Psalm 80:1
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
I am sitting in a very comfortable home of a fine Doctor and his family, we are in a missions conference with Camp Creek Baptist Church in Cornelia, Georgia. I have been afforded the luxury of sleeping in (of course, we have not made it to bed before mid-night)... As I looked at today's verse, my heart was stirred with the flowing words of this, yet another prayer.
The Psalmist gives us an example of true worship. May we think long and hard on the formula of our words as we enter the throne room of Grace. We should rely upon the Holy Spirit to teach us to be word smiths. May our words be pleasing to the ears of God!
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel.
A fine Shepherd of Israel, is noted for the level of care rendered to the stinky old dusty sheep he tends. The Shepherd of Israel, would do everything within his power to protect and provide for the well being of these little scattered brained critters. The Shepherd of Israel, would be on guard and alert to every whimper the sheep would make. Since I find myself in the category of sheep, I am thankful to have as my very own this, "O Shepherd of Israel"
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Perhaps, Joseph is one on my favorite Old Testament figures. He went through so much pain and suffering to be promoted to one of the prominent world leaders. If you could see and understand what the Lord Jesus is doing and going to do in and through you would you submit to allow Him room to work? I think that on the intellectual level I know this but on the every day practical level I struggle. My prayer this morning is that I can allow the Shepherd of Israel lead me His flock like he did Joseph of old.
Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
What an honor to be watched over by the Shepherd of Israel. He dwells between the cherubims. In the Holy of Holies. In the seat of mercy, love and peace, I can saftley walk along with my Lord.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
On Guard???
Psalm 79:1
O god, the heathen have come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
This morning the Lord spoke to me through this verse. He gave me a thought as I read this verse. We all must guard our words when we speak to others about things in our life that are most intimate. The Psalmist pours out a distressing cry because the enemy has entered in and destroyed the most intimate part of his world.
I wonder if we do enough to protect the intimate relationships of our lives, or do we share details and personal information that gives the enemy a chance to break in and plunder? Many a marriage has been split up because the guard has been dropped! Many a Church has suffered because we did not protect the sacred relationship by allowing the lost to rule in our congregation. I also believe that because we gave the enemy of our soul information he has stolen and wrecked our daily relationship with God. We must be on guard duty.
O god, the heathen have come into thine inheritance.
I can imagine the scene, the Psalmist has battled because the enemy has gained a foothold into his affairs. The writer has went to the bank where his inheritance is stored, he opens the safe deposit box expecting to find that his treasures have grown, but he finds the safe has been rifled, the beloved treasure has been taken. He begins to find the evidence left behind by the heathen that stole his treasure. How could this be? Then he remembers that he was discussing things about his treasure with a stranger. He reviews the details to discover he had given the evil one access to his account. and now it is almost all gone. He is broke!
We allow the enemy to break in and steal our relationship with the Lord. We give the enemy more attention than we give to God. The enemy wants to destroy all the treasures that God has given us. We must be on guard!
Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
Not only will the enemy take our inheritance, he is set on total defilement and destruction of all we hold near and dear to our hearts. The enemy want to defile our temple. God redeemed us by the blood of Jesus, He calls our bodies holy temples! The enemy hates God, and hates us because we are God's children. He is on a mission to bring every filthy thing he can into our temple, He wants to lay us on the garbage heaps of life.... We must be on guard!
Bottom line: We must guard our day to day relationship with God. We must not allow the enemy to gain the upper hand. We must walk close to God, allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to protect us.... We must be on guard!....
O god, the heathen have come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
This morning the Lord spoke to me through this verse. He gave me a thought as I read this verse. We all must guard our words when we speak to others about things in our life that are most intimate. The Psalmist pours out a distressing cry because the enemy has entered in and destroyed the most intimate part of his world.
I wonder if we do enough to protect the intimate relationships of our lives, or do we share details and personal information that gives the enemy a chance to break in and plunder? Many a marriage has been split up because the guard has been dropped! Many a Church has suffered because we did not protect the sacred relationship by allowing the lost to rule in our congregation. I also believe that because we gave the enemy of our soul information he has stolen and wrecked our daily relationship with God. We must be on guard duty.
O god, the heathen have come into thine inheritance.
I can imagine the scene, the Psalmist has battled because the enemy has gained a foothold into his affairs. The writer has went to the bank where his inheritance is stored, he opens the safe deposit box expecting to find that his treasures have grown, but he finds the safe has been rifled, the beloved treasure has been taken. He begins to find the evidence left behind by the heathen that stole his treasure. How could this be? Then he remembers that he was discussing things about his treasure with a stranger. He reviews the details to discover he had given the evil one access to his account. and now it is almost all gone. He is broke!
