Psalm 4

Psalm 4
"1. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.  2. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.  3. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.  4. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.  5. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.  6. There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.  7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.  8. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makes me dwell in safety."

In this psalm it sounds to me like David is in bed praying to God before he goes to sleep.  He first of all asks for the ear of God, that God will hear his prayer. Something each and everyone of us desire.  He goes on to talk about us going after futile things and seeking falsehood.  Then he says that God has set apart him that is godly.  We should "offer the sacrifices of righteousness," and put our trust in God.  We may ask, "who will show us good?"  The Lord will lift up the light of His countenance and show us good.  God put gladness in David's heart and gave him peace and security.  David then lays down to rest.
This psalm has so many lessons that we can take from it.  The first thing I thought of when I read this chapter was, do we have the ear of God?  Now of course God listens to everyone. Just because we may do something wrong does not mean He turns from us till we make it right.  God is not human and we need to stop thinking of Him in that way. When we do wrong is when we need Him the most, but when we think God is angry, we tend to hide from Him instead of going boldly to His throne of grace.  We can be bold because it is a throne of grace NOT a throne of judgement. We need to have the ear of God.

My second thought on this chapter was, what are the things in our lives that we are going after that are futile?  We may not see them as futile but does God?  What things in our lives give us pleasure to replace the pleasure of God?  That is a false pleasure.  We are replacing God with something, but God is irreplaceable.  Why do we go after a substitute?  Why not go for the real thing?!?

Thirdly my thought was, are we set apart for God?  Are we willing to sacrifice our own wants and desires for His righteousness.  We may wonder, "how can this be a good thing? To give up my dreams?"  But God will lift up His countenance and show you good.  Let me put a little side note here.  Bro. James Woosley, the principle of Hammond Baptist, preached in HAC chapel the other day.  He talked about our reward for seeking God.  If we sacrifice our dreams and desires to seek God, but then expect Him to reward us with the selfish desires of our heart, then we are wrong.  In Psalm 37:4 it says, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." We all tend to take this verse and think that if we delight ourselves in God, He will give us our desires.  But this is all wrong! How do I know that? Because I'm guilty of it myself.  If we delight ourselves in God then He will give us the desires of our heart...HIM!!! Think about it this way...think of something you delight in...is it work, food, sports...whatever it is...don't you think if you delight in something that when you get a reward, that something you delight in will be the reward?  Then why do we thnk if we delight ourselves in God and seek after Him, that we are going to get a different reward.  If we are seeking Him, then our reward will be what we seek.  If God was our reward for seeking Him...would we still seek Him?  Are we giving things up and seeking Christ so that He can give us blessings? If so, then we are wrong! God may find it pleasurable to give us blessings, but our reward for seeking God is finding HIM!!

Fourthly we can learn that God is the One who gives us peace and quiet.  He is our protector who makes us dwell in safety.  The One who never leaves us and calms all our fears. He will bring us through the storms but give us restful peace afterwards.  He is the One who can give us peace to lay our heads down at night in peace...and sleep:)

I am back!!!:) Sorry for being gone for so long but I had some things to focus on before I started blogging again. It's good to be back!!:)

A Merry Heart

Proverbs 15:13"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."

Hmmm...this verse is so true.  It's hard to be happy when things are burdening your heart.  Everyone is going through troubles....don't forget that.  You are not alone.  Why not...instead of focusing on your own sorrows,  focus on someone else?  If you see someone who is down in the mouth, why not make it your goal to bring a smile to their face?  It's amazing how your heart is lifted when you lift someone else's.  Stop focusing on yourself and having a pity party!! Go focus on someone else and invest your life in theirs!  There is no greater accomplishment in life then to invest yourself in another person's life!!:)

Psalm 3

"1.LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5. I laid me down an slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 7. Arise, O LORD, save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8. Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah."

