1 Samuel 22:3
Friday, June 29, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Blessed be the Lord God who helps me in my infirmities
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
I pray that out of the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph 3:16-19
I pray that out of the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph 3:16-19
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Satisfied in You - the Sing Team, Psalm 42
Psalm 42
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Man's Mistakes Rectified by God
H. W. Beecher.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
I sometimes think of it as of a child sitting in a boat. The child does not know the coast, and it very little understands how to row. If the child were left to itself, pulling upon the oars, its right hand being a little stronger than the other, it would be all the time veering the boat to the right, and the boat would be constantly turning round and round. The child would, perhaps, make its way out of the harbour and into the ocean, and be carried away and lost, if there were no guiding power in the boat but its own. But there in the stern sits the father. The uneven strokes of the child would carry the boat this way or that out of its course; but the steady hand of the father overcomes those uneven strokes; and all the mistakes with the oars are rectified by the rudder, and the boat keeps its right course. So that the force exerted by the child, though misdirected, all works for good when the father guides.
(H. W. Beecher.)
H. W. Beecher.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
I sometimes think of it as of a child sitting in a boat. The child does not know the coast, and it very little understands how to row. If the child were left to itself, pulling upon the oars, its right hand being a little stronger than the other, it would be all the time veering the boat to the right, and the boat would be constantly turning round and round. The child would, perhaps, make its way out of the harbour and into the ocean, and be carried away and lost, if there were no guiding power in the boat but its own. But there in the stern sits the father. The uneven strokes of the child would carry the boat this way or that out of its course; but the steady hand of the father overcomes those uneven strokes; and all the mistakes with the oars are rectified by the rudder, and the boat keeps its right course. So that the force exerted by the child, though misdirected, all works for good when the father guides.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Monday, June 4, 2018
For my life is spent with grief,
and my years with sighing:
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
and my bones are consumed.
The Lord Our Dwelling Place
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.
2Before the mountains were born,
or You brought forth the earth and world,
from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God.
3You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
4For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes,
or a watch of the night.
5You whisk them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
6in the morning it springs up new;
by evening it fades and withers.
7For we are consumed by Your anger
and terrified by Your wrath.
8You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9For all our days decline in Your fury;
we finish our years with a sigh.
10The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty if we are strong—
yet their pride is but labor and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11Who knows the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
12So teach us to number our days,
that we may present a heart of wisdom.
13Return, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on Your servants.
14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.
16May Your work be shown to Your servants,
and Your splendor to their children.
17May the favora of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.
12As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14For He knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are dust.
15As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;
16when the wind has passed over, it vanishes,
and its place remembers it no more.
17But from everlasting to everlasting
the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him,
and His righteousness to their children’s children—
18to those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.
19The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.
Our Eternal Dwelling
(Romans 8:18-27)
1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4So while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5And God has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.
6Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. 7For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
and my years with sighing:
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
and my bones are consumed.
The Lord Our Dwelling Place
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.
2Before the mountains were born,
or You brought forth the earth and world,
from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God.
3You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
4For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes,
or a watch of the night.
5You whisk them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
6in the morning it springs up new;
by evening it fades and withers.
7For we are consumed by Your anger
and terrified by Your wrath.
8You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9For all our days decline in Your fury;
we finish our years with a sigh.
10The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty if we are strong—
yet their pride is but labor and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11Who knows the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
12So teach us to number our days,
that we may present a heart of wisdom.
13Return, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on Your servants.
14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.
16May Your work be shown to Your servants,
and Your splendor to their children.
17May the favora of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.
12As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14For He knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are dust.
15As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;
16when the wind has passed over, it vanishes,
and its place remembers it no more.
17But from everlasting to everlasting
the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him,
and His righteousness to their children’s children—
18to those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.
19The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.
Our Eternal Dwelling
(Romans 8:18-27)
1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4So while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5And God has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.
6Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. 7For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
The God of the Bible is sovereign. This means that He has an absolute right to govern His creation as He pleases. God has perfect knowledge and perfect power with which He controls everything.
Scripture emphasizes the sovereignty of God.
All Things Are In His Control
The Bible makes it clear that all things are under God's control. The psalmist wrote.
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:1-5).
Although the world is in a seemingly chaotic state today, God is still in control of events.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to Him, "What are you doing?" (Daniel 4:35).
Jesus illustrated this truth in a parable.
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous? (Matthew 20:15).
Paul wrote to the Romans.
Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose of election might continue (Romans 9:21).
God possesses this absolute right by virtue of His character. He has complete ownership over everything and all things depend upon Him for their existence and their continuance. Therefore it makes no sense to criticize His ways.
Jesus Taught The Sovereignty Of God
Jesus taught that God the Father was absolutely sovereign in all things. He prayed the following.
Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in your sight (Matthew 11:26)
The Death Of Jesus Was In The Sovereign Plan Of God
The death of Jesus, for example was in the eternal plan of God.
This man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law (Acts 2:23).
There Is No Fate Or Blind Chance With God
The biblical teaching on the sovereignty of God refutes any idea of blind chance, or fate controlling events. God works all things according to His will. In the Scripture there are numerous examples of God's overruling power in both heaven and on earth.
In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11).
Isaiah wrote.
The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have designed, so shall it be; and as I have planned, so shall it come to pass (Isaiah 14:24)
God's Work Has Its Basis In His Sovereignty
God's work is based upon His sovereignty. Scripture says.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake (1 Peter 1:18-20).
The purposes of God were determined before time began.
