by Suellen | Uncategorized
Psalm 73-77
Have you ever felt almost jealous of some unbelievers as they prosper while you are going through turmoil? That’s common, and that’s what this first psalm is all about.
Asaph, one of David’s chief musicians, is the writer of this psalm, and he doesn’t mind expounding his jealousy. Yet he finally comes to his senses, as he remembers the goodness of God.
Ultimately every person has to make the decision for their focus: a moment of pleasure on earth or a life lived with God at the center. Of course, God brings great pleasure, but there are times when “things just don’t seem to be going so well.” What do we do then? That’s the big question.
When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before Thee.(73:21-22)
But he goes on to say
Thou hast taken hold of my right hand
With Thy counsel thou wilt guide me
And afterward receive me to glory. (73:23-24)
When we stay faithful to God, He will guide us through the problems we face and bring us out to glory.
These next psalms continue in a similar vein. There are problems we face, and sometimes we can feel hopeless and helpless. However, if we turn our hearts back to God and allow Him to speak to us and strengthen us, our joy will return. Then we will see the answers before us.
Faithfulness is the key. He is faithful to us. Are we faithful to Him?
Romans 9
“Not the children of the flesh, but the children of the promise.” (V. 8) That’s the key phrase when we approach chapter 9.
Paul is explaining to the Romans that the covenant of God is established by faith – and not by works. This difficult concept continues to cause hangups until this day.
As Paul elaborates on the differences between the children of the flesh and the children of the promise, he digs into the annals of Israel’s history to bring out Jacob and Esau, and even the Pharoah of Egypt.
God started His covenant with the Jews, but He eventually extended it to the gentiles. The key from man’s perspective, is to have faith in the covenant – faith in God Himself. The covenant is powerful with many benefits. It doesn’t just fall on you; but neither do you work for it. It comes to those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and trust in His blessing of grace.
Today, as we go about our routines, let’s ponder this sacrifice and this great grace. Do we believe? Do we receive what He has for us? It’s here for us if we do. We are the children of the promise.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 70-72
David’s prophetic bent continues as he presents a more detailed understanding of the coming Messiah. The true King of Israel wil also be the King of the whole earth.
“As long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations, they will fear You.”(72:5)
“He shall have dominion also from sea to sea…Yes, all kings shall bow down before Him.”(72:8,11)
“He will deliver the needy.”(72:12)
“His Name shall endure forever.”(72:17)
“And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.” (72:19)
As we meditate on these verses, we see a picture of the coming King. He is clearly not just for the Jews, but for all throughout the world who believe in Him.
When we see such a clear projection of God’s plan, it makes me wonder why the Pharisees and other leaders had a hard time with the gospel being preached to all nations. They probably didn’t pay much attention to the scriptures which didn’t agree with what they already thought.
That’s still a tendency today. (Actually, it’s always been a tendency). It’s human nature to dig out the scriptures which agree with our doctrine and pound those over and over. Then if we come to some which don’t agree with what we already believe, we dismiss them.
If we are to grow as Christians, we need to see the whole counsel of God. As we are reading scriptures, there will be times when our beliefs will be challenged. When that happens, those challenging scriptures are the very ones we need to hear. We need to break out of the box we have built and reach for more of what our God has for us.
None of us knows it all. We will be learning and growing all the days of our lives, if we are living for Him. So don’t be afraid to be challenged.
Reach for all that He has for you. That’s how we move from “glory to glory.”
Romans 8:18-49
These verses are some of the most significant in the whole Bible. Paul is sharing his insights into the power of the new birth and the indwelling Holy Spirit.
There is a glory which will be revealed in due time which shall be beyond anything we have imagined. There is a plan of God to transform us and His creation to the perfection He intended all along. In the meantime, we patiently wait for His coming plan.
Now this is the mystery being revealed in these verses: the whole creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. And who are they? They are us! We are the sons of God.
