Psalm 86:11

Psalm 86:11 ^ESV

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

 

Matthew 6:22-23

 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 

²³ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

 

The italicized words are more related than they appear on first glance. The word translated healthy came to be healthy originally started its life as ‘single’. The idea is that if our vision is ‘single’ it is healthy in the sense that we can perceive reality as it is.  If our heart is healthy, united, then it too will be healthy and perceive reality as it is.  In this case, reality: what is really real is that God is more important than anything and literally everything in the universe; therefore, we must fear God more than anything and everything in the universe because that is the way it really is.

 

So, Lord, unite my heart, give me clear vision so that I may see You as supreme over all and completely sufficient for all that I need.

 

Father, praise You for giving me a glimpse of Your glory.

Son, praise You for demonstrating that glory for me.

Spirit, praise You for moving me to even greater visions of Your glory.

 

Seeing reality as He is with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Psalm 81:10; 84:11

Psalm 81:10 ^ESV

I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

 

Psalm 84:11 ^ESV

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

 

What promises are offered to those who love God!  Do not believe that God is ashamed of us when we come to Him for good; there is no where else to go for good.  He promises us greater things than we can ask for!

 

Greater because:

1.   We are too easily pleased by garbage and poison and don’t even think of greater things.

2.   We don’t know what the greater things are to ask for.

3.   We are blinded by our own sinful hearts (which are deceitful Jer 17:9).

4.   God’s love, His presence, GOD HIMSELF is the greatest GOOD!

 

To open your mouth and allow someone else to feed you is one of the most humbling things a person can do.  Exactly: that is why God commands you to do it.

 

To walk uprightly, by faith is to live your life like God’s promises are for you and really depend upon God to come through for you on them.  When you do that you will fail to have no good thing.  Do you believe that?  Prove it.

 

Praise You Father for Your wonderful Self!

Praise You Son for demonstrating God with skin on!

Praise You Spirit for communicating that Good which is You to us!

 

Trusting Him for Good with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Psalm 65:1-2

God alone hears prayers. He alone is He to Whom we should prays: oh You who hears prayer, to you all flesh shall come! We go to God like animals go to the last pond in Africa. In times of severe drought even the lions (though they drink first!) allow other animals to drink as well. Likewise, we must all drink from the o ly source of water in town. EVERYONE must come to God; even if they spit in His face while they do it.

Oh, let us be them who thankfully and joyously love Him who gives is the Water of Life!

Praise You Father for water!
Praise You Son for blood!
Praise You Spirit for Prayer!

Praying with you,
Pastor Greg

Zechariah 4:6

Why do I continue to seek to do things on my own strength? A fool never forgets his folly! Forgive me Lord and give me the grace to hear and obey!

Blessings,
Pastor Greg

Haggai 1:5

Haggai 1:5

 

If you and I don't consider our ways we will slip both unconsciously and terminally into sin.  Our atmosphere is sin, our hearts are deceitful, we don't have a chance of avoiding habitual sin if we do not consciously work to avoid that sin.  Consider your ways oh Church!  Consider your ways!

• How do I relate to my God?
• How do I relate to the family I live with?
• How do I relate to my coworkers?
• How do I use my discretionary time?

Not easy questions: but we must ask them.  Then we must have the courage to actually pay attention to our own answers.  Do you have the courage?  Ask your Heavenly Father to give you that courage. 

 

Psalm 32:5 NIV

     Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

      I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

 

Your Father will forgive your sin:

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

Then He will continue to work in you for His glory.

Philippians 1:6NIV

 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

Praise You Father for forgiveness.

Praise You Son for saving my soul.

Praise You Spirit for grace upon grace.

 

Forgive us Father as we sin,

Pastor Greg

Zephaniah 3:17

Zephaniah 3:17
This is one of the first verses I found that really communicated the love of God to me. I seek to rest in the fact that He loves me enough to 'sing' over me! Praise Jesus!

Praise You Father for rejoicing over me!
Praise You Son for making that possible!
Praise You Spirit for telling me!

Blessings,
Pastor Greg

Psalm 46:10-11

Psalm 46:10-11 ^ESV

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 

You have nothing to worry about.  The Lord of the Armies of God is with you.  The God who made Jacob into a nation of nations is protecting you.  Therefore, relax.  Trust God.  He will make His name exalted among all the peoples of the world; He will be exalted wherever the cosmos remains.

