3 Year Bible Study

WE MOVED!!!

2009-05-30T05:11:00.002-04:00

I know it has been MONTHS since we last posted. Things were crazy and we needed a break...

But as of June 1st things will be in full swing again.

We moved the blog to http://chapteraday.harvestreston.org

see you there!

Psalm 119:105-112

2008-11-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

NUN – The 14th Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
(Psalms 119:105)

This is a verse that I would venture to say we are all familiar with. We have probably heard it so many times in fact that we now can hear it and process it with out catching what it really says. Let’s take a minute here and take it apart.

The Word here is compared to a LAMP and a LIGHT.

Now the word used here for LAMP means just what it says… a lamp. We use lamps to light up spaces. Rooms, hallways, even outdoors, lamps provide light so we can see OUR ENVIRONMENT for what it is, and SAFELY INTERACT WITH IT.

The Word light on the other hand talks specifically about the role light has in illuminating things. This is really interesting. Not only does light illuminate our SURROUNDINGS but it can illuminate US. It reveals truths about who we are and where we are.

Notice what this lamp and this light do for us: THEY GUIDE OUR FEET and ILLUMINATE OUR PATH. See, the thing that the Word is Illuminating is the path we walk on, and it does it so that we can safely navigate the road we walk in this world.

Now, knowing this about the Word, do you realize that walking in this World without really reading, studying, meditating on God’s Word is like going into the woods at night with a flashlight but never turning it on?

You know the truth about God’s Word, but are you applying it? You know that it is a light, but are you USING IT?

Psalm 119:97-104

2008-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Mem – The 13th Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of Your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept Your commandments.
(Psalms 119:98-100)

Do you love the Word of God? Do you think about it all day long? Do you see it as a constant guide? Is it sweet to your taste, sweeter than honey? I hope in light of today’s verses you can answer yes to those questions…

This section of verses compares and contrasts the Word of God with worldly sources of wisdom. It points out that the source of our understanding should be the WORD OF GOD; and it reminds us that the wisdom we draw from God’s Word is far superior to the stuff of this world.

WORD vs. ENEMIES – By nature, our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil) are always trying to get a leg up on us. They want the upper hand so they can DEFEAT us. In this psalm, we read that we can be WISER than those enemies if the Word of God is our constant companion! You wanna beat the devil? You wanna gain the victory over your flesh? You wanna see the things of this world lose their grip on you? Then let the Word be your guide as you walk the straight and narrow path that traverses this broken place we call earth. Love the Word of God; let it dictate how you walk, where you walk, when you walk, and who you walk with. It truly can give you the victory!

WORD vs. TEACHERS – We can learn a lot from our teachers. They are people who want to share with us what they have learned as they have walked through life. However, the Word can give us insights into life that a teacher never could. The Word can cut in and discern the thoughts and intents of our hearts… a teacher can never do that! If we can “Think Biblically”, we may find that the insights we have into what is going on in the world around us excel even our teachers. Even the smartest of the smart in this world are nothing in comparison with the Word of God!

WORD vs. ELDERS – I am sure in life you will have people tell you that “you’ll get it when you are older”. Sometimes this is true, but other times it is an excuse. There are times when those who are older and “wiser” (in the worldly sense) than we are can give UNBIBLICAL bad advice. Just because someone is older doesn’t mean that what they have to say is correct. Ultimately, the Bible is where we need to go to get TRUE WISDOM.

MY FRIENDS, DRINK DEEP AT THE WELL OF GOD’S WORD!

Psalm 119:89-96

2008-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Lamedh – The 12th Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Even perfection has its limits, but Your commands have no limit.
(Psalms 119:96)

What an awesome little section of scripture. The focus is on the ETERNALITY of God’s Word. The psalmist tells us that God’s word will abide forever, and points out that the commands contained in it remain relevant even today.

The last verse of the section is my favorite. The psalmist reminds us that though even those things we think are “perfect” here on earth have a limit, His Word has NO LIMIT.

Think about the most perfect day you have ever had… No matter how great it was it, came to an end. The perfect family never stays perfect… The “perfect guy” or “perfect girl” never turns out to be as perfect as they look on TV, and even a baseball pitcher who throws a perfect game will never have a perfect season, let alone a perfect career.

All the things we call PERFECT here eventually come to an end. A flaw appears, or the circumstances change, and what was once perfection becomes a thing of the past.

The Word of God is different. It is PERFECT. Not in the way things of this world are perfect though… It is perfect in the heavenly sense. It will endure forever. Knowing that, do you think you should spend a little more time in it, and take what it says a little more seriously? Think about it.

Psalm 119:81-88

2008-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Kaph – The 11th Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

This set of verses is really unique. The Psalmist describes himself as “Waiting for God’s rescue” and “straining his eyes to see God’s promises come true”. At times we might feel like this. We are waiting, waiting, waiting… and we may begin to feel like God’s rescue will never come, or His promises will never be realized. It is at this time that we realize WHY it is so imperative that we are in God’s Word. If we have been in the Word, we will not lose heart, for we will be reminded daily of the promises of God, and we will see vivid examples in the pages of scripture showing us how He has always been faithful.

My friends, stay in the Word. It doesn’t guarantee that life will always go your way, but it does keep us in a place of HOPE and ASSURANCE. You will go through times of difficult just like the psalmist describes… but the Word will be the thing that keeps you from being swept away!

Psalm 119:73-80

2008-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

YODH – The Tenth Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

You made me; You created me. Now give me the sense to follow Your commands. May all who fear You find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in Your word.
(Psalms 119:73-74)

Here in this little section the psalmist talks about how God MADE him, and continues to care for him in every way, even by DISCIPLINING him! As he talks about this “Womb to Tomb” relationship with the Lord, He points out what a central role the Word plays.

As we look at this section, I want to focus in on the first two verses in particular (vs 73-74). The truth contained in the first verse is universal… God made each and every one of us! The second half of the verse is left up to us. Will we allow the Lord to give US the sense that we need to really FOLLOW HIS COMMANDS?

The Lord’s wisdom often runs contrary to the ways of this world. Often, for us to have the “sense” we need to follow the Lord, we will end up looking at least slightly crazy from the perspective of this world. Self-preservation is the focus of the wisdom of this world, but God’s wisdom teaches self-sacrificial love. Self esteem is a must have for those who operate by this present ages rules, but from God’s perspective, humility is the way up. Truly, we need God’s wisdom to follow His commands… and that means rejecting a lot of what this world calls wisdom.

If we seek the wisdom of the Lord and reject the wisdom of this world, then the second verse can be a true statement of the testimony we will leave: A SOURCE OF JOY FOR THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD!

The key my friends, is what we find at the close of verse 74… Where is your hope? Is it in the Lord, or is it the things of this world? The decision of where you place your hope will greatly affect the path you take and the mark you make… the choice is yours!

Psalm 119:65-72

2008-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Teth – The Ninth Letter in the Hebrew Alphabet

Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.
(Psalms 119:72)

In this section of our Psalm, the writer begins to talk about how valuable the Word of the Lord has been to him. As I began thinking about this section, specifically about Verse 72, I caused this question to rise in my mind: “How valuable is the Word of God to you?” Another way to put it would be to ask, “How much is your Bible worth?”

Now, I want you to think about this, because how YOU might answer that question initially may be quite different from the truth. So, let me ask you a couple of other questions to help you out…

1. What is the most valuable thing you own?

2. If time and attention were the “tell tale signs”, what would they indicate is thepossession that is most important to you?

3. If we asked your family, how valuable would they say your Bible is to you?

4. If we asked your family, what things would they say are worth more to you than your Bible?

Think about these questions for a little while, and then look at the Psalmist. He says the Word of God was worth more than MILLIONS in GOLD and SILVER. That is pretty intense. There is a lot you can do with millions. Can you honestly repeat the sentiment of the psalmist? Does it show?

Psalm 119:57-64

2008-11-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

HETH – The 8th Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow Your laws. I will hurry, without delay, to obey Your commands. Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to Your instructions.
(Psalms 119:59-61)

I really dig these 3 verses and the connection they make between God’s WORD and our BEHAVIOR. The way I look at these verses, we see 3 specific things that God’s Word does to modify, change, or improve our behavior.

Changes our direction – The first thing I notice is that when we are submitted to God’s Word, it can and will alter the direction our life is taking. Here the Psalmist is looking at his own life and pondering the direction he is heading, and when he introduces the WORD we see that it causes him to TURN. Sometimes this turn is slight, a degree here or a degree there… other times it is a full 180 degrees. Regardless of how significant the change may be, we see that if God’s Word is really allowed to work in our lives, it should be producing COURSE CORRECTIONS on a REGULAR BASIS.

Moves us forward – Secondly we note that if the Word is being heard and heeded properly it will produce INSTANTANEOUS OBEDIENCE. Often we know the right thing to do, and we may even plan on doing it, but we delay. We think, “I realize this probably isn’t the best thing I could be doing, but I’ll deal with it later”. That attitude is an indicator that we are not allowing the Word to do the work God wants it to. When our heart attitude is right we will HURRY TO OBEY the commands of the Lord.

Keeps us steadfast – Even while we are moving forward, changing direction, hurrying to serve and obey, we need to be FIRMLY ANCHORED. This world constantly throws us curveballs, but if we will keep relating to the Word of God the way we should, we will never be pulled off of our firm foundation. Do you realize that there are people who actually want to drag you into sin? Most people that don’t know the Lord are not going to make holiness easy… they will attempt to make it difficult. In light of this, we need to be ANCHORED in the Word of God. We need to KNOW it so that it can serve to keep us firmly anchored in truth.

My friends… read God’s Word! Be doers, allow it to actually change your life! Listen to what it speaks, and believe it as you seek to follow Jesus, the “Living Word”.

Psalm 119:49-56

2008-11-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

ZAIN – The seventh letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

These eight verses are really neat… the talk about how the Psalmist HAS relied upon God’s word in the PAST, and currently all he knows to be true is being assaulted by his enemies. In light of this, the Psalmist declares:

Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
(Psalms 119:54)

What a cool concept! Let’s break it apart, take a close look at it, and then put it back together so we can see how it applies to us.

YOUR STATUTES HAVE BEEN MY SONGS – Statutes are literally MANDATES or DECREES… they truths God has declared that have immediate implications for our lives. Not simple statements, but declarations that require a response. The psalmist writes here that those things that God had decreed and mandated had become SONGS HE WOULD SING. A song is often an expression of what is going on in the heart of a person. When I write songs, I attempt to give voice to the work God is doing in my heart. I believe that is what the psalmist is talking about here… the things God decreed had become the “songs of His heart”. No longer cut and dry “regulations”, these Statutes of God had become the very breath of life to the psalmist.

IN THE HOUSE OF MY PILGRIMAGE – This is an AWESOME statement! It is somewhat paradoxical in nature, but gives us a picture of the life of a real believer. This person KNEW that they were on a PILGRIMAGE. Pilgrimage is in essence an attitude of SOJOURNING, a recognition that this world is not our home, that we are merely passing through. In this life of pilgrimage, the Psalmist found that IN GOD AND HIS WORD He found a PERMANENT DWELLING PLACE! So, we are just passing through, but we have a permanent resting place in the Lord!

If we put this together, it tells us this:

We may experience difficulty, and at times we may see circumstances that make believing the promises of God difficult. At these times, we need to let the song of our heart be the statutes of God, and remember that though we have a permanent place in Him, we are merely passing through this world! My friends, it can be a lonely road… We need to know the Word of God, and be in constant communion with the God of the Word if we are to sing pilgrim songs as we rest in Him!

Psalm 119:41-48

2008-11-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

VAU – The Sixth Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Let your love, GOD, shape my life with salvation, exactly as you promised; Then I'll be able to stand up to mockery because I trusted your Word.
(Psalms 119:41-42)

This is one of the many benefits of knowing, reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God that we do not often think about. If we are regularly interacting with God’s Word, then we KNOW WHAT IT PROMISES and are able to PRAY ACCORDINGLY.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people praying for things that ARE NOT IN ACCORDANCE with the Word of God, and then wondering why He didn’t answer the way He thought they would. Just as often, I am sure there are people failing to ask God for certain things, because they are UNAWARE of the promises He gives in regard to them.

Here we see the psalmist give us a powerful example. He asks the Lord to shape His life with the ongoing work of salvation, BY His love, according to His promise. Many of us might think “huh? I thought salvation was all about going to heaven?” Guess what… If we read our bibles more, we would know that SALVATION is something that HAS happened, IS happening, and WILL happen. We HAVE BEEN justified, we ARE BEING sanctified, and we WILL BE glorified.

To put this same thought into my own words it might look like this: “God, thank you for your love for me, and thank you that your Word promises to save me fully. I’m glad salvation isn’t just a past act, but that it is something going on now, and something I can look forward to in the future. I’m so glad you wanna make me more like you, and I can’t wait until that day when I will actually be saved from this sin nature that constantly fights within me. God, please keep working in my life, the way you have promised, keep shaping me into you image by the ongoing work of your love, saving me completely.”

When we can relate to God and His word this way, the second verse I quoted above (vs. 42) can be true in our lives. When we actually trust in God’s Word in real tangible ways, when we pray God’s promises like we really mean it, then the opposition we face in this life will not be able to take us out. The psalmist here says people mocked him and ridiculed him… yet he didn’t fall or falter. Why? Because he trusted in the WORD OF GOD! My friends… trust the Word of God, and you will be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Read it.
Know it.
Believe it.
Live it.
Love it.

Psalm 119:33-40

2008-11-11T17:04:00.002-05:00

HE – The fifth Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

These eight verses work together to help us remember that in our relationship with the LORD, HE is the initiator and WE are the responders. As we read the Psalm we see a back and forth between the LORD’S work and the PSALMISTS response. One cannot take place without the other… if the Lord didn’t initiate, we would not be able to respond… on the flipside, if we didn’t respond, the Lord would not move on. Sometimes you may feel like your relationship with the Lord has stalled, or maybe reached a plateau. I would venture to say that what you are observing is an indication of a failure to respond on your part. God speaks… we must respond.

Notice the first two verses:

GOD TEACHES HIS STATUTES – THE PSALMIST KEEPS THEM TO THE END

GOD GIVES UNDERSTANDING – THE PSALMIST KEEPS THE WORD WITH HIS WHOLE HEART

There is this call and response… God teaches, psalmist responds; God enlightens, the heart of the hearer is enlarged. This description of God’s work and what it causes goes on, and the emphasis is on this ongoing work that GOD is doing, and the fact that He is doing it in connection to HIS WORD. Verse 40 (the final verse in this section) marks a real shift in the content of the Psalm… Here the psalmist cries out that he “LONGS FOR GOD’S PRECEPTS”. – This causes me to ask myself a question… am I longing for God’s Word? Do I hunger for it? Am I finding myself drawn to it? If not, then maybe I need to look back and see if I have failed to respond to God’s ongoing work in my life. Maybe I have allowed myself to Plateau by not pressing in… and now I’m losing my appetite.

