Psalm 119 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 119) pt 12

Psalm 119:88-96

Lamedh.

89 Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.  90 Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.  91 They stand this day according to Your ordinances, For all things are Your servants.  92 If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction.  93 I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.  94 I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts.  95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.  96 I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

God is eternal. Our eternal God has eternally set His Word above all other things, such that His Word can never fail.  Men promise.  Men swear by heaven above, earth below and all things in between.  And yet their promises fail, either for lack of strength, wisdom or will.  But never so for God.  His Word is as eternal as He.  And just as it can never be said that God is not, for to be is a part of His essence – if He is God, He must be – it can never be said that His Word has  failed.

And on this basis, the Psalmist expresses great confidence in God.  That in the midst of his turmoil, he cries out to God for strength.  His own strength has failed, his enemies have overwhelmed him and at his lowest, he cries out to the eternal God who has promised to be a shield and refuge to all who call upon Him.  He cries out to this God because He alone has forever secured His own word in heaven.  Thus there is no one who can thwart His promise.  There is no one who can stay His hand of grace upon those who are His.  There is no one who can deter Him from lending help to those who are humble and contrite before Him.  All who are His shall be saved!

And this too is our confidence beloved.  We have no need to be ashamed when we look upon His law.  When we gaze upon His ordinances, when we proclaim His Word in the streets, we have no need to shrink away.  Because God’s Word is forever established in Heaven!  He does hear your cry for help.  He does see your turmoil and distress.  And He will answer.  He will not abandon your soul to Sheol.  He has safely hidden your life in Himself in Christ.  And as sure as His Word is to His Son “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.  “Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee With the oil of gladness above Thy companions.” And, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Thy hands;   They will perish, but Thou remainest; And they all will become old as a garment,   And as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; As a garment they will also be changed.  But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end” so sure is His Word to us “you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Deuteronomy 33:27-29  27 “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’  28 “So Israel dwells in security, The fountain of Jacob secluded, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew.  29 “Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, Who is the shield of your help, And the sword of your majesty! So your enemies shall cringe before you, And you shall tread upon their high places.”

2 Samuel 22:1-7  And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.  2 And he said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;  3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, Thou dost save me from violence.  4 “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; And I am saved from my enemies.  5 “For the waves of death encompassed me; The torrents of destruction overwhelmed me;  6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.  7 “In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears.

Psalm 5:11-12   11 But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And mayest Thou shelter them, That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.  12 For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O LORD, Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield.

Proverbs 2:1-8  My son, if you will receive my sayings, And treasure my commandments within you,  2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;  3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;  4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;  5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD, And discover the knowledge of God.  6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,  8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones.

1 Peter 1:23-25   you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.  24 For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off,  25 But the word of the Lord abides forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.

Coram Deo – “Before the face of God”

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer”

The LORD, to whom David prays, is both his strength and his redeemer. He is the One who enables by His strength within, the believer to speak and think in a manner that is acceptable. And He is the One who has and must sanctify because we do not often speak or think what is acceptable to Him. By nature we speak and think from our fleshly inclinations. By nature we speak and think from our own desire and our own will. We speak and think according to what is acceptable to us. Thus it is necessary for the believer, who fears the Lord – knowing that he is ever before the face of the Almighty, to seek His grace in order to do what is pleasing to Him.

David’s request is both confident and realistic. It is confident because he knows that the One to whom He prays is Supreme and Sovereign over all, even the will of man. And it is realistic because he understands that his own nature is contrary to this request, he himself being but dust. Thus, if God wills - which we know that He does – then the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart will be acceptable in His sight, because God will both give strength and redeem us for that purpose.

May we all have that same confidence.  May we all believe that we are ever “before the face of God” that we may make this same request.

Our Strength and our Redeemer
What wondrous love You give
Our wretched hearts condemn us
But by Your grace we live

Each day we must seek You
If ever You we’ll please
Each day You must redeem us
Till us Your grace receives

Psalm 14 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 14)

God is true…and every man is a liar.  Not only is every man a liar…every man…but every man has rejected God in his heart.  Not only has every man foolishly rejected God in his heart, but every man has gone after his own way and has become completely useless to God.  “They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds.  There is no one who does good…they have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

You may think of yourself as “religious.”  You may attend church regularly…or at least on the big holidays.  You may occasionally dust the cover of your Bible off and set it on the coffee table for visitors to see.  Or perhaps you find your way to the floor to utter a prayer once in a while for God’s protection or help in your time of distress.  But you have not genuinely and truly sought after God in your heart.  God is “with the righteous generation.” God is a “refuge” for the afflicted.  Have you made God your refuge?  Does He walk with you…or do you merely visit Him when its convenient for you?

