April 1, 2013 Give me, Lord!

Read Proverbs 1 - 2 Give Me, Lord! Proverbs 2:3-5 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. LIKELY, you have been to a sporting event that gives you the opportunity to receive a free T-shirt. At half-time, the cheerleaders walk up and down the sidelines and shoot the shirts with some apparatus to various parts in the crowd. Do you see how people (maybe you’re one of them) stand and wave for the shirts to come their way? They cry out, “Up here! Up here! Me! Me! I want it. I want it.” And they run after the shirts as the shirts fly through the air. Wow, it’s a big deal to get a shirt! What if we did that on Sunday morning or in a Bible study? What if we stood up and shouted “Here! Here! Me! Me! Give me God’s Word, pastor. Teach me God’s Truth, leader! I want it. I want it!” Oh, how God would delight in you. How you would delight in God. The more you know him the more you love him. The more you love him, the more you receive him. The more you receive him, the more you trust him. Shout to God, “Me! Me! Give me your truth!” And see how he will fill you with the eternal knowledge of him. It’s True! God is more valuable than a t-shirt.

March 31, 2013 Praise the Lord

Read Psalm 150 Praise the Lord Ps 150:6 Praise the Lord! THIS IS an appropriate ending to Psalms and a great beginning for Resurrection Day. When all the talk is talked, all the questions are questioned, when all the wonder is wondered, praise the LORD! It is so good to praise the LORD. Think about the ways God has blessed you. The Psalms speak of God’s salvation, his creation, his strength, his power and his love. These are yours! Praise the Lord! The Psalms praise God for his great mercy, of how he defeats his enemies and protects his people. In the Psalms, we see God’s people in anguish when they don’t feel his presence. And we see God’s people in joy when he is near. In the Psalms we see God’s people passionately love him. And we see God passionately love his people. The Psalms point to Jesus, the one who passionately died for you and who has come out of the tomb to passionately say, “Come, follow me.” Yes, Praise the Lord! It’s True! God’s passion sent his Son to a cross; God’s passion welcomes you into his home.

March 30, 3013 He Understands You

Read Psalms 147-148 He Understands You Psalms 147:1- Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! 2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. 5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. YOU like it when someone understands you, don’t you? When someone understands you, you feel affirmed. Do you feel God affirms you? As the psalm says, “his understanding has no limit,” do you feel that God’s understanding includes how much he understands you? I pray you do, because the Bible is God’s story to help you understand how much God does truly understand you. He knows who you are because He created you in His image. You reflect His characteristics. Your emotions come from God. Your thoughts and desires originate in God because He, or course, created you to think and feel. Even more, God understands you because He has been like you. In Jesus, come in the flesh, God knows how life on earth can be a hard life. He knows about temptation, and God knows about death. God has mourned as a man, and God has laughed and spent quality time with his earthly parents and friends. Truly God understands who you are. That’s why it should be easy for you to (Proverbs 3:5-6) trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, (because when you do) he will make your paths straight. It’s True! God understands even you.

March 29, 2013 Worth Telling

Read Psalms 145-146 Worth Telling Psalms 145:1-5 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and honor your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. DO YOU notice that the psalms are about speaking to God and speaking of God? Many times the psalm writers focus their words to praise God and celebrate what He has done. Certainly this is true here. Let’s see what the psalmist says, and maybe we will speak praise of God, too! The praise centers on God’s greatness that is beyond understanding. God’s greatness is known through the generations as people speak of how God has shown his glory in such ways as a pillar of fire to lead his people, the Great Flood to cleanse the earth, Jericho’s walls to open the Promised Land for conquest and many more natural miracles. God’s greatness becomes even more personal in people’s minds, says the psalmist, as they stop to see that God is righteous, compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Even more, faithful people will rejoice in Him and speak to all of his wonderful deeds. God’s greatness extends to his everlasting kingdom. He faithfully fulfills his promises to all generations. Wonderfully, God satisfies the desires of every living thing. The psalmist loves his Lord. And why wouldn’t he? God has clearly shown how he is the God who saves. It’s True! What you say of your Lord will let people know God.

