
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, âLetâs go out into the fields.â And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
Read: Genesis 2:18, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, and Matthew 18:20; SOAP Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Genesis 2:18 New Living Translation
Then the Lord God said, âIt is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.â
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 New Living Translation
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
This section of Ecclesiastes is on friendship, and it summarizes some of the beautiful benefits of living in community.
READ: GENESIS 1:26-27 AND 1 JOHN 1:3; SOAP: GENESIS 1:27
Genesis 1:26-27 New Living Translation
Then God said, âLet us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.â
So God created human beings in his own image.     In the image of God he created them;     male and female he created them.
1 John 1:3 New Living Translation
We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
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Read: Hosea 14:4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:25 and James 3:17; SOAP: Hosea 14:9
Hosea 14:4-9
The Lord says, âThen I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. 5 I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. 6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. 7 My people will again live under my shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. 8 âO Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.â9 Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths, sinners stumble and fall.
1 Corinthians 1:25
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and Godâs weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
I want to be a wise woman. And I know that the only way of being wise is through knowing and living God´s Word every single day.
READ: HOSEA 14:1-3, NEHEMIAH 1:9, and 2 PETER 3:9; SOAP: HOSEA 14:2
Hosea 14:1-3
Healing for the RepentantReturn, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, âForgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, âYou are our gods.â No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.â
Nehemiah 1:9
9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.â
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord isnât really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
He´s patiently waiting for every soul to reach repentance. –
Reflection Question: Hosea calls Israel once again to return to the Lord. This time he tells them to take words with them – what were the words or what was the point of the words?
Read: Hosea 13:15-16 and Jeremiah 4:11-12 and 51:36; SOAP: Jeremiah 51:36
Hosea 13:15-16
Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers, but the east windâa blast from the Lordâ will arise in the desert. All their flowing springs will run dry, and all their wells will disappear. Every precious thing they own will be plundered and carried away. 16 The people of Samaria must bear the consequences of their guilt because they rebelled against their God. They will be killed by an invading army, their little ones dashed to death against the ground, their pregnant women ripped open by swords.â
Jeremiah 4:11-12
The time is coming when the Lord will say to the people of Jerusalem, âMy dear people, a burning wind is blowing in from the desert, and itâs not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain. 12 It is a roaring blast sent by me! Now I will pronounce your destruction!âRead full chapter
Jeremiah 51:36 – The Lordâs Vengeance on Babylon
This is what the Lord says to Jerusalem: âI will be your lawyer to plead your case, and I will avenge you. I will dry up her river, as well as her springs,
We blame God for all our problems and struggles, but actually, we are the ones to blame
Read: Hosea 13:4-14 and Mark 10:45; SOAP: Hosea 13:14
Hosea 13:4-14
âI have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt. You must acknowledge no God but me, for there is no other savior. 5 I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. 6 But when you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me. 7 So now I will attack you like a lion, like a leopard that lurks along the road. 8 Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away, I will tear out your heart. I will devour you like a hungry lioness and mangle you like a wild animal.
9 âYou are about to be destroyed, O Israelâ yes, by me, your only helper. 10 Now where is your king? Let him save you! Where are all the leaders of the land, the king, and the officials you demanded of me? 11 In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury, I took them away. 12 âEphraimâs guilt has been collected, and his sin has been stored up for punishment. 13 Pain has come to the people like the pain of childbirth, but they are like a child who resists being born. The moment of birth has arrived, but they stay in the womb!
14 âShould I ransom them from the grave? Should I redeem them from death? O death, bring on your terrors! O grave, bring on your plagues! For I will not take pity on them.
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Israel foolishly turned to its earthly governors instead of turning to God.
When the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the people shook with fear, for that tribe was important in Israel. But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal and thus sealed their destruction. 2 Now they continue to sin by making silver idols, images shaped skillfully with human hands. âSacrifice to these,â they cry, âand kiss the calf idols!â 3 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist, like dew in the morning sun, like chaff blown by the wind, like smoke from a chimney.
Psalm 1
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Instead of using what God had given them to do great things for His glory, they used their skills to make idols. Instead of investing their lives in eternity, they foolishly invested in the temporal.
Reflection question: What correlation do you see between our two passages today? (Specifically the events of Hosea 13:1-3 and the warning of Psalm 1.)
Gather with a group of friends this week for coffee (or tea, or cupcakes) and have an honest talk about what you think your gifts and talents are â and how you would use them for God if nothing stood in your way. Encourage one another to find one small way to take action and honor God with their gifts in the coming month. Then plan a date to get back together to check-in.
Weekly Challenge
Memory Verse: Hosea 14:9
Prayer Focus: Spend time praying for yourself this week. Feel free to share a request with us.
Me From the Inside Out 