Month: May 2023

Posted on

Magnify the Lord!

Magnify the Lord

Ps 65-67, 69-70 Where do you go when life is hard or when life is pleasant? Are you a waffling up and down person, praising one day and grumbling the next? The psalmist reflects that even when life is hard, he can and will choose to praise God. Ps 65:4 “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near.” Ps 66:2-3 “Sing the glory of His Name, Make His praise glorious! Say to God, “How awesome are your works.”  Ps 69:16 “Lord, your lovingkindness is good!” Ps 70:4 “Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you, and let those who love your salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.”

When we take time to praise God no matter how life is, we can be grateful, and we can take time to praise God for all His benefits and blessings.

Posted on

Responding with grace

2Sam 10, 1Chron 19, Ps 20 Some people are “hard headed.” When someone does something that is gracious, they don’t respond with peace but with an arrogance that is unbecoming. That is the picture of Hanun. King David sent a delegation to comfort Hanun in the loss of his parent, but his gift was not received well. Hanun listened to unwise counselors and maligned the gift and the giver. The bottom line was his pride ruled over grace.

How do you respond to another’s gifts? Do you always think there is an underlying reason they are doing this, or do you respond with grace? Precious reader, some people are never gracious no matter what you or God has done, and when the truth is revealed, their pride keeps them from apologizing.

You can’t change a stubborn heart; only God can do that. You be gracious and let God take care of them.

Posted on

Are we praising God today?

Ps 50; 53; 60; 75 The psalmist is struggling with the attitude of ungratefulness. He has presented his offerings, but they are insufficient because of a hard heart. Just doing things outwardly is not what God desires, He desires inward repentance. It is not the sacrifice but the sacrifice of praise. Heb 13:15 “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His Name.” Romans 12:1 reminds us that God looks for the inward heart and is pleased with us being a living sacrifice.

Where are we a living sacrifice today? Where are we offering a sacrifice of praise?

Posted on

Doing the Right Thing…

1Chron 18: The Heart of David and My Heart
David is the new king but still waging war near and far. If the Israelites had been wise, they would not have rejected God as their King. Imagine a world in which God is the King. He promised He would cleanse the land, but now it is laid at the feet of men. The tragedy is that many are affected, and so it continues today.

After the death of Saul and Jonathan, David wonders if there is any left of the house of Saul. Could it be that God has preserved even one? Do I look for others in my family who may be alive to honor? (Yes, I did, but when I found them was told never to call, write or come for a visit. Sadness overload with no reasons given) 🙁 “tears”

But, in David’s case, God has saved one individual: Mephishobeth, Jonathan’s son, who lives in Lo Debar with a man named Ziba. David seeks him out and promises him blessing upon blessing. Imagine being Mephishobeth 🙂 upon hearing that the king requests your presence and then hearing that your future is protected!!!!!

David is an example of one who chose to administer justice and kindness to those who have suffered needlessly because of the choice made by others.

Isn’t that what Jesus did for you and me? Do I/we do the same?

Posted on

The Voice of God

The Psalms ch 25,29, 33, 36,39

Over and over, the psalmist, most likely David, had meditated upon the character of God towards mankind. God is powerful yet kind and merciful. He is the voice that men need to hear for them to alter their lives and their hearts.

Look at creation and marvel. What do we see? A waterfall is beautiful but powerful. No one can alter its free fall. Look at the storms that come our way. No one can stop them or their power. Yet, the voice of God can alter the hardest of hearts and change them for good. The psalmist stands in awe of the power of His voice.

Do I stop and listen to His voice so He can present Himself to me so that I might hear and respond?

Posted on

God is Faithful- Are you?

Psalm 89 The Faithfulness of God

Ethan has written this psalm to extol the virtues of God and, in particular, His faithfulness. His faithfulness surrounds Him. The psalmist notes that God’s lovingkindness is permanent. Is mine? The evidence is seen in the heavens, where the skies show His creation and beauty. Ethan also notes that God chose to make a covenant with his chosen one, David. He promised that his kingdom would last forever, and because of that, lovingkindness and faithfulness would characterize His rule.