March 28, 2013 Hands for War

Read Psalm 144 Hands for War Psalms 144:1 Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. WHEN you read, “who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle”, you likely think of a soldier raising a sword to attack and defend himself or a man raising his bare hands to fight. Certainly those are appropriate images of this scripture. But let’s consider raising your hands and fingers to do battle in another way, the way of prayer. The image of God’s people raising their hands to praise the Lord and to pray for their safety and strength is, of course, central to God’s story. Jesus certainly prayed often, and he taught us to pray and to battle evil with prayer: Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” The Apostle Paul also urged prayer in the battle to defeat sin and to declare the Gospel to the world: Ephesians 6:18 and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. God’s commands and urgings to pray are relentless. Then what keeps you from raising your hands and using your fingers to pray? Why is it such a challenge? Could it be you don’t know God well enough to feel comfortable talking to him? Could it be you don’t know God well enough to feel sure he’s listening to you? Do you not know you’ve been given the most powerful weapon in the Kingdom of God? It’s True! You must pray.

March 27, 2013 Lord, Hear My Prayer

Read Psalm 143 Lord, Hear My Prayer Psalms 143:1 O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. 7 Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 11 For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. 12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant. IT’S been a long day of hearing people filled with sorrow and my mourning for their desperate circumstances. Then I come to this psalm. I am convinced this psalm is for every hard thing I’ve heard today. I am sure the Lord wants you who are hurting to cry out to him in prayer. I am confident he will turn his face to you and answer you to heal your wounds. It’s True! Call on the Lord, and he will answer you.

March 26, 2013 In the Truth

Read Psalms 140 – 142 In the Truth Ps 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. & Ps 142:7 Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. I JUST got off the phone with a friend. We were talking about speaking the truth of the gospel to people. The discussion centered around how we teach and preach to the newcomer in the church. Do we “go easy” on them, or do we tell the complete truth—believe in Jesus or spend eternity in Hell. We voted for the latter, and there are two reasons. First, it’s the Truth. How else will people know the truth unless they hear it? And second, it is the greatest act of love you can ever do for anyone. I know, if you said to someone, “You must believe in Jesus to go to Heaven.” Many people would call you judgmental, narrow-minded or dumb. Maybe they would just look at you and then run away. But so what? The truth is all that matters. And when you tell God’s Truth, you are a righteous person. The psalmist expresses a great joy in hearing God’s truth. Even if it hurts as it often does. He celebrates when a righteous person comes to him and corrects him. He rejoices in the Truth entering into his mind. Why? Because the Truth corrects him from the wrong way, the psalmist will walk more on God’s pathway. He also knows the truth will put him in the company of other righteous people who will help him continue to find the Truth. This is a picture of a great church: People rejoice in the Truth. People come to fellowship in the Truth. People worship God in the Truth. It’s True!

March 25, 2013 Sing for Joy

Read Psalms 137 - 139 Sing for Joy Ps 137:4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? & Ps 139:5 You hem me in — behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. PSALM 137 was written and sung when Israel was in captivity in Babylon. The writer mourns the people’s separation from their home and from their temple. Babylon threatens their family structure, their culture and their worship. How can there be any joy? How can they sing the songs of the LORD and to the LORD when they are in a foreign land? The answer is in Psalm 139:5. Centuries earlier in Israel’s history, the psalmist—David—wrote and sang of God’s great protection. God is before him and behind him. God’s hand is on him, and he feels secure in God’s care even though he is often challenged and threatened by his enemies. It’s easy, isn’t it, to feel separated from God? We live in a culture that actually encourages us to “leave God” and go into a “foreign land” of our own strength and wisdom—which really is weakness and foolishness away from God. We search for peace and joy away from God, and we find none. Living in a “foreign land” separates us from God’s ways, and we lose our way. Then we wonder, “How can we sing the songs of the LORD?” because we feel so far from our home with God. Know this: God is near. He is ready to surround you with his love. When you turn from the “foreign land” that denies him and decide to turn to Him, His firm, strong and gentle hand is ready to welcome you back home into his presence. Trust in God and go to the life he has for you. It’s True! Go to God, and you will see the joy of his protection.