God is the great initiator, but that does not excuse us from PURSUING HIM. Here the Psalmist tells us that in light of all God does, HE IS LONGING FOR GOD TO SPEAK. Beyond that, He wants God to QUICKEN him in HIS righteousness. Are you hungry for God’s righteousness? Are you thirsty for His voice? Do you long to see Him work in your life? If you answered yes to these questions, then look for HIM to speak, and be prepared to respond!

Psalm 119:25-32

2008-11-11T16:42:00.002-05:00

DALETH – the fourth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

The psalmist continues to sing his praises to God for his Word, doing so by starting each “verse” in this 8 verse “poem” with the letter DALETH. I want us to focus in on 3 of these 8 verses in particular today. They are:

I lie in the dust; revive me by Your word.

(Psalms 119:25)

I weep with sorrow; encourage me by Your word.

(Psalms 119:28)

I cling to Your laws. LORD, don't let me be put to shame!

(Psalms 119:31)

Just looking at these 3 verses, we see that when a person is:

SPIRITUALLY DRY – The Lord can revive them; but the vehicle through which He often does this is HIS WORD. Maybe you have had this kind of experience before… spiritually you feel like your sucking dust, you’re in a desert place and you long for a drink of water. The Word of God is no Mirage… it is a FOUNTAIN of life, a RIVER of living water. All we have to do is be faithful to turn to it, to open it’s pages and open our hearts, and the Lord will speak and REVIVE us. The King James uses the word QUICKEN to describe what God’s word does… I like that, it gives us the impression of a dead thing being INFUSED with life.

SPIRITUALLY WEIGHED DOWN – The Lord can relieve the burden! God’s word offers us both strength and encouragement. We go through times of sorrow, times when as the King James puts it, “our soul melts with heaviness”. At these times we often cry out to the Lord for RELIEF, when what the Lord really wants is to GIVE US STRENGTH TO BEAR THE BURDEN. When we turn to His word in these times, He is able to give us strength that can come from no other place! My friends, seek God in times of difficulty, and do it by opening his word.

Notice the attitude of the Psalmist… because he knows that the Lord can do these things through His word, HE CLINGS TO THE LAW OF THE LORD! My friends, are you clinging to God’s Word? Are you hanging on to it for dear life, or is your relationship to it casual? I pray that as we continue to study this Psalm it would cause all of us to fall more in love with the Bible, and recognize the central role it should play in our lives.

Psalm 119:18

2008-11-05T07:21:00.002-05:00

Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.

We have all heard the term, "More than meets the eye." You have also heard "Never judge a book by its cover." I do not know about you, but I like to be pleasantly surprised. I like it when things or people go beyond my expectations. I have played sports for years. It is always fun when the person you think will be no good ends up being the best person on the court.

Enter the Word of God. The Psalmist asks the Lord to open His eyes: "that I may see Wondrous things from your law." What type of Wondrous things? Imagine all the prophesy pertaining to Jesus before He came. Imagine the gift it was to understand all these things. One man did. His name was Simeon. By the brief story we recognize that this man knew a the general time Jesus would come to earth (probably judging by the 70 week prophesy in Daniel). He also recognized that Jesus would do far more than set up and earthly kingdom, but that he would be the salvation of both Israel and the Gentiles. What a Wondrous thing indeed!

Read God's Word. Ask the Lord to open your eyes. There are great and Wondrous things He is just waiting to reveal to you.

Psalm 119:9-16

2008-11-04T07:04:00.002-05:00

Psa 119:9-11 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. (10) With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! (11) Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

These are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. The first verse answers a difficult question. The second verse asks the Lord for help. The third verse is a declaration of love and commitment.

There is one thing that stands out above all in these verses. It is the power of the Word of God. How can a young amn stay pure? Only by the Word. How is it that we keep from sinning against the Lord? By hiding His word in our heart. It becomes crystal clear that there is power in the Word of God.

This world is influential. It sends messages to us through everything! Every time we turn on the tele it is telling us we want. How often have you seen a favorite drink or food on the television and wanted it? More so then anything, they are not trying to convince you of their product immediately, but are simply trying to introduce you and familiarize you with their product. This not only applies to a product, but applies to every sort of message the world is trying to communicate.

Enter the Word of God. When you read the Word of God, you may not even remember the verses you read. Nevertheless, what you are reading is having an incredible effect on the decisions you will make that day. It is a cleansing, purifying, anti-world we need. Most of all, it has greter power than the influences of the world.

We are involved in a great tug-of-war. Without the Word hidden in your heart, you will not stay pure and you will sin against the Lord. With the Word hidden in your heart you will not be swayed by the influences of the world.

Psalm 119:1-8

2008-11-02T23:58:00.002-05:00

Psa 119:5-6 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! (6) Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.

Have you ever been ashamed before Jesus? I love the passion in which the Psalmist writes down his words. "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!" The psalmist is not just singing, he is crying out. He is requiring of the Lord from the bottom of his heart.

I find it funny that we either get ashamed before the Lord, or we get ashamed of the Lord. Ever carry around your Bible and get ashamed, or embarrassed? Both have the same result, we cower away from what the Lord wants.

The fact of the matter is that we all get ashamed in one way or another. We should not. Take a moment to just go to the Lord. Ask Him to direct your way. Ask Him to direct, that you might not be ashamed. If we had no care for our own personal image, and we stood confidently before our Lord, who knows what God could do through us!

Psalm 119 - Intro

2008-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the whole Bible. Rather than try and do the whole thing in one sitting, we are going to break it up in pieces. You see, Psalm 119 is what is known as an “acrostic” and it goes through all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order, one stanza for each letter, an each line of a particular stanza starts with the letter it represents.

Just as the layout of the psalm is planned, so is the content. It isn’t random, but is actually very intentional in what it addresses. This beautiful Psalm is all about the WORD OF GOD. It talks about what the Word of God is, what it does, and how we should relate to it. So, over the next 22 days we will be taking a look at this psalm, and getting to know the WORD a little better… What it is, what it does, and how we should relate to it as believers.

So, start reading Psalm 119 now, and let it stir up a deeper hunger in you fro the glorious Word of God!

Psalm 118

2008-11-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing, and it is wonderful to see.
(Psalms 118:22-23)

There is a Jewish traditional tale that may be true, or it may be a myth… it goes something like this…

When Solomon’s temple was being built, all of the work was done offsite. Stones were cut, things were prepared, and all of the noisy messy stuff was done far away from the temple mount. When pieces were ready they would be brought to the temple mount and as silently as possible put into place. One day a stone came that didn’t seem to fit with the other stones. No one knew what to do with this stone, so it got shoved to the side and soon forgotten. When the temple was nearly done everyone realized that one majorly important piece was missing… THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE! This was a special stone that would sit at the top of one of the corners, a CAPSTONE. As the builders all frantically looked for this stone, someone eventually found it. It was pushed off to the side, the very stone that no one could find a place for, it had been neglected and rejected, and it was the most important stone of all.

This story, whether true or not, is a shadow of what this Psalm is prophesying. Jesus is the stone that the “builders” (the religious leaders of the day) rejected. He was cast aside, not fitting the picture they had of who Messiah was and what He should be all about. After he was crucified, He rose again and became the MOST IMPORTANT PIECE IN THE “TEMPLE” OF GOD! You see, Jesus is our foundation, he is the chief cornerstone. He is the show piece, the most beautiful thing God could ever give us… yet He was rejected by men, cast off as if He were garbage!

What are you doing with Jesus today? Are you honoring Him as the precious cornerstone of your life, or are you pushing Him away because He doesn’t fit in with your plans??? Think about it… And don’t make the mistake the Pharisees made!

Psalm 117

2008-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise Him, all you people of the earth. For He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!
(Psalms 117:1-2)

Do you ever feel like you just don’t want to praise God? Not in the “I feel angry at God” kind of way, but more like “I just don’t really feel up to singing/praying/expressing praises to God right now”. These feelings can be for any number of reasons… maybe you’re sick, maybe you’re tired, maybe you just don’t feel like you’re connected to Him; whatever the reason may be, your response is a complacent “Mehh, maybe later”.

Today’s short little Psalm tells us that no matter who you are, or where you live, you always have at least 2 reasons to praise the Lord. According to these 2 little verses EVERY PERSON ON EARTH has 2 reasons to praise the lord ALL THE TIME.

These 2 reasons are really quite basic, but if we can grasp them then they can be quite revolutionary in the affect they can have on our life and our worship.

Reason #1 – God loves you with an unfailing love. No matter what your current experience may be, this is a fact you can take to the bank. GOD LOVES YOU… And His love isn’t one that changes based on how well you are doing! It is an unfailing love! Now, my love, it is a love that will at some point (probably many points) fail. But God’s love, it NEVER FAILS. So, why should you praise God? Because right now, He loves you more than anyone else in this world ever could; He always has, and He always will!

Reason #2 – God is FOREVER FAITHFUL. The commitment that God has made to protect you, love you, and serve you will never expire. It isn’t like a warranty or a service plan… it has no lifetime, it is ETERNAL. He will never let you down; he will never leave you hanging. So why should you praise God? Because He is the only person in the entire universe that will take care of you for all eternity!

My friends stop whatever you are doing right now and take some time to PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Psalm 116

2008-10-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD.
(Psalms 116:12-13)

In this Psalm David begins by talking about the fact that God really does hear our prayers. He doesn’t just hear, but in fact, he answers them! As David lists off some of the ways the Lord had been so wonderful in answering his prayers, he is brought to this question…

“What can I give to the Lord for all that He has done for me”? It is a great question to ask. Each one of us can look at our lives and see that have so much to be thankful for, so much that the Lord has done for us. It is a natural response for us to look then and say, “What can I do to repay you, even in part?”

How would you answer that question? What can you give to the Lord? The truth is we really have nothing in and of ourselves to offer Him. Anything good in us is only because of Him, so there really isn’t anything we can do to pay Him back. In light of this truth David says he will TAKE the cup of salvation. In other words, what He will give to the Lord is His willing acceptance of the work God wants to do in his life.

Today, what will you give to the Lord? Will you take the cup of his salvation? Will you call on Him and receive all that He wants to do in you? My friends realize today that what the Lord wants from you is a yielded life… He wants to be able to work freely in you and through you, unrestricted!

Psalm 115

2008-10-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

All you who fear the LORD, trust the LORD! He is your helper and your shield.
(Psalms 115:11)

In this Psalm the Psalmist talks to us all about the difference between the LORD and the idols that men and women create. As he goes on he calls on all Israel to trust the Lord. He asks that all the priests, the descendant of Aaron would fear the Lord. Then, in the verse we will focus on this morning, he tells us that “all who fear the Lord” should trust the Lord. In each one of these instances the writer reminds us that the Lord is both our HELPER and our SHIELD. He is there not only to assist and empower us as a “helper”, but also to PROTECT us as our shield.

This idea of fearing the Lord is one we have talked about before. In the most simple of terms it is the recognition that God is ALL POWERFUL and we are woefully un-powerful. It is the acknowledgement of the fact that before Him, we stand as sinners, and He is utterly holy. This FEAR is simply the natural result of a biblical recognition of who God is and who we are.

Having come to the place of biblical fear of God, an appropriate and reverential respect, we are admonished to trust Him. Now, you might read that and think, “How could you have a real reverential respect for God without first putting faith in Him”? The answer is quite simple. The writer isn’t talking about a one time decision… when the psalmist says trust the Lord; he means keep on trusting the Lord! So, if you fear the Lord today, then take a step back and trust the Lord! Trust Him with the details of your personal life. Trust Him with your fears about what may or may not be going on in our country. Trust Him with your future, trust Him with today, and trust Him with all that you have and all that you are!

Psalm 114

2008-10-23T09:47:00.001-04:00

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.
(Psalms 114:7-8)

This Psalm talks all about the work that God did with the Israelites when He led them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and eventually into Promised Land. The interesting thing about this Psalm is that the Psalmist focuses on how the earth itself responded to the work of God; seas parting, rivers opening, mountains and hills skipping like livestock; all in all a pretty amazing description of how ALL of creation is subjected to God’s control.

The Psalm ends with a description of how God caused water to come pouring out of rock… a demonstration of His complete control of the elements. Before that closing thought though, we see the main idea behind the psalm… the psalmist says “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” This idea of the earth trembling isn’t one of terror, but of reverential respect. We need to recognize that with a word God could cause all the elements of the earth to dissolve. He can do ANYTHING.

Today, tremble before the Lord, but not in terror. Do so in holy reverential worship, recognizing that God is so much greater than you, and that nothing is beyond Him. Be amazed at the power of our God today, and remember how God cleared a path for the Israelites… He can still do the same for you!

Psalm 113

2008-10-21T12:28:00.001-04:00

Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of His own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!

(Psalms 113:5-9)

I love this passage, for in it we are reminded where our true hope should reside. Our country is in the middle of an election cycle that keeps addressing these very themes. One candidate says we need “change”, the other says we need “straight talk”… I agree with both but where are we gonna find them? This last week Franklin Graham said this:

“I’d like to propose that the change we need is a change of the human heart – a moral and spiritual change – and we need some straight talk from the greatest manual on life ever written – God’s Word, the Holy Bible.”

I really like that… It is so true! In one sense, that is what this psalm is talking about. The leader that can “tell it like it is” and “bring the change we need” is Jesus Christ. He isn’t an elitist, separated from those he cares for, but He is able to transform them! He loves all men, and can transform those in economic turmoil, and those facing bereavement… He is the change we need.

So my friends, there is a change I can believe in, and there is a source for straight talk, that person is Jesus Christ. He tells it like it is and He can do the impossible in making us new men and women. Trust Him, listen to Him, rely upon Him… Jesus is one leader that will never let us down!

Psalm 112

2008-10-16T07:15:00.002-04:00

Psa 112:6-7 Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. (7) He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Believing in God is crucial. We have been studying what it is to truly believe in the Lord in our Jr. High class. It is more than a one time thing. It is more than praying "the prayer" of salvation. It is something we have to decide to do every day. Every time we mess up, we can look back and see it is from a lack of faith in what God is doing.

The righteous man described in these verses is never shaken and steadfast. I do not know about you, but sometimes I feel like I am on a roller coaster. In this life everything is always changing. Where do we find some sturdy ground? How do we keep from feeling like we are in quick sand? The righteous man finds the answer in the Lord. He trusts and believes on Him for everything. He is not afraid of bad news, because he knows he has God.

Maybe your life has been a roller coaster ride. Maybe you feel the ground shifting under your feet. Find the Lord, trust in Him. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, yet His mercies are new every morning.

Psalm 111

2008-10-15T07:17:00.002-04:00

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Solomon has a very wise Father. We often credit Solomon for penning down these words, but as we can see here, he must have learned this from his father. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

What does it mean to fear the Lord? The word literally means to revere, even to the point of dread. This is how I feel about the ocean. I love going swimming. I love boogie boarding. However, I have a healthy respect for the ocean. I have had enought waves crash on me that I realize which one of us is bigger.

This does not mean that God wants us to be scared of Him. It is important for us to understand that He is all powerful, and we are not. Our attitude should be anything but flippant when approaching God. To fear Him, will be the first step to obtaining true wisdom.

