PSALM 67
Face of God shining on us verse 1
God be merciful to us – and bless us
and cause HIS face to shine on us SELAH
Way of God known to all men verse 2
That YOUR way may be known on earth
YOUR saving health among all nations
Praise of God asked of the nations verse 3- 4
Let the people praise YOU – O God
let all the people praise YOU
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy
for YOU shall judge the people righteously
and govern the nations upon earth SELAH
Blessings of God manifested verse 5- 7
Let the people praise YOU – O God
let all the people praise YOU
Then shall the earth yield her increase
and God – even our own God – shall bless us
God shall bless us
and all the ends of the earth shall fear HIM
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. (215 “shine” [’owr] means to be luminous, break of day, glorious, kindle, light, or set on fire.)
DEVOTION: What are the nations to observe? They are to observe the fact that the LORD causes the world to yield her increase. The LORD is the one who will judge people in a righteous way. HE is the one who will govern the nations, so that, they will be able to be glad and sing. That is not happening today. The nations are not singing glory to God. These who are in control of many nations are cursing the God of the Bible, but one day they will understand that HE is in control. They will have to bow their knees to HIM.
However, the psalmist realizes that Israel is blessed. He also realizes that because Israel is blessed, they can bless the other nations of the world. In the Abrahamic covenant, Abraham is told that in his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed.
We know that comes through Christ and HIS sacrifice on the cross for the sins of those who believe on HIS name. This first verse mentions the mercy of God. The name for God used here is Elohim. The Creator of the universe has mercy on the children of Israel and on the nations.
When the sun comes up in the morning, it causes the darkness to go. When God gives us light to live by, the darkness in our lives has to go. The psalmist is asking God to be merciful to him. He is asking God to bless him.
Finally, he is asking God to give him light to follow each day. We need the light of the Word of God daily to see where the LORD wants us to go and what HE wants us to do.
We realize as we are walking in the light that HE will judge righteously and cause the earth to yield her increase for us. HE will bless us as we walk in the light. Our gifts will be used of HIM to cause HIS message to reach the world. We are the ones who practice the fear of the LORD. The world doesn’t fear HIM at this present time but they will.
Let us pray with this psalmist that God’s face will illuminate our day. Are we in the presence of the LORD DAILY??? With this knowledge of HIS availability are we singing and praising HIS name?
CHALLENGE: Serve the LORD in the present while looking to the future for HIS reign over all the earth. While serving sing praises to HIM. While serving realize that in spite of our circumstances we are blessed. We have saving health!!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 “That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all
nations.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Way – 1870 דֶּרֶךְ [derek /deh·rek/] n m. From 1869; TWOT 453a; GK 2006; 705 occurrences; AV translates as “way” 590 times, “toward” 31 times, “journey” 23 times, “manner” eight times, and translated miscellaneously 53 times. 1 way, road, distance, journey, manner. 1A road, way, path. 1B journey. 1C direction. 1D manner, habit, way. 1E of course of life (fig.). 1F of moral character (fig.). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: God’s ways are always good and profitable for His followers! Yet, we seem to have a difficult time knowing them and then following after them. Moses struggled with knowing God and following after him as stated in Exodus 33:13 where he implored the Lord by stating, “Now therefore I pray, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now your way, that I may know you and that I may find grace in your sight.” Moses, who had been called by God to lead and had sat in his presence wanted to know His way! Don’t feel bad when you are struggling to know His ways, just do what Moses and David did! Just go to Him. In worship, in prayer, and in meditation His way is made clearer to his followers so the world may know him!
CHALLENGE: Spend time in God’s presence today so that you may know Him and his ways. People will be asking you for guidance, be prepared! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
________________________________________________________
: 3 Let the people praise YOU, O God; let all the people praise YOU. (3043 “praise” [yadah] means to confess, take confession, to extol the greatness of a deity or the deity’s works as an act of worship, give thanks, laud, or to celebrate.)
DEVOTION: Times of praise don’t have to happen only one day a week. They should happen everyday as we have blessings that the LORD gives us each day.
Too often we wait until Sunday to get together with other believers and tell them what the LORD has done during the week. Then we have times of praise. This should not be the only time.
We need to share our praise with those we know that might not know the LORD in a personal way. We should not be too pushy but we should make sure that all the people we know understand that we give God the credit for the good things that happen in our lives.