March 24, 2013 A Praise Parade

A Praise Parade Ps 134: 1-3 A song of ascents. Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. IMAGINE something really crazy. The picture is this: You get up early on Sunday morning. You dress for church. The kids are up and everyone is ready to leave about 2 hours before church starts. And you leave for church because you need all that time to get there. Why? You are going to walk to church. As you and your family walk each step to church, people come from their homes along the way. Block by block the throng of people increases, and songs spontaneously arise from the crowd. You all sing because you are excited and joyful! You praise God with your music. The songs’ words remind you and tell bystanders along the way of God’s care and love for you and your church. The songs tell of his amazing love that rescues people and makes them new. Your songs celebrate a victorious past and anticipate a joyful future. These psalms in today’s readings are called Psalms of Ascents or the Pilgrim Psalms. They are songs the Hebrews sang as they journeyed together on annual pilgrimages to the great Feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. They are also songs the Hebrews sang as they returned from the 70-year exile in Babylon. They are songs of victory, peace and joy, songs to celebrate God’s great mercy and love over them. Imagine the comfort and joy you would experience each Sunday if your church would join in such an attitude of celebration, praise and trust for God. It’s True! A praise parade would bring great joy to God.

March 23, 2013 Out of Harm's Way

Read Psalms 120 – 131 Out of Harm’s Way Ps 121:7-8 The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. CAN YOU trust this scripture? “The LORD will keep you from all harm”. I do trust it, and I know you can, too. Here’s why. Several years ago a woman walked into my office. She was a wreck physically, spiritually and emotionally. She was a sub-compact smashed by an 18-wheeler. But what happened was no accident. She had crashed because of choices she had made. Most of it was too much booze, too many useless men and too many excuses. I talked with her periodically, attempted to have her seek God’s Word to change her life, but she didn’t really get it until that one special day. On that day she walked into my office, and I knew she had changed. She had read something in Scripture. For the first time, God’s Word breathed into her, and she understood it was for her. She knew he loved her and valued her. She really, really knew for the first time that her Creator wanted to protect her from harm. Step-by-step she cautiously checked out God. When she walked with him, life was good. When she let go of his hand, life was hard. More and more, she clung to his hand. More and more her life became safe from the physical, emotional and relational harm she had encountered. More and more, she was able to feel his soothing touch amid terrible grief. Yes, you can trust that walking with God will keep you from harm. His way will guide your life to a safe place. You will experience more peace. You will be content in your heart as the world swirls around you. I’ve seen it in myself. I saw it in my friend. I’ve seen it in many others. It’s True! With God, you are away from harm.

March 22, 2013 Sorrow Is Too Much

Read Psalms 119 Sorrow is Too Much Ps 119:28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. & Ps 119:32 I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. & Ps 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. SORROW comes to us in many forms. A death in the family, relationships ending, job loss, and health loss are a few. What do we do when sorrow strikes? I’ve seen many people just give up. The loss breaks them down. The weight of grief destroys their energy and sucks up their hope. Sorrow steals their passion and energy. Sorrow clouds their mind and traps them in fear to try again, to live life. What can we do? I’ve seen others deal with sorrow with the victory of God’s commands. They know the reality of the psalmist’s prayers: “strengthen me according to your Word” because God’s commands are given to us to “set my heart free”. They read God’s word and see how much he loves them. They rejoice in the hope of the Gospel, and they live in the footsteps of the One who conquered sorrow on the cross. Are you in sorrow today? Is the loss too heavy to bear? Of course it is. But please know, God reaches out and offers his hand to carry it for you. Meditate on God’s Word and find comfort that God sorrows with you over your loss. Go with him, and step-by-step you will feel God’s care lift the weight from you. It’s True! The Comforter is with you.

March 20, 2013 His Love

Read Psalm 118 His Love Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.” HIS LOVE, his love, his love, his love pours over you. His love does not stop when you feel alone. His love keeps coming when you are discouraged. His love spreads over your heart when it is empty. His love: You see it in the hand of someone who helps an elderly person walk down the street. His love: You hear it in the voice of one who says, “How can I pray for you?” His love: You touch it when a loved one comes and sits beside you just to be beside you. His love: You know it when someone corrects you from a wrong thing you do that harms others. His love: You find it in the first light of dawn on a warm spring day—winter is gone, new growth comes. His love: You know its power when a child comes and raises her arms to be picked up into yours. His love is a going-to-the-cross, I’ll die for you, I’ll come and save you kind of love. Weep, my friends, in joy that the Father loves you so deeply and eternally. Let your tears wash over you and embrace the happiness you feel. Let your gratitude for his love warm your soul and ease your mind. His love: God paid it all. It’s free for you. Just ask. “And (You will not die but live, and (you) will proclaim what the LORD has done. (Ps 118:17) It’s True! His love is for you. 