 

Praise You Father that You are glorious.

Praise You Son that You are glorious.

Praise You Spirit that You are glorious.

 

Praising Jesus with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Micah 7:18-19

Micah 7:18-19(ESV)
*Who is a God like you, *pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression *for the remnant of his inheritance?
*He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Amen! The Jews knew the grace of God's forgiveness, and they knew it was by grace. Let us with Micah celebrate His goodness to us!

Praise You Father for giving us forgiveness!
Praise You Son for rising again!
Praise You Spirit for speaking grace to our hearts!

Rejoicing in His forgiveness with you,
Pastor Greg

Jonah 2:8

Jonah 2:8 ESV

Those who pay regard to vain idols

forsake the hope of steadfast love.

 

Jonah 2:8 NIV

Those who cling to worthless idols,

forsake the grace that could be theirs

 

I'm reading the ESV right now (25 more pages and I will have finished reading it through).  But I memorized the verse several years ago in the NIV.

 

An interesting question in regards to this verse is, "To whom is Jonah referring here, himself or the Ninevites?  I am inclined to believe he is talking about himself. And I think the idol he is referring to is the bitterness he nurtured in his own heart so that he was unwilling to love the Ninevites enough to share God's love.  The grace or steadfast love He forsook was that of joy and peace.

 

Of course, an argument can be made for him referring to Nineveh because he obviously hadn't learned the lesson by the time the events of chapter 4 came about (I happen to believe he wrote Jonah and that ultimately he did repent!).

 

The point is that if you are clinging/paying regard to idols then you will not experience God's grace.  Therefore, whatever you hold to higher value than God or obedience to God you must reject it at the poisonous vomit that it is.  Cling to your God and you will have the steadfast love (correct translation) you need.

 

Praise You Father for steadfast love.

Praise You Son for forgiving us so we could experience steadfast love.

Praise You Spirit for moving in and through us so we can share that steadfast love.

 

Hoping in steadfast love with you,

Pastor Greg

Proverbs 17:9

Proverbs 17:9 ^ESV

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

 

A good friend of mine, Michelle Winger, gave me a great piece of advice once: ‘never take offence where none is intended.’ Excellent advice!  Put your pride away.  Forget to be offended.  Seek peace and pursue it.  Move on with it.  Get over it.  Look to Jesus.  Grow up.

 

Praise You Father for forgiveness.

Praise You Son for peace.

Praise You Spirit for joy.

 

Forgiving others with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Proverbs 16:4

Proverbs 16:4 ^ESV

The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

 

The Lord is sovereign.  He is also sovereign over the wicked.  Nothing is out of His sovereign control.  Amen.

 

Praise You Father that You will not allow the wicked to get away with wickedness.

Praise You Son that You died to save this wicked man.

Praise You Spirit that You reveal your righteousness and mercy to wicked men and women that we may repent.

 

Repenting along with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Proverbs 15

Proverbs 15:1 ^ESV

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:2 ^ESV

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Proverbs 15:4 ^ESV

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:5 ^ESV

A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.

Proverbs 15:7 ^ESV

The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

Proverbs 15:8 ^ESV

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.

Proverbs 15:11 ^ESV

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!

Proverbs 15:12 ^ESV

A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

Proverbs 15:13 ^ESV

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.

Proverbs 15:14 ^ESV

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Proverbs 15:18 ^ESV

          A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Proverbs 15:23 ^ESV

To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

Proverbs 15:26 ^ESV

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but gracious words are pure.

Proverbs 15:28 ^ESV

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

 

Proverbs 15 has much to say about words.  The use of words bring peace, joy, life, wisdom; the use of words also brings folly, anger, perverseness, crushing, and death.  Words are significant because words come from the heart.  And it is the heart that determines the destiny of a man.

 

Use God’s Words for your own and you will never be disappointed.

 

Praise You Father for wise words.

Praise You Son for saving words.

Praise You Spirit for heard words.

 

Speaking the Truth in Love,

Pastor Greg

 

Proverbs 13:19

Proverbs 13:19 ESV

     A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

     but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

 

Having the view of inspiration of Scripture that I do, I look at this verse and believe that the two halves of the proverb were not arbitrarily put together: there must be a meaning that can be discerned by God's children so they can profit.