There are times when we have to ask the LORD what is happening and wait for HIM to show us what is happening in our lives that is not pleasing if we are not giving HIM praise.
God wants us to praise HIM every chance we get, so that, people know that it is HIM that gives us the blessing we enjoy. It is hard to go through hard time and still praise HIM but HE even has a reason for the hard times HE allows in our lives.
God want us to grow closer to HIM each day. HE sends blessing for us to praise HIM and HE sends challenges for us to turn to HIM for answers.
Keep your praise count up and watch HIM work in your life. Also make sure that you have fellowship with those who like to praise the LORD rather than those who like to complain when they think God is not giving them enough.
CHALLENGE: Remember that God gives us all the blessing HE thinks we can handle and praise HIM for. What are you praising HIM for today?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God
shall bless us. (2981 “increase” [yabuwl] means yield of soil, produce,
fruit, riches laid up in his house, what is planted and harvested, with a focus on the fruit of the crop.)
DEVOTION: The culture of the children of Israel was one of farming. They would grow the food they ate. It was something that they depended on to keep themselves alive.
They knew that God was the source of their blessings and if they were not faithful to HIM their crops would fail as a result of their lack of faithfulness.
Today, we think that we don’t need God and everything will be good on this earth without HIM but HE is still in control and once we think that we don’t need HIM to help with our supplies is when HE can send a drought.
HE wants HIS people to understand that HE is in control of blessings and cursing in our world. HE wants us to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. With that worship comes blessing and without the worship of HIM their can be times of lack.
To often we don’t connect our blessings and cursing with God today. We think that if we work hard we will be blessed and if we don’t work we will be cursed. This is not always the case.
The children of Israel worked hard at times and they still didn’t get the blessings they thought they deserved but it was because they were not giving God the credit for their blessings.
So HE would deal with them the only way they understood. Their crops would fail and they would have times of hunger to help them understand that HE was in control and they needed to yield to HIM.
HE is doing the same today in our world. HE can either send blessings or cursing to any nation that will either worship HIM in spirit and in truth or HE can send cursing to those who will not honor HIM.
CHALLENGE: What type of nation do we want to be today? Are we worshiping HIM in spirit and in truth or we moving further away from HIM?
_____________________________________________________________
: 7 “GOD shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear HIM.”
(“Ends,” 657 אֶפֶס [ʾephec] AV translates as “ends” 13 times, “no” four times, “none” three times, “not” three times, “nothing” twice, “without” twice, “else” twice, “beside” once, “but” once, “cause” once, “howbeit” once, and translated miscellaneously 10 times. 1 ceasing, end, finality [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: The idiom used in this psalm has to do with the ends of the earth. This is a promise that God’s character and blessing will extend to all peoples of the world. We can take great encouragement in the fact that God is the one who promises to bless the whole world and all the people in it (Genesis 12:3). The only way that He could do so was to send His Son Jesus Christ to die for us as sinful rebels against Him.
Jesus continued this challenge to His followers in Matthew 28:19-20 by telling them to go into all the world. This challenge remains valid for us today. As long as there are unreached people groups with the Gospel, we are tasked with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel with them. The means of doing that can be local (sharing with those whom God brings into our lives) and global (serving as missionaries for Him some place other than our own home).
In a world of 7 billion people, we need to take seriously His commandment to share the Gospel with all the ends of the earth. The Good News that Jesus came to die in order to free us from our sins is something that everyone in the world should have an opportunity to hear.
