The Word & Our Walk

Jude 1-16 Summary Jude identifies himself in verse 1: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James Although Jude does not explicitly say he is also a brother of Jesus, he most likely is. Now, rather than that relationship, Jude chooses to emphasize the relationship between the King and the servant. Jude writes to a church that is loved, called, and kept by God (v. 1). He writes because, even though the church is "kept by God for Jesus Christ," it is not immune to dang

Psalm 147 Summary Psalm 147 calls God’s people to praise the LORD not because life is easy, but because God is faithful to rebuild, restore, and sustain His people. The psalm opens with a simple yet profound invitation: “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God” (v. 1). Praise flows from who God is as well as what God does. He gathers the outcasts of Israel and heals the brokenhearted (vv. 2–3). This restoring God is also the Creator who counts the stars and

Living on "Stage," Rooted in Our Identity “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2 & 3) As we close out 2025, I am reminded that Scripture directs our attention not first to events but to identity. What we do (fruit) is very important, but who we are (tree) is more import

Psalm 145 Summary Psalm 145 is David’s song of praise to the LORD as King. Praise is not treated as a mood but as a daily posture. Praise happens when God's people see the character of God and place their trust in the life of the covenant community: One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts (v. 4). At the center stands God’s character: The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (v. 8). This Kin

Psalm 144 Summary In Psalm 144, David "blesses" the LORD as his warrior-God, yet immediately confesses the frailty of humanity. The psalm moves from personal dependence to national hope, and finally to a vision of true blessing that can only come from covenant life under God’s rule. David begins not with strategy , but with doxology : Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle (v.1). Yet this is not a confidence in power or force. Dav

Psalm 142 Summary Psalm 142 is a type of psalm known as "Maskil," which is a prayer that teaches. It's a carefully crafted, Spirit-inspired meditation meant to shape how we think, feel, and live before God. This particular Maskil was attributed to David “when he was in the cave”. He was likely hiding from King Saul. David was cut off from human help and was feeling abandoned. This psalm is a raw, honest lament that turns a suffocating cave into a sanctuary of prayer. With my

Psalm 141 Summary Psalm 141 is David’s prayer for protection from both external evil and internal temptation. Perhaps, David was tempted by the prosperity of the evil men. Why does God allow evil to succeed while the saints suffer? This is an age-old question that often makes the saints stumble. O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

Psalm 140 Summary Psalm 140 is David’s prayer for deliverance from violent and deceitful men. He begins with urgency: Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men (v.1). Who were David's enemies? They were: Violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps* (vv. 1b-3). (*NIV translates this as "poison of vipers," which is better here.) They us

Psalm 139:13–24 Summary Psalm 139:13–24 moves from intimate wonder to searching surrender. David begins by confessing that God’s care reaches back before birth itself: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth (vv. 13-15). Go

What I Believe and Sense God is Doing in Our Midst (Why Riverside Community Church, a House of Prayer for All Nations, is special to me.) One thing has become increasingly clear to me in these past eight months since returning to Riverside: the church Jesus is building is unmistakably missions-minded. The Great Commission is not an optional assignment for the select few. It is the heartbeat of Christ for His people. Our risen Lord has commanded us, “Go therefore and make disc

Psalm 139:1–12 Summary Psalm 139 opens with David’s confession that the Lord’s knowledge is complete and intimate: O LORD, you have searched me and known me (v.1). God knows David's situation and discerns his thoughts. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways (vv. 3-4). God is acquainted with all David’s ways and even knows the words that have not yet reached hi

Psalm 138 Summary Psalm 138 is a psalm of David in which he gives wholehearted thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love and faithful care. The psalm moves from thanksgiving (vv.1–3), to prophetic hope for worldwide recognition of God (vv.4–6), to personal trust in God’s unfailing commitment (vv.7–8). It is deeply personal yet globally expansive, rooted in God’s covenant character and His active involvement in His servant’s life. I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart

Psalm 137 Summary “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.” Psalm 137 opens with the raw grief of exiles carried to Babylon after Jerusalem’s fall. They hang their harps on the willows because songs of Zion cannot be sung in a foreign land (vv. 1–2). Their captors taunt them: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (v. 3). But the psalmist refuses to treat holy worship as entertainment. Instead, he makes a vow: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

Nehemiah 13:15–31 “Rebuilt Walls, But Not Rebuilt Hearts” Introduction On the surface, Ezra–Nehemiah is a triumphant story. Some even read it to learn about "leadership." I suppose I can see that. The Temple was rebuilt under Zerubbabel. The Torah was restored and taught under Ezra. The Wall was repaired and secured under Nehemiah. Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah all faced opposition from both within and without. Three leaders, three major reforms, three crucial structures res

Nehemiah 13:1-14 (No Audio Today) Summary Nehemiah 13:1–14 records the renewed clarity as the people hear the public reading of Scripture. 1 On that day, they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. The text ci

Nehemiah 12:27-47 Summary Nehemiah 12:27–47 records the joyful dedication of Jerusalem’s wall, a moment overflowing with worship and gratitude. The Levites are summoned “from all their places to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres” (v. 27). Before the celebration begins, Scripture tells us that “the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and th

True Faith, True Repentance (Based on Nehemiah 9) “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.”— Nehemiah 9:1–2 Nehemiah 9 is one of the most profound portraits of repentance in all of Scripture. Just two days after the joy-filled Feast of Booths, th

Nehemiah 12:1–26 Summary Nehemiah 12:1–26 records the names of priests and Levites who returned from exile with Zerubbabel (vv. 1–9), those who served in the days of Joiakim (vv. 10–21), the Levitical heads of households (vv. 22–23), and the temple servants who cared for worship in the rebuilt Jerusalem (vv. 24–26). At first glance, these genealogical lists appear to be administrative details, but they are much more than that. First, this chapter stands as a testimony that Go

Nehemiah 11:1-36 Summary Nehemiah 11 lists many names. However, it is a lot more than just a list of names. It is a picture of God rebuilding His people not only with stones and walls, but also with actual living people, their families, and their callings. Jerusalem’s wall was complete, but the city itself remained sparsely populated (7:4). For the temple to function, for worship to flourish, and for Israel’s identity to be restored, people needed to live inside the holy city

Nehemiah 10:1-39 Summary Nehemiah 10 records the people’s response to the reading of Scripture (Nehemiah 8) and their sweeping confession of sin (Nehemiah 9). These chapters show a deeply biblical order. The Word convicts, the heart repents, and the will responds in obedience. Now the people express repentance not merely with emotion but with a written covenant, sealed by representatives of the whole community. It is the longest covenant-signature list in the Old Testament. T