NC Chapel Service

NC Chapel Service This page is for the community and friends that make up the 11am Chapel Service at New Covenant.

11/05/2024

Psalm 146: 1-4
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

In America, where I live, we will vote for a new president today. All the advertisements have asked us to put our trust in these people as though they are our salvation. I will vote; it is my privilege and responsibility. But I do not put my trust in them to save. Only God can do that. I will pray for them. I will do what I can to encourage them to lead in such a way as to honor God. But I know they are not my salvation.

Just as David reminds me in this Psalm. God is my salvation. I have nothing to fear. It is God who I will praise for his plans are good and will prosper. No matter who wins this election, I will trust that God will still be working. God can work through anyone He chooses. I know that God will work in and through those who choose to surrender and live according to the Word of God. Today, I choose to surrender. Today, I will sing praise to my God with my life, for my trust is not in humankind but in God. Today is a day to praise the Lord. Every day that I have breath is a day to sing His praises, for God alone is my guide and strength.

Almighty God, you are good and holy. Your mercies are new every morning. Your praise will ever be on my lips. I put my trust in you alone. Thank you for your faithfulness. Guide me in all things. Use me today to encourage and not tear down. Today, I pray for our nation and for those seeking to be leaders of our nation. I pray they will walk with you and seek your wisdom to lead well. I pray they will strive to be peacemakers and lead with integrity. I pray against violence and hatred. May we be a light to the nations. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.

10/31/2024

Psalm 141:3-4
3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.
As I write this, we are less than seven days from a national election. The words of this Psalm remind me that no matter what I think of the candidates, I must not find satisfaction in the mudslinging. It also reminds me of the power of the tongue. With it, we can paint a beautiful picture of a person’s potential or destroy it. It is amazing to think that words that are spoken can tempt another to sin. This is what David was asking God to do. To Keep him from the temptation to approve and participate in slandering those against him.
In James 3, we are reminded of the evil we are capable of if we allow words to pe*****te our hearts. I pray daily that the words of my mouth will encourage others and draw them to Jesus. It is easy to be drawn into the temptation to put others down, but in so doing, we harm our own witness. May we pray the Lord keeps watch over what we say so that we encourage and correct it with kindness and truth.
Father, every day can be a struggle to keep our words positive and encouraging. I pray the words of the psalm, “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Help me to use my words to point others to you and not become a stumbling block to them. I want my witness to be a light in the darkness, a sweet song of praise to you. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God. Amen.

10/30/2024

Psalm 141
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Every evening, the priests would burn incense as a fragrant offering to God. David wants his prayer to be seen by God as an act of worship. His hands lifted was an offering of himself in prayer.
Prayer is an essential part of the life of a Christ follower. Whether you rise early to pray, salt day with prayers, end the day with prayer, or some combination, prayer is vital to staying in tune with God’s leading. John Wesley believed that a lack of prayer leads many to walk away from a life in Jesus. Prayer is our opportunity to commune with God. We can find strength and comfort through prayer. We can hear from God in prayer. We see in the life of Jesus the importance of prayer. It plugs us into our power source.
I love to pray, and I love the opportunity to pray for someone else. As David did in this psalm, I want my prayers to be received by God as a fragrant sacrifice. Prayer is an act of worship, not an afterthought in our day. It isn’t about getting something from God. It is about giving myself once again to God. Prayer is worth our time and effort. It is my lifeline in all circumstances.
Father, hear my prayer. May the longings of my heart align with your work and purpose for me. May my prayers be received as a fragrant offering of love and commitment. Give me strength for this day. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God. Amen.

Psalm 140:6-86 I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.7 Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, ...
10/29/2024

