No Excuse

"In the pride of his face the wicken does not seek him, all his thoughts are, 'There is no God.'" Psalm 10:4

"His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity." Psalm 10:7

"He says in his heart, 'God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.'" Psalm 10:11

"Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, 'You will not call to account'?" Psalm 10:13

Did you know that there was a time when there weren't atheists?? Yep, back when people were so close to the creation event that they couldn't deny God's existence. There were still sinful people who rebelled against God, but no one who said He didn't exist. But by the time of David there were already atheists. People who would say there was no God and at the same time hate God. How can you hate someone who doesn't exist?? How can you say "There is no God" and then say "God has forgotten"??

What else does the bible say about atheists?

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good." Psalm 14:1

But, they are without excuse...

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:19-20

And, Job 12:7-25...
⁷"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
⁸or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
⁹Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?
¹⁰In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind.
¹¹Does not the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
¹²Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding in length of days.

¹³ "With God are wisdom and might;
he has counsel and understanding.
¹⁴If he tears down, none can rebuild;
if he shuts a man in, none can open.
¹⁵If he withholds the waters, they dry up;
if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
¹⁶With him are strength and sound wisdom;
the deceived and the deceiver are his.
¹⁷He leads counselors away stripped,
and judges he makes fools.
¹⁸He looses the bonds of kings
and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
¹⁹He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows the mighty.
²⁰He deprives of speech those who are trusted
and takes away the discernment of the elders.
²¹He pours contempt on princes
and loosens the belt of the strong.
²²He uncovers the deeps out of darkness
and brings deep darkness to light.
²³He makes nations great, and he destroys them;
he enlarges nations, and leads them away.
²⁴He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth
and makes them wander in a pathless waste.
²⁵They grope in the dark without light,
and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again...God is in Control!

"Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah" Psalm 9:19-20

In recent days, I've heard many people reminding themselves that God is in control. This is mostly due to the recent political climate and the economy. We can certainly make our prayer, "Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail!" Our nation is a sinful nation and if God gives us what we deserve, it will not make for happy times. However, we can rest in the fact that God is in control. So when things like stem cell research and abortion come up, we can continue to cling to God's will and plan. And even when concerns about the economy and our jobs come up, we can still rest in God's will. God will prevail, not man. That is a fact. So we may have to weather some tumultuous times, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is Christ.

What we must remember now is that we are just men (and women). Our president is just a man. Our congressmen are mere men and women. No matter how much they may try to give themselves power or take on the attributes of God, they will fail. What they need and what we need at this time is prayer.

Be Careful When You Set Traps!

"The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." Psalm 9:15-18

Can you imagine setting up a trap to catch some sort of pesky rodent and then stepping in it yourself?? This is what happens to "the nations" or the wicked. Our God turns the devices of the wicked back on them. The very traps that they set are the things that will ensnare them and lead to their demise. God protects His people, the needy and the poor, by defeating the wicked and He does so with their very own devices. How wonderfully ironic is that!

The needy and poor in our society tend to be pushed aside. During election year, you'll see them all over the place and those few high office hopefuls are out shaking their hands and spouting out promises. But much of the time, they still fall to the bottom of the heap and do not get the REAL help that they need. Politicians try to cover them up or appease them with a little money here and there but the real problem will not be helped in that way.

True believers in Christ are like these needy and poor who will not find their answers or help in fellow men. The only help that can be given is through Christ and this is certainly one of the great promises of the bible... "For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." Psalm 9:18 Praise God! This reminds me of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:

2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

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 meek, 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 are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Be gracious to me...

"Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation." Psalm 9:13-14

I've been sick the last few days and it has been difficult for me to compose my thoughts around some of my bible study. My bible reading has been very good. I've been reading through Job and I finally made it to the Lord's words at the end. I'll finish out Job today and look forward to that. First, though, I'm going to try to put down some of my study notes from yesterday's study in Psalm 9.

I wish I was sitting in a library of commentaries sometimes. From what I can find, the "gates of death" refer to physical death, or I suppose it could refer to spiritual death. In the phrase "gates of the daughter of Zion" Zion most usually refers to Jerusalem and the daughter of Zion refers to the inhabitants thereof. So the gates of the daughter of Zion would seem to be indicating the gates to Jerusalem or perhaps it could be referring to something else (maybe heaven???)?