The Sovereignty Of God Is A Reasonable Truth
Not only is the absolute sovereignty of God a Scriptural truth, it is also a necessary deduction of any proper concept of God. If things are not regulated by God, but merely occur by blind chance, then chance is superior to God. Any limitation of God's sovereign control causes more problems than it solves.
It Is A Difficult Truth
Although the sovereignty of God is a biblical and reasonable truth, it is also a difficult truth. Part of the difficulty lies in how God can be in absolute control and, at the same time, humanity can make genuine choices. Each of these truths is clearly taught. Scripture never tries to reconcile them. They are taught side by side. Consequently there is some mystery in the doctrine of God's sovereignty.
God's Sovereignty Is A Comforting Thought
The doctrine of the sovereignty of God is a comforting truth to believers. Realizing that God is in charge of everything brings comfort in light of problems that occurs. Believers understand that God is still in control of the situation though we may think the situation is out of control.
Summary
The idea of God's absolute sovereignty or control is one of the central truths of Scripture. The Bible is clear that God is in control of all things. Scripture never teaches that things occur by fate or blind chance.
The study of the sovereignty of God is a difficult truth to understand. It is hard to grasp how can be in absolute control and, at the same time, how humans can make legitimate choices. Yet this is the clear teaching of the Bible. This is one area that Scripture never tries to reconcile. Believers, therefore, should accept the fact that God's sovereignty and human responsibility are both true even though it cannot be understood how they work together.
The doctrine of God's sovereignty is comforting to the believer. Since all things are under his control each believer is secure in his protection. Nothing will happen to any of God's children without the knowledge and consent of God.
- Don Stewart :: In What Sense Is God in Control of Things? (Sovereign)
Scripture emphasizes the sovereignty of God.
All Things Are In His Control
The Bible makes it clear that all things are under God's control. The psalmist wrote.
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:1-5).
Although the world is in a seemingly chaotic state today, God is still in control of events.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to Him, "What are you doing?" (Daniel 4:35).
Jesus illustrated this truth in a parable.
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous? (Matthew 20:15).
Paul wrote to the Romans.
Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose of election might continue (Romans 9:21).
God possesses this absolute right by virtue of His character. He has complete ownership over everything and all things depend upon Him for their existence and their continuance. Therefore it makes no sense to criticize His ways.
Jesus Taught The Sovereignty Of God
Jesus taught that God the Father was absolutely sovereign in all things. He prayed the following.
Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in your sight (Matthew 11:26)
The Death Of Jesus Was In The Sovereign Plan Of God
The death of Jesus, for example was in the eternal plan of God.
This man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law (Acts 2:23).
There Is No Fate Or Blind Chance With God
The biblical teaching on the sovereignty of God refutes any idea of blind chance, or fate controlling events. God works all things according to His will. In the Scripture there are numerous examples of God's overruling power in both heaven and on earth.
In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11).
Isaiah wrote.
The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have designed, so shall it be; and as I have planned, so shall it come to pass (Isaiah 14:24)
God's Work Has Its Basis In His Sovereignty
God's work is based upon His sovereignty. Scripture says.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake (1 Peter 1:18-20).
The purposes of God were determined before time began.
The Sovereignty Of God Is A Reasonable Truth
Not only is the absolute sovereignty of God a Scriptural truth, it is also a necessary deduction of any proper concept of God. If things are not regulated by God, but merely occur by blind chance, then chance is superior to God. Any limitation of God's sovereign control causes more problems than it solves.
It Is A Difficult Truth
Although the sovereignty of God is a biblical and reasonable truth, it is also a difficult truth. Part of the difficulty lies in how God can be in absolute control and, at the same time, humanity can make genuine choices. Each of these truths is clearly taught. Scripture never tries to reconcile them. They are taught side by side. Consequently there is some mystery in the doctrine of God's sovereignty.
God's Sovereignty Is A Comforting Thought
The doctrine of the sovereignty of God is a comforting truth to believers. Realizing that God is in charge of everything brings comfort in light of problems that occurs. Believers understand that God is still in control of the situation though we may think the situation is out of control.
Summary
The idea of God's absolute sovereignty or control is one of the central truths of Scripture. The Bible is clear that God is in control of all things. Scripture never teaches that things occur by fate or blind chance.
The study of the sovereignty of God is a difficult truth to understand. It is hard to grasp how can be in absolute control and, at the same time, how humans can make legitimate choices. Yet this is the clear teaching of the Bible. This is one area that Scripture never tries to reconcile. Believers, therefore, should accept the fact that God's sovereignty and human responsibility are both true even though it cannot be understood how they work together.
The doctrine of God's sovereignty is comforting to the believer. Since all things are under his control each believer is secure in his protection. Nothing will happen to any of God's children without the knowledge and consent of God.
- Don Stewart :: In What Sense Is God in Control of Things? (Sovereign)
To Everything There is a Season
1To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build,
4a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6a time to search and a time to count as lost,
a time to keep and a time to discard,
7a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
God's Works Remain Forever
9What does the worker gain from his toil? 10I have seen the burden that God has laid on men to occupy them. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work God has done from beginning to end.
12I know that there is nothing better for men than to rejoice and do good while they live, 13and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14I know that everything God does will remain forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God works that men should revere Him. 15What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
1To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build,
4a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6a time to search and a time to count as lost,
a time to keep and a time to discard,
7a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
God's Works Remain Forever
9What does the worker gain from his toil? 10I have seen the burden that God has laid on men to occupy them. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work God has done from beginning to end.
12I know that there is nothing better for men than to rejoice and do good while they live, 13and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14I know that everything God does will remain forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God works that men should revere Him. 15What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
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