Psalm 110

2008-10-14T06:57:00.002-04:00

Psa 110:4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

This is the first time the name of Melchizedek is mentioned outside the book of Genesis. He is kind of a mysterious figure. Some will argue, "Was that Jesus Christ revealing Himself to Abraham or was that just a type of Christ." I cannot give a precise answer, however I can provide interesting facts.

1. Melchizedek was the first and only mention of a King / Priest in the Bible outside of Jesus. He was said to be a High Priest. This meant that he lead his people spiritually. He gave the offering that forgave their sins. He was the people's bridge between them and God.

He was also a King. He led the people. He ruled over them. They followed him wherever he said, and he had complete authority.

2. Melchizedek was king of Salem (Peace), later to be Jerusalem. Jesus promises to be Lord of Jerusalem and rule over it forever. Whoever this mysterious character was, he was on the throne of the most important city in history.

3. Hebrews tells us as well as our featured verse that Jesus came from the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Only a greater entitiy could bless and the lesser would receive. Melchizedek confidently blessed Abraham, knowing he was the greater entity of the two. Jesus does the same for us, blessing us as the greater.

4. Melchizedek broke bread with Abraham. Although Melchizedek was greater, he invites Abraham as an equal, to break and eat at his table. So Jesus invites us to His table to eat with Him!

There is plenty more to learn. To do so, turn to the following Chapters: Genesis 14:18, Hebrews 7

Psalm 109

2008-10-13T06:30:00.002-04:00

Psa 109:27 That they may know that this is Your hand— That You, LORD, have done it!

David speaks some pretty intense words in this Psalm. It may seem like he has a bitter grudge against an individual. We know David to be a man after God's own heart, therefore, why is David so bitter?

I believe our featured verse gives us the answer. Remember when David first heard Goliath. He was angry. He was angry that Israel was allowing this man to put down the name of the Lord. We was not angry because the giant was putting down Israel. David did not get upset because he had some sort of Jewish pride. It was simply because Israel was allowing Goliath to put down the name of the Lord.

David wants justice, and he wants it that God may be glorified. His prayer is intense, however he recognizes that to disrespect the Lord is an intense sin. Those spoken about in this chapter are lying, thieving, men who step on the poor and disrespect the Lord. Their one concern is to bring themselves glory. David therefore prays that their names be blotted out of history.

May the most important thing in our lives be God. May we live that He might be glorified. May the works of our hands be testimony that - GOD HAS DONE IT!

Psalm 108

2008-10-11T09:36:00.002-04:00

Psa 108:2 Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.

Have you ever watched the sunrise? It can be a beautiful thing. I remember waking up at the beach in Ocean City. It was really early. I walked out to the ocean and simply watched the sun come up. Life is slower for these brief moments. You are watching the beginning of a new day. You are thinking of everything that will happen that day. If you are looking forward to something, it can be very exciting.

Here is David. He has awoken. He is excited about a brand new day. He is excited to spend time with the Lord. Despite that his enemies are at his feet, despite the fact that they are in battle, despite the fact that he finds no help from fellow man, he wakes to a new day excited to see God work. What glorious faith!

It is a new day! Wake the world up. Be excited. Whatever may be happening in your life right now, get excited about what the Lord is going to do. He is worthy to be praised.

Psalm 107

2008-10-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
(Psalms 107:2)

I love this verse, because it reminds us of a facet of redemption that we don’t often think about. We talk a lot about how Jesus saved us from our sins, and was judged so we wouldn’t have to be judged; but it isn’t very often that we talk about WHO we were bought back from.

This verse tells us that we were REDEEMED FROM THE HAND OF THE ENEMY. What exactly does that mean?

Well, to redeem something is to BUY IT BACK. The Hebrew word actually means to BUY SOMETHING BACK FROM BONDAGE. So, as believers, we are people who have been bought from not just the bondage of sin and death, but from the control of our enemy the Devil. The Hebrew word used here for “enemy” is a word that can mean OPPRESSION or OPPRESSOR. And isn’t that exactly what the Devil is? He has come to steal, kill and destroy; the one who oppresses and assaults all within his grasp. Praise the Lord; we are no longer in his grasp! We have been taken from his hand, not by force, but by Jesus Christ paying the FULL PRICE! This means that as the REDEEMED OF THE LORD, the devil no longer has any right or claim on our lives!

So what are you gonna do about it? Tell the world about it!!! LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO!

Psalm 106

2008-10-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His mighty power known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness. He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise. They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

(Psalms 106:7-13)

Seeing God’s great power displayed, the children of Israel BELIEVED GOD’S WORDS and SANG GOD’S PRAISE. This is good. What happened next is not. What happened next is actually very bad. THEY SOON FORGOT HIS WORKS and THEY DID NOT WAIT FOR HIS COUNSEL.

There is a pattern that we see develop through out scripture, a pattern of FORGETFULLNESS among the people of God. When God works in our lives in visible, tangible ways, we shout and cheer, and promise to obey His commands. But, sooner than later, we forget what He has done, and as a result, we stop listening to His voice.

Now, the greatest thing that God has done for each one of us is DYING ON THE CROSS for our sins and RISING AGAIN so we can have new life in Him. If we REMEMBER this truth, it AFFECTS the WAY WE LIVE, and the WAY WE RESPOND TO HIS WORD. When we lose sight of the cross and the resurrection, then we quickly slide back into modes of living that are selfish and self-motivated.

The only way to avoid this problem that plagued the Israelites is to COME BACK TO THE CROSS DAILY. We need to keep Jesus and what He did before us at all times. So my friends preach the gospel to yourselves and each other everyday! Don’t neglect the “SO GREAT SALVATION” that the Bible tells us all about; LIVE IT!

Psalm 105

2008-10-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance,"

(Psalms 105:8-11)

This is a great reminder to all of us of just how faithful God is to keep His promises. Here in America, we are nearing another election. During this season, politicians make all kinds of promises that they never really intend on keeping. I am so glad that our God is not a politician. He doesn’t say things to win voters, or allow popular opinion to shape His policies… No, our God is forever faithful and UNCHANGING.

Here we see that God has made an EVERLASTING COVENANT to the nation of Israel concerning their rights to the land of Canaan. 100 years ago, people would have insisted that this promise couldn’t be literal. Today, we have UNDENIABLE evidence that it is!

If God meant it when He said this, do you think He means it when He promises us a “future and a hope”? Do you think He means it when He promises us that He will “wipe away every tear”? Do you think Jesus meant it when He promised that He would return?

My friends take God’s promises to the bank! Don’t doubt Him! Have a concrete confidence that the Lord will do what He has promised! Today, don’t let the opinions of man, or the circumstances of life dictate the decisions you make… Instead, base your choices and actions on the promises of God. BUILD YOUR LIFE ON THE ROCK!

Psalm 104

2008-10-02T23:19:00.000-04:00

Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
(Psalms 104:2)

Does this verse remind you of anything? Any event in the life of Jesus? Can you think of a time when Jesus appeared as though he had been clothed in light?

THE TRANSFIGURATION!!!

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
(Matthew 17:1-2)

This idea of God as Light comes up throughout the scriptures over and over… Light is silent, but it transforms the way we see things… in fact, without it we are blind.

I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
(1 Timothy 6:13-16)

God dwells in unapproachable light. As His children, we are called to walk in that same light.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
(1 John 1:5-7)

You guys know these things. Rather than add any more commentary, I just want to exhort you to do 2 things: Meditate on what it means for God to be clothed in light, and then ask yourself what it means to walk in that same light!

Psalm 103

2008-10-01T00:06:00.001-04:00

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

(Psalms 103:12)

This is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. I love it because it helps us to understand that God’s forgiveness is not conditional or partial like ours is. When I forgive people, it often has strings attached… maybe it’s conditioned on their ability to keep repeating the sin, or accompanied with a commitment to “never forget”. This is not the way that God deals with sin that is perpetrated against Him.

We read here that God has removed our transgressions from us. He has forgiven us, and in so doing, He has taken our sins, and completely removed them. They are no longer connected to us! Now if I was God, I would probably file them a way in some sort of heavenly storage unit, where I could pull them out from time to time to threaten the sinner and keep him in line.

This is not what God does… he puts them as far away from us as possible, as far as “east is from west”. This is a really cool word picture, because “east” and “west” aren’t actual places. There isn’t a set mileage, like, “travel 9000 miles and you’ll get to the sin”. East and West never meet. They are INFINITELY separate. Notice, God didn’t say “north” and “south”. That would have been a calculable distance. Instead, He chose to use a metaphor that couldn’t be computed! Why? Because God wanted us to realize something very important; When He forgives, it’s FOREVER.

Rejoice today in this glorious truth… your sins have been taken care of COMPLETELY and ETERNALLY!

Psalm 102

2008-09-30T01:09:00.000-04:00

Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
(Psalms 102:25-27)

I drove by my old neighborhood the other day when I was coming home from the doctor. It had changed. I have all these great memories from that neighborhood, memories of growing up, and none of it looks the same. The house I used to live in looks different. There is a big play set built where second base used to be in my yard, and the trees in “right field” are gone. (As I kid I thought about my yard in terms of a baseball field)

It’s a fact, everything in this life changes… nothing stays the same. We read here in this Psalm that even the heavens will one day grow old, and the Lord will change them like you or I change clothes. CRAZY!!!

In the midst of this changing world, we serve a God who NEVER CHANGES! That fact is one of the greatest truths about our God. He is never going to grow old, or get tired; He will be the same for all of eternity. Unlike my old neighborhood, I can trust that God will always be the same… faithful, true, available to you and I. My friends, be thankful today that our God NEVER CHANGES!

Psalm 101

2008-09-29T00:07:00.002-04:00

I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.

(Psalms 101:3)

So, what kinds of things are you guys and girls setting before your eyes? What are the things that you are watching on TV, looking at in magazines, or even observing in the world? The Psalmist here says that he will not set any wicked thing before his eyes. From time to time we have inappropriate things cross our line of vision and have no control over it. That is not what the Psalmist is talking about. He is talking about what we choose to take in through our eyes. Those things affect us much more than we think!

Do we take pleasure in watching people do things we would never do? If we do, then we don’t really “hate the work of those who fall away”. The psalmist alludes to the fact that if we don’t hate the sinful behaviors of the world, those same behaviors will affect us. As he describes it here, they will CLING TO US.

So my friends be careful today about what you allow to pass through your eyes into your hearts. Ask yourself today, do I really hate sin, or am I allowing it to cling to me?

Psalm 100

2008-09-26T07:15:00.001-04:00

Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

Here is a sweet little Psalm. It reminds us to tak the focus off us and put it on the Lord. Its instructions are simply: serve the Lord with gladness.

I hope that your relationship with God is not a strenuous one. God wants your offerings from the willingness of your own heart. He wants you to do devotions, because you are devoted. He wants you to serve because you love. He wants you to serve because you are glad and have something to share.

If you are not experiencing the joy of the Lord in your service, stop. Take a break. Just spend some time with the Lord. After spending time in His presence, He will be faithful to put the joy back in your life.

Psalm 99

2008-09-25T07:13:00.002-04:00

Psa 99:8 You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.

God is holy. We can spend a lifetime simply talking about the holiness of God. He is so holy, we could not have communion with Him without the blood of Jesus Christ. He is so holy that to look upon Him would spell death for anyone. He is so holy that to His box proves fatal.

God is to be worshiped because He is holy. Nevertheless, there are more attributes of God that are equally as dominant as His holiness. God is love. God is merciful. God is forgiving.

Think about what our relationship with the Lord would be like if He were not loving and forgiving. I often say, I respect God for His holiness, but love God for His grace. His perfect power and strength is met with an extreme desire for relationship. He desires to meet with us. He desires to spend time with us. He desires to forgive us our sins.

Praise the Lord for He is worthy to be praised (He is holy). Praise the Lord because He has forgiven you. Most importantly, do not take advantage of God's forgiveness. He has forgiven you that He might meet with you. Meet with Him, and spend time with your Savior.

Psalm 98

2008-09-23T07:09:00.002-04:00

Psa 98:1 A Psalm. Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

David often tells us to sing to the Lord a new song. Immediately my mind jumps to exhortation toward the church at Ephesus. In Revelation 2 the Lord says that the church of Ephesus had left their first love. Everything ha grown kind of stale. Nothing was new.

We pay a lot to have something new. A new car often loses $2000 dollars worth of value the moment it is driven off the lot. Sometimes people get tired of a relationship because it loses that new and exciting stage.

All this to say that our relationship with Jesus is to be new every morning. You should not be living off that same relationship you had 5 years ago. Instead, you should be singing new songs. You should be learning new things. You should be experiencing who God is in a new way. Your relationship should be fresh.

People leave their first love because it stops being new. Jesus desires a fresh new relationship with you every day. Meet with Him and draw close. Be blessed!

Psalm 97

2008-09-20T10:51:00.001-04:00

The LORD reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

(Psalms 97:1-2)

So often the rulers of this world and it’s systems of government build their authority on lies, distortion, and unjust actions. In the midst of all of the spin and rhetoric, it can be hard to find the truth. We end up feeling like we can’t trust those in authority, like maybe we are being lied to or used. I have good news for you today: there is a leader who can be trusted. His kingdom is not of this world, yet it is intimately involved in the details of this life. It transcends borders, countries, and continents. This leader is the LORD Jesus Christ!

We are told here that the LORD; not Putin, or Osama, or McCain, or Obama, or Palin, or Bush, or Biden, or Hussein, or Blair, or Arafat, or Hitler, or Mussolini; the LORD, the God who created the universe, reigns! What should the response be? LET ALL THE EARTH REJOICE!!! Not just this country or that country, this party or that party, but ALL OF THE EARTH. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is the only one who has the right to claim the throne. We need to remember this. No matter who is in leadership here or anywhere else, we know this; the LORD is on the throne!

What makes the Lord’s leadership so great? It’s His platform… He isn’t campaigning to please one group or another… no; we read here that RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUSTICE are the FOUNDATION of His throne. Not just righteousness, or justice alone, but the 2 working in concert. Moral excellence, coupled with a stance of love toward all, and a promise to see justice served; this is what makes the Lord’s leadership so wonderful. I think I just might write in Jesus 4 president in ’08!

Psalm 96

2008-09-19T10:39:00.004-04:00

Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.
(Psalms 96:9)

There are many things in this life that I find beautiful. My wife is beautiful. My daughter is beautiful. My mom and my sister are beautiful. I think it’s beautiful when fresh snow blankets everything, transforming our world into a different place. I think sunsets and sunrises are beautiful. Thunderstorms are beautiful. Riding in a convertible at the beach is beautiful. The ocean is beautiful. If I’m honest, I would have to say that LIFE is beautiful. I love life, and I’m kinda sappy, so I tend to see almost everything that still has the mark of our Creator on it as beautiful.

One thing that I will confess that I never used to think of as beautiful was holiness. I used to think of holiness as something frightening, alarming, something deadly to human touch. A few years ago, the Lord used this verse and a couple of others like it to change how I viewed holiness. It went from something that was FEAR inspiring; to something that was AWE inspiring. You see, God’s holiness is everything that makes him different from the stuff of this earth. He is altogether separate, and though we see glimpses of His character in His creation, His essence is totally different than anything we see here. My friends, the Lord is beautiful, and it is in part His holiness that makes Him beautiful. Where this world brings trouble, the Lord brings peace. Where there is hurt, the Lord offers solace and comfort. Where things here are broken and deficient, the Lord is perfect and complete.

