TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Chronicles 10-11 & Psalms 105-106

Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 10- Epitaphs

1 Chronicles 10:13
“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.”… Read More 

1 Chronicles 11- Coming Soon!
1 Chronicles 11:1-3
“Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, ‘Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your God … Read More

Psalm 105- Tested
Psalms 105:19
“…The word of the Lord tested him.”
This psalm recounts the faithfulness of God during the days of the patriarchs. After mentioning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Psalmist reminds us of the struggles Joseph faced after being sold into slavery by his own brothers. We know he experienced… Read More

Psalm 106- Leanness Of Soul

Psalm 106:13-15
“They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

As Israel followed God out of Egypt… Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 & Psalms 103-104

Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10- A Fresh Start
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “’Because I bore him in pain.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.”… Read More

Psalm 103- East From West

Psalm 103:11-13
“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.”
It is a common advertising strategy to attempt to sell an item by comparing it to something else. We might see a car commercial with a cheetah running, to convince us of the speed of the vehicle; or a flowing river, to reveal… Read More    

Psalm 104- Majesty Of God

Psalms 104:1
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty”

The greatness of God causes the psalmist to break forth in… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 2 Kings 25 & Psalms 101-102

Old Testament: 2 Kings 25- Besieged 

2 Kings 25:2
“So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.”

Imagine sitting on Mount Scopus, just a little northeast of Jerusalem, as the Babylonian forces surrounded the city. Before long, the walls were penetrated, and the city taken. First… Read More

Psalm 101- You Should Know Better

Psalm 100:3  
“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “you should have known better?”  We use it when we view evidence so compelling… Read More

Psalm 102- Window To The Soul

Psalm 101:3
“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.”

One of the saddest experiences in life is to see a close friend fall away from the Lord. From the outside, the process often looks the same. A person, who once… Read More

1 Chronicles 7:40
“All these were the children of Asher, heads of their fathers’ houses, choice men, mighty men of valor, chief leaders…”

What makes a person a “mighty man of valor?” Is it great strength? If that were the case Samson would be the most valiant man to have ever lived, instead of a man of wasted potential. Is it physical stature? King Saul was a head taller than anyone else in Israel yet he certainly lacked the ingredients that makes one valiant. Is it superior intellect? We know that Solomon was the most intelligent man of his day, yet with all that knowledge he did more to lead Israel away from the Lord than all who had gone before him. What then are the character qualities that make a person a man of valor?

Gideon is forever known as a mighty man of valor. Scripture tells us that this title was given to him while he was hiding from Midianite raiders. His title was given based upon who he would become not who he currently was. We find two key ingredients that turned Gideon from a coward to a man of valor.

The first is faith. Gideon chose to trust in the Word of God above his personal experience. When called by God to step into service Gideon did not allow his weakness to limit God. Instead He tested the promises of God and found them to be trustworthy.

Secondly Gideon lived in obedience to the Word. The Word of God was not something simply to read,highlight, underline, and Chart. For Gideon the Word was to be obeyed. When instructed to make changes in the home, cut the staff, or go to battle with all odds against him, Gideon got to work.

The world needs mighty men of valor today more than ever. Don’t let your limits get in the way of what God may want to do with your life. Instead of focussing on your weakness, look into His promises and put them into practice in your life.

Jim

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 2 Kings 23-24 & Psalms 99-100

Old Testament: 2 Kings 23- Covenant

2 Kings 23:3
“Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.”… Read

2 Kings 24- Survival 

2 Kings 24:3
“Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done.”

The final chapters of 2 Kings tell the story of the death of a nation. After having a glorious beginning, and being miraculously sustained for a thousand years, the nation of Judah is defeated, the Temple destroyed, and the people taken as prisoners … Read More

Psalm 99- God Who Forgives

Psalms 99:8
“You answered them, O Lord our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.”

The Psalmist writes regarding the forgiveness of God and the fact that He will mete out vengeance on certain… Read More

Psalm 100- You Should Know Better

Psalm 100:3  
“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “you should have known better?”  We use it when we view evidence so compelling… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 2 Kings 21-22 & Psalms 97-98

Old Testament: 2 Kings 21- Pay Attention

2 Kings 21:1-2
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.”

Manasseh, king of … Read More

2 Kings 22- You Know That’s Right

2 Kings 22:2
“And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

Josiah was the youngest king to reign over the nation … Read More

Psalm 97- Love And Hate

Psalm 97:10
“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”

I find it striking that the Psalmist declares that hate is a necessary… Read More

Psalms 96:1
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.”

A few years ago, while visiting a church, this particular verse was shared during the praise and worship. The worship leader drew application from the verse by encouraging everyone to sing whatever came to their mind at the moment. The result was a vast array of voices singing, speaking and in some cases shouting out different things about the character of God. While I do not doubt the sincerity of the worship team, or the congregation for that matter, I wonder if that is the best application for this verse. The psalmist, a song writer himself is actually encouraging us to author our own song to the Lord.

Songs are often written out of experience. A person endures a difficulty in life and puts a poem to music that reflects the way they felt or the things they learned. The same is true when we have happy, sad or lonely experiences. Rarely are songs ever written without a story behind them. As a result, perhaps the Psalmist is encouraging us to experience more of the Lord so we have more to sing about. If you haven’t taken a step of faith lately, perhaps now would be a good time. The end will be that you have written a new song about the faithfulness of the Lord.

Take some time to pray about what new ways the Lord a wants you to serve Him.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Psalm 96

1. Note in this psalm the repetition of the following words: peoples, nations, world, earth, all.  Who is this Psalm directed at?
2. Man is made to worship God, and when he does not he will find something else to worship (give his time, love, and energy to).  According to verse 4 and 5, what are the gods of the people?
3. Go verse by verse through this Psalm and note all of the ways that we are told to worship God.
4. Read verse 11 and 12.  Is man the only one who will worship God?
5. At the end of this psalm in verse 13 we see one of the reasons for the rejoicing and worship called for in this Psalm.  What is that reason?  Does that cause you to rejoice?