March 21, 2013 Thank Offering

Read Psalms 116-117 Thank Offering Psalms 116:17-19 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord — in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. IN MY experience in the church from the time I was a child to this day, the concept of “offering” in the church seems to place the word on the level of a curse. “The church is always asking for my money.” “Don’t ask me to tithe, or I’ll leave the church.” “I’ve a little left over this month. I’ll put this in the offering on Sunday. I’ll give what I can afford.” We have this attitude, and then we have meetings wondering why the church is declining. I’ll tell you why. God is taking his church away from those who refuse to offer him thanksgiving and praise. Oh, God doesn’t want your money for money’s sake. He wants you to offer what’s closest to your heart, and often money is the heart-thing, isn’t it? Our culture is all about money and getting stuff. Get it. Keep it. The psalm reminds you to take what is precious to you and offer it to God. Yes, that means your money. It also means your time and your gifts. Thank offerings also include living into God’s Word to help and care for others. God gives you what you have to bless others and to show God how much he means to you as you obey him in all ways. Here’s an offering reason: Give to God’s church or his people a thank offering for his offering to you. You know about that offering, don’t you? See him on the cross? It’s True! Failing to give thank offerings to God is denying his offering to you.

March 19, 2013 Skpping Mountains

Read Psalms 113-115 Skipping Mountains Psalms 114-115:1 When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, 2 Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; 4 the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, 6 you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water. 115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. DO YOU need great encouragement? Do you know someone who does? Likely your answer is “Yes.” for both questions. Encouragement is hard to get sometimes, isn’t it? Encouragement can be hard to give, too, can’t it, especially to someone you really love who’s having a hard time. So here, let me encourage you. What kind of God is God? He has come to form a people and make them his own in the depth of their despair. Not only that, he comes to dwell with them! He makes this lowliest of earthly tribes a sanctuary for himself! He lives among his people. He gets very personal with them to show them his power. And how powerful is he? At his word, “the mountains skipped like rams.” The sea turned back, and the river stopped. Everywhere he lead his people, they were victorious. They won the battles. They lived in his strength. They personally dwelled in his love and faithfulness. What’s wrong today? I encourage you to welcome the personal God into your personal life. Share these words with your friend. Expect these words to be for you because they are. It’s True! You can trust your “mountain skipping” God.

March 18, 2013 A Victory Life

Read Psalms 110 – 112 A Victory Life Ps 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” JESUS CHRIST is in this Scripture. Yes, this is the “Old Testament”, but we know the Son of God is from eternal past. David, who wrote this Psalm, has been given a picture of Jesus’ ultimate reign over all the earth. The word “LORD” refers to the Father, and “Lord” refers to the Son. We can find great comfort in this prophecy. David gives you an example of that comfort when he turns his eyes to “my Lord” as his enemies threaten his life. David looks beyond the immediate presence of death and sees the eternal future of life. Knowing he’s following one who is “arrayed in holy majesty from the womb of the dawn”, David has comfort in his confidence that his Lord is the conqueror of all evil. David saw the victory. He knew in the midst of dark days that his Lord would win. David could live a life of victory against evil. And he would lead his nation to live in the same way. When you see Jesus as David did, you will live in victory, too. you know Jesus overcame death. You know he rose to proclaim victory, to give you confidence, comfort and peace in your life. You are secure knowing that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the eternal strength in our lives. This strength overcomes any weakness, inadequacies and fear that attempt to defeat us. Throughout the Bible God shows he is the victor. Keep your eyes focused on the One “clothed in holy majesty”. Live in victory with him. It’s True! The victor clothes you in himself.  

March 17, 2013 Do You Curse or Bless?

