“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Read 1 Cor. 11:17-34)

The Lord’s Supper, also known as Communion or the Eucharist, is a sacred practice observed by Christians worldwide. It is a time when we remember and partake of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, provides us with a profound understanding of its meaning and proper use.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Paul recounts the institution of the Lord’s Supper, which he “received from the Lord.” It was on the night when Jesus was betrayed. Jesus and His disciples were observing the Passover together and partaking of a sacrificial lamb to remember how God had spared His people from judgment and delivered them from bondage in Egypt. With the shadow of the cross looming, Jesus takes bread and breaks it, saying, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” He then takes the cup, declaring, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

The Lord’s Supper is, first and foremost, a powerful act of remembrance. We are to remember the broken body of our Savior and the shedding of His blood. The bread, broken and distributed, points to His body, broken on the cross for our sins. The cup of which Christians partake is “the new covenant” in His blood, a covenant of God established by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, offering pardon and forgiveness to all who look to Christ in faith.

When we participate, we are not just going through a ritual; we are actively recalling the most significant event in human history and partaking by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world. As Paul writes in verse 26, “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” It is a visible proclamation of our faith in the finished work of Christ. It is a participation and appropriation by faith in Christ’s sacrifice for sin.

However, Paul also gives a stern warning about the improper use of the Lord’s Supper. In verses 27-29, he states that eating and drinking “in an unworthy manner” brings judgment. This does not mean that we must be perfect to partake; rather, it speaks to our attitudes and hearts. To partake unworthily is to do so without considering the just punishment for our sins that Christ endured on the cross. It is to approach the table of the Lord flippantly, without self-examination, and with an impenitent heart. Paul says, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” This self-examination is a vital part of remembering and appropriating Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and its benefits. It’s a moment to acknowledge and confess our sins and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Jesus’ innocent sufferings and death in our stead.

Paul’s words in verses 30-32 reveal the seriousness of this. He explains that some in the Corinthian church were “weak and sick,” and many had even died (spiritually and possibly physically) because they were not “discerning the Lord’s body.” Their careless and impenitent participation in the Lord’s Supper had spiritual and physical consequences.

Yet, there is hope in this warning. Paul says, “If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” This is an invitation to repent of our sinful ways and be reconciled to God and with one another through faith in Christ’s body, broken for us, and His blood, shed for us on the cross. The judgment he mentions is a “chastening by the Lord” so that we “may not be condemned with the world.” God disciplines those He loves. He desires that we turn from our sins and take comfort in the atoning sacrifice of His Son in our stead that we might be saved.

When you approach the Lord’s table, do so remembering the sacrifice of Christ Jesus to atone for your sins. Examining your hearts, confess your sins and be reconciled to God through faith in the Son. And, as you eat of the bread and drink of the cup, remember and proclaim His death until He comes again, taking comfort in God’s covenant promise of mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, a covenant sealed and made sure by Christ’s shed blood.

Grant that I not partake of Your Supper unworthily, O Lord, but acknowledge my sinfulness, remember Your sacrifice for my sins, and partake of Your sacrifice in faith for forgiveness and life eternal. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — yes, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:5-8

In the quiet corners of Old Testament Israel, a profound narrative of waiting and hope unfolds. For centuries, the people of God lived by the promises of a Messiah yet to come — a deliverer who would redeem them from sin and fulfill God’s eternal plan. Their hope was not a flimsy wish but a firm conviction, anchored in the unwavering character and written Word of God. Psalm 130 beautifully captures this patient, soul-deep anticipation.

The psalmist declares in Psalm 130, verses 5 and 6, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” This waiting is not passive; it is an active, focused expectation. The soul itself is poised, a sentinel on a watchtower looking for the dawn.

The hope is not blind; it is founded on the Word of God — the covenants, the prophecies, and the promises spoken to Abraham, David, and all of Israel. Just as a watchman eagerly awaits the first light of day after a long, dark night, so the faithful of old yearned for the breaking dawn of God’s promise.

This hope extends to all of Israel in verses 7 and 8: “O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” The psalmist points to the very core of God’s nature: His boundless mercy and His capacity for “abundant redemption.” The hope of Israel was in a God who would not just offer a measure of forgiveness, but a complete and overflowing rescue. This abundant redemption could only be accomplished by one person: the coming Messiah, the Anointed One.

Every sacrifice, every ritual, every prophetic word pointed forward to a future day when God would provide a final, perfect sacrifice and redeem His people. That hope was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He came not only to offer mercy, but to provide an abundant redemption — an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world and a salvation that covers every single sin and cleanses completely all who look to Him in faith. He is the one who redeems Israel — and all who are His — from all their iniquities.