Here David is crying out to God because his son Absolam has caused a rebellion. Many go up against Daved during this time. A lot of people keep telling him that God can not help him.  Instead of allowing these circumstances and the words others are saying to get him down, he turns to God for help.  He cries to God because He is the ONLY person that could help him.  Imagine the heartache of having the one you love stabbing you in the back like that. But as always, God heard David, just like He hears us.  I really like how David is in distress in the first part of this chapter then he cries out to God and the next thing you see he's laying down to sleep.  God sustains him and gives him the hope and strength he needs.  I love how David says, "I will not be afraid of then thousands of people." God took care of that problem for him...David has nothing to fear.  I really like the last verse, "Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah." God will save us and bless us because we are HIS people. We belong to Him....ahhhh...I LOVE that!!!! Too many people say that they feel like they don't belong...well HELLO...you BELONG to GOD!!!!! He loves you, cares for you...YOU are HIS!!!!!
I can't help but think what would have happened to David if he would have allowed himself to get discouraged by this rebellion and rejection.  What if he had listened to them and NOT turned to God for help?  Who would have sustained him?  Who would have saved and blessed him?  What blessings and encouragement are we missing out on because we turn to everyone and everything else instead of turning to God who can take our anguish and sustain us through it?  Did the problem disappear? No.  But there is Someone right there helping...IF you turn to Him for help.  I'm sorry, but I think I want my help from the One who created me and this world I live in. I would rather have help from the Creator than the created.

Psalm 2

"1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 7. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 10. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."

A lot of times in our lives, we ask why people do evil things to us?  Why is the world allowed to hurt us?  They make plans to hurt God, His word, and His people.  They want to break us.  God sits there on His throne laughing at their efforts.  He knows the end result to their plans.  His punishment will be on them.  There is no need for us to put our focus on how the world is hurting or hindering us.  Our job is to glorify and magnify God and focus on our part in spreading His word.  If we allow ourselves to put our focus on how they hurt us, then we are allowing them to hinder our own work.  Forget about their plans...put your focus on your own job and get it done...don't lose your focus.  God says He will deliver them into our hands...we don't need to do anything to take care of the problem...God will take care of it.  Now let me get on my "soap box" for a minute.  There is no need for Christians to be criticizing other Christians.  Just because their standards are not up to your standards does not give you a reason to slander their name.  If you were a true Christian, you would keep your mouth shut to everyone else and pray for them.  You are losing your focus on life and the work of God when you focus on everyone else's problems.  God will take care of it...stop trying to do His job!!!!  Trust me, I am sure you have enough problems of your own to focus on.
We are to serve the Lord with respect and rejoice in the fact that we have a God that loves us the way He does.  Put your trust in Him and He will bless you.

Honesty

Proverbs 12:19 "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment."
Proverbs 12:22 "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight."

This is so true.  Think about when someone has been dishonest with you before...are you quick to believe them again?  If you were smart...NO!!  If you're truthful, you will gain peoples trust and they will believe you...the Bible says it will be established forever.  People take you at your word because they know your honest - you have a lip of truth.  Do your words hold any weight because of your honesty? Or are you always being second guessed?  A lying tongue only lasts for a moment- you WILL be found out.
Your honesty affects your name.  God says that our word and our name are greater than having a lot of money. Proverbs 22:1 "A good name is rather to be chosen then great riches..."  No wonder He considers lying an abomination.  Now, all of us have lied at one point and time in our lives, but have you ever considered what that lie cost you?  Have you thought about who you hurt with that lie?  A lot of time it leads you into another lie and another lie to cover the first lie and it leads you into one BIG mess!!  This is not saying that once you've lied you're done for, but it does mean you may have a long road ahead of you to gain that persons trust back.  The choice is yours....do you want your word to mean something?  To be established forever?  Or are you willing to let your name and reputation go down the drain because you can't handle telling the truth?  Remember that God delights in you being truthful!!:)
Side note:  I understand all of us are sinners and make mistakes.  We should learn from those mistakes and make sure we don't make the same mistake twice.  Just make sure that you aren't using the, "I'm just a sinner," card.  We're all sinners but don't make that an excuse for you to do wrong.