When the psalmist said “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness”, some commentators say he was referring to the temple. That is really interesting to me. The temple was a manifestation of the beauty and holiness of the Lord; a place where people could go to meet with the Lord, and to worship Him. Today, WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit… God does not reside in a building, but in us, the hearts and lives of His people. We are called to live holy lives. To “Be Holy as He is Holy”. So, when we read these words, “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” it doesn’t just mean “worship the Lord because his holiness is beautiful”… it literally can mean, “Worship the Lord by stepping into the beauty that is His holiness, allow him to separate you from the world, to draw you unto Himself, worship Him there in that beautiful place where you are set apart for Him alone”.

Today my friends, allow the Lord to make your life beautiful with HIS HOLINESS. Set yourself apart today, and worship the Lord. It’s a beautiful thing!

Psalm 95

2008-09-19T10:39:00.001-04:00

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for He is our God. We are the people He watches over, the flock under His care. If only you would listen to His voice today!
(Psalms 95:6-7)

Who is our God? Who is the one that we worship, the only one worthy of praise? The Lord our Maker… that’s who! In our world, people worship God’s of all sorts, and most of those God’s are things that they have MADE. People worship their jobs, their cars, their homes, their husbands/wives/boyfriends/girlfriends; they give all they have to the pursuit of things that are man made and broken in nature.

In Philippians 3:19, Paul tells us that some of the people around us have a really strange God. He says “Their God is their BELLY”! This means that they worship their flesh and its desires; they spend all of their time and energy feeding the lusts of their flesh, and in essence, they are worshipping themselves.

We are told here that we are not to worship anything that has been created; instead our worship belongs solely to the creator of all things. Whether created by us, mankind, or God; nothing we can find in this world is worthy of our worship. We are told here that we should WORSHIP, BOW DOWN and KNEEL before the Lord who made us… He alone is our God. He watches over us, cares for us; like a shepherd and His sheep, we are His flock, and he tends to our every need.

As we worship the LORD, the one who made heaven and earth, the one who made US; there is something we are told we should be doing on a daily basis. The psalmist says, “LISTEN TO HIS VOICE TODAY!” Friends, the Lord, the one who made you wants to speak to you today. He wants to guide and direct your steps; He wants to lead you in the paths of righteousness. He doesn’t lead with a bit and bridle, or a cattle prod… He does it with his voice. So my friends LISTEN TO THE LORD TODAY!

Psalm 94

2008-09-17T09:24:00.000-04:00

How long, O LORD? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat? How long will they speak with arrogance? How long will these evil people boast? They crush Your people, LORD, hurting those You claim as Your own. They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans. "The LORD isn't looking," they say, "and besides, the God of Israel doesn't care." Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on? Is He deaf—the One who made your ears? Is He blind—the One who formed your eyes? He punishes the nations—won't He also punish you? He knows everything—doesn't He also know what you are doing?

(Psalms 94:3-10)

JUSTICE – It is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but something that we rarely, if ever, see practiced here in this world. In fact, if we look around us, the thing that obviously exists is INJUSTICE, and it often goes completely unpunished. All over the world people are doing horrible things to other people as if no one cares, as if nothing can stop them.

We see in this passage that God’s heart is for the oppressed… He loves the orphan, the widow, the stranger… He has a heart for those who the world pushes aside, those that we refer to today as being “marginalized”. These people are mistreated all over the world today in some of the most unimaginably ugly ways. The things that people do to them are indescribably evil, and are things that should NEVER take place.

We are reminded in this passage that God knows all of this, and He is watching. The psalmist reminds us… God can hear it all, and He can see it all… no one will get away with anything. There is a day coming when all the evil and depravity in this world will be overturned… Every wrong will be made right, and Jesus himself will be the first truly Just ruler this world has ever seen.

We can escape His judgment only by accepting the price He has already paid for our sins. He died so that we could live, and the life He has given us is one that should be used to serve Him, not to further damage the world through sin and injustice. Remember this today… the Lord sees everything we do, and He is coming back soon to make all things right… May we be found serving Him and the world He loves, and not hurting or harming those He has called His own!

Psalm 93

2008-09-16T15:31:00.000-04:00

The floods have risen up, O LORD. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the LORD above is mightier than these!
(Psalms 93:3-4)

The ocean can definitely be a mighty thing. This last week at the beach, Emma Bell realized just how mighty for the first time in her life. The surf was a little rough, but not too bad to play in last week, and the kids were having fun holding our hands and jumping the waves. Out of nowhere, a wave quite a bit larger than the rest came and nailed all of us. It knocked several of the kids over, and as mike reached out and grabbed onto Jake to keep him from being sucked out into the surf, the wave tore his shorts right off of him. As we quickly regrouped and made sure everyone was alright, our eyes all settled on the same thing.

Just out of reach of the surf stood Emma Bell. She looked absolutely terrified. Her mouth was wide open, her eyes were as big as saucers, and she was letting out one long continuous cry. It was comical, but also heartbreaking. For the first time, she had seen just how powerful the water was. We asked her what was wrong and she said she was scared for Jake. The rest of the week Emma panicked whenever one of us got in the water… she was scared of what it might do to us.

In the scriptures, waves, floods, and waters are often used as metaphors for the trials that we experience. In our own lives, things can often happen that leave us in the same condition Emma found herself in; terrified, paralyzed, unable to move forward. In this Psalm we are told that our Lord is far more powerful than all of these things. The waves, the floods, the storms… they have nothing on Jesus Christ. So, the next time you feel overwhelmed by the “floods” in your life, remember this: Jesus is greater!

Psalm 92

2008-09-15T11:23:00.001-04:00

You thrill me, LORD, with all You have done for me! I sing for joy because of what You have done.
(Psalms 92:4)

It doesn’t take much to get me excited. At the beach last week, I got totally stoked about $0.50 paratroopers. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me educate you on one of the simple pleasures of this life. These are tiny little rubber army men that have plastic parachutes attached to their backs. If you wrap the chute right, you can throw them way up in the air and watch them float down. For children, and weird dudes like me, this can provide hours of entertainment. Now that I’m a grown up, I have to pretend like I’m buying them for Amelia, or someone else’s kids… but I’m not; they are really for me.

So, at the beach my friends and I (who are also weird and think these little dudes are extremely cool) picked up 5 of these guys before we took the kids to fly kites. My friend Matt figured out a way to connect his parachute man to the kite string, and as the parachute man went sliding UP 500 FEET OF STRING I begin yelling things like, “WHOOO, YEAAAAAH!!! OH YEAH, WHOOO-WHOOO!!!” Needless to say, I was excited.

It would be accurate to say that at that moment, the little parachute man (all fifty cents of him) thrilled me. I know that sounds really lame, but I’m being honest here… give me a break! (Cheap thrills are a lot easier on the wallet than things like sky-diving and bungee-jumping). As I read Psalm 92 this morning, I couldn’t help but think how lame it is that I get thrilled by the silly passing pleasures of this life, but rarely allow the work and person of Jesus Christ to thrill me. The Psalmist declares here that the thing that thrilled him was all that the Lord had done for Him. In fact, when He says “I sing for joy because of what you have done”, it literally means “I shout loudly because of what you have done”. I was shouting loudly about the silly paratrooper… but how often do I get that excited about Jesus? How often does the work of God in my life make me respond with a “WHOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”? My friends, if we are not thrilled by the work of God, the problem is simple: We don’t really understand what God has done/is doing in our lives.

So, here is your challenge for today. Take a few minutes and think about all that the Lord has done for you, all the blessings He has sent your way, and get THRILLED! (If your parents ask why you’re hoopin’ and hollerin’ you can blame it on me.)

Psalm 91

2008-09-07T15:37:00.001-04:00

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
(Psalms 91:1-2)

Did any of you have secret hideouts as a kid? Places you would go that only a select few individuals knew about? When I was in elementary school, we used to have these “forts” in the woods. They were secret places, and only I and my friends knew about them. They were made out of trees that had fallen on top of one another in the woods, and there were loads of nooks and crannies to climb in and out of. We would go and sit on them in the woods and just feel special. It was OUR place.

This verse tells us that the Lord has a secret place. A hidden “fort” if you will that we can go and hang out in. We are told in fact, that we can spiritually LIVE in this secret place. This secret place is the PRESENCE of GOD, and it is found in the heavenly HOLY of HOLIES. Through Jesus Christ, we can actually enjoy the presence of God ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.

This verse tells us that if we will spiritually live in the presence of God… if we will maintain awareness that God is indeed “with us”, then we will ABIDE constantly under the overshadowing protection of the ALMIGHTY GOD. My friends, God is with us. It is a fact, an indisputable fact. But, whether or not that fact will change the way we live is totally up to us. If we will just remember that God is with us, it will transform the way we see EVERYTHING else.

Remember the promise Jesus made his disciples…

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
(Matthew 28:20)

Psalm 90

2008-09-07T15:35:00.001-04:00

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
(Psalms 90:12)

Most of you guys and girls that read this blog are pretty young. When you read a verse like the one above, it is easy to disregard it and think, “That doesn’t apply to me, I have my whole life ahead of me”. Well guess what… it does apply to you. Time flies, and not just when you’re having fun. Life is a blur. I can’t believe that it has been 4 ½ years since Melissa and I got married. I also can’t believe that it has been just over 7 years since I graduated from Bible College. I need so badly to see the importance of numbering my days. We don’t know how long we have. We need to live TODAY for the Lord, not just think about what we will do for Him tomorrow.

Wisdom is something that each one of us NEEDS. Here in this verse we are told that the heart of wisdom can only be gained when we are aware of how quickly life can pass us by. If we don’t give the brevity of life on earth a second thought, our existence will be by definition FOOLISH.

The New Testament puts it this way:

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
(Ephesians 5:15-16)

The word “circumspectly” basically means that we make EVERY STEP COUNT. Friends, don’t wait another day… the days are truly evil, and the time we have here is short. Ask the Lord to help you “number your days” and gain His perspective on life. Ask Him to help you make every step count, to help you to buy up the opportunities that are all around you.

Remember the exhortation of Solomon…

Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say, "Life is not pleasant anymore." Remember Him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. Remember Him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember Him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. Remember Him before the door to life's opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. Remember Him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember Him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
(Ecclesiastes 12:1-7)

Remember Jesus today… and serve Him now, while you still have time!

Psalm 89

2008-09-04T21:29:00.001-04:00

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalms 89:1)

God can use us in so many ways. He gives us various gifts and talents, and there are so many ways to express and use those things. But, with very few exceptions, the one thing we all have in common is the ability to talk. Almost every one of us can open our mouths and declare truth about the Lord. It is true, our actions often speak louder than our words, but if there are never any words to explain our actions, then we are falling short of the work that God has given us all to do. 2 Timothy 4:5 tells us that we are all called to “do the work of an evangelist”.

Here is Psalm 89, we see a person (we know him as Ethan the Ezrahite) using his mouth in two different ways to proclaim truth about our Lord.

1. He sings of God’s Mercy FOREVER – The first thing we note is that this guy sings. Now, you may feel like you lack in the area of being able to produce beautiful melodies with your voice… but God is chiefly concerned with the music of your heart. A great voice with a wrong heart sounds like noise in God’s ears; while someone whop is physically off-key, but spiritually in tune sounds beautiful to Him. Notice, the thing that this man chooses to lift his voice in song about is GOD’S MERCY. The mercy of God is something that should cause each and every one of us to lift our voices in praise. Notice, this is a subject the Psalmist says he will sing about FOREVER. What is the song on your lips today? Is it one rejoicing in the mercy of God, or is it one lifting you, or another potential idol up? Guys and gals, day in and day out, we should be making melodies in our hearts to the Lord…

2. He speaks of God’s faithfulness to ALL GENERATIONS – This guy talks. Because God is faithful, this guy can’t help but tell people about Him. We live in a world that is constantly changing. In this world, the Lord is the one thing that remains steadfast and secure. We need to tell people about God’s FAITHFULNESS, and we need to be willing to declare that faithfulness to young and old alike. Notice, this guy doesn’t say, “I talk about God’s faithfulness to MY generation”… he says “EVERY generation”.

So, as you go through your day today, tomorrow… everyday; ask yourself this: “What am I singing about and what am I talking about?” Is it God’s mercy and God’s faithfulness that flows freely from your mouth, or is it something else? Is it the Lord you long to think, sing, talk, and hear about, or is it the things of this world? I hope and pray that each one of us will dwell on the things of the Lord.

WE RESUME IN SEPTEMBER

2008-08-28T16:14:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of communication... Hector and I have taken a much needed break during this hectic summer season. We will start posting DAILY again come September 1st.

Wordle for our Blog...

2008-08-01T15:50:00.002-04:00

I thought this was pretty cool, this website called www.wordle.com analyzes your blog and generates this image.

Psalm 88

2008-07-25T15:28:00.000-04:00

This is a song of lamentation, sung from the perspective of the psalmist. At first reading, you may have a “what’s up with that?!?!” kind of reaction. Hang in there, read it again… give it a chance… this psalm is special; though it is one of the darkest in the book of Psalms, it is full of refreshment for those who will allow it to speak to them.

Have you ever felt alone? Like God wasn’t there? Have you ever wondered if the Lord hears your prayers? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the difficulties you face? Have you ever felt like trials and difficulties just keep pummeling you like the waves of a tempestuous sea? YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The Psalmist here is crying out to God from a position of despair. From his perspective, God is against him, and there is no hope… BUT, he continues to cry out to the LORD!

This is a powerful and wonderful example. It shows that though the psalmist is honest, and feels abandoned, he continues to trust in the promises of God. Let us follow this example… let’s be honest in our prayers, and firm in our faith; let’s cry out to the Lord, and believe that HE WILL ANSWER.

O LORD, I cry out to You. I will keep on pleading day by day. O LORD, why do You reject me? Why do You turn Your face from me? I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before Your terrors. Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have paralyzed me. They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long. They have engulfed me completely. You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.

(Psalms 88:13-18)

Psalm 87

2008-07-22T09:32:00.000-04:00

This Psalm sings the praises of the city of Zion (Jerusalem). Of all of Israel, it was the most blessed city, the home of the temple and the center of God’s work here on earth. Some Bible scholars think that this Psalm was written during the time when the temple was destroyed and the city was in ruin… a Psalm designed to stir faith and remind the Jews that a time was soon to come, a time when God would once again make Zion the jewel of his creation.

Today, that promise still rings true. The Bible tells us that during the millennium, Christ will rule and reign from Jerusalem… it will be the center of His kingdom. Beyond that, we know that when the new heaven’s and the new earth are created, we will all dwell in a NEW JERUSALEM… a heavenly city where we need no sun, because God Himself will dwell there and be our light.

