God is Good!

S: Psalm 100: 3-5

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

O:

We're creatures who have a Creator. He has a right to us, as a ranch owner has claim over his flock. This same Creator tells us to come near to him, through His gates and into his presence with thankful praise, because He is loving and faithful.

A:

God made me for a purpose—to minister to Him. He is my first calling, and offering thankful praise to Him is among the most righteous and good things that I can do. But what is really beautiful about this Psalm is its sense of invitation. Though I belong to Him, he doesn't compel me to come. Instead, He communicates His loving faithfulness, and His goodness draws me.

P:

Dear Lord, let me always remember your goodness, especially when I gather with your people to praise you!

Be on Guard!

S
1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.

O
God has given Timothy — and us — His Word. The God of Creation, Who was and is, and is to come gave us His Word of Truth. It has been given to us to care for and guard over; His Kingdom on earth. He warns Timothy to turn away from the chatter of godless men. They say they have knowledge and are puffed up with their profession. But if you lean to the ways of the earth you will wander from your faith.

A
God says to turn away from godless chatter; to turn away and walk away from it. He warns us that it is not knowledge but chatter. Why do we need His Word in our lives daily? Because His Word is the truth; rich, untainted truth. it is life. It reveals the Author of Life to us. It is our storehouse of treasure and God has given it to us to have. The chatter of this earth that is professed as knowledge can fill up all the spaces in my mind and heart. If we listen just to that it can crowd out and then take the place of the very truth God has given us. Without His Word in our heart it is very easy to stray away from him. For when we lose faith we lose touch with the Author of our faith.

P
Thank you, Lord, for ears to hear Your Word and a heart to store Your Word. May I ever hold it dear. May I ever hunger after Your Word. Fill me with Your Word, Lord, for knowing You is having knowledge. Amen.

Above the Sickened Swamp

S
(Colossians 3:1,2) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above.... Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

O
Having seen both the Lord and heaven numerous times (2 Corinthians 12:1-10), Paul's thought processes and content was forever changed. His message to us from Jesus is that we can begin to experience heavenly life--even in the darkened spiritual pollution of earth. He's saying our brains can begin to experience heaven before our spirits and resurrected bodies get there.

A
I've often wondered how long I'd have survived in Eden without eating the forbidden fruit. Now I can find out: God has told me where I should occupy my thought life, where I should fence it in so it can thrive and roam without hurting others. And once I get to heaven, I won't have to fear being hurt by others who live outside, where immoralities, greed, and malice roam freely. Evidently, where we park and exercise our imaginations is very important to our mental and social health.

P
O Jesus! How I long for heaven! Forgive my for sometimes sending my thoughts into errant and unheavenly swamps. There, Your clear voice is drowned by unhappy moaning and whining. Oh, how I love Your voice!

What If...?

S

(2 Chronicles 15:8) As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin ... and he repaired the altar of the Lord ....

O

By that time, King Asa had become great. His reforms and protective leadership made his people safe and prosperous. His prayers allowed God to utterly destroy what could have been the largest army assembled against Judah. If anyone didn't seem to need an encouraging prophecy, it should have been Asa ... yet he needed it. After it, he found even greater blessings.

A

Paul said we should "pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1). I forget that all of us have constant room for encouragement. Yes, sometimes we're more vulnerable than we realize. God knows. He also knows I'm safer than I realize when I stick close to Him. I'm not sure, after reading this, which is better--giving someone a Spirit-led encouragement or receiving one.

P

Lord, may I be used by Your Spirit today to encourage someone who is down or dangerously close to ignoring You? May I walk intimately with You throughout each moment of the day so I can be attentive to whatever Your Spirit is wanting to accomplish--it's always good.

Stoned, and Happy

S

(1 Chronicles 22:5) For David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent.... I will therefore make preparations for it." ...

O

To enable Solomon to succeed magnificently, even exceedingly, David collected the necessary raw materials: resident foreigners, foundation stones, iron, timbers, bronze, gold, and silver. Their potential, even their existence, was often hidden, overlooked, or overwhelmingly difficult to process. This story describes allegorically how our Heavenly Father is building a Church for His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2, 4; 1 Peter 2).

A

From this, we see what God is doing in our community (and in me) through His Church, how we interact with each other, and how parents can conceptualize our parental tasks. Evangelists collect the lost outcasts, inviting them into God's family. Apostles establish leaders, like foundational stones, who keep all of us square to God's Word. Prophets do the strange work of discovering hidden values, like iron for nails (that bind and bond) and doors (that block or open). Teachers, like carpenters, help us frame, structure, and organize our raw thoughts. And pastors, like bronze, gold, and silversmiths, help us purify and strengthen our lives so we become wholesome, healthy, and radiant.

P

Lord, I'm so thankful that You cared for me, a once rebellious, unhappy, outsider with no realistic expectation of the health and success You have given me. Thank You for making me a living, growing, and valuable part of Your Church. Such a miracle of miracles! Thank You!

Group Speak

S

(1 Thessalonians 2:14) For you ... became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Jews who ...

O

The Holy Spirit (through Paul) commended the church of the Thessalonian (Greek) nation for observing then imitating the many churches in Judea. It was a group consensus to follow these other Christians' example. Specifically, they responded boldly and faithfully to a persecution that was calculated to obstruct them from spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

A

Although my salvation is an individual transaction and ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, God also views me and responds to me for my contributions to the group I'm in and influencing (passively or actively). Therefore, I need to discern which group God associates me with: His Church that speaks to the lost that they might be saved, or people who "displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking [the Gospel]" (v. 14,15).

P

Lord, I've forgotten the realities of this social-spiritual conflict and the reality of Your wrath (v. 16). As grateful as I am for enjoying Your peace and the joys of Your salvation, help me, too, to be listed among Your people who speak the Good News of salvation to people who don't really know You.

My Private Trainer

S

(Psalm 51:6) Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

O

The inner,secret life of a person is where God reveals truth; and more importantly, it's where He teaches us to apply truth (which He calls wisdom). This process liberates and heals a person's inner, secret life. From there, God helps us upgrade our observable, outward life and our relationships (Matthew 5:8; 6:21; 12:34; 15:8,18,19).

A

Seeking God's perspective (truth) and God's practices (wisdom) seems to be a life-long lifestyle that is built on a series of deliberate commitments and recommitments to Him. To do this, David asked God to do these "extreme heart makeovers" that give him an ongoing receptivity to God's truth and wisdom (v. 6), updated forgiveness of private, heart-lodged sins (v. 10), and re-activated steadfastness--a fresh commitment to righteousness (v. 12).

P

Lord, I see that when You reveal truth and teach me wisdom, it might hurt as bad as a broken bone or heart attack (v. 8, 17). Still, wisdom is worth it. So I re-crown You as my Lord because Your revelations heal. Truth and wisdom cause me to know true gladness and the undiluted joys of salvation (v 12). So I make my heart a classroom for You to teach me.