Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
We have recited this Psalm so many times, we know it by heart. But, let's take another look at it. Read through it and think about the roles God plays in your life, as described by Psalm 23.
The LORD is my shepherd (Shepherd, Caregiver), I shall not be in want (Provider)
He restores my soul. (Healer)
He guides me in paths of righteousness (Guide, Life Coach)
for His name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, (Protector)
for You are with me; (Companion)
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. (Shield, Comforter)
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies (Shelter).
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life (Blessing Giver, Merciful),
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. (Father)
God is everything we need! As you read it, do any others pop into your head? Say a prayer to God thanking Him for promising to be all of these things in your life.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Creator
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Summer is a great time to admire God's handiwork. When you see a sunset, a dark cloudy thunderstorm with lightning show, a clear sunny sky, a rainbow, or the heavens full of stars, remember God made it all. When I look at the perfection and the beauty, I wonder how people can deny God is there. How could all of that happen by chance?
God created everything. He created you too. He created you just the way He wants you to be. Take time to look at the works of His hands, and thank Him for it.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
There is Nothing You Can Hide
Psalm 139:1-12 (New International Version)
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
From The Message:
God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too—your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful—I can't take it all in! Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute—you're already there waiting! Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I'm immersed in the light!" It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.
Those verses do not need explanation, do they? There is no hiding from God, not your presence, not your words, not your thoughts. What is great about that is He is always there with you. He knows eveything about you. He is always there to help and to listen.
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
From The Message:
God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too—your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful—I can't take it all in! Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute—you're already there waiting! Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I'm immersed in the light!" It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.
Those verses do not need explanation, do they? There is no hiding from God, not your presence, not your words, not your thoughts. What is great about that is He is always there with you. He knows eveything about you. He is always there to help and to listen.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
God is On Your Side
Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
This is a verse for any circumstance. Kids picking on you? Parents bossing you? Teacher nagging you? What can you say in reponse to that? God is on your side. That does not mean He is agreeing with you if you are in the wrong, but He loves you no matter what and will take care of you no matter what. When things start feeling like one big contest of everyone against you, God is on your side. Who better to have on your side?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Fruits of the Spirit
You will hear alot about the fruits of the Spirit. That means the good things that grow in you, given to you by the Holy Spirit. When you become a Christian, and the Holy Spirit lives inside you, these things are yours. In this section of Galatians 5 (16-25), we are told that we have a choice in how we live. We can live according to the world, indulging our sinful natures, or, we can live how the Holy Spirit directs us. Those two ways do not go together, it is one or the other. It does not mean that if you live by the Holy Spirit that you will be perfect or expected to be perfect. It odes mean that given a choice to be loving or hateful.....selfish or giving.....angry or patient, the Holy Spirit is there to help you make the right choice. He gives you the tools and the strength you need.
New International Version
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
The Message Version
16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
New International Version
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
The Message Version
16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
This is a lot to think about, let me know if you have questions.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Perfection
Psalm 18:30
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.
Job 36:4
Be assured that My words are not false; One perfect in knowledge is with you.
God is perfect. He has perfect knowledge. His word is flawless. So, you know that whatever He tells us or promises us through the bible, is true and perfect. You can count on it. Everything He does is perfect. He does not make mistakes. What does that say about you? He made you just the way He wants you to be. He gave you gifts and talents as well as faults, for a reason. He will show you how to grow and improve on what He has given you, and how to work with it along the way.
No place in the bible does it say that He expects us to be perfect. That is His job, not ours. In fact, He says we are all sinners. What a relief to know that we know the Perfect One and He loves us and is guiding our lives!
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.
Job 36:4
Be assured that My words are not false; One perfect in knowledge is with you.
God is perfect. He has perfect knowledge. His word is flawless. So, you know that whatever He tells us or promises us through the bible, is true and perfect. You can count on it. Everything He does is perfect. He does not make mistakes. What does that say about you? He made you just the way He wants you to be. He gave you gifts and talents as well as faults, for a reason. He will show you how to grow and improve on what He has given you, and how to work with it along the way.
No place in the bible does it say that He expects us to be perfect. That is His job, not ours. In fact, He says we are all sinners. What a relief to know that we know the Perfect One and He loves us and is guiding our lives!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Cool is Sometimes Not Cool
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
You have always been very good at this, following what your Mom taught you about people. She is right. We are all the same. None of us is better than any other. We are all sinners. We are all human.
So, this is just a reminder of what your Mom taught you about people that she learned from God. It gets harder in high school to remember this. You don't have to prove you are cool by ignoring or snubbing other kids who are not in your crowd. You find out how much you are worth in your relationship with God. He loves you because you are you. It isn't about how many teams or bands you play on or how many friends you have. It is how you are obedient and faithful you are to God that counts.
So, that leaves you free to enjoy all kinds of people. It is alot easier to speak to the outcast or the geek if you can remember that those kids are special to God, just like you are.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
You have always been very good at this, following what your Mom taught you about people. She is right. We are all the same. None of us is better than any other. We are all sinners. We are all human.
So, this is just a reminder of what your Mom taught you about people that she learned from God. It gets harder in high school to remember this. You don't have to prove you are cool by ignoring or snubbing other kids who are not in your crowd. You find out how much you are worth in your relationship with God. He loves you because you are you. It isn't about how many teams or bands you play on or how many friends you have. It is how you are obedient and faithful you are to God that counts.
So, that leaves you free to enjoy all kinds of people. It is alot easier to speak to the outcast or the geek if you can remember that those kids are special to God, just like you are.
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