The long night of waiting for a savior is over. The dawn has broken, and His light shines for all who will put their hope in Him. The same hope that sustained the Old Testament saints is now a present reality for all who look to Christ Jesus in faith. The long-promised Redeemer has come!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the hope that sustained Your people for generations. Thank You that, in Your perfect timing, You sent Your Son Jesus to be our abundant redemption. Help us to rest in the finished work of the cross and to live in the light of the salvation offered and given to us in Jesus’ name. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“Out of the depths I have cried to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with you so that you may be feared.” Psalm 130:1-4

Psalm 130, a “Psalm of Ascent,” is a powerful cry of desperation and a beautiful expression of hope. The first verses set the stage for this journey from the depths of despair to the heights of God’s forgiveness: “Out of the depths I have cried to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice; Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.”

Have you ever felt like you were in the “depths”? This isn’t just a physical place, but a profound sense of spiritual, emotional, or mental low. It’s the feeling of being overwhelmed by circumstances, weighed down by our sin and guilt, or drowning in sorrow. It’s a place of isolation and hopelessness, where you feel disconnected from everything and everyone, even God.

The psalmist’s opening line, “Out of the depths I have cried to you, O LORD,” shows us the first and most crucial step in finding hope. Instead of wallowing in the depths, the psalmist turns his heart and voice toward God. He doesn’t pretend to be okay; he brings his raw, honest cry directly to the one who can truly help. He knows that his only rescue will come from above, from the God who rules over all things.

This isn’t a casual prayer, but a desperate plea. He follows up his cry with a heartfelt request: “Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.” The psalmist is not just asking God to listen, but to lean in and truly hear his every word. It’s a plea for God’s full attention, a deep longing to be heard and understood by the Almighty. This bold prayer shows incredible faith — the belief that even from the deepest, darkest place, his voice can reach the ears of God.

After crying out from the depths, the psalmist’s focus shifts from his circumstances to his sin. He realizes that if God were to “mark iniquities,” no one could stand. “If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with you so that you may be feared.”

The question “who shall stand?” is rhetorical. The answer is, “no one.” We all fall short, and our own efforts are not enough to save us. This verse brings us to a humbling realization: our greatest problem is not our circumstances, but our sin. If God were to hold our every fault against us, we would be completely undone. This verse underscores the absolute necessity of a Savior.

The psalmist’s hope for forgiveness finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The New Testament explains that God’s mercy is not arbitrary; it is rooted in His perfect plan of redemption. The Apostle John elaborates on this, giving us the source of that forgiveness.

“My little children, these things I write to you so that you do not sin. And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).

Jesus is our “Advocate” with the Father, standing in our place as our defense attorney. He is also the “propitiation,” the atoning sacrifice that satisfies the just demands of God’s law. Because of His death on the cross, God can forgive us without compromising His holiness. It is through Christ’s righteousness and His innocent sufferings and death, not our own, that we can “stand” before a holy God. This is the reason and the source of the forgiveness the psalmist longed for.

Today, no matter what “depths” you find yourself in, remember the psalmist’s example. You don’t have to clean yourself up or find the right words. Just cry out, knowing that God is listening and that His forgiveness is abundant and freely given to all who, in faith, look to His Son, Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice on the cross.

I am a sinner, O Lord, and deserving of nothing but your wrath and judgment. Have mercy on me and pardon my sin for the sake of Jesus and His blood shed on the cross for my sins and the sins of the world. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8 (Read Genesis 3)

From the very beginning, God created us for fellowship. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day, a beautiful picture of intimate, unhindered communion. They knew God’s voice, they enjoyed His presence, and there was no barrier between them. This was the pinnacle of what it meant to be in fellowship: a perfect, open, and loving relationship with our Creator.

But then came the serpent, and with him, the temptation to doubt God’s goodness and to seek wisdom apart from Him. Adam and Eve chose their own way, and in that single act of disobedience, everything was shattered. The first consequence of their sin wasn’t just a change in their environment or a new set of rules; it was the immediate and devastating destruction of fellowship. The very next time God came walking in the garden, they didn’t run to Him — they hid from Him. Fear and shame, born of sin, had built a wall between them and their loving God. Fellowship, once a glorious reality, was now a painful memory.

This same pattern of destruction continues in our lives today. Sin, in its many forms — selfishness, pride, envy, greed, bitterness, lust — is a fellowship-destroyer. As we choose to follow our own desires over God’s will, we, like Adam and Eve, find ourselves hiding. We pull away from God in prayer, we neglect His Word, and we feel a growing distance between our hearts and His. Sin also destroys our fellowship with one another. It erects walls of unforgiveness, fuels division, and replaces love with resentment. The beautiful, unified community God intended for us in creation is now fractured and broken by our sinfulness.