We allow the enemy to break in and steal our relationship with the Lord. We give the enemy more attention than we give to God. The enemy wants to destroy all the treasures that God has given us. We must be on guard!
Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
Not only will the enemy take our inheritance, he is set on total defilement and destruction of all we hold near and dear to our hearts. The enemy want to defile our temple. God redeemed us by the blood of Jesus, He calls our bodies holy temples! The enemy hates God, and hates us because we are God's children. He is on a mission to bring every filthy thing he can into our temple, He wants to lay us on the garbage heaps of life.... We must be on guard!
Bottom line: We must guard our day to day relationship with God. We must not allow the enemy to gain the upper hand. We must walk close to God, allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to protect us.... We must be on guard!....
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Inclining Ears!
Psalm 78:1
Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
Yesterday I blogged about prayer. Prayer is a intimate conversation between lovers. The Psalmist reminded us that when we pray we get answers. He focused on our act of prayer and then told us about the blessings of answers.
As we focus on this psalm, God lays His requirement our on how we can secure the promised answers to our prayers.
Give ear, O my people, to my law;
God commands us to listen to the words that he gives us. He wants us to hear, understand, and implement His instructions. God expects us to pay attention to whatever He tells us. God demands that His people watch His every move. God will issue His law to us so we can be the best we can possibly be.
I once was attended a conference where the host pastor had planted key people in the audience, He would communicate to them by using sign language. He would form words with his fingers, and the staff would react to the instructions given. I was impressed that so much could be accomplished without one single spoken word. It dawned on me that this staff had to "give ear" to the host. They had to give their undivided attention to the host. That is what God wants from His people.
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth
We must tune into the words of God. We must be able to detect any nuance in the instructions issued to us. As we grow closer to God, we will pick up on the slightest detail of what God expects of us.
My prayer today is: to Give ear, and incline toward the words from the mouth of God.
Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
Yesterday I blogged about prayer. Prayer is a intimate conversation between lovers. The Psalmist reminded us that when we pray we get answers. He focused on our act of prayer and then told us about the blessings of answers.
As we focus on this psalm, God lays His requirement our on how we can secure the promised answers to our prayers.
Give ear, O my people, to my law;
God commands us to listen to the words that he gives us. He wants us to hear, understand, and implement His instructions. God expects us to pay attention to whatever He tells us. God demands that His people watch His every move. God will issue His law to us so we can be the best we can possibly be.
I once was attended a conference where the host pastor had planted key people in the audience, He would communicate to them by using sign language. He would form words with his fingers, and the staff would react to the instructions given. I was impressed that so much could be accomplished without one single spoken word. It dawned on me that this staff had to "give ear" to the host. They had to give their undivided attention to the host. That is what God wants from His people.
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth
We must tune into the words of God. We must be able to detect any nuance in the instructions issued to us. As we grow closer to God, we will pick up on the slightest detail of what God expects of us.
My prayer today is: to Give ear, and incline toward the words from the mouth of God.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
He Gave Ear
Psalm 77:1
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and He gave ear unto me.
The most amazing thing about having a personal relationship with God, is that we get to converse with Him, we call it prayer. Prayer is the most written about subject, but sadly in my own life it lags behind. The psalmist gives us an idea that prayer is important, and is blessed.
I cried unto God with my voice,
I am a born again believer in the fact that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose again, to provide me complete salvation! Because of this fact I get to have a very intimate relationship with God. I can speak to Him when and wherever I desire. I also believe that God knows everything! I have often wondered, why do we need to "Cry unto God with my voice," if He already knows it all! Prayer is an exercise for our benefit! God wants us to pour our thoughts into our petitions! It is like proofreading, sometimes when we hear our words we realize what we are asking! this is good, and can be an eye opener.
Even unto God with my voice:
Anytime a phrase is repeated we need to pay twice as much attention to it! I believe it is a key for us to continue in prayer. It exercises us to keep our dependence upon God. We need to double up on our conversation with God.
And He gave ear unto me.
The blessing of true relationship with God is that He hears us! His "ear" is given to us. It is blessed to be a child of God!
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and He gave ear unto me.
The most amazing thing about having a personal relationship with God, is that we get to converse with Him, we call it prayer. Prayer is the most written about subject, but sadly in my own life it lags behind. The psalmist gives us an idea that prayer is important, and is blessed.