 

The key in this verse seems to be 'desire'.  Chapter 13 talks a lot about desire:

 

Proverbs 13:2 ESV

     From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

     but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

 

Proverbs 13:12 ESV

     Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

     but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

 

Proverbs 13:25 ESV

     The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

     but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

 

In common among these verses is the universality of desire: both the righteous and the wicked experience desire. Also significant among these verses is the nature of the desire: the righteous desires the good, but the wicked desires that which is evil: and that God will fulfill the desire of the righteous but the desire of the wicked will ultimately be thwarted.

 

So, back to verse 19.

The desire of the wicked is evil, so to turn away from his desire is ridiculous!  Why would I do that??? It is an abomination to him: religiously he rejects that demand because it is the opposite of what he is pursuing.

 

Now take the [presumably] righteous; when he gets his desire it is sweet.  I want to comment on 'is sweet'.

 

In many things in life there are opinions: some particular food is delicious for one while disgusting for another.  There are many reasons for this; the reasons are unimportant, what matters is the fact that this is true.  One of the things that a person may find enjoyable more than another is the sweetness of something.  I have known many Europeans and have offered them root beer.  To a person they have all rejected root beer as ekelhaft (disgusting).  Now, I haven't asked them, but I believe they thought it was too sweet (this experiment was done on Germans (mostly) and a few French).  The argument was not that the root beer was or wasn't sweet, the argument was that it was too sweet. (I believe this also because while in Europe I noticed that most things were not as sweet as they are in the US, and not as cold either.)

 

So, when we get to Prov 13:19, I think we must believe that Solomon is making more than a value statement, I think he is making a statement that the desire fulfilled is sweet (putting aside now whether it is disgustingly sweet, I'm pretty sure he would have chosen a different word).  The desire (in this case the righteous desire) fulfilled is sweet, it is good, it is not bitter.  In verse 12 he calls it 'a tree of life'.

 

God is not a cosmic killjoy; God is one who longs to fulfill our deepest longings.  Unfortunately he finds our desires too weak, we desire things of this world that only partially and only temporarily satisfy instead of that which answers our deepest needs and desires.

 

So how might this work in the 'real world'?

For the wicked, his desire is for wealth that is gained through deception or other wicked plan.  Verse 11 tells us that wealth gained hastily will dwindle.  How many lottery winners who are now bankrupt and miserable do we need to hear about before we recognize this. 

 

But the righteous who gather little by little in a godly manner who do not cheat and have no reason for regret; these are the people who by training and by blessing maintain their wealth and indeed are truly wealthy because they have something better than money: peace.

 

Choose to be truly wealthy.  Choose to have desires fulfilled and sweet.  Choose life.

 

Psalm 37:3-4 ESV

     Delight yourself in the LORD,

     and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

Praise You Father for fulfilled desires.

Praise You Son for good desires.

Praise You Spirit for transformed desires.

 

Desiring the best with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 37

Psalm 37:1-7 ESV

OF DAVID.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

 

Psalm 37 is a psalm of waiting. But not of waiting in a dreary sense; David is concerned to remind us of the loving protection and provision of God.  It behooves God's people to wait for God's protection and provision because He provides great blessings to those who wait (Heb 11:6).

 

So, we must wait.  But psalm 37 does not ask us to wait idly.  Instead David gives us a whole list of promises in the form of commands.  'Fret not', 'be not envious', 'trust in the Lord', 'do good'... Waiting in Scripture DOES NOT mean that you should do nothing; waiting for the Lord means to actively trust His promises for you in Christ. When we so live we will find plenty to 'keep us busy'; we will find plenty to occupy us with the grace and goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Praise You Father for excellent promises.

Praise You Son for being our 'yes' to all those promises.

Praise You Spirit for speaking those promises to our hearts.

 

Trusting the promises of God for us in Christ with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 36

The best book on psychology is the Psalter. No where else do you get such instruction with very practical advice on how to have a healthy psyche. 'Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart;" is of course profoundly true. It is equally true as you read the following verses about how the wicked think; what is altogether awful is that I recognize these tendencies in me as well!

Praise You Father for giving me you sufficient Word.
Praise You Son for forgiving me my sins.
Praise You Spirit for speaking deeper than my sin.

Studying psychology with you,
Pastor Greg

Proverbs 10:19

Proverbs 10:19 ^ESV

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

 

Oh Lord, let my words be few.  Give me wisdom to know when to keep my mouth shut so that I can keep an appearance of being wise J!