Read Psalm 109 Do You Curse or Bless? Psalms 109:16-17 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. 17 He loved to pronounce a curse — may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing — may it be far from him. DAVID speaks here and throughout the psalm against people who have cursed him with words and actions. In fact, this psalm is partly David’s prayer to God to curse those who curse him. But what strikes me most are these two verses above. And I ask, “Do you speak words that curse or bless?” I have just come from a conversation in which of those present talked of relatives and friends who are broken in drug addiction. The talk also included words of separation between parents and children. For example, “They never did get along.” I know. Not “getting along” does not always lead to drug abuse, but not “getting along” is a cursed relationship. Cursing words and actions include such language as, “You never will amount to anything.” “Can’t you get it right?” “Why can’t you be like your brother?” “Here, let me do it, so it’s done right.” Do those words ring any bells? If so, I urge you to stop and consider what you say to your children, spouse and friends. Too often we “love to pronounce a curse”. We think we have to keep telling people how bad or wrong they are, so they’ll “straighten up”. After a while, they’ll believe you, and they’ll do their best to be the person you say they are. Often that leads people to seek comfort in all the wrong places. Change your language. Dress up your loved ones in blessing. Doing so, you will help them see God’s blessings for them. It’s True! Your words have a profound effect on how people “dress” each day.

March 16, 2013 God Protector

Read Psalm 108 God Protector Psalms 108:1 My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. 2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth. 6 Save us and help us with your right hand that those you love may be delivered. 7 God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. 9 Moab is my wash basin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 12 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. 13 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. WHAT is happening in your life on this day? If you are reading this in the morning, are you weary to go into the day? If you are reading this before bedtime, are you hoping tomorrow will bring relief from the things that trouble you? May I suggest you read and speak these words out loud? The psalmist exalted God amid his troubles, and he saw the triumph of God over his enemies. He proclaimed with confidence that God will gain the victory. That God will trample down the enemies. It’s True! These words are for you, too. Really.

March 15, 2013 Word of Life

Psalms 106 – 107 Word of Life Psalms 107:10-13, 20 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress…20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. THE PSALMIST paints a dark picture. God’s people are chained down in a dark cell, bent over by the labor of their sin. The only sound is the cry of despair. They have no hope for release. What is their crime? They have deliberately sinned. And they have passively sinned, failing in all ways to seek God’s Word for their lives and their nation. They have rebelled and exchanged God’s words of freedom for Satan’s enslaving lies. Those lies locked them down. Their heart, soul and mind are bound in despair. Freedom is an empty hope. But then, miraculously one day, God’s sent forth his Word to a people in darkness. John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness The Word tells of God’s great love and compassion. The Word fills their souls with hope. Shackles loosen. Prisoners are free from darkness. Life returns. It’s true! Light breaks into the darkness. Darkness never breaks into the light.

March 14, 2013 Promised Judgment

Read Psalm 105 Promised Judgment Psalm 105:4-9 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 6 O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. 7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. YOU can trust God. That eternal truth rings out loud and clear as Psalm 105 recounts God’s call to Abraham, his faithfulness to raise up Joseph to power in Egypt, his plagues against Egypt and his provision for Israel in their desert journey. God is sure and true. He will do as he says. That’s why God gave to you his crucified Son. What does Calvary’s agony have to do with God’s promises and care over Israel so long ago? Look in verse 5 and read “Remember…the judgments he pronounced.” You must remember that God pronounced judgment, a curse upon Adam and Eve and the whole human race as they sinned. Later he judged the world and destroyed all but Noah and his family. Later he judged Egypt, who had enslaved his people. Later, he judged his own people who had turned from him on their journey to the Promised Land. Later he will judge your life. What you must remember is that God is a promise keeper regarding his judgment as well as his blessings. That’s why God gave to you his crucified Son. God promised he would place his judgment upon his own son to free you from God’s promised judgment of your sin. The psalmist celebrates many ways God kept his promises in ages past. I pray you thankfully, gratefully receive Jesus as Lord to free you from God’s sure judgment of your life. I pray you thankfully (vs 2) Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. It’s True! God promises to judge you. Receive Jesus and be saved.

