July 12, 2025

King David asked a question of God: 

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? Psalms 15:1

David then follows by answering the question. They are upright, righteous, and tell the truth. He does not speak ill or rebuke his neighbor. He despises a vile person, but honors those who fear the Lord.

Of course, I pick out the bad stuff to focus on! A vile person is despised. Well, what do you think about that? Can you love someone and despise them at the same time? I suppose a vile person is a friend of the devil, so we don’t want to link with them in our dealings. However, it’s easy to pick out those who love Jesus, because their dealings are upright and their hearts are set towards the Lord. As Christ-followers, we know the only way to Heaven is through Jesus, and those who love him will eventually grow to resemble him. However, we still live in Satan’s territory, and will sometimes inadvertently sin against God, but we have a Savior who paid the price for all our transgressions, so we can rest assured that one day we will dwell with Him on His holy hill. What a comforting thought. 

July 11, 2025

We've all had times of trials where we felt defeated and wondered where God was and why He hadn't come to our rescue. When we feel overwhelmed and distraught, having reached the depths of our sorrow, we finally turn to God and pour out our hearts to Him. It's similar to when you have a project at home that requires a professional to complete, but you think you can fix the problem yourself, then realize you don't have the tools or resources to do the job. When you've tried everything to no avail and finally reach out to the only One who can remedy your situation, it's then that you discover God was always there. Still, we were trying to make the repairs on our own, rather than going to Him for the solution. If you feel God has left you, maybe it's time to surrender your problems to Him and allow Him to solve them. Just releasing our cares to Him will bring about the peace and calm that we all long to have. Open your heart, reach out to God. He's been waiting for you to call on Him. 

How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? Psalm 13:1

But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:5-6

July 10, 2025

If ever there was a song to describe the happenings of today, it is Psalm 12. It is clear that David was dealing with Saul when he wrote this song, but because it is God-breathed and the living word, it gives us a snapshot of our lives in this world now. We have seen with our own eyes the corruption of the church, where wicked men have sullied the reputation of the church by their greed and hardness of hearts. It makes an honest person wonder where to turn because we know we cannot count on anything when everything is corrupt. We don’t know the truth about history or the truth about current events. Much of what we see or hear has been shrouded in lies and theatrics, making it even harder to discern the difference between good and evil. When I was a bank teller, they didn’t give us counterfeit money to learn the difference between it and the real thing. No, we handled real money so that when the counterfeit was presented, we could feel when something was off. You must study the truth to know when lies are prevailing. The only truth we can count on is God’s Word. 

The end of this Psalm is a pure expression of love; God reminds us that He will preserve us in safety. We are in His hands, and He will protect us and redeem us from this world.

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Psalms 12:1

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Psalms 12:5

July 9, 2025

If you didn’t know this already, our fight against wickedness is an ongoing battle. It may seem that God has left us to fight for ourselves, but know that He sees what’s going on. There are moments of peace amidst the fight given to us by God. Did you know that when you are facing adversity, and you begin to pray about it, God has already prepared your heart in advance of the battle? He sees the plight of His people against an evil world, knows when the adversary plans to strike, and gets us ready to seek Him. He helps us keep in mind that our enemy’s time is short, is already headed to the grave, and is merely a man who has fallen under temptation. When God says the word, Satan must stop and restrain himself from continuing his fight against us. Be encouraged, God is with us even when He seems distant. He is mightier than any plan the enemy has, and he will stop them in due time. 

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; Isaiah 51:12

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. Psalms 10:17-18

July 8, 2025

Don't you love it when you learn something new? I haven't made any changes to my morning worship and study routine in many years — until now. I will now read a psalm as part of my time with God. I have never felt such a rush of emotion over the scriptures as I had until I started the deep dive into the Psalms. They are sweet and savory to the tastebuds, filling like meat, and satisfying like dessert. They are comforting like the breath of God in a gentle breeze. I'm giddy about this study! Worshipping through the Psalms is worship like I've never experienced. You will not regret adding a psalm to your day. I don't know how many times I've read through my Bible, but it wasn't until I decided to slow down and study the chapters thoroughly that I learned the most. If you don't do anything else today, open your Bible to a Psalm and worship God through the words explicitly created to worship Him. We can sing the first verse of Psalm 8 because it's an old hymn; I say 'old' because I remember singing this song in church when I was a kid. Maybe you remember it, too. 

Oh Lord, Our Lord

How Majestic Is Your Name In All The Earth

Oh Lord, Our Lord

How Majestic Is Your Name In All The Earth

Oh Lord, We Praise Your Name Oh Lord, We Magnify Your Name Prince Of Peace, Mighty God Oh Lord, God Almighty

Oh Lord, Our Lord

How Majestic Is Your Name In All The Earth

Oh Lord, Our Lord

How Majestic Is Your Name In All The Earth

Oh Lord, We Praise Your Name Oh Lord, We Magnify Your Name Prince Of Peace, Mighty God Oh Lord, God Almighty 2]

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Psalms 8:1

July 7, 2025

David cried out to God in a psalm and asked Him to deliver him from the hands of Absalom, his son, who wanted him dead so he could take over his throne. This situation was a consequence David faced because of what he had done to Uriah when he found out Bathsheba was pregnant and sent him to the front line of battle, knowing Uriah would be killed and not know about his wife’s pregnancy. David had sent the Ark of the Covenant back into the city, so David knew that being away from the Ark didn’t take away his connection with God. 

There are days when you face such a harsh reality and a troubled heart that you can’t find the words for prayer. Yes, the Lord knows your heart, but there are times when you need to open your mouth and let the words fall out so He can hear your sincerity. It’s in those cases that you should open your Bible and find a psalm that closely relates to your problem and sing it or read it out loud in faith that He will hear you and come to your rescue. Who else can we always count on when trouble abounds? Remember, David knew God still loved him even though he had sinned. Make that truth a reality in your mind, so you never doubt God’s love for you, even if you sin. Sing or speak aloud your prayer so God knows it comes from deep within your heart.

But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. Psalms 3:3-4

July 6, 2025

The thread of the love of Jesus runs throughout the Bible before he ever made his appearance in the flesh on earth. It’s when we see nearly the same words repeated from the Old Testament to the New Testament that we begin to comprehend the truth. Look at this example:

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Psalms 2:7

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17

There is no denying that God is talking about the same being. In this text, it is clear that we must make Jesus our own and give Him all our worship. It even mentions that we should kiss the Son. People who serve idols will kiss their fake objects, and this psalm instructs us to kiss our Savior, worship him, and no other. Oh, but you don’t want to be on the wrong side of Jesus; what’s waiting for those who deny him is that they will face God’s wrath. Look to the Son, don’t glance away; what we have waiting for us is majestic and the ultimate prize that no one can match, and we get to keep him for eternity. What a delightful truth!

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish fromthe way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Psalms 2:11-12