 

Praise You Father for wisdom.

Praise You Son for forgiveness for my idle words.

Praise You Spirit for moving through me for Your glory.

 

Speaking little for God’s glory,

Pastor Greg

 

Psalm 34:4-7

Psalm 34:4-7 ^ESV

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

 ⁵ Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

⁶ This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

 

I memorized these verses years ago and they have stayed with me ever since.  They are an encouragement to my heart when I am tired and lonely and frustrated.  Praise Jesus!  Stay close to God’s Word and He will stay close to you.

 

Praise You Father for holding in my memory this Word.

Praise You Son that You encamp about me.

Praise You Spirit that You cause me to be radiant in Your glory.

 

Radiant with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Contrasting Verses

Psalm 33:1 ^ESV

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.

Proverbs 2:14 ^ESV

who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,

 

Praise befits the upright!  Amen. Another verse is “It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace.”  Hebrews 13:9

 

That which is ‘good’ or ‘right’ or ‘befitting’ (we don’t use that word much anymore…) connects, it becomes (used in a way we don’t use much anymore).  An upright person is one who because of his/her nature automatically praises God for the good seen around him.  An upright person notices when God’s glory is on display and acknowledges that glory by praising God.

 

An evil person on the other hand ‘delights in the perverseness of evil’.  He finds joy in the ‘wrongness’ (note: not just whatever ‘gain’ he might get because of the evil, but in the mere fact that it is ‘just wrong’) of the evil he perpetrates or notices. 

 

Life really is all about the heart.  What does your heart find joy in; that will tell you whether you are fit for Heaven or Hell. The people who ultimately end up in Hell couldn’t live in Heaven; it would be Hell for them as well.  Let your heart be shaped by that which is true (God and His Word) instead of by what the world tries to ‘sell’ you.  When you do your heart will be shaped to fit into heaven.

 

Praise You Father for praise.

Praise You Son for the opportunity to praise.

Praise You Spirit for placing praise in our hearts to praise.

 

Praising God with you,

Pastor Greg

 

Psalm 31:15

Psalm 31:15 ^ESV

My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

 

Praise Jesus, my times are in His hands.

          Times of turmoil; Jesus is my stronghold in the storm.

          Times of joy; Jesus is a deeper wine in my cup.

          Times of sorrow; Jesus is a warm friend.

          Times of peace; Jesus is my motivator to excellence.

 

to be continued…

 

Praise You Father for Your hand of compassion.

Praise You Son for Your hand of sacrifice.

Praise You Spirit for Your Hand of love.

 

Our times are in His hands,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 30:5

Psalm 30:5

        For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
      Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

 

Oh Lord God, weeping is a part of life here on Earth.  I know you weep also when you see the pain of Your children.  We weep because of our own sin; we weep because of the sin of others: we weep because of the sickness of this sinful world.  Give us this joy that You have promised.  Sustain us while we walk through the Valley of Bacca (weeping) and give us hope for the joy that will come one fine Morning.

 

Praise You Father for joy.

Praise You Son that You took our pain.

Praise You Spirit that You fill us with hope.

 

Praising God with you,

Pastor Greg

Ezekiel 37:3

Ezekiel 37:3 ^ESV

And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know."

 

Humility is one of the characteristics of wise men.  Ezekiel had no answer for God’s question: the best he could do is say, “O Lord God, You know.”

 

Now, such humility does not extend across the board: there are times we already know.  An example is the answer to God’s question: those bones can live.  How do I know?  Because God answered the question.  Now, because God answered; because God gave revelation, we can know that those bones can indeed live.  Praise Jesus.

 

We must remember that we are but dust and that are perspective on the cosmos is limited; we cannot know perfectly (at least not yet), but we can know truly.  Take from Ezekiel’s answer a proper humility, but also a proper courage knowing that if God tells you to talk to dead bones, he’s serious.

 

Praise You Father that You can raise dead bones.

Praise You Son that You died so my dead bones could rise.

Praise You Spirit that You make them alive.

 

Humbly courageous with you,

Pastor Greg

Prov 28:1

Proverbs 28:1 ^ESV

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

 

This was hard this morning because I wanted to comment on the New Covenant in Ezekiel 36.  But this stood out so well to me.