March 13, 2013 Credit God

Read Psalms 104 Credit God Psalm 104:2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; WHEN YOU say “Mother Nature”, you are saying a hateful thing to the Lord. I know. That’s a strong statement. Sometimes you and I need strong statements to break us out of God-dishonoring habits. Here’s why that statement is true. In Exodus 20:3, God commands, “You shall have no other gods before me.” The term “Mother Nature” is a phrase that says, “Nature is in control of itself. It is its own force and does what it does at its own whim.” The phrase makes God’s creation a god above him. Psalm 104, in contrasts, declares God’s sovereignty over nature. “He wraps himself in light.” tells you that God opens the reality of His existence for all to see. Look in the heavens, look on the land, look in the seas, and you will see God. The stars, the rain, the clouds, the lion, the leviathan (great big animal – maybe a whale) act on God’s command. This is just one scripture that declares God’s sovereign authority. Why is it so difficult in our culture to credit God for nature’s changing and marvelous power? Sadly, this is another way we deny God’s control over our own lives. When we say such phrases as “Mother Nature” “luck” and “chance”, we are essentially saying to God, “You’re not there. You don’t matter. Other forces cause things to happen. You’re simply a bystander.” With that attitude, we keep God on the sidelines. We even keep him out of our homes, and we certainly keep God out of our hearts. Is nature a mother? No, it is not. God is the Father—always and in all ways. The Father, who loves you, formed you and saved you, wraps himself in light to brilliantly display himself to you. Open your mouth and speak His power. After all, God is above all things. It’s True! God reigns.

March 12 Praise the Lord

Read Psalm 103 Praise the Lord Psalms 103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. HOW’S your “praise quotient”? In other words, are you eager to praise the Lord? I’m always curious to see how people respond when I speak of praising God. Many times people seem to wonder, “Why? Did something miraculous happen?” For some odd reason, we are disinclined to praise God unless “something miraculous” – healed cancer, a child born to a couple struggling to conceive, a check showing up in the mail to exactly meet your rent, a storm that stops at your front door – happens. That’s when I get frustrated. The thing is, something miraculous has happened, and it is so very much better than anything you and I can think about here on earth. The miraculous happening is the Lord, “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”! The psalmist proclaims the wonder and power of God to have the power to heal your earthly disease, and he proclaims God’s power to heal the disease of sin that has invaded your soul. God’s healing is for all time. God’s healing is for eternity…for eternity…for eternity. Eternity doesn’t stop. God’s healing takes you to a place where the joy never ceases and where “(v 7) from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children. Praise God! Did something miraculous happen? You bet it did! It’s True! Receive Jesus as Lord, and this everlasting healing is yours.

March 10, 2013 What a Gift!

Read Psalm 97 - 98 What a Gift! Ps 98:1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. HOW’S YOUR singing? Oh, I know you might sing off key, or you may sound terrific. That’s really not what I’m asking. I’m asking, “How’s your singing soul?” When you sing to the Lord, do you sing with an understanding that your words, your voice, your attitude, your attention, and your soul belong to the Lord? I know, singing is a scary thing for many people. But think about who gave you a voice. Think about why he gave you a voice. God gave you your voice so that you are able to communicate. In communicate is “commune”. In “commune” is “come together”. In “come together” is honor. And in “honor” is worship. Sing to the Lord to commune with him and to worship him. Sing to the Lord to give thanks that he loves you. Sing to the Lord to celebrate and welcome his Spirit. Sing to the Lord that he has come, has died, has risen and will come again to commune with you forever! Lift your voice. Lift your heart. Lift your soul to make music to God. As it says in Psalms 103:1: Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. It’s True! Praise is the only way to respond to God’s grace to love and save you. What a gift!

March 9, 2013 Worship, Be Faithful

Read Psalms 95-96 Worship, Be Faithful Psalms 95:6-11 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “hey are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.” 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, “hey shall never enter my rest.” IMMEDIATELY after I read these psalms I was listening to praise music while I was walking on my treadmill. As the songs, some with the words of other psalms, proclaimed the Lord’s beauty and offered praise and worship to God, I thought of the amazing opportunity we have, as the psalmist did so many hundreds of years ago, to praise God. But you’ll notice verses 8-11 speak of God’s people turning from him, even cursing him. As the Hebrews were in their desert journey out of Egypt, the psalmist records the history of their lack of trust in God to give them water, and so (Exodus 17:7 the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?") and God judged them. God’s people repeatedly cursed God when God promised his presence and safety to them. As a result God cursed them, and none of that generation entered the Promised Land. What’s your response to God’s promises? Do you curse him as the Hebrews in the desert? Or do you praise him as the psalmist of the past and the songwriters through the generations? Sing in your heart words of praise. Worship him, and you will see God’s care for you. It’s True! Praise God, and you will see his blessings flow to you.