So how does this apply to us? By extension, we are ALL citizens of Zion because we have become the children of God through relationship with Jesus. So be blessed, we have new birth in Christ, and have become citizens of a city that is far greater than any earthly city will ever be.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

(Hebrews 12:22-24)

Psalm 86

2008-07-15T10:45:00.003-04:00

Psa 86:13 For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Too often we base how good God has been to us upon what we have here on earth. David had an eternal perspective. An eternal perspective is critical in the life of a believe. Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God. Truly God's kingdom is not an earthly one, but an eternal one. The verse continues to say that the rest of the things we need will then be added to us. Usually, once I have turned my eyes upon the eternal, I realize I have everything I need.

David is looking at the eternal. This is why he recognizes himself as holy (v. 2). He realizes that becuas eof God's holy work, he himself was holy. Later he praises God for saving him from the depths of Sheol. Sheol is death, or hell. As we look at life from an eternal perspective the first thing we ask is, "where am I going to be?" Truly we should praise God because we know that we are saved from Sheol! You and I are going to heaven because God has made us holy!

Live life excited. You are going to heaven. Live life looking at the eternal. We are going to be with Jesus!

Psalm 85

2008-07-14T12:02:00.002-04:00

Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Balance is a wonderful thing. If you have ever played a sport, you need balance. Ballet takes balance. Dancing takes balance. Skateboarding takes balance. We recognize this as one of the key features of any physical activity. It is also important we recognize it in other areas of life.

Balance is needed in life. It is needed in the way we conduct ourselves and the way we discern. God demontrates His character to us and the most beautiful display of balance. Mercy, Truth, Righteousness, and Peace are all perfectly displayed to us every single day. He is merciful, yet He does not allow mercy to compromise his righteousness. He is truthful, yet He does not allow the truth to disrupt perfect peace. Our God does not just balance the characteristics, but epitomizes them.

The Psalmist is full of joy and hope as he lays these words down. Truly the knowledge of such an amazing God should cause us to worship!

Psalm 84

2008-07-08T10:16:00.001-04:00

A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

(Psalms 84:10)

The world seems to be on a constant quest to find an elusive thing known as “happiness”. I did some searching today on the web to see what people are saying about how to find true happiness. Here is some of what I found:

One site said to “Train the mind and fill it with inspiration and positive energies, self-faith, the bright colours of your heart and soul.” In other words, they are saying, “fill your mind with positive things, believe in yourself, and ignore anything negative”. I’m sorry, but a t the very best, this will only provide a temporary shallow happiness.

The Dalai Llama was asked what the secret to lasting happiness was, and he said “I don’t know.”

Some people think it is something attainable, but always speak of “happiness” in the future tense, “I would be truly happy if I… (You fill in the blank)”.

David says in our Psalm today that a single day spent in the presence of the Lord is better than a THOUSAND spent anywhere else. The word “better” here could be translated as HAPPIER or MORE PROFITABLE. 1000 days is just shy of three years… Imagine three straight years of the best possible circumstances you can think of; David says one day in God’s house exceeds ALL of that! David knew what he was talking about… he was a king, and anything and everything was accessible to him.

In another place, David tells us that “In the Lord’s presence is FULLNESS OF JOY”. We don’t need to search to find happiness… real joy can be found in enjoying the Lord. The quest for happiness is one where people are trying to find what they were made for. They feel unsatisfied because they aren’t living to do what God made them to do. We were made to reflect the glory of God; we were made to worship Him in word and deed. The secret to lasting happiness is a RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD!

Psalm 83

2008-07-01T07:22:00.002-04:00

Psa 83:13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind!

The world can be very intimidating. At times they look like the ones who have it all together. They lift their heads high. They are confident. They walk in and walk out and nobody messes with them. Underneath the layer of pride there is a layer of fear.

The world is likened to chaff. We remember this word all the way from chapter one of Psalms. What is chaff? It is the husk on the outside of corn and some grasses. It is not very nice to eat, therefore in order to rid of it, they would shake the corn in the wind and watch the husk blow off. Wheat naturally does this. Much like leaves falling in the autumn, the chaff will blow off the wheat.

If your life is made up of chaff, the Lord is going to do a huge work in your life. Your going to be shaken until all that uselessness comes off of you. If your life contains no chaff than you are ready for the Lord's work! He will use you for His glory. Examine your own heart. Make sure there is no chaff, only pure grain.

Psalm 82

2008-06-30T07:31:00.002-04:00

Psa 82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.

Judging is a dangerous habit. These verses make it clear that only one person has the right to judge and that one person is God. He stands amidst the mighty and He judges the gods.

There are plenty of gods out there which need to be judged. In our modern day world I immediately think of the media. It is certainly turned into a god. People worship their television and internet. They are constantly needing to be fed more gossip. They take sides with people and judge who is correct and who is incorrect, what is cool and what is not, etc. The television is so easy to get sucked into. There is one thing that is for certain, though anybody may have an opinion, it is only the television analyst's that counts.

The Lord God is going to a put a finish on these false god following cultures. He will put an end to the worshiping of television. He will judge the world and all will stand before Him. As a Christian this will be a glorious day. As a false god, a judge, a non-believer, this will be a day of great fear.

Psalm 81

2008-06-27T09:49:00.001-04:00

"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! There shall be no foreign god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
(Psalms 81:8-10)

Our psalm today continues this theme of depending upon the Lord. Here ware reminded of the commandment of God that we should worship HIM ALONE. The Lord reminds the Israelites here that He had brought them out of Egypt and provided for there every need. He gives them a promise: If they open their mouths, He will fill them.

We often scoff at the idea of idolatry. We think, “How crazy is that?!? Why would anyone worship a thing fashioned out of wood or stone”. The truth is, our lives are often filled with idolatry. You see, we may not be bowing down before a man made idol, if we look to anyone or anything else to provide for our needs, then we are guilty of idolatry. The Lord told the Israelites to open their mouths, and HE would fill them!

So, are you opening your mouth to the Lord, or are you looking to be satisfied elsewhere? Remember, only God can TRULY feed your Spirit!!!

Psalm 80

2008-06-25T09:08:00.001-04:00

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
(Psalms 80:14-15)

Here we have another metaphor for our relationship with God. Here we see that we are like a vineyard, and the Lord is like the vinedresser. It might be easier to think of it as a garden and a gardener. We are like little plants that make up a garden, plants that are designed to grow healthy and bear FRUIT. Plants need certain things to grow: good soil, sunlight, plenty of water. The vinedresser or gardener helps to tend to us, to make sure that we are growing properly, producing the fruit of the best quality. He does this by lifting up our branches, moving and repositioning things, binding things up, cutting unnecessary things off, etc…

The Lord does all those things in our life. He cuts and trims, He repositions things, He makes sure that we are positioned in such a way that we can GROW. As the Lord does His part, we have a part to play too. He has provided the LIGHT and WATER that we need, but it is our choice whether or not we will walk and abide in those things. The Light of God is HIS PRESENCE. We are told that we have FELLOWSHIP with Him if we WALK IN THE LIGHT AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT. This basically means that we don’t have any hidden areas of darkness, but truly allow His light to expose all that we are. His Word is compared to water many times throughout the scriptures. We need to be SOAKING in God’s word… it isn’t enough to just have an occasional sip… we need it to soak us, to cover us… we need to be saturated with it.

So, are you a plant that is growing, or are you not submitting to the care of your gardener?

Psalm 79

2008-06-24T16:12:00.001-04:00

So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
(Psalms 79:13)

Here the people of God are referred to as the “sheep of His pasture”. This is a metaphor that runs throughout scripture, where we are likened unto sheep, and God is referred to as our shepherd. In this Psalm we are told that we are sheep that belong to GOD’S PASTURE.

So, what is a pasture to sheep? It is the place were sheep feed, where they gain the nutrition that they need to grow. People in general are a lot like sheep, but not every person is grazing in the pastures that belong to the Lord. This world has its own pastures, and the grazing that goes on there is not at all nutritious. The “pasture” that the Lord wants us feeding in is the pasture of His word. Whether at home, at work, at play, or at church; we need to be feeding upon the Word of God. Thinking about it, meditating upon it… allowing it to transform our heart and nourish us spiritually.

All too often, we find ourselves feeding on what popular culture throws our way. We think about the things of this world, and we allow them to shape our minds, and press our lives into the mold of this world.

Feed on the Lord’s word, and be thankful for the transformation He alone can give!

Psalm 78

2008-06-18T07:27:00.002-04:00

Psa 78:6-7 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, (7) That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

If you felt like you just heard a history lesson it is because you did! Asaph lays out the history of Israel that they might learn and praise the Lord. There are many stories to read through in this chapter and I would encourage you to consider everyone. Most importantly, it tells of Israel's falling away, and God's faithfulness.

If they were to do the same thing to your life what would it look like? They would pull up all the records of you turning against the Lord and His faithfulness. I know for me it would be scary to see my sin diplayed in such a manner. Now think about it as if it was. Think about all the sin and mistakes you have made. Consider His faithfulness. It give you a different perspective on life does it not? History is His Story. It is all about the Lord. Give today over to Him, and give Him complete control. He will shape your life into a story that will not be embarassing or regrettable, but will be amazing.

Psalm 77

2008-06-17T07:20:00.002-04:00

Psa 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

This is such a beautiful Psalm. Asaph has filled the mind with beautiful pictures of how God moves. He uses playful imagery, calling lightning God's arrows. He gives us the idea that God is moving around in the waters, watching us from the depths, as well as the heavens. Like other psalms by Asaph, this one also involves a struggle. Had God disappeared? Was He sneaking around but no longer there to help? Asaph only had to do one thing to get the right answer. He remembered the works of the Lord.

Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me." He was breaking bread, and pouring wine, as a picture of the ultimate sacrifice that was to come. Why would God ask us to remember? Because we forget! If you are anything like me you can get all caught up in the deep thoughts of the Word and forget about the beautiful simpleness of the sacrifice. He died, we live. Simply remembering that should give you a new view on today. Jesus died for you and it has changed your life forever!

For Asaph, it was something to sing about. He wrote this song to tell us of how he remembered God. Spend time worshiping God, giving Him praise. He died, He is risen, and He is so involved in our lives.

Psalm 76

2008-06-16T07:20:00.002-04:00

Psa 76:12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

I am watching the NBA Finals right now. Boston is one game away from winning the championship. When they or LA wins it, the banners will fly, the confetti will fall, and all mayhem will break loose. There will be interviews and the players will ecstatic. You will see total bliss in everyone of those players faces, and come next season, it will be gone.

I would imagine the spirit of a prince to be very much like that. A prince must of felt on top of the world. They were the celebrities of that day. They had it all, therefore, when they went around I am sure they had a certain demeanor. I would imagine it was like winning a championship, every day.

This is the spirit God says He will cut off. As Tommy shared in the last devotion, we worship celebrities and sports stars and lift them up to almost God-like levels. There will be a day when God displays His glory and it will be wonderful. All the pride of man will be made low, and only One will receive the glory. Jesus' name will be proclaimed. We as His children will stand with Him, worshipping Him. What a glorious day indeed when this world's glory is dwarfed compared to the glory of God.

Worship God today. Sing praises to Him. Realize that you have something even the princes of this world do not have. Worship Him.

Psalm 75

2008-06-13T10:12:00.000-04:00

For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.

(Psalms 75:6-7)

EXALTATION – The world literally means to “raise something up”. Think for a minute about the people, places and things that this world lifts up… celebrities, Hollywood, “La Vida Loca”. We lift up athletes and others like them to near God like status… we turn terrible, Godless places like Vegas into the stuff that dreams are made of, and we exalt riches and possessions as if those things will bring true happiness and fulfillment.

As Christians, it is hard not to be affected by the gross materialism all around us. Our culture worships STUFF, and exalts those with the most toys. The exaltation the world offers won’t last… do you know why?

BECAUSE GOD IS THE JUDGE.

There is coming a day when God will put down those things that the world has exalted, and He will lift up those things that are truly important. No longer celebrity and riches, but FAITH, HOPE and LOVE… No longer the crazy life, but the faithful life.

We can spend our life chasing after “success” the way the world defines it, and in the end we will end up miserable. Instead, we should live life in a way that pleases the Lord. We are told that “If you want to be great in GOD’S KINGDOM, learn to be the SERVANT OF ALL”. My challenge to all of us today is this: Look at the life you live, the choices you make… Which exaltation are you looking for? Are you looking for the one that comes from this world; east, west, north, or south? Or, are you looking for the exaltation that comes from the Lord?

psalm 74

2008-06-11T09:54:00.001-04:00

In today’s psalm we see the psalmist mourning the oppression and injustice that the nation of Israel faces at the hands of the ungodly. In this psalm the psalmist recounts the power of God, and the control that He has over all the earth, acknowledging his kingship, and all that lies within His control. The elements, like water and light, God alone controls these… no matter what appearances may communicate we know that ultimately God is the King of the Universe.

Having said this, we currently have a pretender to the throne, an individual acting as God of this age, and prince of the power of the air… none other than Satan himself. How did this happen? Maybe a little history lesson is in order…

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth all He made was His DOMINION. Having made man in His image and according to His likeness, He gave man a certain set of responsibilities. God invested soul and spirit within man, something animals don’t have… He also gave man the ability to reflect His glory in a unique way. In addition to these BLESSINGS He gave man the specific responsibility of exercising dominion over creation.

When man sinned, he forfeited his right to all of this, and Satan came into a position of power. With the entrance of sin, man was now under the control of a new master, and we read that the course sinful man walks today is one ordered and controlled by the devil.

When Jesus came and died on the cross, it was a full frontal assault on the kingdom of this world and its god, Satan. The battle was won then and there… Jesus dethroned Satan and bought back the right to the throne! Though Satan was defeated, he is still trying to bring down as many of us as he can with Him.

We live in an in-between time, a period in history where God has purchased back the RIGHTS to this world, but has not yet RECLAIMED it. The suffering, the death, the evil that surrounds us, it is all a result of an enemy occupation. Satan continues to try and STEAL, KILL and DESTROY. His days are numbered, and His reign of terror will soon come to an end. In the mean-time, we need to keep things in perspective. God is mighty to save, but is patient. He doesn’t just want Satan overthrown; He wants to release as many captives as possible. As we wait and ask the question “how long, oh Lord”, we need to remember that our time here is to be spent carrying the good news to the captives that surround us… JESUS HAS SET US FREE!

Psalm 73

2008-06-10T15:50:00.000-04:00

There is such a massive difference between the way we see things here on earth, and the way that God sees things. Often our perspective here is LIMITED, and is fixed upon the temporary circumstances that we can observe. God however, always sees the big picture. He knows the end from the beginning, and sees things in a way we simply cannot here on earth.

In this psalm, we see the psalmist wrestling with a question that ALL of humanity deals with at one time or another… “Why do good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people?” The psalmist goes as far as saying that he felt as though his faith and commitment to the Lord was IN VAIN. He tells us that when he tried to understand it, it was just too painful for him.

I have talked to many people who never make it past this point. They can’t get over the death of the innocent at the hands of the wicked, so they give up on the Lord. Praise God the Psalmist didn’t respond this way! We are told that his solution was found in the HOUSE OF THE LORD.

