Wedding Eve...Psalms 1

This is it. Last day of single-hood. Lots to do today. :) Pray for us. Pray we keep today & tomorrow lighthearted, full of humor, minimal frustrations, & lots of great memories to look back on in the years to come.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1 ESV)

4 Days...Psalms 4

What a great psalm! It is a short 8 verses yet there is SOOO much packed in them.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!(Psalm 4:1 ESV)

Oh, how the Lord has answered both mine & Anthony's prayers for a godly spouse. Despite our apprehensions of what is not known to us yet ;) & other typical butterflies that come with knitting your soul to another human being, we cannot wait to be married. Not just because we love each other so much & enjoy each other's company & all, but because God has directed our path in such minute details that we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that He has willed this marriage. We also don't feel like He has done this just because He likes us, but because He has something major planned for us and we can't wait to see what that is. 


God didn't just answer our prayers but our parents' & friends prayers and I know of at least one Sunday School class that was praying for a mate for me.

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah(Psalm 4:2 ESV)

That last question is still relevant today. (By the way, you will rarely hear me use the word "relevant." I have come to almost hate that word. Heretical teachers, like I'm about to describe, use that word constantly today saying things like, "We need to make the Bible relevant to today's culture." WRONG!!! The Bible has always been relevant. Sorry...I digresss...I'll write a post about that on my other blog another day...) 


I don't know if you have noticed in the last few years but there is a growing fascination & love for what I call fortune cookie philosophy. Those sentence or two statements that seem to hold some kind of ground breaking revelation/truth but when you really look at them & critically think about them, they don't really make sense. Either it is just stating some kind of bland fact with flowery language, it's practically an oxymoron or double-speak. More like a string of pretty words that sound nice but don't really make cohesive sense. Am I right on this or the only one that has noticed this?


Verse 2 also mentions how the people were/are seeking lies. This is so true today. Just look at the "popular" preachers: Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, Steven Furtick, T.D. Jakes, Rick Joyner, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Cindy Jacobs, C. Peter Wagner, Creflo Dollar, Todd Bentley, Lou Engle, & the like. 2 Timothy 4 warns about such false teachers & those that follow them.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.(2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

It's not easy to speak out against the "poplar kids" but when they are leading people to a false security, you can't stand idly by. I don't want to have my friends & family look at me on Judgment Day & say, "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you warn us?" I couldn't bear that kind of guilt. 

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.(Psalm 4:3 ESV)

What encouragement! Just to know that God has set me aside (1) saving me from damnation & (2) to live for eternity in Paradise.

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.(Psalm 4:7 ESV)

What an anthem! Everything may be crashing down around me but I can hold fast to the joy that Christ has placed in me. I may not be happy but I have joy & that is worth more than the happiest of days. Whether God decides to bless us with riches or poverty, we will have Him & that is all we need.

Psalm 14...Only a fool

Once again I fall a couple of days behind. 


Psalm 14 is almost identical to Psalm 53.


I would skip this psalm, not because it isn't worth reading...there is nothing not worth reading in the Bible but just because I am so far behind. However, I can't help but mention at least the very first verse. This verse changed my view point or at least I found very interesting on two points. 


So, here is the verse...

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 ESV)

The  first part, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" is also referred to in Psalm 10.

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;all his thoughts are, "There is no God."(Psalm 10:4, ESV) 

Even demons admit God's existence.

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
(James 2:19 ESV)

The next part of the verse, "...there is none who does good." is later referenced in Romans.

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”(Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

These verses describe the depravity of man. How utterly sinful we are. Isaiah describes it in even more graphic detail.

We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
(Isaiah 64:6a ESV)

In this verse, is the term "polluted garment." Many other translations use, "filthy rags." These are very "nice" or less offensive terms for what the original Hebrew uses. The Hebrew word used here is "'iddah." Literally translated, that word refers to a used menstrual rag or pad. Gross, right? But very descriptive.

I always thought of the "filthy rags" as being like my dad's old rags that he used to change the oil or wash the car with. But when I looked at the original term, it puts the way God looks at my "good deeds" in a whole different light.

This, however, does not mean that we shouldn't do good works. It just means that if that is what we are counting on saving us, we are sorely mistaken.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.(Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
(James 2:26 ESV)

So, back to the psalm, (1) someone who denies the existence of God is a fool & (2) none of us are good.