Psalm 1

"1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

The ungodly, the sinners, and the scornful pretty much all come from the same category. I call them  the bad crowd...whether saved or not.  (a little side note here...if our friends and the people we hang out with the most are unsaved and from the world, and we kind of push away our Christian friends because we may not believe exactly the same way...something is wrong...I guarantee that your Christian friends agree on the ONE thing that is most important...don't ever push them away...everyone is entitled to their opinion...be big enough to handle that!! Also...if we're close to unsaved and worldly people...why are they not saved now and headed on a better path?...are you helping them or are they dragging you down?)  God says we are not to walk, stand or sit with them.  You may think, "But I can help them!" I heard a statement once, "One good apple and one bad apple doesn't make two good apples."  To walk, stand, sit with them you would have to be in their group.  The bad crowd doesn't like to be alone.  Notice it was not said to stay away from A person-singular.  If you walk, stand and sit with them you are sitting with a GROUP of scornful, walking with a GROUP of ungodly, you are standing with a GROUP of sinners.  (Now we are all sinners but this verse is talking about sinners who do nothing about their sin.)
In verse two God says that the person who separates himself from that group will find delight in the law of the Lord.  He will meditate on God's law day and night.  God is on his mind more than any other subject.  The thought of God and His law take up more of His time than anything else.  The man who separates himself is strong and prosperous.  In his season - the time God has appointed- he will bring forth fruit - be prosperous.  That group He separated from...the wind can drive them away, there is no substance to them.  That group will not stand in the judgement or in the congregation of the righteous because they are guilty and are uncomfortable in the right crowd.
The righteous man-he will prosper-His way/path is guided by the Lord.
The ungodly/bad crowd-their way is the path to destruction.
When it is all put that way, it is easy to choose what path you want to take, but to actually do it is another thing.  The righteous man is strong because it had to take strength to separate himself.  He is prosperous because he had to go through hardships and he learned from his own mistakes and hardships. He used them for the good instead of allowing them to hurt and destroy him.  God is the leader and guider of his path.  He may have to give up his dreams on this path, but in the end, he will find a dream bigger than he could ever imagine.  Sometimes God gives us dreams then sees if we can give them up for Him.  A lot of times our dreams in the end will match up to God's will; we just have to be willing to give them up for Him.  If our dreams are more important than Him than we are losing focus on the One who should be the most important in our lives.  God knows our dreams and desires...He put them there...but sometimes He decides to fulfill our dream in another way.  For instance, say you always dreamed of being a concert pianist or to be a famous musician, but you had to give up that dream for God.  In the end He used your talent in your church and you now teach music today.   You know you had a love for music and a passion for it...you had a dream to do something big with it...to perform it....well God used that dream and formed it into His own will.  You perform music for the glory of God in your church and teach others how to do the same...in your own way you are becoming famous...because you are reproducing your talent through those you teach. God saw your dream...put it there...had you give it up...then gave you your dream in a way you didn't imagine...to the world it may not seem big...but when did we ever look to the world to judge what we did was right or not?!?...our dreams are not for the world's pleasure...their for the pleasure of God...that's why to perform music for the glory of God is SO much bigger than to perform for the pleasure of the world.  This righteous man, is a man who has a will of his own but submits it to the will of God.  I've heard people say before, "don't have a will," but it says in the Bible to submit our will to God. We must HAVE a will to SUBMIT a will.  God is not going to use someone with no goals and ambitions in life, but sometimes we may have to give those up to do His will.  Don't worry though, you may have to give up something to do His will but He gives back in abundance.  Remember the righteous man's life in the end is prosperous, that is because He trusted God, had the strength to take a stand, and he submitted his own will to do the will of God.
SIDE NOTE: In his season - You may not see the blessings in life right away because God wants you to learn some lessons in your hardships.  Don't follow God to get blessings.  Never expect it.  If we were honest with ourselves, we know we deserve absolutely nothing good.  We deserve hell.  God does bring blessings to those who obey Him, but it won't come to you until your "season" is at hand.

To Hide In My Heart

Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

I had an idea recently to blog a devotional a week on a Psalm.  I came across Psalms 119:11 and I knew exactly what it should be titled.  What I've been doing recently is taken a Psalm a week and memorized it then did a devotional on it.  I wanted to memorize it and put some meaning to it.  Too many times we take the Bible and read it but we don't hide it in our hearts.  We understand what we read but we don't take it with us.  On this blog I will be putting my thoughts on the Psalm for the week and then other thoughts I may get as I read the Bible.  I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on the Book that has become very important to me!!:)