“The fool says in his heart, there is no God.” You may consider yourself quite wise according to the worlds standards.  But if you have ever uttered those words “there is no God;” then you are a fool in God’s eyes.  Furthermore, the utterance of those words may be at a volume such that no other human being ever hears…it may be the meditation of your heart…but the Lord knows.  He knows that you have not truly sought after Him.  He knows that you do not accept nor regard His standard.  He knows that you truly are a stranger.  He knows that you have made money, sex, food, self-image, and/or power and the esteem of men your refuge.  They are your hope.  Those things are what you seek after in life, and not Him.

God is not fooled with your external piety nor more than He was fooled by the nation which had been called by His name…Israel.  So He judged them for their false religiousness…so He sentenced them to shame and captivity in a land which was not their own.  And so He will abandon you to your shame, the mystery of your sin and your way, should you continue to seek refuge in the comforts of this world.  He will abandon you to your shame in this life and in the life to come, He will abandon you to the consequence of your shame, which is eternal torment and judgment away from His presence.

“Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” As the Lord continues to look down upon the hearts of the children of men, what will He find?  Will He find you continuing to reject Him in your heart?  Will He see you continuing to ignore His Holy standard?  Will He see you continuing to do life your way?  Or will He find you seeking refuge from the coming storm of His wrath and indignation in the forgiving arms and cleansing blood of His Son?

Turn “to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” I Thessalonians 1:9-10

Psalm 13 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 13)

God is a Merciful Savior. How can a man endure strife and difficulty from among his peers/enemies?  How can a man endure heartache and sorrow to such a degree that sinks him into great despair and depression?  By remembering that God is a merciful Savior.

Hear the cry of the Psalmist “how long O Lord, will you forget me forever…how long will you hide your face from me?” How long will God be far from me?  Hear the despair in his heart.  Hear the rejection.  He has been wronged by his enemies.  They have fought against him and seem to be prevailing.  God is his hope and this he knows for certain.  But it seems that his God has turned his eye from the situation temporarily.  In moments of despair, we can certainly feel that way.  Particularly those of us who know God and who maintain our integrity before Him knowing that He is the “rewarder of those who seek Him.” We are those who seek His righteous face in righteousness and so to experience such heartache and despair, such torment from one’s enemies can be utterly confusing to us.  We ask, why?   Why now, why us? If God is for us, then how can this be against us?  And how long will He cause me to remain in this distress?

Furthermore, he says “how long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily.” From this we notice two things.  First is that despair can cause one to feel alone.  And second is that this despair often lasts for days on end.  That it makes him feel utterly alone daily, we notice that he says “how long shall I take counsel in my soul…”  He takes counsel in his own soul, perhaps to just cheer himself; but most likely because there are no others for him to turn to.  Perhaps he feels that no one else can fully understand his struggle. He is alone in his distress with no one to call upon.  And so within his own heart, he sinks and sulks.   That the despair seems to last for days on end, he says “how long shall I…have sorrow in my heart daily?” This despair is constant and pressing.  Day after day he awakes to it.  It walks with him through the day.  It beckons him moment by moment.  It causes him to recall his every action, every thought, every deed to know whether or not he has mistakenly wronged another; that perhaps the attack is justified.  Sometimes perhaps it causes him to wonder why he should care to uphold his integrity at all.  And why should he be so concerned with striving for righteousness if this is his lot.  Or perhaps it causes him to justify himself within his own heart like Job, as if he does not deserve such an attack and as if God doesn’t have any right reason for it.  Of course God doesn’t need to justify Himself any more to us than He did to Job.

He pleads with God for relief as he says “consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say ‘I have prevailed against him;’ lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.” At times this distress causes us to plead with God to hear our cry.  And yet it seems that he doesn’t.  We ask for him to vindicate us lest those who “trouble” us rejoice at our fall.  We ask for God to “enlighten” us so that we may know the reason for such distress; but it never seems to come.   (Though we know that knowing the reason for the trial will probably not bring us comfort.)

So how does this man overcome despair?  He says “But I have trusted in your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me!” First, we notice that he overcomes because he is one who trusts in the mercy of God.  In his heart, he knows that God is a God of salvation.  It is only those who are truly the Lord’s possession who can say this.  It is only those who have this type of faith who speak of the Lord as One who is a merciful Savior.  Furthermore, in his heart, he knows that because God is a merciful Savior and because God desires praise from His people, that God will bring salvation to him.  We see this from his choice of words I “have trusted…my heart shall rejoice…I will sing…”  These are words of one who is assured that the God whom he serves is a Savior who is able to bring salvation according to His mercy to those who are His.