March 8, 2013 Being Safe

Read Psalms 91-93 Being Safe Ps 91:1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” SAFETY is a big concern, isn’t it? You want to be safe when you leave your home and when you return. You want your finances in a safe place. Your children need safe schools. You want “safe” relationships with family and friends. Safety is a wonderful blessing, isn’t it? But sometimes our safety disappears. A friend last week was diagnosed with a serious illness that will keep her away from work for several weeks. She’s uncertain, hopeful, afraid and feeling “unsafe” because her health suddenly is tenuous. Your job, finances and relationships can dramatically change, can’t they? What do we do when life’s safety nets seem to disappear? Here’s what the psalmist does. He celebrates, worships, honors and trusts God’s strength. God is the place that he will go to experience and know the “shelter of the Almighty”. The same God is available to you right now. Feeling unsafe? Then call on God, and the power of his enormous love will reach out to protect you. His arms are over you. No enemy, not even an enemy of the greatest strength, can touch your heart, mind and soul because God, your refuge shelters you. The hymn “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” says of the cross: “O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet” Yes, the shadow of the cross is over your life. Trust the cross. God killed his Son that He would be your eternal refuge. Seek him and trust him, and you will know such a God is truly your safe place against all storms. It’s True! God’s safe arms around you feel great, don’t they?  

March 7, 2013 Welcome Home

Read Psalms 89-90 Welcome Home Ps 90:1 O Lord, you have always been our home. WHAT is home? A true home is a place where people love you, care for you and honor you, and you do the same for them. A true home is a place where you can enjoy good food and a refreshing night’s rest. Home is a place you can always look to when you are lonely and uncertain about life’s events. A good home is a godly home, full of the Lord’s joy, and it is the place where you are always, always welcome. As the psalmist calls God “our home”, he does so because the evidence says this psalm was written in the time of Nehemiah, who guided the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon. Many of God’s people had been away from their literal home for 70 years. In many ways, they were away from God, their “home”, as well. Why? God, in effect, had shoved them out the door because they were rebellious children. As a good parent must do, he sent his disobedient children away to learn a lesson, to learn they needed his truth, and they needed God, their Father. Now God has welcomed his children home. And Psalm 90 describes their longing for his forgiveness. Their hearts are broken and weary. They are ready to come to God, their true home. Lovingly, God says, “Come.” Wonderfully, he welcomes his children home. Are you away from God, your home? Then say to him, “I want to come home, God. I want to be with you and your other children. I want to honor you and love you. I want to be in a place of peace and joy.” It’s True! When you say, “I need you, Lord.” God will say, “Welcome home.”

March 6, 2013 Devoted To God

Read Psalms 86-88 Devoted to God Psalms 86:2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. & Psalms 88:7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. WHAT is devotion? It is easy to see in Psalm 86 in the words that expression joyful commitment to God. The psalmist is confident God will guard his life, show mercy and save him. His devotion shines through his words as he declares God is the source of joy, forgiveness and goodness. God is absolute. In his praise, the psalmist devotedly will worship God and give glory to his name because the Lord has comforted and helped him. Psalm 87 continues to praise and pronounce the power of God. But then comes the despair and pain of Psalm 88. Where now is the devotion? Life is that way, isn’t it? You can praise God one day, and you are sure of your devotion to him. Then you can despair the next day, “Is God devoted to me?” What do you do on the hard days? You stay devoted to him. A title for Psalm 88 is “A Prayer When You Can’t Find the Way”. That’s what you do when you can’t find your way, or you can’t see God’s light in your life. You pray. Devotion is pursuing God on the good days and the hard days. Devotion is celebrating when you see Him and weeping when he is not there. Devotion takes you into God’s presence and devotion helps you know God is present. Are the days good? Devote yourself to praising God. Are the days hard? Devote yourself to prayer, pursuing and waiting on him. It’s True! Devoted to God, you are constantly aware he is God.