The writer is asking for mercy, something I most definitely need. He asks God to see his affliction at the hands of "those who hate me" and have mercy of him so that when looking back, he can praise God for his mercies and rejoice in the salvation provided by God. I do this often. Maybe not due to persecution at the hands of those who hate God, but for other afflictions. I ask God for mercy and I reflect on past mercies and praise God for them. I also rejoice in the salvation that is of the Lord and that He has blessed me with.

Sing Praises to the LORD

"Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted." Psalm 9:11-12

In these verses, we can see God's desire for His people in Israel to tell the Gentiles about Him. They are to do this by speaking about Him and singing praises to Him. Why? Because He is "mindful of them" and does not forget about their affliction. The Israelites were quick to forget about God. They especially forgot to trust in Him at all times. Many times they tried to build idols and find other ways of gaining blessings. But, God is so patient. He was continually mindful of them and the afflictions that they suffered at the hands of the Gentiles. Yet He desired for them to trust in Him as a sign and show to the Gentiles that God was on their side.

God's desire for His people today is very much the same. He desires for us to trust in Him, sing praises to Him, and tell others about Him. He wants for us to be a picture of His glory and grace. Just in the way that we lead our lives, we are a testimony to others of God. If we put God first in everything we do, we are telling others about the priority He takes in our lives. If we remain faithful and trusting during trials, we show others God's mercy and love. If we sing praises to Him during the good times and the bad, we tell others about how God is directly involved in our lives and the blessings thereof. But in addition to living in this way and living for God's glory, we must also tell people about God with our mouths. We must witness and pray that the Lord will use our feeble words to draw more people to Him.

I praise God for our missionaries. They have such a love for the lost that is amazing. They are one of a kind folks who oftentimes give up all of the "comforts" of life to live in a foreign, and many times hostile, land to tell others about Christ. They learn new and very difficult languages, they live in huts without clean running water, they raise their kids there, and through the grace and mercy of God, they lead many people to the throne of God. And yet they desire no praise for themselves and no compensation because their compensation is in the Lord and their praise is directed to God for He has the glory.

I'll leave you with this passage from Romans:

Romans 15:8-13 (English Standard Version)

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

⁸For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name."

¹⁰And again it is said,

"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."

¹¹And again,

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him."

¹²And again Isaiah says,

"The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope."

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

God is Molding Me Today!

"But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:7-10

Alex has been sick with croup for the last few days and I didn't do any of my bible reading or study yesterday. I don't really have an excuse though because he slept for 4 hours yesterday afternoon and I could have done it then! Today, however, I'm determined to do it and hope that it will help my attitude for the rest of the day. Yesterday my attitude wasn't the most pleasant. :)

The Lord is just and righteous and it would do us good to remember that when we study about His judgment! Some people like to think of God as our personal Santa in heaven ready to take requests and dole them out presents. There's no wrath with Santa. Santa doesn't hate anything or anyone. However, we know that God does hate evil. There is no evil with Him and He is just and right to judge.

And what a blessing to have a just God who is a "stronghold for the oppressed" and who does not forsake those who seek Him. Those who know God trust Him and He does not forsake them. To know God is prime! To know God should be our aim and top priority. Stop looking for a Santa type of god and look to the one and only true God who is supreme, and sovereign, and righteous, and just.

Okay, I feel kind of preachy. I love all of my friends and family, both saved and lost. I desire from the bottom of my heart for the lost ones to come to a saving faith in God and so I pray. Some of them I'm not close enough to (distance-wise and friendship-wise) to properly witness to them except through how I live my life (which is not always the greatest of witnesses!!). I am a sinful human being. Very sinful. But I have a savior who forgives and I am gradually and prayerfully trying to live the way that God would desire for me to live and to do everything for His glory. Its much harder to knowingly and willfully sin when you know it is not glorifying to your savior and that it is much like a stab in the back to Him. When you really begin to LOVE Christ, it makes way to many changes in your life. God is working in my life. He is molding me and making me into the person He desires for me to be. Isn't that a wonderful and glorious thought!!