CHALLENGE: Who is God asking you to witness to? Are you willing to speak out for Him today? Remember that He is the one who tells us that this is our responsibility because of the great love that He has shown us. (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
__________________________________________________________________
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)
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)
Praise verse 3, 5
Glad verse 4
Sing for joy verse 4
Fear of the LORD verse 7
__________________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 3, 5- 7
Merciful verse 1
Blesses people verse 1, 6, 7
Face to shine on those who worship HIM verse 1
Saving health verse 2
Judge the people righteously verse 4
Govern the nations of the earth verse 4
Praise given verse 5
Fear of the LORD verse 7
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Enemies verse
God’s way is known on earth verse 2
Known among the nations verse 2
Nations glad and sing for joy verse 4
Govern the nations of the earth verse 4
Ends of the earth shall fear God verse 7
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercy verse 1
Blessed verse 1, 6, 7
Face of God shines verse 1
Saving health verse 2
Praise verse 3, 5
Righteous judgment verse 4
Bless verse 6, 7
Fear of the LORD verse 7
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Earth yield her increase verse 6
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
_________________________________________________________________
QUOTES regarding passage
4. But his reign is joyful, as the repeated calls to praise, surrounding this verse, imply. It is fundamentally the joy of perfect fairness, or equity, in which the impartiality implied in the word judge is partnered by the shepherd-like concern of guide (cf. e.g. 23:3; 78:72). The capricious kindliness which makes no moral judgments is as alien to biblical thought as the tyranny that rules without love. See, e.g., Exodus 34:6f.; Isaiah 11:1–9; 42:1–4, for the same marriage of strength and tenderness as here. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 255). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
__________________________________________________________
These three verses form the heart of the psalm and focus on the Gentile nations worshiping and praising the God of Israel. Today, the nations have conspired to dethrone the Lord, and they want nothing of “his ways” (2:1–3), but the day will come when all the nations will come to the mountain of the Lord and worship the God of Jacob (Isa. 2:1–5). The New International Version translates these verses as a prayer, “May the peoples praise you.…” When will this occur? When Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom, judges the peoples with justice, and guides (“shepherds”—Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6) the nations in the ways of the Lord. The prayer in these verses is the Old Testament equivalent of “Thy kingdom come” in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9–13). Because there is no king in Israel today, the nations of the world are doing as they please (Judg. 17:6; 18:11; 19:1; 21:25), but that will all change when the kingdoms of the world belong to Jesus Christ (Rev. 11:15). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 223). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
___________________________________________________________
Ver. 4. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy, &c.] As they were glad, and did sing for joy, and glorified God, when Christ was made known, and the Gospel was preached unto them, Acts 8:5, 8 and 13:47, 48. For thou shalt judge the people righteously; meaning not the people of the world at the last day, at the general judgment, which will be a righteous one; when God will judge the world in righteousness, according to the strict rules of justice and equity, by him whom he has ordained, Psal. 96:13; Acts 17:31. but either the righteous judgment which will be executed on the enemies of Christ’s church and people; particularly on antichrist, which will be matter of great joy, Rev. 19:1, 2 and Kimchi interprets it of the judgment of the nations which shall come with Gog and Magog; the or else the judging and vindicating the Lord’s own people, defending their cause, righting their wrongs, and suffering no weapon to prosper against them. And govern the nations upon earth. Selah. or lead them; not to punishment, as Kimchi, who interprets this clause as the other; but by his grace and spirit, into the knowledge of his way, and saving health; or as a shepherd leads his flock into green pastures, and beside the still waters; or as a king leads and governs his people, as David guided the people of Israel, with the skilfulness of his hands; so Christ leads and governs his people, protects and defends them, holds them by his right hand, guides them with his counsel, and then receives them to glory; see Psal. 23:2 and 78:72 and 73:24. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 793). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
______________________________________________________________
4. “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy,” or, they shall joy and triumph. When men know God’s way and see his salvation, it brings to their hearts much happiness. Nothing creates gladness so speedily, surely, and abidingly as the salvation of God. Nations never will be glad till they follow the leadership of the great Shepherd; they may shift their modes of government from monarchies to republics, and from republics to communes, but they will retain their wretchedness till they bow before the Lord of all. What a sweet word is that “to sing for joy!” Some sing for form, others for show, some as a duty, others as an amusement, but to sing from the heart, because overflowing joy must find a vent, this is to sing indeed. Whole nations will do this when Jesus reigns over them in the power of his grace. We have heard hundreds and even thousands sing in chorus, but what will it be to hear whole nations lifting up their voices, as the noise of many waters and like great thunders. When shall the age of song begin? When shall groans and murmurs be exchanged for holy hymns and joyful melodies? “For than shalt judge the people righteously.” Wrong on the part of governors is a fruitful source of national woe, but where the Lord rules, rectitude is supreme. He doeth ill to none. His laws are righteousness itself. He rights all wrongs and releases all who are oppressed. Justice on the throne is a fit cause for national exultation. “And govern the nations upon earth.” He will lead them as a shepherd his flock, and through his grace they shall willingly follow, then will there be peace, plenty, and prosperity. It is great condescension on God’s part to become the Shepherd, of nations, and to govern them for their good: it is a fearful crime when a people who know the salvation of God, apostatize and say to the Lord “depart from us.” There is some cause for trembling lest our nation should fall into this condemnation; may God forbid.