March 5, 2013 The Best Place Forever

Read Psalms 84-85 The Best Place Psalm 84:1-2 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. AS YOU live here on earth, what do you think about going to Heaven? I know the common answer would be something like, “Good. Fun. Wonderful.” But I can’t recall anyone ever talking about Heaven as the, “Best place ever! I get to be with Jesus! There’s no better life I could ever want!” What does God’s Word say about Heaven? Read Psalms 84 and 85, and you will see, indeed, that Heaven is a fantastic place, the best place ever. As the psalmist declares Heaven is God’s dwelling place, that alone should get you excited! Imagine the wonder of living in the same “house” as God the Father and Son in the blessing of God the Spirit! God’s favor—his life-giving blessing—is for you each second of eternity! (Assuming one could measure time in eternity.) God promises you Heaven is the source of God’s faithfulness and his righteousness. Heaven is a home for eternal springs of water, refreshing and renewing all of God’s people. The Lord is “a sun and a shield” for his people.” His presence fills Heaven, and he gives to his own his favor, honor, strength and protection. God’s house, indeed, is a glorious expression of God. Seek God. Seek his truths. Seek his life. Repent of your sins, confess Christ as Lord and be prepared to enter into God’s dwelling place. Heaven is the best place for you to be—forever. Get right with Jesus and get there. It’s True! Ps 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

March 4, 2013 Teach

Read Psalms 79-83 Teach Psalms 82:3-7 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 5 “They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.” PARENTS, TEACHERS, what do you do with children? In one word, what would you say is the main thing? My answer, I hope, would be: Teach. You have to teach children, don’t you? You teach them to walk, to say “Thank You.” and to obey what you say. Do you give up when they don’t get it the first time? I hope you don’t. I’m sure you don’t. These verses from Psalm 82 gave me a big wake up. I sometimes get impatient and frustrated with people who are new to Jesus. Even though they hear his word, they still act in their old, “pre-Jesus” ways. Sometimes I am ready and willing to give up on them and turn them over to their weaknesses. Then when I read these verses, I saw “defend” “rescue” “deliver” and “weak”. And I was ashamed of my attitude. I repent of my arrogance. Certainly to God I do some weak and “pre-Jesus” things. I am a weak sinner who needs to be delivered out of my weakness. I need God to teach me and to rescue me. And as I am safe with him, he has called me to be a rescuer for others in darkness as I teach them his Word. “Thank you, God, you’re not like me, ready to give up on me when I don’t get it. Thank you, God, you rescue me each day. May I be a rescuer for you. Amen.” It’s True! You must learn God’s Word, and you must teach God’s Word.

March 3, 2013 Tell the Kids

Read Psalm 78 Tell the Kids Ps 78:4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. ON MY library shelf is a book about my father’s side of the family. The book is a collection of stories of ancestors who came from Europe. Paging through, I see how families with different last names, unique talents, and diverse backgrounds come together under the word “relative”. I see my connection through great, great, great grandparents to hundreds of individuals. It’s very cool. I would like to see a similar book for my mother’s side. I love knowing about my family. Stories of who they were and are connect me in some way to each one. The Bible, too, is a rich picture of my connection to a diverse group of people. I am excited to see how I am connected to people all around the world, saints who have gone to Heaven and saints who live on the earth. How wonderful it is to have a common Father. Tell the story of your heavenly Father to your children. They need to hear of his wonderful love and eternal salvation. Hearing these stories and seeing you find joy in your Father will teach your children to have that same joy. They will come to trust him, too, when they know they are connected to him. It’s True! God wrote a book to tell you how personally you are connected to everyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  

March 1, 2013 Majestic, Seen and Unseen

Read Psalms 76-77 Majestic, Seen and Unseen Psalms 76:1-9 In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. 2 His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. 3 There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. 4 You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. 5 Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. 6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. 7 You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? 8 From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet — 9 when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Psalm 77:16-20 The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. 17 The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. 18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. 19 Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. DO YOU have any hope? As you look and see the evidence of depravity and evil in our nation, hear the threats of our enemies to destroy us and wonder about our nation’s leaders’ inability to lead, do you have any hope? Focus in on the God the psalmist declares. God used his power to free Israel and silence their enemies. Indeed, their only hope was in their God. Sadly, though, they eventually turned from Him, and God even destroyed the nation he had created. We as a nation must learn from this. We only have true hope when we pray to God and seek his power to preserve, protect and to not destroy this nation he has created. It’s True! You can have hope in God’s power.