Bible 187

 Proverbs seems to say there are two kinds of people - those who seek God and those who couldn’t care less. Those who search for Him find wisdom while the rest chase after the wind. The Psalms are often journals of David or other authors working wisdom out, trying to apply wise thinking to everyday living. But the book of Acts Amos up God’s wisdom and oreswmcw into specific situations. Paul hammered out what he had been taught by teaching others, writing letters of encouragement and speaking truth to anyone and everyone, even though in prison. May we shine light even if the those around us haven’t seen any glimmer of the light. 

Psalm 5

 Part of growing up in faith as we follow Christ is learning go deal with the evil complexities of our world. Just because we believe the right stuff does not mean we will have green lights, open doors and a comfy life. We won’t always have brothers who understand us and our family may be hesitant to catch up with where we are. We may not understand why bad things happen despite our good efforts. David’s thoughts and emotions reflect a man in turmoil, even though he wanted to do his best in following God. A foundational strong point in David’s faith was that God was with him, understanding and listening to him.  Out Shepherd God leads and guides, promising to never leave us, 

“First of all, you have to keep unmasking the world about you for what it is: manipulative, controlling, power-hungry, and, in the long run, destructive. The world tells you many lies about who you are, and you simply have to be realistic enough to remind yourself of this. Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: 'These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting belief.” - Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

Psalm 4

 Who hasn’t gone through trying times?  Anxiety seems to accompany chaos and turmoil. One comforting g thing about reading Scripture is that it is brutally honest about our world and our common response. We can either be in despair or we can trust our Creator who loves us. We can allow our own self importance to blind our view of an eternal perspective, or we can surrender to Him who understands every detail of what we are going through. Jesus suffered as one of us, yet chose to surrender to His Father's will. There is no pain or confusion that He doesn’t understand. 

“Living a self-absorbed life will always be at the cost of everyone else.” - Timothy Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

Bible 186

 We should expect opposition for being vocal about our faith. We may but even need tk communicate a word yet experience opposition because of our presence. If see are following Christ, not everyone will agree with our journey. It may be difficult for hard hearts to see why a person would live with integrity in a competitive culture. Even though life may not be smooth sailing, our Father knows every detail. I want to live with as few regrets as possible by being a person of character. 

Elisha again is in the thick of drama, and the author shows the opposing view of evil doers who wants to oppose right living. Jezebel seemed to have the mind of Hitler, willing to do anything to advance herself. 

Psalm 3

 David experienced opposition and rebellion from his own son. The grief and chaos he felt had to be overwhelming. I wonder if he questioned himself, thinking he should have done things different as a parent. David’s lust for women had to be a contributing factor to the strife between his children. Even though he has demonstrated integrity in so many areas of his life, he had left a gap in this area. David’s grief over his son and the lack of communication wore on him. In contrast, God our Father grieves over our rebellion and reluctance to communicate with Him. But He has clearly communicated His love for us. 

“I confess that I am simply not changed enough by the great truths of the Gospel that I profess to believe with all my heart. Show me the specific gaps between my faith and my practice, and empower me to close them. Amen.” - Timothy Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

Bible 185

 The mystery of God working his plan in our lives takes our efforts and decision making but it also involves His moving circumstances and situations to fit what He desires. It is mind blowing that the Creator of the universe loves us individually to the point of forming us into the person He desires. Taking one step at a time, one decision at a time, making the next best choice with what we know and believe is doing our part. Doing our best and letting Him work out the rest is our life plan. Paul may have wanted his life to turn out different but he trusted God regardless of the outcome. God uses the most ordinary people and even the shunned or forgotten individuals to demonstrate His love. May He work in and through us. 

Psalm 2

 Most everyone is worrying about the next election. To add to anxiety, the world is full of chaos that includes war and economic dependence on fragile agreements. Investments and savings are tied into a global gossip and rumor way of life. But Psalm 2 is a proclamation of the true reality of an unseen kingdom. The ruler of this kingdom is moving events into His strategic plan that has eternal consequences. 

“Fools cannot bear to have anyone over them, and so they ignore God or deny he exists. Some of this rebellion exists in every heart. Every sin is a kind of practical atheism—it is acting as if God were not there. That also means that belief in God must be a gift.” - Timothy J. Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

Bible 184

 Like Nicky explained, change is possible. It’s easy to feel like I’m in a rut and stuck. But I’m learning that the more I focus on who His is and how He has worked in and through people, I get excited as to what Be will show me next. Change in a person’s life can be immediate or over time. We tend TJ get impatient but I recently asked a 32 year old young fdad how he had changed in the last year. It was amazing as he thought about how his ficus had changed and how he had become more intentional with his kids. I should journal more that. J so in order to divine g some of the change I see in myself. 

Naaman was a proud warrior who was humbled by his disease. It appeared that Elisha was just the opposite ands so was naaman’s servant girl. Elisha didn’t even ho out to talk with naaman so that he would not take credit for the healing. The servant girl was humble to suggest to naaman he should seek out Elisha. But Naaman was to proud to get off his horse and dip in the river. God May fo extraordinary things through ordinary means. 

Psalm 1

 How is Psalm 1 a contrast between people?  How can Psalm 1 change the way we see ourselves and the world?  To me, the author had a deep faith and invested a lot of time with God while he was outdoors. Seeing a tree with deep roots reminded him that his faith needed nutrients from the good soil by the river of living water. God is very aware of who wants to follow Him and who defies Him.  He knows every detail of life  consequently, our lives are not about us.  As we grow in our knowledge of Him, our life perspective changes to honor Him in all we do.

“What is essential in prayer is not that we learn to express ourselves, but that we learn to answer God.” - Timothy Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

Psalm 23-14

 Following Christ, walking with our Shepherd, living by the Spirit’s leading takes effort. But at the same time, as we practice His presence, there doesn’t seem to be any work or burdensome effort. The joy, peace, patience we experience are 24/7 assurances that He is with us and will NEVER leave us. The more we practice His presence, the more we see how much He loves us, despite circumstances or situation.