Evil does abound.  Attacks come from all sides.  We may be tempted to think that when we are attacked, that it is personal.  Particularly if the attack is personal.  That is, if it is done through a trusted and close relationship.  However, we must remember that God is sovereign, even in our suffering.  And that even in those personal attacks, He has purpose.  I know a brother who is under such an attack.  And it is in the context of relationships that were trusted to him.  At least some of those relationships were very dear to him.  And for that reason, these attacks have caused him great distress.  But to him, I would say that difficulty of this sort is never merely about him.  And though it be personal, and though it be difficult (I speak this as one who has never experienced what he has); this particular difficulty has a greater scope.  For it involves the body of Christ and the body of Christ is always under attack by the evil one.  And though we don’t like to think that our brothers and sisters can be used by the evil one for his purposes; we must recognize that he will use any and every opportunity to attack the people of God and men of God who stand before the people as an example daily.  With that said, as difficult as these trials are he/we can persevere and we shall persevere because God is a merciful Savior.  And He is One who is able to accomplish His salvation plan for His people regardless of what may occur in the process.  Furthermore, that He may and does use these difficulties in our lives to continue to shape and mold our hearts to trust Him as the merciful Savior that He is.  And not only to trust Him; which would be enough, but to long for His eternal rest, which He has promised to those who trust Him and who also endure.  That our hearts would continue to be prepared, not for the temporary rest that we may enjoy here, but for His eternal rest.

If you are His and you are enduring such an extraordinarily difficult trial in which you may feel that God has temporarily turned His back on you, that this trial is unwarranted, that your attackers do so without cause,  and perhaps that there is no one who can truly relate to what you are experiencing; then I exhort you to remember in whom you have trusted.  He is a “Wonderful, Merciful Savior”…a “precious Redeemer and Friend” as the song says.  He is the Creator of the World, and yet is One who has chosen to forgive our transgressions against Him and to live in our hearts.  If He has done this; what ultimate good would He withhold from you?  And if this has befallen you; then you must trust that this is a part of His plan to bring about your ultimate good.

Perhaps you who endure such a trial are not ones who must be reminded to forgive.  Perhaps you are not ones who must be reminded to forget…or even that you are ones who need to be reminded to endure.  You’ve learned a great many lessons.  You have maintained your integrity before the Lord in this situation and even in handling the trial which has resulted.  But perhaps you could use the reminder that the God whom we serve is a Wonderful, Merciful Savior. And that this is His plan for you, and anyone else involved.  And therefore, perhaps what you have done is not the problem.  Perhaps who they are and who you are is not the problem.   But rather, this is about who He is and what He is doing in this situation for all who behold it.

Will you praise Him for it?  Do you believe that He is a Wonderful, Merciful Savior?  In this situation, which you know is His doing, is He still wonderful?  And do you believe that He is a Merciful Savior to you?  If you do; then you must rejoice!  You must sing!  Because He will deal bountifully with you.

Psalm 12 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 12)

God is faithful to His word.  His Word is trustworthy.  That is the message of Psalm 12.

The “faithful” of the Lord, the “afflicted” are devastated.  They perish from the earth.  The wicked increase.  They continually “speak falsehood…[and] speak [of] great things [such as] with our tongue we will prevail, our lips are our own, who is lord over us?”

But they will be cut off.  The Lord will not allow their “vileness” to continue forever.  He has determined to keep the “generation” of His faithful ones “forever.”

It is interesting to me how much the saints of old were concerned for the destruction of the wicked and the preservation of the righteous.  Now; however, that doesn’t seem to be much the case.  Certainly it is the case that those who are righteous long for deliverance from God.  But it is not often a deliverance that speaks of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.  It is not a deliverance that is concerned with the vindication of God’s righteousness in the earth.   We are often shortsighted.  We are too often concerned with our day to day dealings, day to day issues and stresses.

The Psalmist repeatedly cried out for salvation from God…for “help” because of the greatness of transgression and wickedness around him.  Certainly he needed immediate help because of intense persecution that he was under.   But overall he was more concerned with the definitive judgment of those who are wicked in the earth.   Perhaps part of the problem for us is that our society is so much more tolerant and so we don’t face the same type of persecution that he did.  But should that make a difference?