I cried unto God with my voice,
I am a born again believer in the fact that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose again, to provide me complete salvation! Because of this fact I get to have a very intimate relationship with God. I can speak to Him when and wherever I desire. I also believe that God knows everything! I have often wondered, why do we need to "Cry unto God with my voice," if He already knows it all! Prayer is an exercise for our benefit! God wants us to pour our thoughts into our petitions! It is like proofreading, sometimes when we hear our words we realize what we are asking! this is good, and can be an eye opener.
Even unto God with my voice:
Anytime a phrase is repeated we need to pay twice as much attention to it! I believe it is a key for us to continue in prayer. It exercises us to keep our dependence upon God. We need to double up on our conversation with God.
And He gave ear unto me.
The blessing of true relationship with God is that He hears us! His "ear" is given to us. It is blessed to be a child of God!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Is God Known: His Name Is!
Psalm 76:1
In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
"O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood."
This psalm is a praise to the Lord God! A great victory has been secured. The battle is over and is won! No wonder the hymn writer gave us a great chorus to sing!
In Judah is God known:
One commentator stated that this well known saying represents God's people. I have the great privilege to travel to many churches every year, I have come to realize that a lot of people that warm the pews, have never developed any lasting relationship with God. If these people ever had a victory in their life, they would not even recognize it. I am so sick of the rules of religion, theses rules put so much pain on people they never learn that God wants a relationship.
If we would fall in Love with God again, we would see a great revival. If every Bible believing person would grow close to God, they would be able to boldly proclaim that "God IS known!"
His name is great in Israel.
The commentator relates the word Israel to the modern term Church. As I attend many church services it is evident that the name of God is not great. I see a lot of people holding up their facility as the crowning glory, I hear them worship their pastor, "Dr. So-in-so!" I see them brag on the number of programs that are offered each week. Sometimes they brag on the type of people that are members of their church. I am thankful that there are a few churches that get it right. They make God's name great in their midst.
It would do us all, a world of good to examine this verse in light of our own heart. I want my relationship to reflect that God's name is "Known" in my personal life, and I will work to make the name of God "Great" in my church!
"Is God Known?"
In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
"O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood."
This psalm is a praise to the Lord God! A great victory has been secured. The battle is over and is won! No wonder the hymn writer gave us a great chorus to sing!
In Judah is God known:
One commentator stated that this well known saying represents God's people. I have the great privilege to travel to many churches every year, I have come to realize that a lot of people that warm the pews, have never developed any lasting relationship with God. If these people ever had a victory in their life, they would not even recognize it. I am so sick of the rules of religion, theses rules put so much pain on people they never learn that God wants a relationship.
If we would fall in Love with God again, we would see a great revival. If every Bible believing person would grow close to God, they would be able to boldly proclaim that "God IS known!"
His name is great in Israel.
The commentator relates the word Israel to the modern term Church. As I attend many church services it is evident that the name of God is not great. I see a lot of people holding up their facility as the crowning glory, I hear them worship their pastor, "Dr. So-in-so!" I see them brag on the number of programs that are offered each week. Sometimes they brag on the type of people that are members of their church. I am thankful that there are a few churches that get it right. They make God's name great in their midst.
It would do us all, a world of good to examine this verse in light of our own heart. I want my relationship to reflect that God's name is "Known" in my personal life, and I will work to make the name of God "Great" in my church!
"Is God Known?"
Friday, February 19, 2010
"Do We Give Thanks?"
Psalm 75:1
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks; for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
What a great Psalm to end this week on! We all can work on our gratitude attitude!
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks,
We should be thankful to everyone that does something for us or to us. We need to make it a practice of saying thank you to as many people we can in a day. We need to be on the lookout for chances to express our thanksgiving. I believe if we are going to implement a campaign of thankfulness the logical place to start is with God!
"I come before you today, and there is one thing I want to say, Thank you Lord!
Unto thee, do we give thanks,
When the Holy Spirit doubles a sentence it is "Doubly Important" If we examine our prayer life do we find that we give thanks more often than we seek things? When I receive good service from a waitress, or a worker, I thank that person, If I do it with sincerity that person gives a little more in their service. If a mere human gives a little more when thanked, just think what happens in Heaven when we sincerely count our blessings and offer to God the thanksgiving He alone deserves. What a key to even more from His loving hands.
For that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
Thanksgiving is one of the nearest things to the heart of God. He desires His children to be thankful and blesses them when they are. Because there is "No Other NAME" on earth, that has the power to save souls and bring blessings, we should "Stop, Drop and Thank Him!
