Daily Word

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In ignorance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. Psalm 10:1-2. This psalm has no title, it was likely combined with Ps.9. Taken separately and calling on God the psalm would be an individual lament, bemoaning the wicked who victimize the righteous and calling on God to restore justice. The psalmist is more troubled (Why…do you stand far away) by the apparent absence of God than by his enemies. Today, many continue to cry out…”why, O Lord, do you stand so far away” and “Why do you hide your face in times of trouble?” Yet those very same folks crying out fail to recognize that the only time they are interested in God or His help are during those times of tragedy or trouble, and never once do they accept or recognize their own part in what has caused that distance between themselves and God. Today, will you draw closer to God or push Him farther away?

Daily Word

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O, Lord! Let the nations know they are but men! Psalm 918-20. The phrase “the poor and needy” is a fixed expression in the OT, and the words often appear frequently in parallel. The meaning is frequently literal poverty, but the words may also be used figuratively to express total dependency on God. Poverty is not of itself meritorious, but God gives special attention to the cries of the oppressed. Jeremiah equates bringing “justice and righteousness” to the “poor and needy” with knowing God. This was an explicit responsibility of those in power.

Daily Word

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 their work of their own hands. The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. Psalm 9:15-17. The wickedness of such enemies will come back to haunt them. Remember it is the people who create a nation…and ALL those that forget God are considered enemies. The Lord continues to make Himself known. You as a follower of Christ are either furthering or hindering in His process. In which direction will you lead today?

Daily Word

Be gracious too 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 in the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. Psalm 9:13-14. In these verses this song moves to a prayer for deliverance from affliction. The previous threat (vv.3-6) makes it clear that others are yet to come, while the decisive victory has displayed God’s commitment to protect and preserve His people. The result of God’s answer to the people will be further praise in worship. How often do you give praise to God outside the comfort of your home or the weekly church service? Are you one whom is recognized for praising God in public?

Weekend Quote (Sun)

To be “spiritually minded” simply means to look at earth from heaven’s point of view. The spiritually mined believer makes his decisions on the basis of eternal values and not the passing fads of society. ~ Warren Wiersbe

Weekend Quote

Taking up a cross and dying to myself sounds more like torture. We think that such a decision would make us miserable. Is that what it means to follow Jesus? We wake up every morning and commit to misery. But when we die to ourselves and completely surrender to Him, there is a surprising side effect to dying; we discover true life. In a twist of irony, we find that giving up our lives gives us the life we so desperately wanted all along. ~ Kyle Idleman

Daily Word

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. The afflicted should know that God is present with them in their world. (Seeks Blood) God does not let wickedness go unpunished. Often times we look at the horrific things going on in the world around us, and wonder where God is. Be reminded today that regardless of how the circumstance appear on the outside of any situation; God hears the cry of the afflicted and NO wickedness goes unpunished. Nothing man can do in the eyes of man’s justice can compare to the wrath of God’s justice!

Daily Post

But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the people 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. And yet another reminder of that our God is more than a God of love…He is a God of justice. He doesn’t forsake those who seek him. The question is…Are you seeking Him according to your terms or His?

Daily Word

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 9:5-6. To be remembered no more (blotted out their name), contrasted with God’s name which will be praised forever. History has a way of repeating itself. No matter how big or small the enemy may be that you are facing; God has demonstrated His actions of bringing it to an end and leaving it in ruins. We must remember that His timing is not necessarily our timing. Our job is to stay focused in Him with both thanksgiving and praise!

Daily Word

When my enemies turn back, they stumble and parish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. Psalm 9:3-4. This is a statement of future hope (when my enemies turn back), not past reality. The psalmist is not confident in himself (throne, giving righteous judgment), but in God’s character as the righteous judge. Sometimes as we go through situations it appears that being a follower of Christ causes us to get the short end of the deal. From a worldly perspective we may come out looking weak or unjustified. But rest assured as a child of God…He maintains our just cause. In the end His purpose is better than ours could have ever been.

Daily Word

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all 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. The Hebrew word (wonderful deeds) refers to the great acts of God, His intervention in human affairs, as at the Exodus from Egypt. Today, take some time and to look back at God’s intervention throughout your life. Maybe you will find some times where looking back today ended up being more of His wonderful deed then it appeared to be at that time!

