Posts Tagged ‘ Psalms ’
even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me.
Psalm 139:10, CSB
No matter what life brings, God is in control. It is best to trust Him and live by His leading as found in the Bible, by the Holy Spirit, and with help from the Church.
I enjoy the Christmas season. I enjoy celebrating Advent.
The first week of Advent can be found here.
The second week of Advent can be found here.
The third week of Advent can be found here.
The fourth week of Advent is traditionally seen as being a time for looking at love. This year, I am using some of the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Let’s get into (a slightly longer devotional for)
Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Micah 5:2-5a, CSB
you are small among the clans of Judah;
one will come from you
to be ruler over Israel for me.
His origin is from antiquity,
from ancient times.
Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return
to the people of Israel.
He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of the Lord his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
He will be their peace.
God revealed that The Messiah would be born in the town of Bethlehem after a period of silence from God. But this Messiah would be the King of Israel and His fame and rule would go around the world, bringing peace and hope. We can see the love of God in this King being a loving shepherd, and there is evidence of this being God Himself based on His being born yet also “from antiquity.”
Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
Psalm 80:1-7, CSB
who leads Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Rally your power and come to save us.
Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,
so that we may be saved.
Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?
You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure[a]
of tears to drink.
You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.
Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.
The writer of Psalm 80 shows us that this King is God, the God of angel armies who sits above the cherubim. He will restore His people through forgiveness and salvation as their loving shepherd.
Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said:
Hebrews 10:5-10, CSB
You did not desire sacrifice and offering,
but you prepared a body for me.
You did not delight
in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.
Then I said, “See—
it is written about me
in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, God.”
After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), he then says, See, I have come to do your will.[b] He takes away the first to establish the second. By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
The writer of Hebrews then quotes Psalm 40 to show that this Shepherd King is also a Priest who does God’s will to make a new covenant of salvation from sin. God Himself is our Shepherd King and High Priest who became a human to save us from our sin.
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”
Luke 1:45, CSB
Mary believed that God had chosen her to bring this Priestly Shepherd King into the world.
Now, we are called to believe that God came to us through her, that Jesus came to save us from our sin, and that He loves us enough to have taken our shame upon Himself.
“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”
John 14:15, CSB
We are now called to love the world in the same way. If we love our God, we will lay down our very lives to proclaim His love to a lost and hurting world, giving them the hope of eternity in the joy and peace of Christ.
Lord, we thank You for the love that saves us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, please guide us in Your love to share the hope of Christ, to live in the peace of Christ, and to discover the joy we have in Christ. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for coming for us. Thank You for promising to come for us again. Thank You, Jesus, our Immanuel.
Looking at a daily devotional, I couldn’t help noticing that our American day of Tahnksgiving falls on the 333rd day of the year.
My mind immediately thought, “That’s funny. Our holiday is only half-evil,” going from the traditional understanding of “666” being the number of the Antichrist.
Naturally, that took my mind to Scripture:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-21, ESV
The world is a crazy place with more sin than we can fathom being celebrated, yet we can come together in thankfulness for our Lord who is redeeming the world and will soon return in glory.
Let us encourage each other in Christ, especially on a day like Thanksgiving but also throughout the year. Enjoy times with each other as the Church, and love your family and friends.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good … even when the world is half evil.
Happy Thanksgiving.
You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114, ESV
Trust God. He is the place we find safety and security, defense from evil, as He has revealed in His Word.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
Psalm 68:19, ESV
God moves in and with us, guiding us and strengthening us, and the primary way He does this is by the Holy Spirit through His Church. Trust Him and be with His people.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Psalm 133:1, ESV
We are called to unity in Christ, and it is something that the world will notice. May we abide in Christ and with each other.
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, ESV
God has said He will be with us, the Creator of the universe who can hold it all in His hand, wishes to live with us by the indwelling of His Spirit.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:13-14, ESV
We are saved in Christ alone, and as God He knows us beyond intimately, better than we know ourselves. He is our Creator and Savior and worthy of all love and praise.
But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
Psalm 59:16, ESV
We are saved in Christ alone, for only He is strong enough, good enough, and faithfulness enough to save. Let us believe and praise Him.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18, ESV
God is changing this world for His glory, and He starts with those who need the most help, who are painfully aware of their need for a Savior. We all need Him.
a simple man of God 