PSALM 104
LORD – Creator of the heavens verse 1- 4
Bless the LORD – O my soul – O LORD my God
YOU are very great
YOU are clothed with honor and majesty
WHO covers YOURSELF with light as with a garment
WHO stretches out the heavens like a curtain
WHO lays the beams of HIS chambers in the waters
WHO makes the clouds HIS chariot
WHO walks upon the wings of the wind
WHO makes HIS angels spirits
HIS ministers a flaming fire
LORD – Creator of the earth verse 5- 9
WHO laid the foundation of the earth
that it should not be removed for ever
YOU covered it with the deep as with a garment
the waters stood above the mountains
At YOUR rebuke they fled
at the voice of YOUR thunder they hasted away
They go up by the mountains
they go down by the valleys unto the place
which YOU have founded for them
YOU have set a bound that they may not pass over
that they turn not again to cover the earth
LORD – Provider for all living creatures verse 10- 18
HE sends the springs into the valleys – which run among the hills
they give drink to every beast of the field
the wild donkeys quench their thirst
by them shall the fowls of the heaven have
their habitation
which sing among the branches
HE waters the hills from HIS chambers
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of YOUR works
HE causes the grass to grow for the cattle
and herb for the service of man
that he may bring forth food out of the earth
and wine that makes glad the heart of man
and oil to make his face to shine
and bread which strengthens man’s heart
The trees of the LORD are full of sap
the cedars of Lebanon – which HE planted
where the birds make their nests – as for the stork
the fir trees are her house
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats
and the rocks for the conies
LORD- Provider of time and seasons verse 19- 23
HE appointed the moon for seasons – the sun knows his going down
YOU make darkness – and it is night
wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth
The young lions roar after their prey
and seek their meat from God
The sun arises – they gather themselves together
and lay them down in their dens
Man goes forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening
LORD- Creator of all sea animals verse 24- 26
O LORD – how manifold are YOUR works
in wisdom have YOU made them all
the earth is full of YOUR riches
So is this great and wide sea
wherein are things creeping innumerable
both small and great beasts
There go the ships – there is that leviathan
whom YOU have made to play therein
LORD- Sustainer of LIFE verse 27- 30
These wait all upon YOU
that YOU may give them their meat in due season
That YOU give them they gather – YOU open YOUR hand
they are filled with good
YOU hide YOUR face – they are troubled
YOU take away their breath
they die and return to their dust
YOU send forth YOUR spirit – they are created
and YOU renew the face of the earth
LORD- Pleased with HIS work verse 31- 32
The glory of the LORD shall endure forever
the LORD shall rejoice in HIS works
HE looked on the earth – and it trembled
HE touched the hills – and they smoke
Psalmist response to creator
PRAISE THE LORD verse 33- 35
I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being
My meditation of HIM shall be sweet – I will be glad in the LORD
let the sinners be consumed out of the earth
and let the wicked be no more
Bless you the LORD – O my soul
Praise you the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, YOU are very great:
YOU are clothed with honor and majesty,” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Soul – 5315 נֶפֶשׁ [nephesh /neh·fesh/] n f. From 5314; TWOT 1395a; GK 5883; 753 occurrences; AV translates as “soul” 475 times, “life” 117 times, “person” 29 times, “mind” 15 times, “heart” 15 times, “creature” nine times, “body” eight times, “himself” eight times, “yourselves” six times, “dead” five times, “will” four times, “desire” four times, “man” three times, “themselves” three times, “any” three times, “appetite” twice, and translated miscellaneously 47 times. 1 soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion. 1A that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man. 1B living being. 1C living being (with life in the blood). 1D the man himself, self, person or individual. 1E seat of the appetites. 1F seat of emotions and passions. 1G activity of mind. 1G1 dubious. 1H activity of the will. 1H1 dubious. 1I activity of the character. 1I1 dubious. (James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: This psalm begins and ends with a similar statement. “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
It is apparent that the psalmist needed to remind himself of his need to be renewed and strengthened in the Lord! He exclaims this phrase and then begins to recount the ways that the Lord has revealed Himself in nature and the heavenlies. God created it and then sustains both the animals and the habitat they live in. From the greatest to the least of the created beings God controls and maintains this world.