What does it mean to be on the Lord's side?

"When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished." Psalm 9:3-6

The Psalmist here is speaking about some of God's "wonderful deeds" which led to the protection of His people. In a larger sense, God may have also been pointing to the judgment that will take place in the future. Regardless, it is pretty clear whose side we should desire to be on. We should worry less about whether or not God is on our side and be concerned about where we stand. If we are on God's side, He is most definitely on our side. What does it mean to be on God's side? For me, it means learning more about Him each day so that that I can better serve Him. To serve Him, I should be bearing fruit through my witness to lost people and through my encouragement to saved people. I should be living my life in such a way as to be bringing glory to God each day. I should be living for His glory alone. Soli Deo Gloria - "glory to God alone." If I do everything each day with the glory of God in mind, then won't I be rightly serving Him?

Who is on the Lord's Side
by Frances Havergal

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus nameth must be on His side.
By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own life blood, for Thy diadem;
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, victory is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band,
In the service royal, let us not grow cold;
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, Thou wilt keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

One Day, When I am in God's Presence...

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

These words make me think of the things I might say about the time after my physical death or Christ's return. When all of God's people will be taken up to be in God's presence for eternity. During that eternity, "I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart." My whole being will be involved in thanking the Lord for his grace and mercy. "I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." At that time I will have a clear understanding of all of the blessings that the Lord has and will bestow upon me. I will also have a better understanding of the incredible amount of grace given by God. "I will be glad and exult in you." Oh, what a gladness, that will lead to, "I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Days of eternally praising and worshipping God and just being in His presence...That is what is in store for His people.

A Sympathetic Savior

"Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Psalm 8:5-9

In this Psalm of David, David is describing man's place in the created order. Man was made a little lower than heavenly beings (such as angels), and created in God's image. He was given dominion over all of the animals on the earth.

However, this being a messianic Psalm (one that points to the Messiah to come), it also points to Christ. For, "we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:9 Our Lord, our God, our Savior, Jesus Christ came to earth fully man and fully God, made a little lower than the angels for a little while, so that He could die on the cross an innocent man to pay the debt for all of our sins. But that's not where the story ends, for then He was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God making intercession for His people. He came to the earth fully man and knows and understands the temptations and trials we struggle with. "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:18 Thank the Lord that we have a sympathetic savior.

Wow! What love!

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4

When I get the chance to get out of the city and see a little bit of God's (mostly) untouched creation, I love to just look around and let it sink in. Just sit back and take it in. On the beach, I marvel at the beauty of the ocean waves...both the sounds and the sight. I also marvel at the breadth of the horizon. When I'm on the farm, I marvel at the many different kinds of plants and bugs and the beauty of the bubbling creek. When I'm flying in an airplane, I am amazed by the size of everything and how small we are in it...like ants. And at night, when I look up at the stars I am amazed by the vastness of this universe. Then, to think about all of these things and to consider that God personally put each of these things into their place and made them exactly as they are...WOW! Who am I?? I am like the ant that you see crawling up your leg and you flick it away (or smash it). And yet, God knows everything about me and each and every one of you. He knows how many hairs are on my head and He knows when I stub my toe (which happens a lot...just ask Peter...I wonder if God cringes a little bit when that happens. Ha!). How!? Why are we so important to God in a way that is far over and above the care that He places on any other thing? Why did He send His son to die for us? And yet He did. He really cares about His people, folks. He cares about us enough to know everything there is to know about us and still not just destroy us. Wow! That is love. Now husbands, consider this... You are told to love your wives as Christ loves the church. Now, that's a tall order! :-)

(I didn't get to the messianic aspects of this Psalm today after all...tomorrow, I promise!)

Let us be like children

"O LORD [YHWH], our Lord [Adon], how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger." Psalm 8:1-2

Yay, I'm on Psalm 8. What a wonderful psalm of praise (and a messianic Psalm which we'll get into more tomorrow)! Every verse is filled to the max with incredible truths and clearly shows the glory of God. In verse one, there are two different words used for Lord (or LORD). The first, which you will usually find in the bible as LORD (all caps) is the name God gave himself to the Israelites. Vines states "God chose it as His personal name by which He related specificaly to His chosen or covenant people." The second word is most often found in the bible as Lord, lord, or master. It refers to the relationship between a master and servant. Specifically recalling Psalm 8:1, Vines states "The word is often a title of respect, a term of direct address usually assuming a specific concrete lord-vassal or master-servant relationship."