Shouldn’t all of God’s people be more concerned with the vindication of God’s righteousness?  The ungodly of the earth certainly continue to boast of great things…claiming that there is no one who is lord over them.  The godly among the sons of men certainly seem to be wasting away.  There are not many faithful ones, who continually seek the favor of God and who submit to His Lordship over them.  Why then are we not more concerned for God’s glory than our own, in this day?  Perhaps we are too used to ungodliness.  Perhaps we are too used to the wickedness around us, and we have grown to accept it as a natural part of life.  For sure, the Evil one controls the world.  Certainly sin prevails over all the earth.  But where are those who would speak out against evil?  Where are those who would cry out to God for deliverance from this wicked age and vindication for the righteousness of God’s people?  Where are those who live righteously and who trust in God’s promise to bless those who are righteous; who are persecuted for living righteously and who therefore long for God’s righteousness to be vindicated?  Where are those who love the name of the Lord and who place their whole trust in the Word of the Lord, that it is “pure, as silver tried in a furnace on the earth refined seven (seven indicating completion) times” and who long to see His name and His word vindicated?

Do you trust God’s word?  Do you believe that He is faithful to His word?  Are you one of His faithful ones?  If you are then your heart will long for the vindication of His name, His Word and His righteousness on the earth.  And not just by the means of some political activism or philanthropic endeavors; which many who do not acknowledge Him as Lord also adhere to.  But by means of His supernatural and final intervention into this world…when finally the wicked will be cut off and the “righteous will shine forth as the Sun…”  You will long for it and you know in your heart that it will come to pass because it is the Word of the Lord.

Matthew 13:41-43

41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,  42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  43 “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Psalm 10 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 10)

God is a God of Justice.  He is infinitely Holy and therefore must judge sin and the wicked.  He is infinitely mighty and therefore can judge sin and the wicked.  He is infinitely faithful to Himself and to those who maintain their faithfulness to Him and therefore shall judge sin and the wicked.

The folly of the wicked is their shortsightedness.  They say to themselves “there is no God…God has forgotten, He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” There are those who completely reject the notion of God and there are those who reject the notion of the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture.

The former say that He does not exist.  They reject the very notion of His being.  This is of itself an abomination for how can anything come into being without an initial cause.  His pride becomes his downfall, supposing that he knows enough about the best of man’s “theories” to adequately explain away God.  And to what end?  To what end does the atheist or agnostic explain away the existence of God?  To claim some false sense of pride in not being able to know? The agnostic claims that you can’t really know for sure that God exists.  Furthermore, some would say that you can’t really know anything.  Well, how do you know that?  The agnostic, of all people, should know that you cannot claim absolutely that you can’t know the truth of God’s existence.  And if it follows that you can’t know the truth of God’s existence, then you can’t not know the truth of God’s existence.  The very premise of their claim refutes itself.  And of course they claim this so that they don’t have to believe in anything that they do not want to.  Certainly they believe in some things.  (Bear with me as I speak to their folly).  If you can’t really know anything then how can they know for example, that the feelings which they have are hunger, thirst, or exhaustion?  And if they can’t really know these things, then why would you follow through to eat, drink or rest?  It would make no sense.  Surely then they must admit that there are things that we can know.  But what they will not admit is that the things which they instinctively choose to act upon (such as eating – which is an admission that they are hungry – a fact that can be known) are those things which only suit them.  In other words, the agnostic only seeks to acknowledge the things that do not lead to him being accountable to anyone but his own desires.  And his own desires will be his downfall.

What would be the end in claiming that God does not exist?  Perhaps some false sense of pride in being the end of one’s own existence?  The atheist claims that there is no God and therefore that he is the ruler of his own life, the captain of his own ship.  No one can direct him, no one can lay claim over him.  No one can thwart him.  He is his own god.  So says the wicked fool in the Psalm, “I will not be moved, throughout all generations, I will not be in adversity.”  Pridefully he goes about his life, laying claim to the lives of others, living in accord with his own wishes and desires, without the fear or threat of reprisal.  But God is not unjust that He would allow the atheist or the agnostic to continue for long.  He will not allow them to continue to “boast in [their] hearts desire” nor to make a mockery of His name and justice, for He “has seen it, for [He has] beheld mischief and vexation to take it into [His] hands”

The latter say that He does not exist as He has said that He is.  He is something else altogether.  He is not just nor is He capable subduing injustice.  The wicked assume that they are able to continue in their reign of terror without end and that the afflicted/oppressed/innocent/unfortunate are without help in this life.  They refuse to believe God’s word that His love, toward the brokenhearted and afflicted, reaches to the heavens and that His faithfulness stretches to the skies.  They refuse to believe that He is “a helper of the orphan [and One who] vindicate(s) the orphan and the oppressed.”  They refuse to believe and understand that He is truly “The Lord [and] King forever and ever.”