There are three Greek words for “sons.” One means babes, one means young children, and one means mature sons. This word in Romans 8 is huios, or mature sons. This word also means “pupil.” So the whole creation is waiting for the mature pupils of God to be revealed. When these mature pupils of God show up, they will take their rightful place and operate in the way God has intended.
Part of the plan is for these mature sons to allow the Holy Spirit to pray through them. Verse 26 addresses this issue. The Holy Spirit of God helps our prayers when we don’t know how to pray. He intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (We pray in the spirit).
He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.(26-28).
When we look at these verses we see how important our prayers are in the big scheme of things. In God’s plan, when we allow the Spirit to direct our prayers, we are praying according to the perfect will of God. And when we do that, we know that will these things are working together for the good.
If God is for us, who can be against us? The answer is “no one.” No one can stand before the God of the universe. When He is standing with us, there is no demon or human being around who can stop His purpose. God’s purpose in our lives is absolute – when we are walking closely with Him.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing!
My husband and I start every day with a recognition of God’s unwavering love for us. His lovingkindness is everlasting. Whatever we face, we know that our God is with us, and He will neither fail us nor forsake us.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 68-69
These two psalms are longer than many and they reflect very different moods. Psalm 68 extols the greatness of God as He “rides upon the earth.” There is reflection of His appearance to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. The earth quaked and the heavens dropped rain at the presence of God.
“The chariots of God are myriads – thousands upon thousands.” (68:17) Such majesty! Such grandeur and glory! God is being extolled as the God of all the earth!
Ephesians 4 quotes this psalm. In speaking of the ministry gifts which God will bring to the earth, it is written:
“You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive,
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious,
That the Lord might dwell there.”(68:18)
David is prophesying again, as he often does.
Then the mood changes in Psalm 69, as David has an urgent plea for help in trouble. Actually, as we read this, it is clear that this too is prophetic. This time, many references to the crucifixion of Jesus come up, as they have in other psalms.
“Zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who have reproached You have fallen on me.” (69:9) (John 2:17)
“They also gave Me gall for My food, and for My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.” (69:21) (Matthew 27:34)
Then the psalm even mentions Judas when it says,
“Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents.” (69:25) (Acts 1:20)
So the sorrowfulness is really referring to the coming work of Jesus – as He pays the price for us. That’s why the psalm ends in such an upbeat tone. Israel – and the earth itself, will praise God. His descendants shall inherit the advantage bought by God, and those who “love His name,” shall dwell in it.
As you read these psalms, think in terms of prophecy. You may discover other lines in which the future is being projected on the screen.
Romans 8: 1-17
Flesh versus spirit. That’s one of our major challenges as we live our lives for Christ.
When God created man, He created us in three parts: spirit, soul, and body. The spirit died when man first sinned, but came back to life through Jesus Christ – thus the born again experience. The soul is the part of man which consists of the mind, the will, and the emotions – the seat of personality. The spirit is the part of man which is aligned with God and hears from Him.
So this is the problem. Your soul and mine, before we were born again, was mostly self-centered. Me, me, me! If it feels good, do it!
So along comes the Spirit. After we are born again, our spirits come alive and are Christ-centered. This part of us wants to live for God and for His glory. Our spirits want to do what is right and be led by God.
It’s like there are two different sources of strength within us. If we let our souls go unchecked, our flesh rules. If we live by the spirit, we are in line with God’s desires for us. He is ordering our steps, bringing us direction and favor. (Plus grace to live our best lives).
If we keep these concepts in mind as we read Romans 8, it’s easier to understand.
“To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (V. 6-7)
“We did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.'” (V. 15)
To be led by the Spirit is the healthiest thing we can do – not only for ourselves, but also for all those around us. “Abba, Father” literally means “Daddy, God.” When we are in agreement His Spirit, we are in agreement with all that is good – for us and to us.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalms 63-67
This group of psalms starts with David in the wilderness of Judah, thirsting for God in a dry and weary land. He feels dry spiritually as well as naturally.
Have you ever been there? I’m sure that you have, just as I have. Maybe some jolting things have happened in your life and you feel that God is far away from you. But He isn’t.