Our Lord's name does not really seem to be majestic throughout the world today, does it? People are always using His name in vain. Many times we don't even really hear it anymore because its like saying "huh?" or "hello". God's name is not spoken in reverence by many. Even those who profess to be Christians speak His name irreverently all of the time. But there will be a time, my friends (reading J. Vernon McGee makes me want to use that phrase all of the time!), when our Lord's name will never be spoken in vain again and will be revered by all. I want to be there for that!!!

Now, what about verse 2? Let's look into the NT to see how this verse is used there. In Matthew 21 during Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and while He cleansed the temple, children were crying "Hosanna to the Son of David!" When asked about this in verse 16, Jesus replies, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" Here he refers directly to Psalm 8:2 and further strengthens the argument that He is the Messiah. Its almost like He was saying, "Even these young insignificant children know who I am! DUH!!" Now remember what is written, "'Truly, I say unto you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 Let us be like children!!

God's Purpose of Justice will Prevail

"I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High." Psalm 7:17

Here is another psalm of David where he is asking for God to judge those who wrongly accuse or slander him. When we are unfairly persecuted, this is a model of the prayer we can pray. There is trust in the protection of God at the beginning of the psalm (vs 1-2). Then vs 3-5 make us careful in praying this prayer. Before praying such a prayer we must be sure that we are innocent, for it reads, "...if I have repaid my friend (the one at peace with me) with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it..."

In verse 12, we can see the desire that the enemy repent and be forgiven by God. However, there is the warning that without repentance the path leads to destruction. One commentary notes that in verses 14-16, "The sinner is described as taking more pains to ruin his soul than, if directed aright, would save it." That's scary and yet so true. I don't know how many times I've seen nonbelievers dig themselves further and further into their unbelief as though they are trying to not believe rather than trying to find the truth.

However, we can know that in the end, "God's purpose of justice will prevail." Praise the Lord!

Alex entertaining us

Just a quick funny Alex story....

Here lately, if we leave a cup of water out on the table in our breakfast nook, Alex will sometimes climb up into a chair and get a drink. Last night, Peter and I were sitting on the couch watching as Alex did just that. He's so good about it too and has gotten to where he rarely spills anything. Somehow milk was brought up so Alex got down, ran over to the fridge, and got his milk out. He then took it back to the table and climbed back up into the chair. Now he has his cup of water and a sippy cup of milk.

So, we watched as he dropped the sippy cup of milk. We asked him to pick it back up. So, he gets down out of his chair and goes to get it. Only apparently he was distracted by something. He sat the sippy cup up (still on the floor but now sitting up instead of on its side) and goes off to get something. A minute later, Peter and I were laughing when we watched as he used a piece of paper to try and clean up the milk. He was wiping the floor with it. Then he grabbed the sippy cup and got up and went off to play. I kind of like this clean freak part of my son!! :-)

The Lord Forgives

"O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath." Psalm 6:1
"I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping." Psalm 6:6
"The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer." Psalm 6:9

I like the KJV of verse 1 where it reads "neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure." Here in Psalm 6, we can see that David is feeling convicted of some sin. He is remorseful over it to the point of not being able to sleep at night. He cries out to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy. And, we find out in verse 9 that he gets it. The Lord hears and accepts David's prayer for forgiveness and we can be certain that the Lord will do the same for us. If we are truly repentant, God will forgive.

Let me also mention verse 8 which reads, "Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping." If we are repentant and God has heard and forgiven, we are released also from guilt. In a recent Wednesday night service, a good friend was talking about this. Our consciences, Satan, and other people in our lives can continually accuse us of our sins and attempt to make us feel guilty even after the Lord has forgiven. All too often, it works. However, if you have been forgiven by God, you are free of this guilt. I believe that it would be unwise to not regret the sin. Regret for a sin can lead to obedience in the future. (It makes me cringe sometimes to hear someone say they have no regrets in their life.) However, God is our judge; not our conscience, not other people, and certainly not Satan. As Romans 8:33 reads, "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD: you cover him with favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:11-12

Oh, what a place to be!! Taking refuge in God, being protected by God, and being "shielded" by His favor! This is where you will find faithful Christians. Now, that's not to say that faithful Christians will never suffer. They (we) certainly do suffer. But there is relief with the Lord. There is rest with the Lord. And that is a promise, my friends.