Psalm 140:6-8
6 I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.
7 Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant the wicked their desires, LORD; do not let their plans succeed.
God is my shield in the day of battle. God is my strong deliverer. This is not always easy to remember in the heat of the moment when I feel as though I have to fight the battles of life on my own, But in this psalm, I am reminded to call upon God to protect and deliver me from the lies and plans of those who would do evil.
We live in a world that is filled with evil. As we see wars, murders, the trafficking of women and children, and violence against those who do not agree with one another, we must pray that the wicked will not succeed and that God will protect the innocent. Are we willing to name the evil and call out to God for deliverance and mercy? Or will we continue to try to handle it on our own? In our modern sensibilities, we don’t want to call anyone evil, but the Scriptures are filled with examples of those who would do evil against God and God’s chosen.
The psalmist, David, turns to God in prayer for deliverance. He knows it is God who protects him from the wicked and the schemes of those who do evil. Do we? Since the Age of Enlightenment, our society has made fun of or belittled the battle we face against evil. We have looked at all people as basically good and think we just have to work hard to bring out the best in people. I think God is calling us back to recognize that there is evil we are not God and must not think we can fight the battle unarmed. We must arm ourselves with the shield of faith that God is the one who defeats evil. We must return to prayer to see the hand of God at work.
God protects those who seek Him and will not allow the desires of the wicked to succeed. We activate our faith when we pray God’s will over our lives. Our Sovereign God will act against evil and injustice. We have the opportunity to petition God to act on our behalf. We must saturate our lives with prayer and trust in the goodness of God. The battle is the Lord’s, and prayer must be our go-to in this battle against evil.
LORD,, You are my God, and I know you hear my prayers. I trust that you are my deliverer. I depend upon your strong arm of protection. Guide my prayers to be in line with your will. Today, protect the innocent and foil the plans of those who war against You. I pray in the name of Jesu, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God. Amen.

10/28/2024

Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
In the verses just before this, David defends God’s honor with despise for those who hate God. God is worthy of praise, not rebellion. Then, he turns his thoughts to his own heart. God knows him, but he desires intimacy with God. He desires righteousness over mere knowledge of God. He has separated himself from those who would influence him to do anything against God. Now, he wants God to keep him in righteousness.
It is easy to say we want God to reveal himself, but quite another to ask God to reveal ourselves. God knows us (vs. 1), but David is asking God to reveal the areas of his heart that hold him back from full surrender. It is as though David says, “God, I know that my sinfulness comes between me and you. I don’t want to offend you, so reveal that which keeps me from wholeheartedly following you. I want to walk faithfully.”
It can be easy to look at the evil around us, compare ourselves, and pat ourselves on the back for at least being better than the other person. The devil likes that. He doesn’t have to work very hard to keep us from intimacy with God. We will do that all by ourselves. But, when we take the time to meditate on the Scriptures, we attach ourselves to the one who draws us to Himself and covers us in his righteousness.
Today, my prayer is the same as David’s.
Lord, reveal anything that I am holding onto and guide my steps to a deeper relationship with you. You know me and I desire to know you more. Help me to keep my focus on you. Guide me in the way of righteousness, for I know it leads to abundant life in Christ Jesus. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God. Amen.

10/25/2024

Psalm 130:17-18
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
As a young girl, I liked to bother my dad when he was studying. It seemed to me he was just sitting, so it was the perfect time to get his attention. I would always find myself wandering into his office and asking him about stuff. I wanted to hear him tell me what he was thinking. I might ask about his sermon or his opinion on my thoughts. As I grew into my teenage years, those conversations became less often. I thought I was more intelligent and wasn’t as willing to listen until I went away to school. I needed to hear him and was glad he was just a phone call away. I often called my dad to learn what he thought about something I was learning. I wanted to hear his wisdom. I never gave those conversations a lot of thought until the day I could no longer ask him anything. I miss those conversations. But thankfully, I have the memories, and they are precious to me.
This passage makes me think about God in the same way I thought about my dad. God's thoughts are precious to me, and I know I can talk to God about anything. God is always ready to hear and answer. I find myself going to God more just because I want to know His thoughts on my opinions, hear His wisdom, and make wise choices that reflect my relationship with God.
I used to get upset with myself because I would fall asleep while praying until I remembered a conversation with my dad where he told me there was no better place to fall asleep than in the arms of Jesus, and when I awake --- I am still with him. It is a wonderful place to be. God knows me and walks with me. I am not alone.
Take time today to listen to the thoughts of God.
Almighty God, thank you for your presence and guidance. Help me to listen closely and walk faithfully. Give me wisdom in all me decisions. I want to know your thoughts. I choose to listen today. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God. Amen.

10/24/2024

Psalm 139:13-16
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
The Psalmist beautifully captures the understanding that you and I were not happenstance. We have been knitted and formed by a loving and creative God. God made us, and God has a purpose for each of us. He knows the tapestry that is our lives. He is sovereign. Not one of us is here by chance.
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
I struggled with self-esteem as a teenager. I didn’t believe I was pretty or even worth much. It was a lie of the devil that I believed. The lies permeate our culture to the point that the womb is no longer a safe place. Our worth is not found in friends or position in life. Our worth comes from the Divine hand of our Creator. You are fearfully and wonderfully made! In Ephesians 2:10, Paul reminds us “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” As I live in the tapestry God has designed for me, I no longer allow the world to define me. I know that I am created by the loving hand of God and that makes me want to sing with the psalmist, songs of thanksgiving and praise. May you be encouraged to thankfully embrace the loving and faithful God who knew you before you were even created and smiled at the thought of who you would become.
Lord, I want to praise you today, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I thank you that I have the breath in my lungs to sing of your glory and love. Thank you. Help us to see life as the precious gift that you give and cherish and protect it. Help me to recognize my worth comes in you alone. Help me to help others know they are your workmanship as well. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.