David knows the secret. Just as we have said before, he begins to praise his God. “Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; and I will lift up my hands in Your Name.”(63:3-4)
This moves into the next psalm, which once again speaks of God’s goodness in the midst of oppression. He is the Tower of strength for all who call upon Him.
Finally we see nothing but praise coming from David. He calls upon people to shout and praise exuberantly the One who is the answer for all things. He is the “confidence of the ends of the earth and of the far-off seas.”(65:5).
“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” (67:5-7)
Exuberant praise to Almighty God will change your focus and your attitude. As you praise Him, as David does, your heart will begin to swell with confidence and strength. You will know that your God is for you also.
Romans 6-7
Now we see the answer to “sloppy grace.” Paul continues in his discussion of the law versus grace. Just as Christ died and was resurrected to a new life, so are we when we give our lives to Him. In fact, water baptism, in which we are submerged under water and then lifted up to new life is symbolic of our own death to sin and rebirth to righteousness.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(6:23)
In chapter 7, Paul talks about our transfer from the law to righteous living by this new birth. Now we are married to Jesus and not the law. The law died, and righteousness was born into the earth by the sacrifice of Jesus.
The law makes us want to do the evil that is forbidden. Our flesh wants to do the very thing which we shouldn’t. (I remember as a child attending a puppet show when the puppet master would say, “Don’t say the word ‘snow.'” Of course, every child present would shout, “snow!!!” That’s the idea here).
So as we are presented with the law, it is impossible to keep it. The new birth, however, causes us to walk with Jesus, empowered by His grace to live free from that sin.
Without that grace, we are wretched people, as Paul says. Our flesh does what our mind doesn’t want to do. But we do have that grace. We have the ability to do what He wants us to do.
If these things seem hard for you to understand, you are in good company. Peter himself said that Paul’s writings are “hard to understand.”(II Peter 3:16).
Read these chapters over again and meditate on these verses. They will bring great freedom and joy when understood properly. Our gift of righteousness is indeed the most tremendous gift imaginable. Free from the law and free from sin. That’s the idea!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalms 60-62
As we approach Psalm 60, we can see just how intricate is David’s relationship with God. Every facet of his life is interwoven with his faith.
This psalm starts out sounding dire and full of fear. Yet we know that this psalm was written when David and his men were fighting Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah. Surely these were tough times; great armies were against them.
Notice the end of the psalm, however. Good old David knows he can count on God.
“Through our God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down the enemy.”(60:12)
Then what rejoicing we see in Psalm 61! “You have been a shelter for me; a strong tower from the enemy.”(61:3) He is the Rock that is higher than David – or you – or me.
Which leads us to the concept in Psalm 62.
“Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor….Power belongs to God!”(62:9)
Men are insignificant compared to God, yet His mercy is always toward them. They – and we – can count on His goodness and faithfulness toward us.
Romans 5
The mystery of Christ is still being elaborated.
We are justified by faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for us personally. We talked about that in the last chapter. Now we learn that we walk out our whole lives (we stand in His grace), through faith also.
Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world and as its result, death. All mankind suffered from this because of the original sin. Now One Man, Jesus, took the sin of man to the cross, paying the price for all. “For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”(V. 15).
So grace is extended as a gift to all who will believe in Jesus. All who accept the free gift of righteousness will accept God’s grace.
So what is grace exactly? It’s sometimes called “God’s unmerited favor.” Yet it’s more than that. God’s grace might be described as His power toward us to change and become the people He created us to be. On the other hand, His grace might also be described as God’s favor on us right now – just as we are.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” was the most significant word used to describe God. In the New Testament, the word “grace” is the most significant. And the two are related. The word means three different things: God’s love, his strength, and His steadfastness, or faithfulness.
Think about this. God’s love is being faithfully poured out upon us at full strength. His strength, His love, and His faithfulness all combined.
If we can ever get this, we will never be the same. If those around us ever get it, the world will be different also.
I hope we get this!