“Selah.” Before repeating the chorus, the note is again elevated, that full force may be given to the burst of song and the accompaniment of harps.
“Strings and voices, hands and hearts,
In the concert bear your parts;
All that breathe, your Lord adore,
Praise him, Praise him, evermore!” (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 56-87 (Vol. 3, p. 129). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
____________________________________________________________
4. The prophet had foretold that the nation and kingdom, which would not serve Christ, should perish; Isa. 60:12. But the same prophet had it in commission to tell the church, that so blessed should be the advent of Christ’s kingdom, and such the prosperity of the church, that strangers should stand and feed their flocks, and the sons of the alien should be their plowmen and their vine-dressers. So that in the contemplation of those auspicious events, the nations should be glad, and sing for joy, the Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice. Isaiah, 61:5. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 370). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
_____________________________________________________________
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!!)
________________________________________________________________________
REMAINS OF A CRUCIFIED MAN FOUND IN ENGLAND (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The skeleton of a crucified man was found in a first century Roman-era cemetery recently in Cambridgeshire, England. The archaeologists said the victim’s feet were most likely “positioned on either side of the cross’s upright post, the feet fastened by horizontal nails through the heels” (“Crucified,” British Archaeology, Jan.-Feb. 2022). This is the second time a skeleton has been found with a spike through the heel. The first one was found near Jerusalem in 1968 and is on display in the Israel Museum. Thousands upon thousands were crucified in the Roman Empire for crimes such as murder, treason, and insurrection. The most infamous case of crucifixion was that of Jesus Christ who was falsely charged with insurrection and crucified on order of Pontus Pilate, Roman governor of Judea, at the instigation of the Jewish Sanhedrin. Christ’s crucifixion was prophesied in about 1000 BC by David in Psalm 22. It describes the piercing of His hands and feet, His bones out of joint, the terrible thirst, the mocking, staring crowd, the casting of lots for His cloak. “They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22:14-18).
(Friday Church News Notes – Way of Life Literature)
_______________________________________________________________
1 John 4
Anyone is not of God who denies that Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh.
INSIGHT
Whenever you are uncertain about someone’s teaching, find out what they teach about Jesus. If the truth about God’s Son has been twisted, their belief system will be flawed. To test the truthfulness of a particular teaching, ask them these questions:
- Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the second member of the Trinity?
- Do you believe that He came in the flesh, incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth?
- Do you agree that He died for our sins and was resurrected from the dead?
- Do you believe that His death provided atonement for our sins and that the only way of salvation is by grace through (Quiet Walk)
_____________________________________________________________
MY VIEW OF THE WORLD
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13
What is my view of the world when I know for certain that I have eternal life? What is my attitude to the world in which we are all living, the world as we see it in the newspapers? Is that what interests me? What am I anxious to obtain? Or am I more interested in other things—spiritual things? According to John, Christians are men and women who have come to view the world in an entirely new manner. They see that it is governed by sin. They have come to regard it as a place in which evil forces are at work and whose whole mind is but the working of the spirit of the world. They know that it is something they have to fight, something to withstand, and they realize that unless they do so, they will be defeated by it.
Do I hate the world? A good way of answering is this: The apostle Paul, looking at his surroundings, said, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). In looking at “the things which are seen,” how much time do I spend in thinking about the Lord God? How much do I think about the glory that is with Him? Which do I meditate upon most—the eternal or the worldly?
A Thought to Ponder
How much do I think about the glory that is with God? Which do I meditate upon most—the eternal or the worldly?
(Walking with God devotional by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
________________________________________________________________
Running Yahweh’s Marathon
“O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” (Psalm 71:17-18)
What are your life goals? Maybe working hard so you can retire with ease? Maybe saving those precious pennies for that special once-in-a-lifetime getaway? Maybe all your energies are focused on your family, preparing them for a smooth future.