10/23/2024

Psalm 139:7-12
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.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
I liked to hide and seek with my dad as a young girl. Seeing if I could hide that he couldn’t find me was fun. While I reflected on this psalm, I was reminded that my dad had always found me. I couldn’t hide from him. David seems to want to run and hide after recognizing just how deeply he is known by God. And yet he recognizes that he cannot hide from God. God knows him too well. It doesn’t matter where he tries to run and hide; God is there.
I am comforted and challenged by the thought that God is with me wherever I go. It is comforting because I know that I can trust God to guide me and walk with me through the uncertain times of life. It is challenging because it also means that the darkness cannot hide me. I cannot hide any part of my life. As I grow in my faith, the Holy Word and Spirit reveal the things I need to confess. The Light of Christ reveals what I have tried to keep in the dark, and as I strive daily to live in the abiding presence of the Holy, I must confess and leave behind what separates me from knowing God more fully. What is God’s light revealing to you today?
Most Holy God, I come; sometimes, I want to run and hide. I am overcome with gratitude for your pursuit of me. I cannot hide from you. I will no longer try. I am thankful you are with me. Teach me you ways that I may walk in them. Light the dark places that I need to release to you. Heal my heart and help me trust that your ways are best for me. I desire to be led by the Holy Spirit, out of the darkness and into your glorious light. I pray in the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.
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10/22/2024

Psalm 139:4-6
4 Before a word is on my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
In many ways, the thought that God knows even my thoughts and words before I even get them out of my mouth is unfathomable. God knows me so well that nothing I say or think surprises him. While God is not surprised when I say things I shouldn’t, God does expect us who choose to follow Him to be careful with what we say. Words are powerful. Words can build up or tear down. Because God knows our hearts, he knows our thoughts and words. We must fill our minds with the Word of God so that our words are filtered through THE Word.
In a world that uses words to divide and confuse, we must be clear about what we say. As a follower of Jesus, everything I say and do will either point people to Jesus or away. This is weighty, but knowing that God is always with me and has his hand on me helps me to use my words carefully.
Almighty Father, you know me. You know my thoughts and my words. While this is hard to fathom, I am comforted by it. Guard my tongue that my words will be from a heart saturated with the Word of God. I know that the words I speak have the power to build up or tear down, so help me build up others so that we will point the world to You. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.

10/21/2024

Psalm 139: 1-7
1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

To be known by God is a wonderful and terrifying reality. Those who do not know God find it terrifying, and those who do are comforted by this knowledge. As a young person just beginning to grasp that God desires to be in relationship with me, I found it hard to believe that God could know all about me and love me. That is part of why it terrifies those who do not know God. They do not see God as a God of love and compassion but as the One who sees their sin, and either they are not ashamed and just don’t want to be judged, or they are ashamed and do not understand how God could forgive. In these three verses, we see the very heart of God. It is easy to think about God knowing us in a general way, but this is personal. It is active; God searches and knows me. God knows me. It can be very difficult to grasp.
The wonderful part is that no one can say anything about me to turn God away from me. I am known and loved by the God of all creation, and He is compassionate and caring. He hears and answers. He knows me and loves me. In Jesus Christ, we find that God came so that we would know the depth of God’s love.
In a world of people trying to be known or fit in, isn’t it comforting to know that we don’t have to work at being known by God? In Jesus Christ, we see how much God desires us to know Him.
Does being known by God frighten or comfort you? How does this encourage you in the season of life you are in?
Lord, you search me and know me. Sometimes, I don’t know what to do with that. It is a comfort to know that I never have to face the trials of this life on my own, and you are always with me. You will not forsake. I don’t have to try to be something I am not. I can come and rest in your knowledge of me and in the knowledge of your compassion and grace. Thank you for Jesus and for showing me that you not only know but love me and desire to transform me into the likeness of Christ. Teach me today to find joy in being known by you. I pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.

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