18 Days = Psalm 18

Oh, my, Psalm 18 is long. Due to that & the fact I need to clean my bed room & closet so poor Anthony has a place to hang at least a couple of outfits, I'm only going to write on a couple of verses in the passage. 


First, let me explain a little of what has happened in David's life to cause him to write this praise song.

If you know the story of David you will know he was a lowly shepherd boy, so how did he become king of the Israelites? After the Israelites were led out of Egypt by Moses, they were to only have God as their leader. There were judges that ran the day-to-day affairs & made sure God's law was being honored & obeyed but the true "head" was to be God. Well, the people, typical to all humans, whined & complained that they wanted a king like all the other nations around them. Finally, God said, "Fine, you want a king, here is Saul." (I'm paraphrasing.)


Now, fast forward a few years. God had instructed the people to go into the Promised Land & drive out all the inhabitants there. However, Saul did not follow God's instructions, so, he rejected Saul & found our lowly hero, the "man after God's own heart."


God sent Samuel (the prophet) to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse (David's dad) & there, anointed David. However, he did not immediately become crowned. In fact, he returned to the fields. 


After the anointing, God's Spirit came upon David & left Saul. Saul was then possessed or oppressed by a demon. He would go off in fits of rage, so one day one of his servants suggested he have a harp player come play for him to calm him. Who do you suppose was this wonderful musician? That's right! Our hero...David! Saul loved David. So much so that he made David his armor bearer (kind of like his "right-hand man"). Even Saul's son, Jonathan, and David became best friends.  


Now comes the most famous David story. The Philistine's were attacking the Israelites and they were scared to death. Jesse sent David to the front lines with some food for his brothers. When he saw how fearful the Israelites were acting before the Philisteans, David said to them, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26 ESV) Let's admit, this young fellow was quite the honey badger (pop culture/YouTube reference for those of you who do not get what I just said...basically he is quite the whipper-snapper, a feisty & fearless lad). Well, long-story-short, David killed the giant Goliath & received the praise of the entire country. 


David was praised higher than Saul, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7 ESV). And when Saul heard their songs of praise, he became enraged with jealousy. He even tried to kill him a couple of times but Saul was also afraid of David because the people loved him so much. Saul ended up giving David his daughter in marriage so David became Saul's son-in-law. All I can say is, thank God I'm not marrying into that crazy family...I mean, they're crazy but no one has tried to spear me yet, so my soon-to-be in-laws are looking pretty classy in comparison. ;)

Finally, Saul had had enough & plotted to kill David. However, Jonathan told David & he fled. For several years David was on the run from Saul. During this time, David penned many of the Psalms, especially the ones that speak of God delivering him from his enemies. Psalm 18 is one of those. 


I know what you are thinking. "Why did it take you all that time to just say, 'this Psalm was written after David was delivered from Saul & his army'?" However, I think it is nice to remember the history every once in a while. ;)


So, I'm going to pick out a couple of verses that really jumped out at me when reading it this time.

For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. (Psalm 18:22 ESV)

David, is telling us here that it is vital to stay in the Word. 

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11 ESV)

  Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:97-104 ESV)

There are so many benefits to studying God's Word. You learn about history, learn about the future, you learn about the Trinity, you grow in wisdom, it keeps you from becoming over-come with sin, it teaches you discernment & how to avoid being taken in by false teachers,....I just can't say enough about it.

With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. (Psalm 18:25-27 ESV) 

This is why atheists & other non-Christians see God as a cruel god. That's why you often hear, "Well, if your god is so loving, then why does he ________?" They do not understand. The evil see God as evil. Ok, I'm sure someone is going to say, "You think I'm evil just because I don't believe in your god?!" Yes, I do, because we are all evil, the Bible says so. 

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 ESV)

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; (Romans 3:10 ESV)

However, God provided a way to be purified, sanctified through Christ's sacrifice.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26 ESV)

And that brings us to verse 28.

For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. (Psalm 18:28 ESV)

David is, once again, referring to God as a lamp. Like I talked about in the post over Psalm 27, the light of God brings understanding to His Word.

19 Days To Go!!!

Well, I've fallen a little behind on the writing about the Psalms. The last few days have been so great, I start writing & I just don't think I am doing them justice. I really want to go back & cover them all another time but as far as the last few days, there is so much in there, to do it right, I'll just have to spend a great deal more time on them than I have at the moment. Suffice it to say, one day I will cover the Messianic prophecies of Psalms 22, the apocalyptic prophecy of Psalms 21, and the eschatological (end times) descriptions of Psalms 20. Those are some mighty, mighty passages.