While these goals may be good, the psalmist reminds us that our primary focus must be on our Lord, showing His “strength unto this generation” (v. 18), which for today’s believers is the command to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:14).
But life’s struggles and temptations are ever present, sometimes hindering us from fulfilling God’s command. What should be the correct motivation for followers of Yahweh? Believers should display a consistent and steadfast loving devotion to Yahweh—everything else in life is secondary. “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust” (Psalm 71:1).
In the Hebrew language, the personal pronoun is used as the subject of the verb for extra emphasis. We also see this same construction in verse 14: “I will hope continually.” So, as the psalmist reviews his life from his youth onward (v. 5) and now as an aging man, he earnestly prays for Yahweh to continue to be his strength and deliverance. Why? So he can declare Yahweh’s power to his present generation
Whether you are young or old, are you sowing the seeds of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, declaring His goodness and steadfast love in your spheres of influence to this very needy and corrupt generation? (CM, The Institute for Creation Research)
_________________________________________________________________
Beautifully Broken
I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. Psalm 31:12
Our bus finally arrived at our much-anticipated destination—an archaeological dig in Israel where we would actually do some excavation work of our own. The site’s director explained that anything we might unearth had been untouched for thousands of years. Digging up broken shards of pottery, we felt as though we were touching history. After an extended time, we were led to a workstation where those broken pieces—from huge vases shattered long, long ago—were being put back together.
The picture was crystal clear. Those artisans reconstructing centuries-old broken pottery were a beautiful representation of the God who loves to fix broken things. In Psalm 31:12, David wrote, “I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.” Though no occasion is given for the writing of this psalm, David’s life difficulties often found voice in his laments—just like this one. The song describes him as being broken down by danger, enemies, and despair.
So, where did he turn for help? In verse 16, David cries out to God, “Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.”
The God who was the object of David’s trust is the same One who still fixes broken things today. All He asks is that we call out to Him and trust in His unfailing love.
By Bill Crowder (Our Daily Bread)
_________________________________________________________________
Sometimes we grow weary of praying for God to act. When an answer to prayer doesn’t immediately come, we can become impatient. We’re tempted to quit after a while. But never misjudge God’s silence as inactivity. He is working and waiting for the right time to show up, to leave no doubt that He’s the One who makes all the difference (see also Isaiah 64:4). (Dennis Rainey)
________________________________________________________________
Visited a small church and had lunch with the pastor and his wife. They told me that the church wanted to help them purchase a different car. Their present car needed to be replaced but they didn’t have the money to replace it. The church took a collection and the general fund added a little which gave them enough to purchase a different car. Sometimes we think that small churches can’t do anything. That is wrong. Here was a group that knew their pastor had a genuine need and did something for him. Praise the LORD!!! They will be blessed!!!
_______________________________________________________________
And Christ is served in homes where parents raise their children on the truth of Scripture and model Christian virtues before them (p. 220, GOD in the Whirlwind, David Wells)
Rather, justification is for those who trust Christ and his death and who have entrusted themselves to him. And they seek to live out their standing in him in the midst of this life with all of its conflicts, its pain, and its evil. (p. 222, GOD in the Whirlwind, David Wells)
Every believer, at the end of every day, stands before the “Audience of One,” as Guinnes puts it. This is the audience that is ultimate. And it is this audience that gives dignity and meaning to all work that is ethical and that is done before him. (p. 223, GOD in the Whirlwind, David Wells)
For just as before we came to Christ we were held completely captive to our own internal appetites and desires, we now experience an entirely different kind of captivity which is actually a freedom. (p. 225, GOD in the Whirlwind, David Wells)
This therapeutic world, as Christina Sommers and Sally Satel observe in One Nation Under Therapy, is built on the belief that the American psyche is now so fragile that it is in danger of falling apart. It starts from the assumption of our desperate, wounded vulnerability. That is why we need to turn inward, to focus in on our self, to express our wounds, and to share our feelings. This inner anguish, this unfulfilled and undirected yearning, this broken self, requires a massive army of trained therapists. (p. 227, GOD in the Whirlwind, David Wells)
It is true that the old impulses do linger in our new life in Christ. They are not eradicated. To suppose that we can ever become sinless and perfect in this life, as some have from time to time proposed, is entirely mistaken. What is true, however, is that the whole new existence has been begun through regeneration. This new life certainly has to be cultivated. And part of its cultivation is in its service. (p. 231, GOD in the Whirlwind, David Wells)
_____________________________________________________________
Esther 3: Man’s inhumanity to man over the ages has been astounding. Some of the acts of violence and degradation have defied comprehension. In this vein, Haman hatches a savage and inhumane plot against the Jews to have them annihilated–men, women, and children. King Ahasuerus also has a monstrous mind, willing to sanction such savagery without question. When sin progresses to such extremes, we see just how repulsive it is. (Quiet Walk)
____________________________________________________________
POWER
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20
The apostle Paul tells us that whatever the kingdom of God may be, it is a power. Let us be clear about this. The Christian message is the proclamation of, and a history of, the greatest power that has ever entered into this world. There has been nothing that has so changed and affected the course of history and the lives of individuals as much as this message.