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks; for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
What a great Psalm to end this week on! We all can work on our gratitude attitude!
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks,
We should be thankful to everyone that does something for us or to us. We need to make it a practice of saying thank you to as many people we can in a day. We need to be on the lookout for chances to express our thanksgiving. I believe if we are going to implement a campaign of thankfulness the logical place to start is with God!
"I come before you today, and there is one thing I want to say, Thank you Lord!
Unto thee, do we give thanks,
When the Holy Spirit doubles a sentence it is "Doubly Important" If we examine our prayer life do we find that we give thanks more often than we seek things? When I receive good service from a waitress, or a worker, I thank that person, If I do it with sincerity that person gives a little more in their service. If a mere human gives a little more when thanked, just think what happens in Heaven when we sincerely count our blessings and offer to God the thanksgiving He alone deserves. What a key to even more from His loving hands.
For that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
Thanksgiving is one of the nearest things to the heart of God. He desires His children to be thankful and blesses them when they are. Because there is "No Other NAME" on earth, that has the power to save souls and bring blessings, we should "Stop, Drop and Thank Him!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Why, Why, O God?
Psalm 74:1
O God, why hast thou cast us off forever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Have you ever listened to your own bellyaching. why do I always have a negative attitude, even when things are going great? God allows us to have a relationship with Him! That thought alone should cause us to shudder with joy! Why then do we gripe and bellyache?
One of the many reasons I love the Holy Scriptures is for it's honest revelations. The Psalmist takes up the pen to write his innermost feelings. We may be too, spiritual to publicly say out loud what the Psalmist wrote, but we all have had these feelings! (Right?)
O God, why hast thou cast us off forever?
Yes! This is an overstatement. We all tend to add a bit to our woes, don't we? All fishermen add a bit of length and a bunch of weight to the "one that got away". In the most sacred place of prayer, we humans drag all of our flesh into our everyday conversations with God.
The Psalmist must have strongly felt that God had abandoned him in his need. Notice the structure of the phrases; "cast off" = thrown out like yesterday's trash, expendable garbage. The Psalmist had himself thrown out trash before, he understood the filthiness of the illustration, and inserted himself (us) in this picture. We do this too!
Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
More exaggerations! I do not disagree with the writer, because I have had these types of thoughts and probably worse! When we find ourselves in the dumps, it is easy to dive down in self pity!
An Infantry Soldier knows the term "Smoked". You have heard the old adage, where there is smoke there is fire! this term is a cry of someone that feels like everything is going against them! A state of continual punishment. If you watch the television, you will see that there are places that fires rage all the time, it seems like the fire is never going to end! Everyone one of us can relate to the Psalmists words! When things go bad, they go really bad for us!
This verse is very depressing! Life can be very depressing! God has given us a wonderful promise that He will "Never leave, nor forsake us!" Even when we bellyache! A-Men!
O God, why hast thou cast us off forever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Have you ever listened to your own bellyaching. why do I always have a negative attitude, even when things are going great? God allows us to have a relationship with Him! That thought alone should cause us to shudder with joy! Why then do we gripe and bellyache?
One of the many reasons I love the Holy Scriptures is for it's honest revelations. The Psalmist takes up the pen to write his innermost feelings. We may be too, spiritual to publicly say out loud what the Psalmist wrote, but we all have had these feelings! (Right?)
O God, why hast thou cast us off forever?
Yes! This is an overstatement. We all tend to add a bit to our woes, don't we? All fishermen add a bit of length and a bunch of weight to the "one that got away". In the most sacred place of prayer, we humans drag all of our flesh into our everyday conversations with God.
The Psalmist must have strongly felt that God had abandoned him in his need. Notice the structure of the phrases; "cast off" = thrown out like yesterday's trash, expendable garbage. The Psalmist had himself thrown out trash before, he understood the filthiness of the illustration, and inserted himself (us) in this picture. We do this too!
Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
More exaggerations! I do not disagree with the writer, because I have had these types of thoughts and probably worse! When we find ourselves in the dumps, it is easy to dive down in self pity!
An Infantry Soldier knows the term "Smoked". You have heard the old adage, where there is smoke there is fire! this term is a cry of someone that feels like everything is going against them! A state of continual punishment. If you watch the television, you will see that there are places that fires rage all the time, it seems like the fire is never going to end! Everyone one of us can relate to the Psalmists words! When things go bad, they go really bad for us!
This verse is very depressing! Life can be very depressing! God has given us a wonderful promise that He will "Never leave, nor forsake us!" Even when we bellyache! A-Men!
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