 

When your conscience is hurting you, you are always afraid: when your sins do not cause you to fear you won’t fear anything.

 

I’m not afraid of persecution; I’m afraid of my own sins catching up with me.  Someone can mock me, despise me, hurt me, and even kill me: but if I shame my Savior, that is shame indeed.

 

Praise You Father for courage.

Praise You Son for salvation.

Praise You Spirit for righteousness.

 

Bold with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 27:1

Prov 27; Ezek 31-33

Psalm 27:1 ^ESV

OF DAVID. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 

What does it mean to say that someone or something is your stronghold?

          It means you trust in it for security, hope, etc.

          It means you value it more than other things.

          Having something/one as your stronghold means that you put time and energy into it.

          Having something/one as your stronghold means that nothing is more valuable.

 

So, what are some common strongholds people use?

          People (relatives, children, parents, spouse)

          Jobs

          Money

          Fame

          Entertainment (of numerous kinds)

 

But what do these things have in common:

          All of them will fail.

          All of them will disappear and will take those who trust in them with them.

 

How do we make sure that the Lord is our stronghold.

          Trust His promises (that means you 1^st have to know them, then you have to apply them to various areas of your life)

          Spend time with those who trust Him

          Organize your life around the promises/commands found in Scripture.

 

Father, give me courage to forsake all my strongholds that are not built on You.

Son, give me blessings commensurate with Your promises.

Spirit, give me direction that I may make You my stronghold.

 

Resting secure with you,

Pastor Greg

Proverbs 26:13-16

Proverbs 26:13-16 ^ESV

The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!"

¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

 

The sluggard is one who refuses to work even for his own benefit.  The sluggard is one who is a willing conspirator against his own welfare.  The sluggard is one who ultimately destroys the fabric that makes up a community, a culture, and a society.  The sluggard is the one who has made our Republic the welfare state it is.  Forgive us Father.

 

The sluggard is always afraid; he finds any excuse to withdraw and pull back instead of taking the bull by the horns.

The sluggard is always tired; and uses that as an excuse not to accomplish that which he need to accomplish.

The sluggard is always lazy; and he refuses to go to his garden, to clean his toilet, to do the work that must be done merely to survive.

The sluggard is always haughty; and he refuses to listen to good advice.

 

Oh Father, forgive me for the characteristics I see here in my own heart.

Oh Son, bless me with the grace I need to fight the sluggard within me.

Oh Spirit, grant me to follow hard after Your grace so that I may not be ashamed.

 

Fighting the sickness of the age with you,

Pastor Greg

Ezekiel 28: 23, 24, 26

I have noticed many times a refrain at the end of a passage in Ezekiel: "Then they will know that I am the Lord." Sometimes it is a very similar phrase (verse 28 ends..."their God"). 

 

God's favorite name for Ezekiel is 'Son of Man'.  This does not have the same meaning as that when Jesus used it as His favorite Self-appelation.  It basically means in Ezekiel 'Hey, you, mortal!  Pay attention!'

 

I  have said many times that Ezekiel is my favorite prophet.  Isaiah was evidently a member of royalty; Jeremiah is the most poetic of the major prophets; but Ezekiel must have been a man of wild eyes!  He must have just been completely unpredictable!  No one could understand the man at all! Out of the blue he would lay for a year on his side!  The men of Judah around him by the river Chebar could not account for him.  And oh, the depth of the pain and anguish: when his wife died merely for the sin and the exclamation to the sinful men sitting around him; no mourning, no tears...  Ezekiel was completely INSANE to his contemporaries and completely SANE to God.  The anguish, the fantastic vision, the soul sickness: all for the glory of God.

 

You know: God must indeed be the most amazing Being in all the universe; He must be astoundingly beautiful to deserve this kind of life; and the reward for following Him through this kind of pain, well

"Eye has not seen, ear has not heard..." (1 Cor 2:9)

"For this slight momentary affliction..." (2 Cor 4:17)

 

Praise You Father for giving us men to show us Your worth.

Praise You Son for saving those sinful men.

Praise You Spirit for putting their courage in our hearts.

 

Becoming Insane for Sanity with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 24:1-2

Psalm 24:1-2 ^ESV

A PSALM OF DAVID.

