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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 26 October 2025:
Psalm 95:1 — Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
The psalm opens with a call not merely to sing, but to shout joyfully to the Lord, the Rock of our salvation. Worship is not meant to be subdued formality but the overflow of redeemed hearts rejoicing in the steadfastness of their Savior. David’s passion echoes here — “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed” (Psalm 71:23). When was the last time your joy in the Lord caused you to shout aloud? True joy is not dependent on circumstances but on the unchanging reality of God’s saving grace. Paul, imprisoned yet rejoicing, wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). The heart that remembers salvation cannot remain silent.
Psalm 95:6 — Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Praise moves naturally to humility. When one truly beholds the greatness of God, the only fitting response is reverent worship. Thanksgiving and awe fuel genuine devotion, not ritual, but surrender. Worship is not performance; it is posture, a bowing of the heart before the Lord our Maker. As Romans 12:1 declares, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Gratitude without submission is shallow; awe without obedience is incomplete. Worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24) springs from hearts amazed by grace, overwhelmed by the holiness of the One who made us and redeemed us.
Psalm 95:7-8 — For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness.
The God who invites us to worship is also the Shepherd who speaks. He leads His people not through coercion, but by His voice. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). The tragedy of Israel’s wilderness generation was not that God was silent, but that their hearts were hard. He spoke, they resisted. He provided, they complained. He promised, they doubted. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. God still speaks through His Word, His Spirit, and His providence. Disobedience is the fruit of a calloused heart. Remember: partial obedience is disobedience, and delayed obedience is still rebellion. “Today”, not tomorrow, is the time to respond in faith (Hebrews 3:13-15).
1 Chronicles 2:3-7 — The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death…. The son of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; and Ethan’s son was Azariah.
The genealogy of Judah is not a sanitized record of heroes, it is a sober reminder of sin’s stain and God’s justice. Er and Achan both suffered divine judgment for their rebellion. Even among God’s chosen people, sin brings consequence. Yet this same line — marred by deceit, disobedience, and idolatry — is the very lineage through which Christ came (Matthew 1:3). Your family history may include failure and shame, but in Jesus Christ, your identity is no longer bound to your past. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). God’s grace transforms genealogies of guilt into testimonies of redemption.
1 Chronicles 2:24-35 — After the death of Hezron in Caleb-ephrathah, Abijah, Hezron’s wife, bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa… and Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore him Attai.
Here we see foreigners integrated into Israel’s family, reflecting God’s inclusive heart for faith over lineage. Jarha, an Egyptian servant, becomes grafted into the covenant people, a living symbol of God’s grace extending beyond bloodlines. The chronicler emphasizes spiritual kinship rather than racial or national identity. This anticipates the Gospel truth that in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). In fact, the lineage of Jesus in the very beginning of Matthew’s Gospel includes various ethnicities, most notably the inclusion of four non-Israelite women: Tamar (Canaanite), Rahab (Canaanite), Ruth (Moabite), and Bathsheba (connected to the Hittites). Simply put, the Kingdom is for everyone who would enter into is and abide in Christ. Christianity should never be concerned with ethnicity or nationality but with faith and faithfulness. God builds His family not by flesh, but by faith (Romans 9:6-8).
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 26 October 2025: Let your worship today be marked by joyful praise, humble surrender, and quick obedience. Sing aloud to the Rock of your salvation; bow in awe before your Maker; and respond to His voice with a tender heart. Remember that God’s redemptive plan spans every nation and generation — your call is to proclaim His Gospel without boundary. One soul is worth more than all the world, and to carry Christ’s heart for the lost is to live in step with His mission. Listen, worship, and obey — today.
Pray: “Lord God, You are the Rock of my salvation and the Shepherd of my soul. Teach me to rejoice in You with unrestrained joy and to bow before You in holy reverence. Keep my heart soft to Your voice; deliver me from delay or partial obedience. Thank You that in Christ my past no longer defines me and that Your family welcomes all who believe. Give me Your heart for the lost and the courage to proclaim Your Gospel to everyone, everywhere. Let my worship today overflow into witness, so that others may know Your salvation and join the song of the redeemed. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 