In the end the psalmist sings praises and reflects of the Lord’s good deeds and wonderful mercies to all creation. In the same way as we reflect on the work of God in creation we are amazed by His power and ability to control all aspects of His world.
CHALLENGE: As you gaze upon the stars or look at the animals that God has placed in the world consider the way God cares for each and then how he cares for you. Give Him thanks for all His creation. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 YOU have set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. (3680 “cover” [kacah] means fill up hollows, clothe, conceal, place one object over another so the lower object cannot be seen or attacked or overwhelm.)
DEVOTION: Did the flood of all the earth really happen? There are many who say that it didn’t. However, the Bible said that it did happen. Here is a promise that it will never happen again. That is the promise that God gave to Noah when he left the ark.
The New Testament informs us that the next time the world is covered it will be with fire. The LORD is going to make a New Heaven and a New Earth after the defeat of Satan at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ. Between these two events is what we have in this psalm.
The Psalmist is praising the LORD for HIS creation of our world. He lists some of the great works of the LORD. He praises the LORD for HIS provision of water for all living beings. The LORD is in control of the waters of the earth. HE sets the limit as to how far they can go. In this verse HE wants the earth to not be concealed again by the waters of the earth.
Does this talk about a global flood happening? The Bible teaches YES. God gave the rainbow as a sign that there would never be another global flood. If HE had promised no local flood with the rainbow then it was a lie. We have many local floods. A global flood is very different from a local flood. The liberals would have us believe that the flood in Genesis is a local flood. If it was then God lied. Does God lie????? NO!!! HE tells the truth ALL THE TIME. Praise HIS name.
Next the psalm emphasizes the fact that the LORD provides food for the animals in our world. Not only does HE provide for the animals but also for the people of the world. Life would end without HIS constant provision of food and even our ability to breathe.
What is our responsibility? We are to sing praises to the LORD. We are to meditate on HIS works and word. We are not to live like those who are not followers of the LORD because they are blind to HIS work in our world.
CHALLENGE: Take a walk soon and look at our world from the perspective of God. HE looked at the world and said it is GOOD. When you look at creation do you say the same thing?
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: 14 HE causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth. (5656 “service” [‘abodah] means what something is used for, enforced labor, business, bondage, servitude, tillage, or usage.)
DEVOTION: God has a purpose for every part of HIS creation. HE didn’t waste any effort on things that were not necessary for the good of the earth and man. HE made sure that everything that was needed was provided.
Everything that lives and grows has a purpose in creation. It is great to understand that God didn’t waste anything. We on the other hand are very wasteful. We seem to think that we can use anything for our own pleasure and not think of those who are going to follow behind.
Farmers are supposed to rotate their crops to make sure they don’t steal all the nutrients from the soil. There is to be a rotation of crops to make sure that everything grows the way that it should.
Even the animals know what to eat and what not to eat. Humans on the other hand seem to know how to waste God’s good land but farming it to death and then leaving it to rot. There have been many times in history when famine and drought have happened because of man being wasteful.
God has a plan and we need to work within HIS plan if there is going to be enough for future generations. If we misuse what HE has provided it can cause problems and it has in many countries where they only think of themselves and not the future generation.
God want us to know that HE is the one who will take care of us and we don’t have to outthink HIM.
We are in HIS service and this earth is in HIS service to provide for future generations if we trust HIM and obey HIM.
CHALLENGE: When we look out over the land in our nation do we see that the LORD is working to provide for our every need? If so, can we encourage others to trust HIM too!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 HE appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down. (6213 “appointed” [‘asah] means to make, manufacture, to do, to make or cause to be or to become, in rare cases without pre-existing material, or create.)
DEVOTION: God created the sun and moon for a reason. Those who study science know that each is necessary for the growth of plants and even animals. Without the seasons we would not be able to understand that we need to gather in the summer and need to rest in the winter. Without the seasons of the moon we could not measure time as well.
Both are necessary for our personal health and for the health of the animals around us and for all the plants that need both times of day to grow and produce enough food for all the people and animals in the world.