The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

² for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

 

Truth: such a wonderful blessing to know the truth.  Men search high and low: some to cover the truth with their lies; others to find what is true but not to rejoice in it, but to use it for themselves and their stomach.  But God’s Word is Truth; in it we see God revealing Himself so that we may know, so that we may become more like Him in speaking the truth to men about us.

 

We cannot know full truth while corrupted with our sinful flesh. But the truth we can know is fully truth.

 

And this truth is that the earth belongs to the Lord; the earth and everyone who lives in it.  We blush at this because we see the evil; we cringe because we know the evil in our own hearts: Forgive us oh Lord!  Count not my trespasses against me!  Lift the burden off my family and those whom You have give me to love!

 

And we know that the Earth and everyone in it belongs to the Lord because He is the One who established it, founding it upon the unknown and unknowable.  Praise be to Him Who is far greater than we can even imagine.

 

Praise You Father for creating.

Praise You Son for saving.

Praise You Spirit for sealing.

 

Seeking the Truth with you,

Pastor Greg

Ezekiel 20:44

Ezekiel 20:44 ESV

     And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD."

 

I chose this verse because Ezekiel 20 is a chapter of judgment.  God explains at least 5 times that he is going to make it known that "I am the Lord." The Israelite leaders had come to Ezekiel 'to inquire of the Lord'.  God said, 'Nothing doing!'  You don't really want to know what I'm saying, you've been ignoring me all along."  But, God says, I'll tell you something anyway, you're getting judged because you're ignoring me, well, go to your idols because I'm not going to let you blaspheme my name any more!"

 

Near the end, but not before all His words of judgment are done, God declares: "And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD."

 

Amen, and Amen!  What more could we ask of God than that???  Praise Jesus for GRACE!

 

Praise You Father, that in the midst of judgment You provide words of grace.

Praise You Son, that You accepted the final judgment against us that we might be free to live.

Praise You Spirit, that You reveal to us this grace through Your Word.

 

Living in the midst of Grace with you,

Pastor Greg

Proverbs 22:29

Psalm 20:1-5

Ezekiel 16-18

Proverbs 22:29

Proverbs 22:29 ^ESV

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

 

Work is honorable.  Good work is more honorable still.  An honorable man known for doing good work is one who will be promoted to serving the rulers of a country.  Praise Jesus that He gives glory to those who earn it.

 

Praise You Father for giving us work.

Praise You Son for working in us and through us.

Praise You Spirit for causing us to glorify You in our work.

 

Working together with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 18:25-26

Psalm 18:25 ^ESV

With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

²⁶ with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

 

Why do some believe when they hear the Good News and others do not?  Obviously the answer is, those whom the Father chooses (Matt 11:27).  And yet, there remains the human perspective that we too choose either to serve or disobey God. 

 

These verses help us understand the human perspective on this question.  Men behave in a certain way and God responds accordingly.  He loves to be gracious and He loves to bless.  For those however who choose to live ‘crookedly’ among the people around them God makes Himself ‘seem tortuous’.  The wicked cannot love God because to them He seems to be a cruel taskmaster (Matt 25:14-30). 

 

It is for this reason (others could also be named) that we must live as joyfully as possible so that those who are apart from God may see that we base our hope and our joy on something other than what the world has to give.  Praise Jesus that over time we can wean ourselves from the poison this world has to offer and come to love the nourishment of our Savior.  Give us this blessed dependence oh Father.

 

Praise You Father for showing yourself merciful.

Praise You Son for being the instrument of that mercy.

Praise You Spirit for showering us with that mercy for Your glory.

 

Basking in the warmth of God’s mercy with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 10:1; 11:7

Proverbs 14:3

Ezekiel 7-10

 

Proverbs 14:3 ^ESV

By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

 

Lord, save me from my own lips.  Guard my heart because I cannot guard it properly.  Save me from the wickedness in my own heart that comes through my mouth and guide me in the everlasting way.

 

Praise You Father that You take Your House seriously.

Praise You Son that You have taken away our sin.

Praise You Spirit that You work in us to make us more like you.

 

Silent,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 9:19-20

Proverbs 12:19

Ezekiel 5:11

Psalm 9:19-20 ^ESV

Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! ²⁰ Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

Psalm 3:7 ^ESV

Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

Psalm 7:6 ^ESV

Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.

Psalm 10:12 ^ESV

Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.

Psalm 17:13 ^ESV

Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

Psalm 132:8 ^ESV

Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.