Rock of Ages
by Augustus Toplady

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

What do you think?

"For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you." Psalm 5:9-10

Should this be our prayer today? In this part of the Psalm, David again describes the evildoers. Then he makes a request to God to "cast them out." The assumption is made that these evildoers will not repent or seek forgiveness. Christians should assume that God can save anyone...even those who seem unforgivable to us. God can soften the heart of the hardest person you know. Remember how Christ himself responded to those who persecuted Him. He did not retaliate. Also keep in mind scripture such as these:

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" Romans 12:19

I don't believe that God wishes for us to desire bad things to happen to anyone, even our worst enemies, or even in private prayer. God desires for us to witness to everyone and hate no one. This can be difficult, especially when people are directly criticizing God, or your Christianity or beliefs. But we should desire for these people to become like-minded and to love God as much as we do. Asking that they be cast out will not help that happen.

Now, I'm not saying that David is sinning here by praying for the destruction of his enemies. David lived under the law and Christ had not yet come to save sinners. In the OT, there are several prayers for the destruction of the enemies of God's people. And God responds. I doubt He would respond so positively to prayers made sinfully.

All the Way My Savior Leads Me

"But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me." Psalm 5:7-8

Remember in the last few verses, David spoke about the things that God hates (evil, liars, etc). Here in verse 7 he contrasts that with the things God loves. Note the word "But." The "but's" of the bible are wonderful aren't they! Many times they speak to or about believers.

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. BUT now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law..." Romans 3:20-21a

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, BUT the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Romans 8:26

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, BUT the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19

Here in Psalm 5, David is saying "LORD, you hate evil, BUT you LOVE your people and because of that love, I can worship and trust you." Then David asks for the Lord's guidance. Evil is all around and people will do what they can to distract believer's from doing God's work. Here David asks for the Lord to guide him and make His way straight (or obvious and easy) to him. He needs this help "because of my enemies."

Our prayer should be that God will guide us day to day. That He will show us His path and His will. We need this guidance because we are easily distracted by the things of this world, by other people, and even by those who claim to be friends in Him. This should be our prayer every morning when we first wake! And then it should be our prayer again and again through the day.

All the Way my Savior Leads Me
by Fanny Crosby

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.

Who Needs the News Anyway??

"For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man." Psalm 5:4-6

Here David praises God for loving what is right and hating what is evil. Tonight I've also been reading a portion of Genesis. I read Genesis 4-7 to be exact and this portion of scripture tells us about the descendants of Adam and Eve down to Noah. It also tells us about the flood...well, the first part at least. So in my bible study tonight, I'm left with two portions of scripture (Genesis 6:9 - 7, and Psalm 5:4-6) which speak of our Lord's view of evil. In Genesis, God is so upset by the evil of man that He sends a flood to destroy all of man and creatures and living things with the exception of who and what He tells Noah to take onto the ark. In Psalm 5 we see that God hates evildoers, destroys those who speak lies, and that evil may not "dwell" with Him.

Look around yourself today, brothers and sisters, and be glad that God promised not to send a flood like in Genesis ever again. Evil abounds but God prevails. But not only that. There is hope for even the worst of evildoers if they only repent and look to Christ.

I don't watch the news much anymore. Its very depressing and it reminds me constantly of the crazy people that are out there. I suppose I like to lock myself into my little happy world and pretend that it can't touch me, but I know that is not necessarily true. So, sometimes I find myself being paranoid (or, shall I say, cautious). :) But I'm happy in the knowledge that Christ paid the ultimate price for my sins and, that, no matter what happens, God's will will be done. When I'm being paranoid, I look to God and am comforted. But I still don't watch the news. :)

Thank God for Answers to Prayer

"Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." Psalm 5:1-3

Here is another Psalm of David written at a time when he was faced by "bloodthirsty and deceitful" persecutors. We're not told exactly when David wrote this Psalm, however, just in this opening portion of the Psalm we see how David cries out anxiously and expectantly. He has an urgent prayer, but he also expects that it will be answered. He trusts in God to help him.