What was it that happened in the Lord’s house that changed things for this man? He was able to see things as God does… from an eternal perspective. There he saw that no matter how much a believer suffers here on earth, he has heaven awaiting him; and on the flip-side, he saw that no matter how much the unbeliever seems to get away with his wickedness, in the end God will judge both the living and the dead.

Friends, there is no pulling a fast one on God, he sees and hears EVERYTHING. God’s patience should never be confused with IGNORANCE or ALLOWANCE. He knows and He cares about ALL that goes on here on earth. One day soon, all wrongs will be righted, and no injustice will go unpunished. Keep an eternal perspective my friends… as Paul said in the letter to the Philippians, “Let the mind that was in Christ Jesus be in you”.

Psalm 72

2008-06-09T11:39:00.001-04:00

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

(Psalms 72:18-19)

We are told here that God ONLY DOES WONDROUS THINGS. This phrase would probably be better translated to read “Who ALONE does wondrous things”. It isn’t saying that God only deals in the realm of things that are wondrous… we know that is involved in ALL THINGS, whether they are WONDROUS or every day kind of things.

There are many works that GOD ALONE can do. These things are described here by David as WONDROUS. This word means that God does things that are wonderful, extraordinary, and difficult. It carries with it the idea that some of the works of God are far beyond the ability for us humans to do or comprehend.

The proper response to the wonderful works of God is to BLESS HIS GLORIOUS NAME FOREVER. The Psalmist, reflecting on these works, pronounces God’s name as blessed, and then goes on to say “Let the whole earth be filled with His glory”.

Now, I can’t do anything to make the earth fill with God’s glory, and neither can you. What we CAN do is let our whole life be filled with God’s glory! If we do that, then we will be able to extend the glorious gift of the presence of God to those around us. God does wonderful things… let Him do those wonderful things in and through you! May your life be filled with the glory of God…

Psalm 71

2008-06-06T07:30:00.002-04:00

Psa 71:5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth.

Hope is such a key component to our lives. No matter what, we always have a hope for something, somewhere. David directed his hope to God, and continually calls the Lord his only hope.

We live in a very materialistic world. The world advertises that our hopes are tied to the things of this world. The problem with this is, the things of this world will let us down. Hopelessness is such a pitiful state. How do we prevent ourselves from growing hopeless?

1) Remember your condition.
David shares that the Lord is his trust from his youth. If you consider David's rise to glory from the time of his youth to now it would seem pretty significant. David was appointed King of Israel. How often when we are given roles, titles, and power do we start to trust in them rather than God? Keep it simple, you are the same person you were when you had nothing. We owe it all to God.

2) Remember who saved you and how He saved you
You have been resurrected. This is one of the sweetest words in the Bible. You were left for dead, but revived. You get another chance. Nothing should fill us with more hope than the thought of getting another chance despite not deserving it! Live like you shouldn't be living, and praise God for it!

3) You are going to Heaven
I think too often we forget that Heaven is a phenomenal place. It is. That should fill us with hope all th rest of our lives. I know we do not know much about it, but one thing we do know, Jesus is there. Jesus is ultimately all our hope. Remember Jesus, and think about being with Him.

Psalm 70

2008-06-04T07:26:00.003-04:00

Psa 70:5 But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.

Everone knows how it feels to have an enemy. Whether they simply dislike you or truly hate you, we all know at least one person who we feel has it out for us. As we study the Psalms I believe nobody had more of these than David. He talks about all his enemies plotting against him, just waiting to get their hands on him.

The reality of this is enough to make anybody grow insane. We look at previous kings who have been hunted; Nebechadnezzar, Julius Caeser, Augustus Caeser, and Nero. They all had one thing in common. They wiped out the competition and grew mad with their power.

Despite everything David never does this. He never becomes insane over the exhausting running away. He never gets filled up with pride and his own power. The antidote to this was praising God. This short Psalm describes David's heart, "I am poor and needy..." Do a quick check right now. Do you have the humble heart of David or the prideful heart of the world? Is it survival of the fittest or the most relient on God? Check where you are putting your trust, your strength, and your worship.

Psalm 69

2008-06-03T07:26:00.002-04:00

Psa 69:17-18 And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble; Hear me speedily. (18) Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; Deliver me because of my enemies.

As I said earlier, before there was emo music, there was David. He paints vivid pictures for us. He begins by describing his situation as one drowning. He says the water has come up and he is gasping fr breath. In verse 15 he returns t this thought. Now he shares why he will not drown. The reason is simple, the Lord God of Israel.

Ever feel like the pressure is just too much? Ever feel like you are drowning? Pray the prayer of David. He asks the Lord not to hide His face. He asks that God hear him "speedily." Our God is not trying to hide from us. So often we spend our time pushing Him back. We get everything done and then it is time for us. God simply desires for us to sit, and spend time with Him. He will use those hard times to spend time with us.

David then prays for God to draw near to his soul. The soul is the element of your being which makes you, you. It is the soul that gives you that personality. It is the soul which distinguishes you from the rest of the world. One of the most beautiful things about our God is that He loves our soul. He loves our uniqueness. In fact, He made us that way! David seeking to draw near to his best friend, the Lord. He wants to be personal. He wants to share who he is and what is happening. He is seeking comfort, that God might accept him for who he is. Most of all, he is asking the Lord to redeem him. Restore that element of David which God had originally created. No more emo David. Now, God-created David.

Maybe you feel like you have not been yourself lately due to all this stress and pressure. Meet with God. Have a heart to heart with Him. Ask Him to restore your soul.

Psalm 68

2008-06-02T07:13:00.002-04:00

Psa 68:19-20 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah (20) Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

This Psalm speaks of God victory over the world. It tells of all the nations recognizing the one true God, and bringing to Him gifts out of respect and honor. The closest to this was that short period Solomon was on the throne and walking with the Lord. Even the Queen of Sheeba paid her respects and brought gifts to the Lord.

Think about the whole world bringing gifts and offerings to God! I was talking to Mr. O'Keefe when they had initially gotten home from Israel. The group had gone to the tomb to worship the Lord. He told me that as they were there, there were several different nationalities there just praising the name of Jesus. He said they started to worship God and in the end, there must have been 7 different languages at once praising the name of the Lord.

God daily loads us with benefits. To Him belongs salvation. And to God belongs escape from death. Truly as Christians the world has come to the Lord under that banner, "Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death." Travel around the world and you will find people holding on to this glorious hope. There is something universal about this message. Th idea of One, conquering death has always been in the hearts of men. In fact, eternity is in every man's heart. Live with an eternal perspective and give God praise. He daily loads us with benefits. Give Him Praise!

Psalm 67

2008-05-30T09:47:00.007-04:00

God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah

(Psalms 67:1)

In the 6^th chapter of the book of numbers we see something very similar to these words.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: "The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." ' "So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

(Numbers 6:22-27)

What we have in numbers is what we often refer to as the “benediction” of the priests. It was a special blessing that God told the priests to pronounce over the people. Look at what it says:

1. THE LORD BLESS YOU – to extend a greeting, to give unto us HIS blessings.

2. THE LORD KEEP YOU – To guard and protect… to keep you from harm of all sorts, physical or spiritual.

3. THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU – The idea is that the LIGHT of God would serve to illuminate us… His face shining ON us.

4. THE LORD BE GRACIOUS TO YOU – That God would bend down to us, and bestow His favor on us. Giving us HIS supply so we can live life the way He intended.

5. THE LORD LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON YOU – That God would look upon us, that He would see our need, implying that He would direct His thoughts and His care toward us.

6. THE LORD GIVE YOU PEACE – SHALOM is the word in Hebrew, it implies a position of living within the perfect will of God; being at peace with God, and having His peace extend from us to all those around us.

So this is the benediction, and we see the psalmist pick up an abbreviated version of it here in psalm 67:1. He asks God for MERCY, BLESSING, and for GOD’S FACE TO SHINE UPON US. If we look at verse 2, we see that the Psalmist claims that when these things are happening, when we are abiding in God’s presence and blessing, there is a natural effect that flows from that:

That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

(Psalms 67:2)

According to the Psalmist, it is natural for God’s blessing ON us to become a blessing that moves THROUGH us to OTHERS. If we are abiding in God’s blessing, it should be manifesting itself in our life in such a way that:

1. The ways of God are made known to the others around us.

2. The Salvation God brings is manifested to people of ALL NATIONS.

Live in God’s blessing and be a light!

Psalm 66

2008-05-29T10:45:00.002-04:00

If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

(Psalms 66:18)

I want to look at this principle as it appears throughout the scriptures. According to this verse, if we willingly carry unconfessed sin in our hearts, the Lord WILL NOT hear our prayers. Notice, it doesn’t say He CANNOT… it says He WILL NOT. God will not ignore the sin that separates us from Him. He has dealt with it on the cross, but we must confess and repent. Look at what the rest of scripture has to say…

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him?

(Job 27:8-9)

Job poses a question… If a man is a hypocrite, looking good on the outside but filthy on the inside, Will God hear his cry when trouble comes? I would answer that God will only hear a prayer of CONFESSION and REPENTANCE at that point.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

(Proverbs 15:8)

Here in proverbs we see that the STATE of a persons heart DIRECTLY AFFECTS the way God receives their worship. A person who is upright is a delight, but a person who is wicked is an abomination. This shows it isn’t the outward action, but the inward position of the heart that matters most to God. He wants SINCERITY not HYPOCRISY.

The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

(Proverbs 15:29)

Again in Proverbs we see the state of the heart being the deciding factor in the question of whether or not God hears our prayers. We read that He is FAR from the wicked. We need to understand that this is because of their UNCONFESSED SIN. It is a fact; sin will separate us from God.

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

(Proverbs 28:9)

To put this one in plain English, if we ignore the Word of God, and willfully choose not to hear and obey it, then our prayers will detested by God, rather than received.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

(Isaiah 1:15)

Again, unconfessed sin + unrepentant heart = God does not hear. The Lord wants us to be HONEST. He wants us to confess, and to change our minds. The problem here isn’t that the people were guilty of sin… we are guilty of sin! The real problem is they were acting as though they WEREN’T guilty. Raising hands in worship to God, but their hands are dripping with blood!

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

(James 4:3)

Here is another side of the equation. This time the heart issue is one of MOTIVATION. WHY are we asking for what we are asking for? Is it so we can use it to please ourselves? If so, we won’t receive what we are praying for.

Carefully read over these verses and ask the Lord if there is some confession and repentance that needs to take place in YOUR life. If there is, get things right, so your relationship with the Lord can be in the right place, and your prayers can be heard.

Psalm 65

2008-05-28T10:13:00.001-04:00

You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.

(Psalms 65:7)

Do you guys remember the story in the gospels when Jesus calms the sea? There is a storm that is raging, and it’s rocking the boat all over the place. The disciples are freaking out, but Jesus is in the bottom of the boat sleeping! They wake Him up, and He stops the storm by simply saying to the wind and waves “BE STILL”.

Here in this psalm we read that this is what God does… He calms the noise of the seas, the noise of the waves… But even more importantly, HE CAN CALM THE TUMULT OF THE PEOPLES. A Tumult is a disturbance or commotion that is typically accompanied by loud noise and shouting. Our whole world is tumultuous, but one day God will cause the whole earth to stand silent.

Guys and girls, our God is SO POWERFUL. The wars, the fighting, and the strife that exists all over our globe will one day cease. God will put an end to it all. One day EVERY KNEE WILL BOW. Why hasn’t that day come yet? Because our God is patient, and He is willing that NONE should perish. He gives plenty of time and space that men and women might come to Him as a choice of their own free will. This patience will not last forever… there is a day coming when the Lord will return, and all the earth will stand silent.

Psalm 64

2008-05-21T07:21:00.001-04:00

Psa 64:6 They devise iniquities: "We have perfected a shrewd scheme." Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

Psalm 2 talks about man, coming together, to scheme against the Lord. This chapter seems to continue the thought. Man schemes until he has perfected his idea. He makes sure there is no kink in the armor. He enters the place of total contentment in this world.

However, we are told that the Lord will shoot them down as with an arrow. I think of Babylon, Persia, and Rome. There perfect world would one day fall.

Truly man’s heart is deep. It can devise the most complicated ideas. We weave our thoughts until hey are made strong. We try to grow content in the things of this world. Know this, if you have made a commitment to Christ, and you grow content with the world, He will take away. Do not get angry with the Lord. Our contentment is to be found in Him and Him alone.

Psalm 63

2008-05-20T07:15:00.003-04:00

Psa 63:3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

People create beautiful lives for themselves. They work hard, get their break, and buy the best money can buy. They bhave dreams and ambitions and they do a good job fulfilling all of it. Nevertheless, they feel empty. Money, music, fame, a realationship, respect, our passion, all of these fall short of knowing the Lord.

The Psalmist writes, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life..." Life is beautiful. Without God, it is just hard. To know Jesus and His love is to experience life.

I consider the Amish tradition. As you know, Amish are really strict. They have loads of rules for themselves. They do not use any electricity or any modern technology. They dress in only natural colors, no dyes. Everything they do is to reflect humility. When an Amish boy or girl turns 18 they are given 2 years to do whatever they want. These two years turn into the wildest, most fleshly two years of their lives. The Amish do this that they might experience life and then choose for themselves how they want to live.

Do not deceive yourself. I know most of you. You have not lived the wild life. You have smoked, drink, or been in a messed up relationship. You do not have to. Jesus is better than life itself. If you want to expirience life and freedom and care-freeness, fall in love with Jesus. He is life. The rest is simply bondage.

Psalm 62

2008-05-16T07:52:00.002-04:00

"My soul finds rest in God alone..." Psalm 62:1a

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving..." Psalm 62 11-12a

Rest. It's a word that describes something that can be quite elusive in this life. I can't count the times that someone has said to me, "go and get some rest". Physical rest is one thing, but rest for the soul is another deal altogether. The idea is a ceasing from all striving, a position of peace, safety, and security. In the world we live in, people try find this type of rest, and it often alludes them. Family, relationships, work, vacation... all of these things can offer the illusion of peace, security, and safety; but it is never lasting. Families fall apart, relationships fail, Job's come to an end, change, or become stressful, and vacations don't last forever. Real rest can only be found one place, and that is in the Lord.

David tells us about 2 characteristics of God's nature that he had heard about from God Himself. They are simple, and ones we have talked about many times here, but they are so important to our discussion today. David says, "You, O God, are strong" and "You, O Lord, are loving". Strength and love... these two working together create the only perfect environment for true rest.

If God was only loving, and not strong, then the rest we have in Him would go only as far as the first time it was attacked or challenged from the outside. Because God is strong, nothing from the outside can affect the rest we have in Him. Since God is unshakable, when we rest in Him, we cannot be moved.

If God was only strong, and not loving, then our rest in Him wouldn't be rest at all, for we would live in constant fear of being "cast out". Because He is loving, we can believe His promise that He will never, no never, leave us nor forsake us. because we know He loves us, we can have a rest that is full and complete... the very rest He desires all of us to have!