 

Having read this phrase now 3 times very recently I decided to look it up.  I didn’t leave in the 3 times it occurs outside the psalms.

 

Here’s the thing: praise Jesus that God invites us to ask Him to act.  God knows that there is much we cannot do with out Him (is there anything we can do with out Him???).  In most of the cases above, the arising has to do with asking for individual help.  God is not above rescuing His children.  So, let us call out on Him and call for Him to arise!

 

Praise You Father that You will rescue Your children.

Praise You Son that You rescued us already.

Praise You Spirit that You rescue us daily!

 

Trusting in God’s rescue with you,

Pastor Greg

Psalm 8:1, 9

Psalm 8:1, 9 ^ESV

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE GITTITH. A PSALM OF DAVID.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Proverbs 11:24-28

Ezekiel 3:27

 

Majesty in the OT refers to the ‘superiority of something/someone due to superior power or might’.  Glory is, on the other hand, the radiance of God’s excellent character (it is also used as a synonym of ‘honor’ or ‘reputation’, and when used of God refers to the superlative honor due Him). Thus majesty and glory are related but speak to differing aspects of how God relates to His creation. 

 

In our present verse David proclaims that God power or might is vastly superior to all the power and might of the earth, and that His glory is greater than the glory of the stars, and planets, and moon, and even the sun!  Both in power and in beauty God is great and greatly to be praised! 

 

So, with David, praise Him!  It is worth doing and it is good for us!

 

Praise You Father!

Praise You Son!

Praise You Spirit!

 

Praising God with you,

Pastor Greg

Proverbs 10:19

Psalm 7:17

Proverbs 10:19

Lamentations

 

 

Proverbs 10:19 ^ESV

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

 

Ecclesiastes 5:2 ^ESV

Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

 

Forgive me for my many words oh Lord.  Restore to me the joy of my salvation.

 

Praise You Father for forgiveness.

Praise You Son for propitiating me.

Praise You Spirit for indwelling me.

 

Speaking few words with you,

Pastor Greg

Proverbs 9:12

(The first part of this is to help me keep track of my daily reading because I have recently changed how I am doing it.)

Psalm 6:1-2

Proverbs 9:12

SOS 1-8

Proverbs 9:12

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

 

Wisdom helps the wise one; scoffing at wisdom hurts the one who scoffs.

 

Hear wisdome, don't scoff.  Listen to those who reproach you so that you will be wise.  forsake your self-centeredness and seek the Lord while He may be found.

 

Hear oh my soul!  Guard yourself strongly that you may live.

 

Praise You Father for Wisdom.

Praise You Son that You came.

Praise You Spirit for speaking wisdom to my heart.

 

Seeking wisdom with you,

Pastor Greg

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ^ESV

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

 

The end of the matter, on the story that is vanity, the life lived apart from God, the end of the matter is this: Fear God!

 

Whatever people use to define ‘reverence’ (for people don’t like to use the word ‘fear’ in reference to God though the Bible is not ashamed of the word from beginning to end…hmmm, I wonder if that means anything significant, oh well we shouldn’t think about that???!), whatever people use to define ‘reverence’, if that word is correctly defined it means exactly what we say when we define the fear of God. 

 

Another verse in my reading today was:

Proverbs 8:13 ^ESV

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

 

To Fear God is to hate evil.  That is pretty simple in my mind.  But just in case we missed it:
2 Corinthians 5:11 ^ESV

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

The key to 5:11 is found in 2 Cor 5:10. Who is the ‘we must all’ in this verse if not also believers.  In light of that day let us life holy lives (n.b. 2 Peter 3:11-13 !).

 

2 Corinthians 7:1 ^ESV

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

 

Note the emphasis on ‘promise’ in these last two verses.  Note how the promises of God are associated with a correct understanding of the ‘fear of God’.  We are not cringing in our walk with Jesus: we instead look to Him so that we will find favor (Psalm 123:1-4).  Keeping our eyes on Jesus is the reality that is the fear of God for all those who trust Him for salvation by grace through faith.  Let us then press on towards godliness and holiness, for Hebrews 12:14!

 

Thank You Father that You can be both loved and feared.

Thank You Son that You redeemed us from eternal fear.

Thank You Spirit that You speak peace and sonship into our hearts so that we need fear nothing on earth.

 

Fearing and loving God together with you,

Pastor Greg