As for today...today is T-19 days. 


We have pretty much everything taken care of except me actually paying people & ordering more tables, chairs, & all. That's what I'm working on this week. It is kind of a strange feeling. I feel like the last few weeks I've been stressing & running about crazy trying to get everything done & now that almost everything is done, I don't really know what to feel. I feel like I should be stressing about something but I can't think of what & that kind of stresses me out. LOL. Oh well...time for some Bible reading...time to bring me back to what REALY matters. 

Psalms 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
(Psalm 19:1-6 ESV)

I use to work nights & get off work at 7 am. I saw some of the most beautiful sunrises in my life. When I had pulled away from God, I would see those sunrises & think, "How nice. Clearly there is a God." But, once I had come back to Christ & I was assured of my salvation, I would see those sunrises & my heart would almost burst. It was everything I could do not to dance through the parking lot like a loon. 2 Samuel 6:14 talks about how David "danced before the Lord" in praise as he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to the City of David. I could empathize with David. I still can. Seeing the majestic beauty of God's creation is a humbling & praiseworthy moment. 


My sister & I went on a road trip several springs ago. It was one of the best trips I have ever been on. One of our stops was Arches National Park. I have never really cared much for the desert. It just seems so boring & dead. What could be beautiful there? Boy was I surprised. Our mouths were gaping the whole time we were there. I have never beheld such beauty. We kept taking picture after picture but just could not seem to capture what we were actually beholding.


The Lord has made his existence known to the whole world through His creation. 

The heavens declare his righteousness,for God himself is judge! Selah(Psalm 50:6 ESV)

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 ESV)

That is why it says in Psalms 14:1 "The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” And, Romans 1 continued after vets 20 to say:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
(Romans 1:21-25 ESV)

I love the language used here in the first part of Psalms 19 in comparing a sunrise to a "bridegroom." To remind you, it says, "which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy." 


When a bridegroom leaves his house, his chamber, I doubt there have been many that did so in a bored or unenthusiastic manner. No. You picture a young man barely able to control his eagerness. You almost picture him bursting out of his house & running down the street to his bride, running with joy written all over his face...or at least that is what I picture. 

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
(Psalm 19:7-11 ESV)

Here David, is praising God's word. He is praising God for His righteousness & acknowledging the Lord as Master over his [David's] life. He is stating that it is God's law that is the standard for what is right & good & true. No manmade law can surpass or nullify God's law.


Verse 8 goes back to the quote by CS Lewis that I used in the "27 Days Left...Psalms 27" post.

 "Anyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence being sharpened: one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself." (Mere Christianity: Book Three: Christian Behavior: The 'Cardinal Virtues')

The thing about the Law is that it is impossible to keep. From birth we are evil people. I know it is hard to believe that when you see a cute little baby that smells so nice & coos at you. But, think about it, is it necessary to teach a child to be selfish? Do you need to teach a toddler to steal from another child? Do you have to teach a 2 year old how to throw a temper tantrum? No, of course not. We are wired in our sin nature to put our selves first. We are evil to the core.

But, thankfully, Jesus came & fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17) and His sacrifice has saved (John 3:16) us from the damnation of the law (Romans 6:23).

Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
(Psalm 19:12-14 ESV)

Have you ever tried to confess every sin you could think of to the Lord? I could go on for days & still forget some. The "big" sins, those that even worldly people consider immoral are easy to remember, such as stealing or lying. But what about those that the world doesn't really think much of, like thinking a mean thought about someone you don't really like, or cursing at the person that cut you off on the way to work this morning, or lusting after the handsome actor on your favorite TV show? Those are the kickers, "the ones that got away," our secret sins.

For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
(Psalm 40:12 ESV)

You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
(Psalm 90:8 ESV)

teach me what I do not see;
if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
(Job 34:32 ESV)

David, pleads with the Father to not let his sins build up on him & take over him. Bad habits are not difficult to learn. It is easy to come home & plop onto the couch & not move for the rest of the night. It's even easier the next evening. And, then the next. Pretty soon, laziness has taken you over. You become a slave to laziness. No matter how much you want to go home & do something productive, you just don't have the energy. Sin is the same way. "Give it an inch, & it will take a mile." However, if we are truly saved by grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8), sin cannot regain control of our lives.

Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
(Psalm 119:133 ESV)

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
(Romans 6:14 ESV)

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
(John 10:28-30 ESV)

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.(Titus 3:3-7 ESV)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
(Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39 ESV)

25 Days...Psalms 25

"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.O my God, in you I trust;let me not be put to shame;let not my enemies exult over me.Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;they while be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous." -- Ps. 25:1-3

Don't you know that Anthony & I know about waiting? Man!


Waiting stinks (would have used a bit more crass word but I know I would get a disapproving comment or email from my mom).


The Jews know waiting. For centuries the waited for a Savior. A warrior like David that would smite their enemies & raise them up as kings of the world. But then Jesus came. He was not the warrior they were expecting. He was gentle. He preached forgiveness of sins, even to the Gentiles. He couldn't have been the one they waited for. He had to be an impostor! Christ's own disciples were confused after his crucifixion. Even John the Baptist questioned if Jesus was the anticipated Messiah(Matthew 11:1-6). I have a quote that I've always liked that seems appropriate for that, "How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?" - Unknown.

"Make me to know your ways, O Lord;teach me your paths.Leade me in your truth and teach me,for you are the God of my salvation;for you I wait all the day long." -- Ps. 25:4-5

The Lord has taught me so much by His Word. I love this passage. I think I will start making this my prayer, "Lord, teach me your ways. Not man's ways. Not my ways. Your ways. 'Lead me in your truth & teach me.' Close off my mind to what the world claims is true. Teach me your ways. Lead me to your truth."

"Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,for they have been from of old.Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;according to your steadfast love remember me,for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!" -- Ps. 25:6-7

The Hebrew word here where "of old" is "olam." It means "long duration" or "antiquity" but it also means "futurity." In short, it means "forever," "permanent," "everlasting," "continual." So, the Lord's love & mercy has always been & always will be. 


Speaking of waiting & patience...I am amazed at how much patience God has with me. I continually make the same mistakes, commit the same sins, whine about the most pointless stuff to Him. And what does He do? He waits patiently. He doesn't strike me down. He doesn't abandon me. He doesn't turn me into an automaton & make me do His will without a choice. No. He leads people into my life to speak truth to me. He opens my mind to understand His Word. And He waits patiently for me to finally give up my soul & come fully to him.

"Good and upright is the Lord;therefore he instructs sinners in the way.He leads the humble in what is right,and teaches the humble his way.All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love an faithfulness,for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies." -- Ps. 25:8-10

"For your name's sake, O Lord,pardon my guilt, for it is great.Who is the man who fears the Lord?Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.His should shall abide in well-being,and his offspring shall inherit the land.The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,and makes known to them his covenant.My eyes are never toward the Lord,for he will pluck my feet out of the net." -- Ps. 25:11-15

"Turn to me and be gracious to me,for I am lonely and afflicted.The troubles of my heart are enlarged;bring me out of my distresses.Consider my affliction and my trouble,and forgive all sins." -- Ps. 25:16-18

"Consider how many are my foes,and with what violent hatred they hate me.Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.May integrity and uprightness preserve me,for I wait for you." -- Ps. 25:19-21

"Redeem Israel, O God,out of all his troubles." - Ps. 25:22

Psalms 26...26 Days Left

Psalms 26 is a prayer all Christian's should be able to pray. 

"Vindicate me, O Lord,for I have walked in my integrity,and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.Prove me, O Lord, and try me;test my heart and my mind.For your steadfast love is before my eyes,and I walk in your faithfulness." -- Ps 26:1-3

This is something I truly hope to do. I pray my motives are true. That if the Lord did test my heart & mind, they would stand solid. 

You hear stories of missionaries out in the field who are told to renounce God or they or their children or both will be killed and they stand firm as their entire family is tortured & murdered. You hear of young people like Cassie Bernall who was shot & killed in Columbine by her classmate because when asked about whether she believed in God, she said "Yes." You hear of all these things & then wonder, "What would I do in that situation?" You like to think you would hold strong & take the bullet or knife or torture. But, in the dark, all alone, when you think of such things...is it just me, or does everyone really wonder if they would hold tight & not deny Christ like Peter did (Luke 22)?