Now, let's get into some translation notes. The ESV renders a portion of verse 3 as "in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you..." Most other translations say something more like "in the morning I will direct [it or my prayer] to you..." The ESV study notes say that the Hebrew here is difficult. It could be translated either way but the ESV translates it as it does because of two facts: the psalmist is writing this in the morning and in verse 7 he mentions entering the Lord's house and bowing down toward the Lord's holy temple. I'm not sure which translation is correct or even if it matters. Prayer can be sacrificial. Fasting and prayer go hand in hand. Also, we should sacrifice our own pride in prayer. We should sacrifice our time to pray. We should sacrifice our own sinful desires to pray. When faced with a temptation, we should pray.

Finally, in verse 3, after mentioning this prayer or sacrifice, David says that he will "watch," or "look up," or "wait in expectation." After we pray, we should be watchful for answers to our prayers. It is prudent to pray when faced with decisions (big or small) in life. We need Christ's direction in our lives. We want to live within His will and, therefore, we should ask what that is. When you are watchful for an answer to prayer and open to what God puts in front of you, it will make these decisions much easier.

I remember last year I was considering an opportunity to go back to work part time. I was only going to be working 10 hours a week but most of that was going to have to be at the office and not at home with Alex. This wasn't the ideal situation that I was looking for, but it would provide us with a little more money and my sister would be able to watch Alex for me while I was at the office. This would have even provided her with some additional pay (which would have been very helpful at the time for her as well). It seemed like everything was pointing toward me returning to work. Peter and I prayed about it and talked about it and had pretty much come to the decision that I would do it. The night before I was going to give my employer word of my decision, I had an OVERWHELMING feeling that I should NOT do this. I looked at Peter and simply said "I don't want to do it" and he said "Then don't...we'll be fine, Jenny." So, the next day, instead of calling in and starting a new 10 hr a week job, I called in and told them that I would be sending a letter of resignation that afternoon. That's what I did and I can't say that I have regretted that decision once.

Throw out the sleeping pills!

"There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!' You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalm 4:6-7

And, my FAVORITE verse...

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you ALONE, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 (emphasis added by me)

In his commentary on verse 8, J Vernon McGee says, "My friend, do you need a sleeping pill at night? Have you ever tried Psalm 4? It is lots better than any brand of sleeping pill you have used." Here is one place I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. McGee. Although I have never taken sleeping pills, I have had many nights when I wished I could turn off my brain and go to sleep. When its worry that is keeping me awake, this verse always lulls me to sleep. It tells me, "are you having some hard times?? I'm sorry about that...why aren't you trusting in the Lord??" All of the sudden, my body relaxes and sleep comes. *SIGH*

I decided today that at the rate I'm going, it will take me at least 18 months to finish the book of Psalms during my bible study time. So, since I'd really like to get into more of the bible, in addition to the in-depth study of a few verses, I'm also going to try a reading plan. I don't intend to read through the bible in a year, but I'm going to use one of those plans and just mark off the passages as I read them. I think I'm going to go with a chronological reading. However, if you think another plan is better, let me know!!

Yes, sometimes it snows in North Alabama!

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4





Rarely, but it does happen. :) I woke up Sunday morning at 7:00 AM to get started cooking for lunch at church (I was taking sweet and sour chicken and had a whole lot of chicken to fry...bleh...the house smelled like grease for the rest of the day)....Anyway, I walked into the kitchen all bleary eyed and started getting things out for cooking. I happened to glance toward the window and did a double-take. Huge flakes of snow were coming down like crazy. And there was actually some snow sticking to the ground!! This is a very rare occurrence here in North Alabama. Granted, the sidewalks and streets were clear and by 11:30 all of the snow had disappeared...but for a short little while on Sunday morning, we were in a winter wonderland. I guess I can take my Christmas door hanging down now that winter is over. :-)