Kingdom Praise

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 144-150 / 1 Cor. 10

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Lee Greenwood wrote a song that said, “I’m proud to be and American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA.” Every red-blooded American loves that song, as it reflects on the country we love. Not to be anti-American, however, people from other nations also may believe that the country they live in is probably also the best on this mud ball we call earth. There is nothing wrong with being loyal and proud of your nation, even with all the flaws each one has. Imagine how proud you could be if it and its leaders were absolutely perfect. God’s Kingdom is.

        In Psalm 145:10 it says, “All thy works shall praise thee.” You may be thinking, not everyone loves the Lord and believes there is a God. True, but it does not say they all praise Him now. But they will. Philippians 2:10-11 says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Psalms 145 says the saints will speak of the glory and majesty of this kingdom. They will tell of His power and mighty acts. A perfect eternal Kingdom, with a perfect righteous leader. Why not praise Him now?. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In Luke 19 Jesus told the Pharisees, if the disciples stopped praising Him, the stones would immediately cry out. I sure do not want some silly rock doing what God created me to do. Why wait for the Coming King. He is King of His Kingdom today. 

I ask again, why not praise Him now?

     

Know Me!

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 138-143 / 1 Cor. 9

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Just how well do you really know someone? My children, who are now grown, were sitting around talking one day about things they had done as little children that neither my wife nor I knew anything about. These are the kids we raised. We think that we know them, but do we really? How about our husband or wife? Do we really know all about them? We want to know and understand them. In fact, in 1 Peter 3:7 husbands are told, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” Yet as any honest husband will tell you, we will never totally understand the heart and mind of our wife. Most women will confess, they will never understand what makes men act like they do either. That kind of knowledge is far above what we can truly understand.

        Still, in today’s passage we find that God does know us. Even better than most of us know ourselves. In verse 1 the Psalmist says that God has, “searched me, and known me.” He goes on to say God knows when we are sleeping and awake and even all our thoughts. He knows where we have been and where we are going. He knows our funny little quirks and mannerisms. He hears every word we have said and has known us from before we were born. God really does know us. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        So, what does God think of all this? In Psalm 139:17 it says, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” Clearly, God loves you as He thinks about you, and He has great desires for your life.

Could anyone know you like God?

     

Kinfolk Care

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 130-137 / 1 Cor. 8

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        When I was a little boy growing up with only one other sibling in the house, she was the target of all my frustrations. If someone was to be blamed, it was her. If someone was to be picked on, it was her. If someone needed a spanking, I always wanted it to be her and not me. That was at home. However, when we got outside the house, if someone decided to pick on someone, it better not be her. Isn’t it funny how the same person that I called names in the house, was the object of my deepest affection outside the home. While I would never say it out loud back then, she was my sister and I loved her. No one was going to pick on her.

        It seems we have all grown up and found church to be a bit like home. We may pick and fuss a bit with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but if one of them are hurting, we all come to their rescue. Dwelling together in unity does not always look like a bunch of people holding hands skipping down the road together. People who love each other still have differing opinions. People who care about one another will at times confront each other with concerns about their life. However, we as brothers and sisters in the Lord are made kinfolk through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our unity is in Him. We may not agree on everything, but we do agree on this. God is our Father, Jesus is our Saviour, the church is the body of Christ, and we as kinfolk care for one another. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In Gal. 6:10 it says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” One big blessing in the believer’s life is the church. People who care. 

Does the world see our care for the church?

  
 

Jerusalem’s Compact

 SEPTEMBER 2 & 3, 2023
 SEPTEMBER 2 – Daily Reading – Psa. 120-129 / 1 Cor. 7
 SEPTEMBER 3 – NO READING

 GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 122:3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        What does it mean in Psalm 122:3 when the Psalmist says, “Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:” Some have supposed he was referring to the structural stability of the walls and buildings. That each stone is so carefully placed as to strengthen the others around them. That every part contributes to the strength of the entire city. Some have said that the Spiritual and Political union is so attractive to all the tribes of Israel and that each tribe has a part in its stability. Also, some have supposed it refers to the population of their city and how the people are compacted close together. Overall, everyone agrees that the writer connected whatever the compacting was to the House of God.

        Today we have all heard the phrase, “United we stand, Divided we fall.” The first and last verse in this chapter speak of the house of the Lord. While I know that our body is the temple of the living God today, I also realize that we each are living stones. That together we make up the Church. In 1 Peter 2:5 Peter said, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church. The foundation that holds everything together. Yet, you my Christian friend are a living stone, compacted together with other living stones to come together as the church.

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

Any church stones gone?

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

        No matter the trial, if we are grounded in God and His Word, we can always find Joy In Jesus. We saw that this week in:

  ● Judging From The Past
  ● Jesus, Priest And King
  ● Junk Doesn’t Work!
  ● Joint Ventures
  ● Judgment Calls
  ● Jerusalem’s Compact

      Joy In Jesus does not mean every day will be a piece of birthday cake. It does mean that no matter what winds blow into our life, Jesus will always be there to relight our candles.

       Enjoy today with your church and hear what God has prepared in the heart of His man for you this week.

   See you tomorrow.  

 SUNDAYS:

       Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastors heart. Whatever scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs.

Joy In Jesus

     

 Judgment Calls

 SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
 Daily Reading – Psa. 119:89-176 / 1 Cor. 6

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 119:105-106 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Ask anyone who knows me, I am not the sharpest pencil in the box when it comes to football. Not that there is anything wrong with football. I do enjoy watching a little bit now and again. Still, I cannot tell you the players’ stats. I do not always know which team is from what city or which league they play in. I do know that over the years they have changed some of the rules of the game, and that every player who plays better know those rules. If they do not, it can cost them and their team the game. Sometimes it is hard to see exactly what is happening and the referee on the field must make a judgement call based on what he believes he has seen. Their judgment calls are not always right, but they are most often final.

        When it comes to God’s judgements, two things are true. First, He is always right. That is why the author of Psalm 119:105-106 said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” He calls God’s judgements, “righteous judgments.” God is never wrong. His Word is always true. It is trustworthy to guide you through life’s twists and turns. The second thing we see when it comes to God’s righteous judgements is that they never change. If they changed, that would mean He had been wrong and was correcting Himself. As we stated, He is never wrong in His judgement calls. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        God has made decisions about life and how it should be lived. Those are his judgments. Since the game of life is a game He designed, the only way to play and win is by His rules. His judgement calls are always right, and at life’s end, very final.

Are you following the light of His Word?