Some scientists are trying to figure it all out and still can’t understand the wonders of creation. God knew what was necessary to provide the right environment for man and animals to grow and thrive. HE had all the seasons worked out to provide a time for the ground to rest, so that, it would be ready in the planting season.
HE provided the right weather for farmers to gather the crops and the right weather for rest. HE knows what we can handle and what we can’t and HE has done everything according to HIS good will and pleasure to make things right for us.
We need to be thanking the LORD for everyday that HE helps us live a life that can be pleasing to HIM. HIS provisions make it easier.
CHALLENGE: Do you and I appreciate all that the LORD has done for us each day to cause us to live a life that can put a smile on our face and HIM?
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: 27 These wait all upon YOU; that YOU may give them their meat in due season. (7663 “wait” [sabar] means hope, to expect and wish for something, look to, or have a confidence that a beneficial even will occur.)
DEVOTION: One of my biggest problems is that I don’t like to wait for anything. I want everything to happen yesterday. It is sad to say that it seems I have to fight this almost every day of my life.
We find in the Word of God this word “wait” so many times that it should get our attention and we should understand that part of living is waiting on the LORD to act. It is no fun.
We like instant gratification! In fact we like things to happen yesterday because we don’t want to wait another day. We expect the LORD to bless us and it should all happen today. We expect the LORD to deal with our problems today and not tomorrow. We expect God to deal with those who are giving us a hard time today not tomorrow. We want the money we need to come in the mail today not tomorrow.
Do these things seem familiar to you as they are stated? They should because most of the people I know want the LORD to answer their request before we even ask HIM for something. HE knows everything! Right!
HE wants us to know that HE can provide but HE also wants us to know that HE is going to teach us to “wait” on HIM most of the time because HE wants us to keep our prayer life going.
Everything we need is promised in “due season” that is HIS season and not ours. HE never stops teaching us this truth.
CHALLENGE: If we wait on HIM HE will renew our strength to live another day pleasing HIM.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Meditation verse 34
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Bless the LORD verse 1, 35
Sing verse 33
Praise the LORD verse 35
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 16, 24, 31,
33- 35
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 21, 33
LORD my God verse 1
Clothed with honor and majesty verse 1
Covered with light verse 2
Created the heavens verse 2
Creator verse 2- 22, 24,
30- 32
Laid the foundation of the earth verse 5
Rebuke of the LORD verse 7
Set the boundaries verse 9
Provider for all creation verse 9- 28
Trees of the LORD verse 16
Appoints the moon for seasons verse 19
Provides darkness for the animals verse 20- 22
Wisdom verse 24
Hand filled with good verse 28
Glory of the LORD verse 31
Rejoice in HIS works verse 31
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit verse 30
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angels are created by God verse 4
Angels are spirits verse 4
Angels are ministers of flaming fire for God verse 4
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Lebanon verse 16
Man goes to work each day verse 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sinners verse 35
Wicked verse 35
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Bless the LORD verse 1, 35
Sing Praise verse 33, 35
Meditation verse 34
Glad verse 34
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Die verse 29
Glory of the LORD shall endure forever verse 31
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Ungodly Lifestyles
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:2-4)
The warning in the previous verse to our text for today insists that “perilous times” will characterize the last days. This list describes the types of people who will dominate the last days, and it is frightful.
The “self love” of these people is demonstrated by internal motivations driven by the sin nature. Such people will be “covetous”; the Greek term means “fond of silver.” They will also be “boasters” (braggarts) who revel in their sinful behavior. That boasting is driven by a “proud” spirit that is arrogant, willing to show off gaudy ostentations of their conquests. Such behavior, of course, leads them to be “blasphemers,” speaking evil with low, vulgar taunts designed to be injurious.
Part of this list includes Greek words with an “un” prefix. There are those who are un-persuadable by parents, obstinate, stubborn, and inflexible. Many are un-thankful, without grace, without thanks, and without any pleasantry. All are un-holy, without the nature to be just or moral. Some are un-affectionate, without a natural love for family or friends. There are also those who are un-reconcilable, not able to make or keep a promise.