But the story doesn’t end in the garden, and it doesn’t end with our brokenness. The same God who sought Adam and Eve in their hiding is the God who seeks us out today. “Where art thou?” He called to Adam. It wasn’t a question of geography, but a tender plea for a relationship that had been lost.

The ultimate answer to that question, and the ultimate restoration of fellowship, is found in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and the wages of that sin are death and separation from God. But God, in His infinite love, sent His Son to be the perfect, atoning sacrifice. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made “sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), taking the full weight of our disobedience and shame upon Himself on the cross. His sacrificial death paid the price for our sin, tearing down the very wall that sin had built between us and God.

And God calls us back to fellowship and communion with Him. He urges us to repent of our sinful ways and place our trust in the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, for pardon, forgiveness, and eternal life in fellowship with our God and Maker.

His Word tells us: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness … My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 1:6-9; 2:1-2).

Through faith in Christ’s finished work, we are no longer defined by our sin but by His righteousness. The moment we place our trust in Him, we are brought back into a right relationship with God. The fellowship that was destroyed in the garden is not just repaired — it is restored and made new through Christ. We can now approach God with boldness and confidence, not hiding in shame, but embracing Him as our loving Father.

This restoration extends to our relationships with others as well. As we receive God’s forgiveness, we are empowered to forgive others. As we experience His love, we are enabled to love those around us. The fellowship we have with Christ becomes the foundation for genuine, loving, and unified fellowship with other believers.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of fellowship with You and with one another. We confess that we often allow sin to destroy that precious gift. Forgive us for the times we have hidden from You in shame and for the walls we have built between ourselves and others. Thank you, Jesus, for being the perfect sacrifice to restore our broken fellowship. Help us to live in the freedom of that relationship restored, walking in communion with You and loving one another with the same love You have shown us. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” Psalm 32:7-10

In these verses from Psalm 32, the Psalmist beautifully describes the profound security and guidance found in the LORD when we confess our sins and look to Him for mercy, contrasting it with the folly of stubbornness and the fate of the wicked.

Verse 7 declares, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” When we turn to the LORD for forgiveness, confessing our sins and seeking His grace, He becomes our ultimate refuge. Just as a child finds safety in a parent’s arms, so too do we find shelter in God’s presence.

This doesn’t mean our lives will be devoid of hardship; indeed, as Psalm 91 reminds us, we live in a world where troubles abound. Yet, the promise is not an absence of difficulty, but preservation through it. He surrounds us with “songs of deliverance,” reminding us of His faithfulness and past victories, giving us hope and peace amidst the storm. He will bring us safely through the difficulties and sufferings of this evil world to Himself in heaven.

The LORD’s desire for His children is clear in verse 8: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” God yearns to lead us, to show us the path of righteousness and wisdom. He accomplishes this primarily through His Holy Word, which Psalm 119:105 declares is “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” His guidance is not forceful, but gentle, like a loving parent guiding a child with his eye.

However, verse 9 serves as a stark warning: “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.” How often do we, in our stubbornness and self-will, resist the LORD’s gentle leading? Like an unyielding horse or mule, we require the “bit and bridle” — discipline and sometimes painful lessons — to bring us back into alignment with His will. How much easier, and infinitely better, it would be if we simply yielded to His instruction and allowed His eye to guide our steps!

Finally, verse 10 presents a powerful contrast: “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” The path of the wicked, those who remain impenitent and reject God’s ways, is fraught with sorrow. Not only do they experience the natural consequences of their choices in this life, lacking the peace and forgiveness that only God can provide, but they also face eternal suffering and sorrow in the life to come.

But for those who trust in the LORD, who humble themselves and rely on His grace, His mercy becomes their constant companion. God’s mercy and forgiveness surround and encompass them, providing comfort, peace, and hope. This mercy is not merely a one-time act but a continuous embrace, shielding us from the weight of our sins and guiding us into His eternal presence.

Let us therefore embrace the LORD as our refuge and hiding place, looking to Him in faith for pardon and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His cross, and trusting in Him to preserve us through life’s troubles. Let us eagerly seek His instruction and guidance through His Word, yielding to His gentle leading rather than stubbornly resisting like the horse or mule. For in Him, and in Him alone, do we find not sorrow, but mercy, which shall compass us about now and forevermore.

Have mercy upon me, O LORD. Graciously forgive my sins for Jesus’ sake, and lead and guide me through this life to Yourself in heaven. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]