That is why we must always be careful to emphasize the fact that we are not concerned here primarily with a philosophy, but with a history. Jesus Christ dominates history; even the numbering of our years is acknowledged by His birth. He is, indeed, the biggest factor and the biggest power that history has ever known. The cross of Christ “towers o’er the wrecks of time.”
There is no doubt but that Christianity is the most powerful influence that has ever entered into the life of the whole world. It has changed communities as well as changing men and women. How easy it would be to recount the story of some of the great revivals that have taken place in the history of the Christian church. The great historian Lecky did not hesitate to say that what saved Britain from what was experienced by France at the time of the French Revolution was the evangelical or the so-called Methodist Revival of the eighteenth century. The effect of that revival is incalculable. It not only changed individuals but also whole communities. It gave people an interest in education, and schools came into being. It produced Sunday schools; it gave a stimulus to hospitals and medical care; it led to the reform of the “poor law.” All these things came out of that mighty visitation of the Spirit of God. Christianity is a power.
A Thought to Ponder: Whatever the kingdom of God may be, it is a power. (From The Kingdom of God, pp. 109-111, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
_________________________________________________________
Good Friends
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. PROVERBS 17:17
H. Clark Bentall once headed the Bentall Corporation, a construction company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Five downtown office towers in that city bear his family’s name. He was a major player in the commercial construction and real estate business.
But late in life, after a 50-year career with the company, he found himself in a disagreement with his brothers, who leveraged Clark out of the day-to-day operations and eventually out of the business altogether. Shortly thereafter, his wife of 57 years lost her battle with cancer, and Clark himself was soon stricken with Alzheimer’s disease.
There he was—in his early 80s, alone with no work and no wife—and with his ability to grasp what was going on around him beginning to slowly evaporate.
A man who once had everything now had nothing.
But in the years before the fog of Alzheimer’s engulfed him, Clark Bentall had invested thoroughly and genuinely in his friendships. And now, in his time of need, every Tuesday and Thursday morning some of his best friends would come over for breakfast, just to talk and say thanks . . . for everything. As the weeks and months went by, Clark had less and less to contribute to the stimulating conversation and shared memories. But still they came, for over four years.
That could be you one day. Alone. Dependent on the obligations of family members and the goodwill of neighbors and friends. Will you have invested enough in people’s lives to make them want to come see you, even when you’re not as much fun as you used to be?
Now is the time to pour your heart into others—not just to look ahead to the future, but also to make a difference in their lives today.
DISCUSS
Talk about your friendships. List your best ones. Talk about how you could help one another do a better job of building friendships. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
________________________________________________________
Franklin Graham writes – Murder by mail. The FDA just announced that abortion pills will be available through the mail. Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life education and defense fund said the decision “will lead to more lives lost to abortion, and will increase the number of mothers who suffer physical and psychological harm from chemical abortions.” This USA TODAY article says this is a “key move by the Biden administration” as the Supreme Court is currently considering possible new abortion protections for the unborn. Abortion supporters try to make it sound more acceptable and less barbaric by saying that it “terminates a pregnancy.” But medication abortions, as they are called, are just another way to deliberately end the life of an unborn child—and that should be called what it is—murder. Pray that the minds and hearts of people across our nation would be awakened to the great sin and heartbreak of abortion. And pray for our Supreme Court to make changes that will protect and value the most vulnerable among us. (It is very sad world we live in today)
_________________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.