Finally, there will be those who are diabolos (like the devil). They are slanderous liars, “incontinent” (without self control), savage “despisers” who are opposed to “those who are good.” They will be treacherous, rash, and “high minded” people who are “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”
But, “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Joel 2
Judgment is coming for the sins of the people, but after repentance, they will be restored.
INSIGHTJoel predicts a locust plague to come upon the land of Judah, which is both primary and secondary as a prophetic warning. The primary meaning is a literal locust plague. But the things Joel says about the locusts gradually transcend what could be true of mere bugs and could only be true of an invading army. In this way, the locust plague becomes symbolic of an invading army swarming over the land of Judah, stripping it of everything that has life. The warning of the plague comes because Judah is failing to serve the Lord. Joel holds out an escape: “Turn to Me with all your heart . . . rend your heart and not your garments” (vv. 12-13). Judah ignores the warning and the judgment eventually falls. Sin always has its consequences. (Quiet Walk)
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NEW DELHI, August 20, 2018 (Morning Star News) – When a Hindu in northern India got rid of the idols in his house after several visits to a church, Hindu nationalists found the perfect opportunity to make life a nightmare for a pastor’s family, sources said.
Since the Hindu nationalists accused pastor Avianshu Kalra of desecration of Hindu idols and forcible conversion in Ambala, Haryana state, he and his family have had to leave their home, his wife has suffered pregnancy complications, and his father has been suspended from his work as a journalist after being hit with a defamation suit.
The 32-year-old Assemblies of God pastor of Karuna House of Prayer had to keep his 4-year-old son out of preschool for a week after a Hindu extremist-led mob of 200 people on July 11 blocked the entry and exit to his home and church compound and chanted threats.
“My mother was all alone and was terrified,” Pastor Kalra said, noting that he and his wife had gone to pick up their son from school, and his father was away at work. “The mob was shouting, ‘Come out, we will not spare you, we will burn you.’”
The mob accused him of forcibly converting a Hindu family and destroying their Hindu deities and images of Sikh gurus. Pastor Kalra said he was thankful to God that he did not return home while the mob was still there or they would have attacked him, his four-months pregnant wife and son.
Officers arrived and took the mob to the police station, but no action was taken against them, he said.
“They were allowed to leave the police station, after which they went and blocked the National Highway for about 11 minutes,” said Pastor Kalra, noting that it is a non-bailable offense to block a national highway.
Denying the accusations, Pastor Kalra on July 12 submitted a written complaint requesting intervention against extremist threats to life and property at the Baldev Nagar police station.
That evening Hindu extremists filed a complaint, and police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the pastor, his wife Ritu Kalra, his father Pardeep Gulati and mother Kalpana for allegedly wounding religious feelings and insulting someone’s religion. The complaint was filed under the guidance of the leader of the mob, a member of the Shiv Sena (Army of Shivaji), a Hindu nationalist political party, the pastor said.
Pastor Kalra’s father quickly met an influential minister of the state government who instructed the superintendent of police to carry out a fair investigation, but the family left home on July 13 to avoid arrest, he said.
“Going door-to-door, we collected all the information [for defense] and pleaded with high officials, requesting they make an initial enquiry before they arrest us,” said Pastor Kalra, visibly concerned about his pregnant wife and young child.
Gulati, the pastor’s father, had been a Hindu nationalist leader of the Shiv Sena before converting in 1996. On July 14 he wrote an appeal to the director general of police and inspector general of police requesting “proper enquiry and expressing threats received from the Shiv Sena mob.” The police director general ordered the enquiry.
Since the family started the church in 2014, Shiv Sena members have been monitoring Gulati’s movements and have been seeking pretexts for accusing family members, Pastor Kalra said.
“They are targeting our church as my father has been an eye-sore for them for the past so many years,” Pastor Kalra said. “He has gone out of the way helping Christians to get justice and travelled to various cities, helping all those who are being troubled for their faith in Jesus.”
The congregation has grown to 100 people in four years.
Gulati remains influential and works to help persecuted Christians. After his newspaper and others revealed the harassment the Hindu extremists have inflicted upon his family, hard-line Hindus filed suit alleging defamation, Pastor Kalra said.