Though the afflicted may cry out “how long O Lord” and “why do you stand afar off, O Lord, why do you hide yourself in times of trouble,” ultimately they will not be ashamed.  They will not be moved forever.  God will avenge His justice.  He will uphold and affirm His holiness.  He will bring judgment upon the wicked, though He may tarry, “so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”  And He will bring rest to those who are afflicted.

Jude 1:14-15

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,  15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Matthew 5:3-12

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.  6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Psalm 8 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 8)

God is…

I am in awe of this Psalm.  Each time I’ve read it lately, I’ve had to give pause at this one thought that the Psalmist is seeking to convey.  Though he has many different points, I think that there is one main thought.  Namely that God, as great as He is and as great as His works may be, would take interest in us.

Many take note of the sun, moon and stars and marvel at their wonders for wonders sake.  They look at the great expanse of the universe and are aghast at the multitude of brightly shining stars in the heavens.  They may even stand in awe of the manifold nature of the plant and animal kingdoms.  They are right to find these things compelling.  But they fall short of what is truly worth their wonder because they fail to mix their wonder with faith.

The ungodly do not believe that there is a Creator.  And because they do not believe that there is a Creator then there is no reason for them to consider His reason for creating.  It would be natural to wonder what purpose a person has in creating one thing or another; but if something were created solely by accident, then there would be no right reason to wonder.

Yet, we who understand that something, particularly something with such complexity, could not possibly have come about without an initial cause; believe that the cause is in fact a person with a plan and purpose at heart.  Furthermore that this person’s plans and purposes include us, who – as great as we think we are – in the big scheme of things are really only a small part of His vast created universe; is truly a thing of wonder.  It would be something like us building a vastly complex ant farm in which there were little ant cities, towns and countries; placing a few small ants in the farm, at various locations, and then tending to each one’s particular real need.  (I say real need to distinguish from the “felt needs” that some of my brothers and sisters believe that we ought to cater to in order to reach some with the gospel.  Real needs are those things which God determines are our needs…paramount is our need for Him in the gospel and not necessarily temporal ease.)  I’d give them charge over the entire farm, placing other “inhabitants” of the farm under their charge. Then I’d give them a special relationship with me above all of the other inhabitants of the farm.  Such that they can communicate with me and I with them, they can know me relate to me.

Crazy huh?  I mean, why on earth am I taking time to build an ant farm of such complexity for these ants to inhabit?  Why not just give them a mound of dirt?  Why would I take time to see that each of their needs is met?  Why would I even give them charge over the farm?  Just because its called an “ant farm?”  And why would I give them of all the inhabitants of the farm, the opportunity to know me?

“Oh Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.”  When was the last time that you thanked God, worshipped God, praised God; because He has chosen to bestow His grace upon you?  Before you understand why its so great that God has chosen to bestow grace upon you; you must first understand how incredibly worthless you are.  Thats where most people miss it.  Pop pshychology will tell you that you are to be made much of.  Pop culture will tell you that your wants/desires are most important.  God’s grace teaches us that we have nothing to offer and everything to lose; but that He has chosen to purchase our good with the death of His own Son.  His grace teaches us that there is no one righteous; but the One who had no sin and was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  God’s grace teaches us that it is not our name that ought to be made much of; but that it is His.  For He alone is worthy of praise for the grace that He has bestowed on us, who are but dust.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name, in all the earth!

Psalm 1 – 150 Days of Purposeful Medidtation (Day 1)

God is for those who love what He loves.  Psa 1:6 “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Do you love what God loves? Do you agree with and seek what He perceives as “righteous.”  What is righteous in God’s eyes and what is righteous in our eyes are often polar opposites.  Therefore the Psalmist exhorts us that the man who “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…stand in the path of sinners…nor sit in the seat of scoffers…is blessed.” However, the one is blessed who “delights in the law of the Lord…[so much so that] he meditates in it day and night.”

Blessing from God, your creator, does not come in loving what you love.  Or in loving what other men love.  What other men love is to do what is right in their own eyes and not that of God’s.  Do you do what God loves?

Cursing from God, your creator, comes when you love what you love more than what He loves.  It says “the way of the wicked will perish.”  That seems pretty clear.  God does not love the “ways of the wicked.”  But it is not just the ways of the wicked that will perish.  For he says earlier that “the wicked…are like the chaff which the wind drives away…[they] will not stand in the judgment…nor in the congregation of the righteous.”  The wicked and their ways will perish.  God will do away with them both.  Do you love the ways of the wicked more than God’s ways?

Here is the exhortation…love what God loves.  Do what God loves.  If you love or do anything but what God loves (as a pattern of life); know that you will surely die for it.  Don’t take my word for it; read for yourself.