"I do not sit with men of falsehood,nor do I consort with hypocrites.I hate the assembly of evildoers,and will not sit with the wicked." -- Ps. 26:4-5

I recently shared an article on Facebook about Rick Warren teaming up with Muslims & claiming that we worship the same god. I do not intend on going on now about how this is not true but Warren teaming up with Muslims is not an example of the verses above. 

The verse says, "I do not sit..." "To sit with" someone was not the same thing as them sitting together at dinner. The Hebrew word for "sit" in this instance is "yashab." It means more than just hanging out & chatting. It means to dwell, remain, live with, marry. So in this verse, the psalmist is saying he does not form deep relationships with people who live & preach a false gospel or follow the ways of the world. 

Paul warned against this in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16a:

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;" -- 2 Cor. 6:14-16a

"I wash my hands of innocenceand go around your alter, O Lord,proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,and telling all your wondrous deeds." -- Ps. 26:6-7

When you have truly been forgiven, it is difficult not to praise the Savior. However, we can start to feel self-conscious after a little while & then almost feel ashamed. But Christ has blessed us so much, why wouldn't we want to share that with others in hopes that they will accept Christ & partake in the blessings of God as well. Do we hate our friends so much that we don't share the most amazing gift every freely given with them? 

God has blessed me so much that I have nothing worth half of what He has given me. All I can do is praise Him...there is nothing I have of worth. He is God. What could I possibly give Him. Everything I have is from Him...even my life. I am completely & utterly poor & wretched...I have nothing. The only thing thing I can offer Him is my praise.

"O Lord, I love the habitation of your houseand the place where your glory dwells.Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,nor my life with bloodthirsty men,in whose hands are evil devices,and whose right hands are full of bribes." -- Ps. 26:8-10

David is the writer of this psalm & since the temple has not been constructed yet, God's "house" & place His "glory dwells" is the tabernacle. 

David loved the Lord with all his heart (Acts 13:22). Once things had finally settled down on the war-front for David, he looked around & noticed what a lovely & ornate palace he was living in & then realized God's Glory only had a tent to reside in. David decided he should build a great temple for God to "rest" in. But, that was not what God willed. God had set aside that task for David's son, Solomon. All-in-all, David still loved the tabernacle. Not because it was some fancy place but because that is where God was. 

After Christ's sacrifice, those of us who have had our sins cleansed, are now the dwelling of the Spirit. We no longer have to go to a building to find God, He is living in us. 

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." -- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;redeem me, and be gracious to me.My foot stands on level ground;in the great assembly I will bless the Lord." -- Ps. 26:11-12

These last two verses sum up the whole passage. 

27 Days Left...Psalms 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

This is verse 1 of Psalms 27. "The Lord is my light." 


Light has always symbolized understanding, wisdom, truth, knowledge. Just think of all those idioms. "Shine light on the subject." "Bring something to light." "A guiding light." "I have seen the light!" 


Here the psalmist says the Lord is his light. The Lord has revealed the Truth to him. He can only see the truth now through the Lord. What he could not decipher or was not evident is now clear. Like the old hymn says, "Once was blind, but now I see."

For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. -- Psalms 18:28

For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. -- Psalms 36:9

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me;let them bring me to your holy hill    and to your dwelling! -- Psalms 43:3

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. -- Isaiah 60:1 

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -- John 8:12 

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. -- 1 John 1:5 

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes:

"God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than of any other slackers. If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you, you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all. But, fortunately it works the other way round. Anyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence being sharpened: one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself. That is why an uneducated believer like Bunyan was able to write a book that has astonished the whole world." (Mere Christianity: Book Three: Christian Behavior: The 'Cardinal Virtues')

I have witnessed this in my own life. When I started really reading & studying the Bible, I started noticing I was understanding things. I was understanding things in the Bible I never understood before. Even in life, I was understanding things that didn't have anything to do with what I was studying in the Bible at the time. I also noticed I was able to articulate my thoughts better. My communication, especially writing, skills improved greatly. (Please don't think that I think I am some kind of great writer or orator. I don't. But, if you were to read some of my past stuff, you might be able to see a difference. Even if my wording isn't better, the ease, joy, length of my writing is incomparably better.)


Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that reading the Bible is some magical incantation to greater wisdom. However, Psalms 111:10 states, 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!"

Once a person has truly seen the light of the Lord & that light is within him, he is commanded to not, & cannot, hide it. As part of His famous "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus says, 

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

dc Talk - In the Light from josiahtwitch1990 on GodTube.