Weekend Quote (Sun)

“All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning.” ~ Oswald Chambers

Weekend Quote (Sat)

“I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived’. So it is with work-righteous and the proud unbelievers. Because they do not know the Law of God, which is directed against them, it is impossible for them to know their sin. Therefore also they are not amenable to instruction. If they would know the Law, they would also know their sin; and sin to which they are now dead would become alive in them.” ~ Martin Luther

Daily Word

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 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 the sheep and oxen, and also all 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, How majestic is your name in all the earth. Psalm 8:4-9. This passage is applied to Jesus in Heb.2:6-8. He was a perfect man as well as God. Jesus is the model of redeemed humanity and restored human dominion over creation. In the vastness of the universe (what is man) and against the greatness of God’s power, man is little. The Hebrew word ‘elohim, here translated “heavenly beings,” usually Means “God”, but it can mean “divine beings.” If God were in view one would have expected, “you have made him a little lower than yourself.” The “cultural mandate” (dominion) of Gen. 1:28 divinely confers on humanity the authority and responsibility for governing earthly life.

Daily Word

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above all 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. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set into place. Psalm 8:1-3. The subject of this hymn is the excellence of God in His works of creation, a major theme of the wisdom literature. The Psalm can be called a wisdom poem. It ponders God’s exaltation of lowly humanity in giving them dominion over creation. The personal, or covenantal, name (Lord) of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. A title (our Lord), which can be translated “governor” or “master”. He is our Lord because He has established His covenant with His people. The second verse of this Psalm is prophecy fulfilled by Jesus (Matt. 21:15-16). Take some time today to meditate on His majesty and glory…when was the last time you gave some thought to Him in that area of your life?

Daily Word

If a man does not repent, God will wet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, an on his own skull his violence descends. 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 7:12-17. Evil returns upon evil doers. God’s anger toward the persecutors shows itself by turning their own schemes against them. To those who only preach the love of God be reminded that the wrath of God is every bit as real and equal.

Daily Word

Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. Let the assemblies of the people be gathered about you; over it return on high. Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. Psalm 7:6-11. These verses of the Psalm are a call to God to arise as judge. The singers see their requests as a part of the larger picture: God is a righteous judge, to whom all the peoples of mankind, and not just Israel, are accountable; thus His anger and indignation are directed against those who threaten His faithful ones (the righteous, and the upright in heart). In the Psalms, judging is more often than not a saving action, God intervening on behalf of the innocent and oppressed. (In English the word “judge” tends to focus more on condemning than on rescuing.) The particular deliverance, then, is part of God’s larger project of putting the whole world back to its right order. Meditate on the point shown here that the psalmist recognizes and understands the importance of his righteousness before God, and therefore in faith confidently goes before God knowing His heart and mind will be tested.

Weekend Quote (Sun)

On the invitation Jesus gives us to follow Him there is an RSVP date and it reads: TODAY. The word tomorrow is not in the Holy Spirit’s vocabulary. Regardless whether or not you are a unbeliever, new believer, or how long you have believed. When Jesus calls us to follow, He means right now. He means today! ~ Kyle Idleman

Weekend Quote (Sat)

Taking up a cross and dying to myself sounds more like torture. We think that such a decision would make us miserable. Is that what it means to follow Jesus? We wake up every morning and commit to misery. But when we die to ourselves and completely surrender to Him, there is a surprising side effect to dying; we discover true life. In a twist of irony, we find that giving up our lives gives us the life we so desperately wanted all along. ~ Kyle Idleman

Daily Word

O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is any wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and over take it, and let him trample my life ;to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Psalm 7:3-5. Claim of innocence. These verses make it clear that this psalm is for those cases in which the danger stems from the malice of the persecutors, and not from the wrong doing of the person in trouble. There is an implicit warning to those who commit the evils listed here- that they may not use this psalm to ask for God’s help in their troubles. When you pray do you ever use the scriptures in prayer, and how deep do you dig into those that you use? When was the last time you searched through the Palms…