“A FIR copy has been sent to the Punjab Kesari agency, a copy to the president of the Ambala Press Club and another to the president of the Haryana Press Club to defame my father’s position,” he said. “My father has been suspended till the investigations are over.”
Charges of forcible conversion are invoked every month in India with the clear intention of intimidating Christians into silence, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which undertakes legal advocacy for religious freedom.
“In many places, the intimidation is working,” ADF notes in its campaign celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “It is a sad irony that all this persecution is happening in a country with a rich tradition and legal framework supportive of freedom of conscience and the right to practice, profess, and promote the religion of one’s choice. The Indian constitution clearly guarantees religious freedom, as do several international covenants to which India is a prominent signatory.”
Article 18 of the U.N. declaration asserts that believers have the freedom to practice their faith “in teaching, practice, worship and observance,” ADF notes in its campaign to obtain signatures supporting the Geneva Statement on Human Rights at www.ImHumanRight.org.
The Allegations
The Hindu extremist allegations against Pastor Kalra surfaced after a local pastor brought a Hindu, his wife and daughter to Gulati for help with personal troubles last year, the pastor said.
The family visited Pastor Kalra’s church six to eight times since the middle of last year, but they were not members and did not attend other weekly meetings, he said. The Hindu extremist leader of the July 11 mob persuaded the Hindu who visited Pastor Kalra’s church to join Shiv Sena on June 2, he said.
“It is only after he joined Shiv Sena that the Hindu nationalist leader has swayed him into filing this false complaint against us,” Pastor Kalra said.
The Hindu who filed the complaint alleged that Pastor Kalra was a regular visitor to his house and destroyed all his idols, along with pictures of Sikh gurus.
Pastor Kalra denied the allegations in his written complaint to police, saying he had visited the Hindu’s house only once and noticed there was not a single idol or a picture in the house.
Later the pastor who brought the Hindu family to Gulati told Pastor Kalra that the Hindu himself, after he started visiting the church, had removed all the idols from his house and immersed them in a river a few months ago.
Regarding the allegation of forcible conversion, 20 members of the Karuna House of Prayer Church gave written applications to police stating that they believe in Jesus of their own free will and were not forced in any way into putting their faith in Him, Pastor Kalra said.
Area residents who on July 11 mobbed outside Pastor Kalra’s house and church site shouting anti-Christian slogans and threatening the family later approached him and his father and apologized, the pastor said. They admitted that Hindu extremists instigated them, telling them to join the mob to save Hinduism from “traitors.”
Later they came to know that it was the Kalra family they were harassing and backed off, he said. Pastor Kalra said one of the residents told him, “You have been living in Ambala for generations, and we have known you and your forefathers for many years. We are ashamed that we joined hands with [the Hindu nationalist leader] without knowing the facts.”
With the threats on their lives and anxiety over the possibility of being arrested, Pastor Kalra’s wife developed complications in her pregnancy and had to be hospitalized from July 15 until July 20, the pastor said.
“Police came to take her statement while she was in the hospital, but no action has been taken,” Pastor Kalra said.
The pastor, who has been leading Karuna House of Prayer for the past four years in the Church of North India Compound, says that he has never faced such issues before.
“Somehow we have adjusted to this abnormal normal,” he said.
Demonstrations
On Aug. 3, Hindu nationalists dressed in the nationalistic saffron color marched from a crossing in front of the police line less than a kilometer from the pastor’s house shouting slogans and accusing him of forcible conversion and desecration of Hindu idols.
On July 19, about 300 Christians had marched on the streets of Ambala in protest of the Hindu nationalist harassment, the police case against the Kalra family and the oppression of minorities in India.
“Pastors and Christian leaders from Chandigarh, Ambala and other parts of Haryana joined the ‘peace procession,’ and 54 pastors signed a letter denying the forceful conversion accusation and demanding fair enquiry into the case, Pastor Kalra said.
At a press conference afterwards, Pastor Kalra denied the allegations, calling all charges against him “baseless”’ and “fabricated.”
The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, against non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.
India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians experience the most persecution. (Please pray for this family and all those who are trying to stay true to the Word of God)
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