Dr. Wiersne noted that today vs. 15-18 are recited on their New Year’s Day after blowing of the shofar.

But what about the sin of David’s descendants? How would God respond to that? Although God would discipline, He would not revoke His promises. This is a promise as a believer, we can return to when we, too, have sinned. Perhaps that is why John wrote: “But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” [1Jn 1:9]

Today enjoy the faithfulness of God, and ye also be faithful to Him.

Posted on

Choose wisely, pray continuously

Ps 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47 God Blessings~
Psalm 1 is a clear presentation of what God desires for all mankind. The psalmist pictures those who are righteous and those who are unrighteous. He uses three words to describe them: wicked, sinners, and scoffer, reminding us to choose our relationships wisely. If we want God to bless us we must not walk, stand or sit in the paths of these three individuals. That means we must choose wisely our friendships and our mates.

Some people say I have given up on God, and I don’t believe what the Bible says. How do we handle that? They may have given up on God, but God has not given up on them. So until they take their last breath, I should not either! My prayer for them is that each day, each moment, they might see the work of God in their life in some way and become righteous, pure, and believing.

Who is on my heart today that fits the Ps 1 category and needs my prayers?

Posted on

Ask..then leave the results to God

2 Samuel 5:11-6:23; 1 Chronicles 13-16

A principle from this passage: When undertaking a service for the Lord, inquire of Him the path to be followed. David did not, and when the Ark began to slip off the cart, Uzzah reached up (which seems like something we all might do) and touched it to steady it. God was displeased and struck him dead. YIKES! After many months, David inquired of the Lord to find the proper way to move the Ark, and God blessed him.

A second thought came from this passage. Even when we do things the right way, someone will always want to rain on our parade. David’s wife, Michal, despised him, and we wonder why. Was she intimidated? Was she jealous? Whatever the reason, we can learn from this incident: even when we are doing the right things, God’s way, there will be others who want to take our joy from us.

Life is too short to allow others to take our joy. When you ask God and get His answer, leave the results to Him and move on.

Posted on

What is the point…?

Ps 107 What do you see when you look back at your life? Is a life filled with the pleasantness of the goodness of God, or do you see suffering? What is the point of each? When we are filled and see the hand of God of blessing, do we stop and praise Him? On the other hand, when we are suffering, do we also stop and praise God? What is the point of each?

To the one, it is a gift to the God we serve and bless and share that with others. It is God’s gift to others that we lift up and praise His Name. But, to the one who is suffering, how do we use that to glorify His Name? Do we stop and give Him praise or do we grumble and complain?

The psalmist looks back and sees where God has blessed, and he also sees where God has allowed suffering. What is the point of each? Each can be used to share His blessing, for good or bad. In either state, we are to offer Him praise and blessing.

The key is found in Ps 107:15 “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness and for the amazing things He has done for his people.’

Posted on

Choices!

Psalm 106 Standing apart from the crowd

How do we move from just being spectators to participants when we see blatant sins in our world? That was a choice that Phinehas made when one of his kinsmen entered the camp with a Midianite woman and took her into his tent. In essence, he was “thumbing his nose” at God’s righteous standards. As everyone watched, but no one moved, Phinehas made a choice to step up and be counted. Did he stop and think of what others might say? It seems not. He just acted because he knew what God’s standard was. For that, the Israelite man paid for it with his life when the zeal of the Lord took control of Phinehas’ heart, and he “took a stand and intervened.”

Just like Phinehas, we, too, have a choice. We can take a stand and be counted for the Lord or just ignore the sin before us. For his action, God rewarded Phinehas with the covenant of a permanent priesthood. We may not have this as our reward, but we will have the words of our Lord: well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Are we, like Phinehas, willing to be as he and stand for righteousness, or are we like many, just coasting along with the crowd speaking silently against sin but not publicly? What will you and I choose to do? 

Optimized by Optimole