Having looked at God in this light, isn't it foolish that we try and find rest in other things? Friends, rest in the Lord, and not in anything else... He alone will never fail you, He alone will never forsake you!

Psalm 61

2008-05-15T00:25:00.001-04:00

To the Chief Musician. On A Stringed Instrument. A Psalm of David. Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

(Psalms 61:1-4)

Yesterday we talked about the concept of RESCUE. Today I want us to take a look at the way that God brings that rescue to David. David tells us his heart is OVERWHELMED… the circumstances of life are crushing down, and he feels as though he is crying out from the ends of the earth.

What is it that David wants from the Lord? What is it that David asks for?

1. A ROCK HIGHER THAN I – These circumstances were too great for David, so He asked God to lead Him to a piece of higher ground, a firm place where he could stand above the tumultuous storm he was assaulted by. This higher piece of ground is the LORD. He provides us a firm footing, a place that doesn’t shift or move with the waves, a place that will never crumble no matter how fierce the attack.

2. A SHELTER, A STRONG TOWER – A place that provides protection and respite from the attacks of the enemy. Protection from both TRIALS and ATTACKS… this is something we can find only in the Lord… this is REAL RESCUE.

3. ABIDE IN YOUR TABERNACLE, TRUST IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS – That David would live where God lives, and would really believe that the protection that God provides is MORE THAN ENOUGH. RESCUE leads to RELATIONSHIP. David didn’t want to be left alone on a rock or in a tower; He wanted to live in God’s house, to trust in the Lord like a chick finding refuge in the wings of his mother.

When we find ourselves overwhelmed; when it seems that we are at the “ends of the earth” and God is far off… Where will we turn? Will we follow David’s example and cry out for RESCUE, realizing that what we need is relationship… to abide in God’s presence? I pray we will all learn to lean fully upon the Lord as David did!

Psalm 60

2008-05-13T23:23:00.002-04:00

Now rescue Your beloved people. Answer and save us by Your power.

(Psalms 60:5)

RESCUE. I love the word RESCUE. It is probably one of my favorite metaphors in all of scripture. It communicates a situation that was beyond repair… you don’t need to be “rescued” if everything is OK… you only need to be rescued if real danger is imminent and pressing, and there is no way of escape.

In the Hebrew, the word translated RESCUE here is really cool. It can mean to reach in and pull someone out of a desperate situation… to deliver or remove them from danger. But there is more to it than that. It can also mean to prepare someone for battle or equip them for the battles that lie ahead. The Lord doesn’t merely snatch us away from danger… he also prepares us to fight the battles that lie ahead.

We need to remember this when we think about SALVATION. It is true that God has pulled us out of the grip of sin, delivering us from its sting, and the certain destruction that comes with it. But He didn’t stop there… He equips us for the fight that we are forever involved in… this war against sin, this fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. God doesn’t just bail us out… He gives us the tools we need to fight!

Remember this principle. SALVATION is so much more than God just bailing us out! When you face temptation or an assault from the enemy, call out to God for rescue, but don’t forget that He wants to equip you to WIN the battle, not just AVOID the battle!

Psalm 59

2008-05-13T15:56:00.001-04:00

O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those hostile nations. Show no mercy to wicked traitors. Interlude

(Psalms 59:5)

I want to continue talking about the subject of judgment that we began discussing yesterday. In Psalm 58 we had talked about David’s cries for JUDGEMENT. Here in Psalm 59, we see David asking God to SHOW NO MERCY to hostile nations and wicked traitors. The question I wanted to raise is this: How do we reconcile this with the concept of loving our enemies?

Though this is a complex question, and there may be no “simple” one size fits all answer, I do believe that we can properly assess, respond, and apply this concept to our own lives. I think the first thing we need to remember is that EVERYONE IS A SINNER. When David talks about the “wicked” here, he is not insinuating that he himself is by nature holy and these men are by nature wicked… It is in issue of POSITION and PRACTICE.

God offers MERCY to every man, but it is conditioned upon REPENTANCE and SUBMISSION to Him and His ways. David had RECEIVED the mercy of the Lord, and the wicked men he talks about had rejected it. In fact, the wicked men were actively fighting against it. God’s mercy is ever available, but if a person CONTINUES to reject it, they will eventually have to face the judgment of God.

There is a lot that is not right here on earth. There are a lot of wicked men doing wicked things, and they are getting away with those things. Unless these men repent, they will have to face the wrath of God! When believer’s face wrath or persecution, it is a normal response for us to cry out to God and ask Him “how long until you make these things right?” God’s response is always “trust me; I WILL make this right in MY TIME.”

So for us, we just need to remember that VENGANCE belongs to the LORD. He will see to it that all things are made right… our job is just to continue to trust Him, and love the world around us.

Psalm 58

2008-05-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

What is David so fired up about? He says things like “break their teeth” and “let them melt like a snail”… Then he says he will wash his feet in their blood and rejoice in the day of their death. Who are these people and what have they done to deserve this kind of reaction from David?

They are people David refers to as the WICKED, and the problem he has with them is INJUSTICE. There are many examples in the world today of injustice… The ongoing genocide in the Sudan, Human Trafficking all over the world, and most recently, the failure of the Burmese government to bring relief and aid to their dying people.

Justice is a concept that all of us understand, but something only a Christian can fully grasp. I am so glad that though God is just, He is also merciful. If we were working with God solely on an economy of justice, we would all be doomed to the fate of the “wicked” described by David. But we aren’t… God is merciful.

So as we interact with the world, may we stand up for JUSTICE, yet always extend mercy. A sense of right and wrong is important, but it is the compassion that reaches out to those who are both right and wrong that is CHIEFLY IMPORTANT.

There is coming a day when injustice will end, when all wrongs will be made right. Justice will prevail, and the Lord will ultimately claim the victory. In the mean time, we need to be sure that we are people who DO JUSTLY; but also LOVE MERCY. I think it is important to remember Jesus words here… “Love your enemies…”

Psalm 57

2008-05-08T07:25:00.002-04:00

Psa 57:7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.

The word steadfast means to be unwavering. It is one who sets himself on a rock, rather than on the sand. One who is steadfast has made a decision to do something, and is going to follow it to the end. They are persistent, unmoving, and determined.

I sense David was trying to be steadfast. H knew what was right. The world around him had turned upside down. He was hiding in caves, afraid for his life. He likens the teeth of his enemies as spears and arrows . He probably was not feeling steadfast. He was probably thinking that his life was on a very slippery slope!

There are times that we are not going to feel steadfast. We will not feel like that unshakable pillar. Instead you may feel like a kite in gale winds. Nevertheless, look at what David did. In his passion for the Lord he repeats that he will be steadfast. "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise." It was not necessarily, "I want to give you praise." It was simply, "I will give you praise."

If you are struggling today, give God praise. Do it beyond your own desire to. Make your heart steadfast. Praise the Lord. Make your heart steadfast.

Psalm 56

2008-05-07T07:32:00.002-04:00

Psa 56:3-4 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. (4) In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

Fear is a scary enemy. We can fear so many things in so many ways. We can fear that a loved one is in danger. We can fear for our life. We can fear too much stress. We can fear being stuck. Fear is so imminent when it is present, and so hard to get rid of. Every plan we come up with as humans has hopes and fears.

If you have ever had anything bad happen to you it can be very easy to fear. You may be a pessimist and believe that the worse case scenario will most likely be what is going to happen. The simplicity in our verse is just what we need to oppose the complexity of our fears. "When I am afraid I will trust in You." What a sweet thing for someone to say to God. That is true love. Look up to Jesus and say, "I feel safe with You."

Whatever fears you may have today, you have a Father in Heaven that is bigger. It involves two things; recognizing Him and His power, and trusting in Him and His power. Believe that He will keep you safe. When afraid, trust in God.

Psalm 55

2008-05-06T07:12:00.002-04:00

Psa 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.

This scripture is so beautiful. David has been talking about his enemies. He has been talking about these wicked, blood thirsty men. They hate David. They want to kill David. However the greatest offense David finds is that they hate God. David does the opposite. He runs to the Lord.

Gang, it encourages me so much that you are taking the time to read. Even more so, it encourages me that you are reading you Bibles. David was a man who communed with the Lord. As stated in our verse above, he prayed to the Lord "evening, and morning, and at noon." Now we go to school or work, which makes it hard to pull out your Bible in the middle of your day. Nevertheless, I would encourage you to stop everything and just pray. Slow down your life. Pray to the Lord and draw closer.

Daniel gives us this same example. No matter what was happening that day he as consistent to pray three times a day. It became such a habit that others were noticing. Communion with the Lord is what our lives are about. Take a break from the world and greet Him in the morning, at noon, and at night.

Psalm 54

2008-05-05T16:32:00.002-04:00

"They have not set God before them." Psalm 54:3

There is soemthing more unique about the Psalms than any other book. The rest of th books in the Bible are written after the fact. They are written after the Israelites marched out of Egypt, after Daniel was in the Lion's den, after Nineveh repented. Psalms are written in the midst of the suffering. You looking at david's faith in real time.

David speaks about the strangers that had risen against David. Not only were there strangers, but also some of Davids close friends! David feels trapped. He must have felt like the whole world was against him. Despite this he says, "they have not set God before them."

God was set before David. he was the leader of his life. Though the whole world turn on David, this psalmist knew that God had not. What faith! In comparison, we are under very little tribulation. My trials are small compared to those of Davids. Despite this, I find myself not trusting like I should. How often my first reaction is still my flesh. I want to grow to be like David. Not matter what, I want to have God before my eyes. Maybe I should start with waking up early enough to write the devos :)

Psalm 53

2008-04-30T23:44:00.001-04:00

For the choir director: A meditation; a psalm of David. Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!

(Psa 53:1)

Today, we have another 3yearbible interview… this time we will be talking to the great preacher and theologian Charles Spurgeon.

3yearbible: What is your initial reaction to this psalm?

Spurgeon: The state of earth ought to be deeply felt by us. The world lying in wickedness should occupy much of our thoughts. The enormous guilt, the inconceivable pollution, the ineffably provoking Atheism of this fallen province of God's dominion, might be a theme for our ceaseless meditation and mourning.

3yearbible: What connection do you see between the BELIEFS of the fool, and his actions?

Spurgeon: Bad principles soon lead to bad lives. “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” And this he does because he is a fool. Being a fool he speaks according to his nature; being a great fool he meddles with a great subject, and comes to a wild conclusion. The atheist is, morally, as well as mentally, a fool, a fool in the heart as well as in the head; a fool in morals as well as in philosophy. With the denial of God as a starting point, we may well conclude that the fool's progress is a rapid, riotous, raving, ruinous one. He who begins at impiety is ready for anything. “No God,” being interpreted, means no law, no order, no restraint to lust, no limit to passion. Who but a fool would be of this mind?

3yearbible: Is every man by nature like this? Are they all fools?

Spurgeon: The fallen race of man, left to its own energy, has not produced a single lover of God or doer of holiness, nor will it ever do so. Grace must interpose or not one specimen of humanity will be found to follow after the good and true. This is God's verdict after looking down upon the race. Who shall gainsay it?

3yearbible: Praise God for His grace! May we extend the grace of God as the only hope we have for a lost and dying world!

Psalm 52

2008-04-29T22:14:00.002-04:00

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, "David has gone to see Ahimelech."

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don't you realize God's justice continues forever? All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you're an expert at telling lies. You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.

Interlude

You love to destroy others with your words, you liar! But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living.

Interlude

The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, "Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness." But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love. I will praise You forever, O God, for what You have done. I will trust in Your good name in the presence of Your faithful people.

(Psa 52:1-9)

I’m not sure what translation most of you read, so I put the whole psalm here in the New Living Translation. If you skipped over it, go back and read it.

If you remember the story correctly, Doeg the Edomite told Saul about the priests helping David... but he told Saul in a deceptive and deceitful manner… as a result ALL of the priests at Nob were murdered! It was a true atrocity, a horrible example of the evil that man is capable of. It was a blood-bath without reason, a mass-murder that was the manifestation of King Saul’s rage.

Doeg didn’t see it this way… he saw it as an opportunity to promote himself. This psalm is David’s response to Doeg.

Look how David describes Doeg: Razor sharp tongue, king of deception, lover of lies and evil; David summarizes Doeg at the end by saying He trusted in his own riches and devices rather than God. The end for Doeg was clear; he would be struck down, pulled from his home, and eventually uprooted from the land of the living. He was like a weed, and his days were numbered.

David on the other hand describes himself as an “olive tree”; pointing out that while Doeg was being uprooted, he would be thriving in God’s house. The main difference between the two men is clear. While Doeg was busy promoting himself and jockeying for position before King Saul, David trusted the Lord with his future.

Friends, learn from David. Don’t go out and try and make things happen… over time you may end up like Doeg, sacrificing others to get what you want. Instead, trust in the UNFAILING LOVE of God. He knows and wants what is best for you… leave the details in HIS HANDS!

Answering questions...

2008-04-29T09:43:00.002-04:00

Sorry this has taken so long, but I've been really busy lately. There were a couple of questions asked in the last week or so that haven't been answered yet.

1. The first one was about Psalm 39:10 - the question was, "what does the psalmist mean when he says 'I am consumed by the blow of your hand'?"

It appears that it is a reference to the chastening or discipline of God. The psalmist is saying that God's discipline in his life is heavy, and hard to bear... he is asking God to be gracious.

2. How many sons of Korah? LOTS! They were a FAMILY within the tribe of Levi, (the Levites were the gene-pool for the priesthood, remember?) and their job was to SING. You can read the phrase, "of the sons of Korah" in psalms to mean, "by Israel's worship leaders".

Psalm 51

2008-04-29T09:36:00.000-04:00

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

(Psa 51:7)

This Psalm comes on the heels of David’s sin with Bathsheba, his attempts to cover it, and his confrontation with Nathaniel the prophet. We see here not only a heart of true confession and repentance, but also an INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF FAITH in the GRACE OF GOD. Look with me at verse 7 and the two statements he makes.

Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean – The reference to Hyssop here is beautiful. It comes from Leviticus 14 and deals with the law for the cleansing of a leper. David identifies himself here as an unclean man, one who had lost the rights and privileges of fellowship with God and His people because of the greatness of his sin. He writes here not as if hyssop itself can bring about a magical cure, but he points to that which it symbolizes. Notice, he doesn’t ask a priest to “purge” him, but the LORD HIMSELF. He realizes that even as great as his sin was, the Lord himself could purge him, and if He did, David would be CLEAN. – This word clean means UNCONTAMINATED… David realized that the cleansing the Lord brings is complete, every stain is removed!
Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow – Whiter than snow… notice, it is as if David picks the purest, whitest thing he can think of; and then he says the Lord can make him cleaner. Snow can pick up contaminates on its way down, it can quickly become impure… but the Lord could remove ever hint of contamination from David’s life… He could literally bring about a complete and total cleansing.

So, what about you and me? Do you believe that God can wash you COMPLETELY? Do you believe He has really forgiven you for EVERYTHING? May we place great faith in the grace of God, and like David walk as men and women who KNOW they have been made pure!

Psalm 50

2008-04-27T23:30:00.001-04:00

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me…

(Psa 50:23a)

I thought this psalm would give us a good opportunity to talk about what it means to GLORIFY God. It is a word that get’s thrown around a lot in Christian circles, but one that I think most f us don’t really understand. So, let’s start by defining it. The root word in Hebrew is one the High School kids are familiar with because I talk about it frequently. It is the word Kabad (say it like KA – Vode, cause it sounds cool that way). In its raw root form it literally means Weightiness or Heaviness. You see, God is weighty… He isn’t light-weight or froofy… Here the word means that we acknowledge the HEAVINESS of God. We acknowledge that He is far above us and all else we know… that is what it means to glorify Him.

Webster says it means to ascribe honor to someone in thought or words. That is accurate as well. When we acknowledge how great God is, we HONOR Him. We set Him apart from all else, declaring Him to be greater.

In this psalm we are told that one of the ways we can GLORIFY God is by OFFERING HIM PRAISE. The idea here is that we sacrifice to God by giving Him praise. This is something that involves far more than our lips… anyone can say “praise the Lord”. The idea is that if we live a life of praise that offers up words of praise to and about the Lord, then we successfully glorify Him; acknowledging His greatness to the world all around us. Friends, live lives of praise, and glorify God in ALL you do!

Psalm 49

2008-04-26T09:52:00.002-04:00

Psa 49:11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.

At work we have the radio station set on Soft Rock. The lyrics to these songs are all full of froofy love and seem to imply two things, "our love is different" and "we are going to live forever because of it." Both of these statements are true for the believer. Neither of these statement can be true for the unbeliever.

The world has set up this image that we are all going to live forever, love forever, be forever. This chapter is a beautiful statements to those who trust in riches. You are not going to live forever. You are going to die like every beast that ever was. All your riches will be left here. In the end it will be your soul, before God's throne.

Gang, it is so asy to get caught up in the "riches" game. There will always be one more thing you want, or need, or gotta have. If you ever reach the point of contentment watch as one of these things are taken away. You realize just how fleeting everything is.

The alternative is to store your hopes in eternal things. Think upon the eternal and live for the eternal. We are going to live forever, however before that happens our flesh is going to die. Therefore, are what you sowing today things for the flesh or soul?

Psalm 48

2008-04-25T07:29:00.003-04:00

Psa 48:2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.

Another Psalm by the sons of Korah. It was how may sons Korah had. I do not know. To learn who Korah is you would have to jump back and read Numbers 16. He was of an elite group of Levis, whose charge was the temple and the holy things of God. He himself got a little to big in his head and began an uprising. It ended poorly for Korah. Nevertheless, when you hear the term "The sons of Korah," it is very similar to hearing the term, "The sons of Aaron." You know that those from Korah are of an elite Levitical group in charge of the Holy of Holies, carrying the ark, and other jobs of the temple.

Beautiful in elevation. I have heard there is a specific spot just outside Jerusalem where you can see the entire city. It is here Jesus prayed over the city. I can only imagine how many have come across that path to look upon the city of the Lord. Jerusalem is the "city of peace." Though we know it is far from that today, we see the significance of this throughout the Bible. Truly the Prince of Peace would come from this city, not once, but again as well. The Jews were to turn their bodies to Jerusalam as they prayed. The Holy of Holies was located in Jerusalem and will be located one again one day. One city with so much history, and so much future. is the focal point of the world.

It will be a great day indeed when Jerusalem once again becomes the joy of the world. What you might not know is that it is the joy of you and me. Through this city came the Man, and through this Man came our Salvation. It is the Man Christ Jesus. The city is still blessed today, and it is not weird or religious for you to take some time to pray over it. You do not need to point directly to it as the Jews, but as a believer in Jesus, pray over the city He fervently prayed for.

Psalm 47

2008-04-24T07:36:00.002-04:00

Psa 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

If thre is one thing this Psalm should remind us to do it is SING PRAISES! We are all going to be different places today. Some of us will be doing school while others at work. SOme will be taking care of siblings while others will be with friends. Whereever you are today, sing praises, pray praises, give praises to God. 1 Thessalonians says "Rejoice always." One has perfect communion with the Lord when they are simply praising His name!

Stop! Go sing praises to God right now and do not stop. This is your life. Praise JESUS!

Psalm 46

2008-04-23T07:20:00.002-04:00

Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

The sons of Korah write a psalm to show off the power of their Lord. They paint a contrast for us between the might of God and that of the world. In the end, we find the mightiness of the world has fallen before the Lord. The chariots are burned down and the bow is cut. All that is left is the Lord!

Following this the psalmist states this verse from the first person, "Be still and know that I am God." We live in Northern Virginia and because we do, we have a problem keeping still. Now we do not suffer from trusting in weaponry here because we are not living in a violent area. However, we do suffer from materialism. Sometimes in all our running around, between school and work and all our desires and entertainment, the Lord is lost. What would it take for us to be still and know that He is God? Would he have to cut the power supply to the Nintendo or XBox? Does he have to burn down the TV?

Do your devotion everyday. While doing it, make sure you are taking the time to just be still before the Lord. He is God in heaven, and we are here on earth, so let your words be few. Listen to Him.

Psalm 45

2008-04-22T07:11:00.002-04:00

Psa 45:11 So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him.

There is something different about this psalm from the moment you start reading it. It begins, "A Song of Love." We continue and see that this song of love quickly turns into a song of marriage, as the "daughter" is brought to the King. As we read on we are given a beautiful picture of the Jesus and His bride, the church.

The text reads, "So the King will greatly desire your beauty..." I do not know about you, but when brought face to face before the Lord I do not think I am going to be feeling like I am looking good. Is it not wonderful to know that despite our sins and failures, because of His blood, Jesus makes us white as snow. Because of Jesus we are beautiful. Let this be a reminder to all of you. Your looks are not as important as your soul and spirit. Jesus makes you beautiful on the outside and in. Focus on Him and allow Him to perform this transformation.

How rich we are, therefore our response is simple, "He is your Lord, worship Him." God has loved us perfectly. He lays us down in green pastures and He restores our soul. As a response to this perfect love it only makes sense that we worship Him. The more time you spend with Him, the more He will take your breath away. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will fall down and worship.

Psalm 44

2008-04-21T07:07:00.002-04:00

Psa 44:6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me.

I can only imagine what it was like back in the day of David. I am sure it was close to mandatory that one would learn to wield a sword. Should something happen and you be caught without your weapon, you were done for. This verse reminds me of Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God."

I do not know if there is anything you have which you do not leave home without. Obviously, we do not live in a place where our lives are constantly being threatoned. Nevertheless, what do remember or who do we remember in a moment of need? Remember the name of the Lord. He is our deliverer. I love this concept the Psalmist paints for us. It would be better to be caught in battle without a sword and bow, and crying out to God, than to have your weapons for defense, and not remember Him. Jesus sustains us. Our sword cannot and our horses cannot.

Psalm 43

2008-04-19T12:44:00.001-04:00

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

(Psalm 43:5)

Is the psalmist talking to himself? It appears so… but it isn’t a bad thing in this situation. He asks two questions of himself, and they are questions it might serve us well to ask ourselves.

His first question is “why are you cast down, o my soul?” The word cast down means to stoop or bend low. It seems that this stooping or bending down has to do with a burden or weight of one sort or another that the person is carrying. In this instance, the psalmist is asking his soul why it seems to be bent so low. At times we may feel depressed, weighed down, like we can’t go on any longer. The reasons for this are numerous, and that is what the psalmist asks here… “What’s up? Why are you so down?”

The next question he asks is similar. He says once again to his soul, “Why are you disquieted within me” The word disquieted means to growl, howl, or cry out. The Psalmist says, “What has so provoked you soul, that you react this way?” Once again, many things can bring about this kind of feeling.

The interesting thing that the Psalmist does now is this: rather than answering his questions he casts them in a new light. He says HOPE IN GOD. You see, no matter what burden you carry, or what has caused you to cry out, God is SO MUCH GREATER. If we place our hope in God, the burden is lessened, our soul is comforted, and we are restored to the spiritual state we need to be. The psalmist calls God the “help of his countenance”. The idea is that God causes him to be full of hope, changing His appearance from despair to hopefulness, Joy, and strength.

In the midst of even the most difficult circumstances, we can have HOPE. If we will remember who God is, what He has done, what He will do, and what He thinks about us and our situation; then we will no longer be as overwhelmed. The introduction of the eternal to the problems we face always changes things. So, let the Lord be the Lord of your life, and place your hope in Him today. If you do, you may be surprised at the way He “helps your countenance”. e says once again to jh

Psalm 42

2008-04-16T23:51:00.003-04:00

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the Sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

(Psa 42:1-2)

We are going to try something new today… If I like it, I’ll probably do it again every couple of weeks or so. I am going to “interview” a great theologian of the past in regards to this verse. The theologian I picked today is A.W. Tozer. So, here we go…

3YEARBIBLE: This idea of thirsting, panting, longing for God… where does it come from?

AW TOZER: We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. 'No man can come to me,' said our Lord, 'except the Father which hath sent me draw him'. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him.

3YEARBIBLE: It seems interesting to me that though the psalmist here obviously KNOWS God, he is talking about thirsting for Him, longing for Him. Why do we pursue God if we already know Him?

AW TOZER: To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily- satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart. St. Bernard stated this holy paradox in a musical quatrain that will be instantly understood by every worshipping soul:

We taste Thee, O Thou Living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still:
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.

come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking. Moses used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing Him better. 'Now, therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight'; and from there he rose to make the daring request, 'I beseech thee, show me thy glory.' God was frankly pleased by this display of ardour, and the next day called Moses into the mount, and there in solemn procession made all His glory pass before him.

3YEARBIBLE: So you are saying that for those who love the Lord, the more they know Him the more they long to get to know Him more? Can you expound on this for us?

AW TOZER: Hymnody is sweet with the longing after God, the God whom, while the singer seeks, he knows he has already found. 'His track I see and I'll pursue,' sang our fathers only a short generation ago, but that song is heard no more in the great congregation. How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of 'accepting' Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need no more seek Him. This is set before us as the last word in orthodoxy, and it is taken for granted that no Bible-taught Christian ever believed otherwise. Thus the whole testimony of the worshipping, seeking, singing Church on that subject is crisply set aside. The experiential heart- theology of a grand army of fragrant saints is rejected in favor of a smug interpretation of Scripture which would certainly have sounded strange to an Augustine, a Rutherford or a Branierd.

3YEARBIBLE: That is really tragic! How can we protect ourselves from losing the fervor of those early Christians? How can we insure that we are as you called them “Children of the Burning Heart”?

AW TOZER: When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than God Himself. The evil habit of seeking God-and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the 'and' lies our great woe. If we omit the 'and', we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.

We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.

3YEARBIBLE: May we all take your warning to heart, and may we all seek to do away with dead religion, and pursue God with all of our hearts. Would you lead us in prayer AW?

AW TOZER: O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.' Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Psalm 41

2008-04-16T00:21:00.000-04:00

Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

(Psalm 41:13)

The verse quoted above ends not only this Psalm, but the first “book” of the Psalms. Maybe you didn’t know this, but the book of Psalms is actually broken up into 5 separate parts called “books”. Picture a five volume set if you will, each book a part of a larger work.

The interesting thing about this is that there are also 5 books that make up the Torah, or the LAW. In the Latin these are actually referred to as the Pentateuch, or the FIVE BOOKS. The Pentateuch records for us the beginning of God’s revelation to man. In it we see the beginning of the world, the entrance of sin, God’s judgment, the call of Abraham, the development of the nation of Israel, their exodus, their wanderings in the wilderness, and the laws by which they were to live.

It is almost as if these 5 books of the psalms serve as a response to the 5 books that God had delivered to His children. Though we can’t prove that this is why there are 5 and 5, I think it is an interesting thought.

What we do know is that these Psalms were the God-inspired response of the Israelites to the word that God had brought to them. As we close this book of Psalms, and embark on a journey through the second book, let us not just read these Psalms, but make them the song of our heart. May we sing with all that we are, “blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!” Amen? Amen!

Psalm 40

2008-04-15T06:53:00.002-04:00

Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

(Psa 40:4)

We have here in Psalm 40 another verse about the “blessed” man. We talked before about the fact that this word literally means “oh how happy”. We read here one thing this truly happy man DOES and one thing he DOES NOT do.

We read that the BLESSED man makes the Lord His trust. It is so important for us to be reminded of this. Lasting joy and happiness only come for a person who truly places their trust in the Lord, and in Him EXCLUSIVELY. One translation says it like this… “Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God”. The idea is that we can only GAIN real lasting joy when we LOSE ourselves in the Lord.

The blessed man has no respect toward the proud. This doesn’t mean the route to blessing is disrespect toward proud people, it simply means that we don’t look to the self-sufficient and their ways to find satisfaction in this life.
The blessed man ignores the idolater and the gods of this world. There is so much that this world worships, so much that it places in the position that should belong exclusively to the Lord. If we want lasting joy, we will pass those things by and fix our eyes on Jesus.

What we see here is really quite simple: The truly blessed life is one that rejects the desires of this world and the flesh for the things of the Lord. Follow the advice of the psalmist, and you will not be disappointed!

Psalm 39

2008-04-14T00:06:00.001-04:00

"LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

(Psa 39:4-5)

Most of us who read this blog are young. We like to look ahead and think that we have all the time in the world to do the things God has called us to do. The truth is, life is short. It is here today and gone tomorrow. David prays here that the Lord would help him to understand how FRAIL he is. The word frail here means TRANSIENT or FLEETING. David prays that the Lord would help him recognize that his life here is not permanent. David wanted to grasp the concept that his days were quickly running by, time was short, and he needed to make the most of his life. Life, at it’s very best is a vapor. It comes and goes in an instant when take in the scope of eternity.

Your life is short. It is fleeting. You are moving closer to the end of your life with every breath that you take, and you are not guaranteed another day, let alone another year. What will you do with your momentary life? Will you squander it away entertaining yourself? Or, will you use it to make a mark for the eternal? Follow the example of David today, and ask the Lord to help you be mindful of how short this life is… Then live like you actually believe what He has shown you.

Psalm 38

2008-04-11T06:54:00.002-04:00

Psa 38:8-9 I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. (9) Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.

Those who repent before the Lord are saved. Those who are broken before the Lord experience His grace. However, sometimes it takes a lot to drive us to that point. I believe this is another key attribute of David that made him a man after God's own heart. David never fought his case before the Lord, but instead came broken before Him.

If there is something, anything at all, which you are struggling with, than give it to Jesus with a complete brokenness of the heart. To harden your heart is only to make a stand against the Lord. This is a long and dangerous game to play. The more you harden your heart against the Lord, the easier it is to do. You will be able to justify all your actions, not matter how far they wander from the truth. As you harden your heart, the Lord will send more and more things to break you that He might reposition you. You will end up like Jacob, who wrestled with God and came out with a limp he would keep the rest of his life.

Brokenness is a humbling place to be. Often times, for the Christian it is exactly where we need to be. It is a selfless prayer, yet necessary. Ask the Lord for brokenness today and see how He will draw you closer to Him.