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Study in Psalms for 2015

The Book of Psalms – 3rd Psalm

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This Study in the Book of Psalms is my look into how The Psalms help me deal with the news and events of the day (Local, State, National and World wide) How it gives me perspective and understanding in this complex and confusing world.

Study#4

Psalm 3 – NLT version – A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.

1 O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me.

2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” Selah/Interlude

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

4 I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. Selah/Interlude

5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.

6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.

7 Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

8 Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people. Selah/Interlude

King David starts out by being very negative and full of despair. (vs. 1-2) – Or maybe he is showing us he should be full of despair because of what he is up against. Whatever the case it is a perfect example of what I go through with problems. First part is to keep thinking about how big the problem is, looking at it over and over; and really doing nothing else…

Next King David remembers what God does for him and how He has helped him in the past. (vs. 3-4)

Because of God’s Love and protection King David can sleep in safety. (vs.5-6) – How many times has a problem woke us up at 3am to nag us, ruin our sleep and cause worry and doubt. Remember what God has done for you and sleep in safety; Deep and peaceful.

With certainty King David sees that the Victory comes from God. (vs. 7-8)  King David is a lot like us, some days he is good and follows the Lord seeking His will. Other days he sins and falls short. No matter what the case; he knows he is a Child of God and God blesses his people.

Here is a great example for us, the faith and love King David has for God. As it says in the Bible he was a man after God’s heart. Sure he failed, sometimes in very bad ways and suffered many negative consequences. Lots of family problems, deaths, murders and worse followed King David. Yet time and again he would turn back to God, who never grew tired of loving him. God helped him and blessed him through his whole life. We can expect nothing less from God for us. Endless Love and Perfect Grace is ours for being a Child of God.

I think I will have a good night’s sleep tonight, How about you? Will you sleep well tonight? Bro Bo.

Study in Psalms for 2015

The Book of Psalms – Psalm 2 – First Part – vs: 1 – 6

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This Study in the Book of Psalms is my look into how The Psalms helps me deal with the news and events of the day (Local, State, National and World wide) How it gives me perspective and understanding in this complex and confusing world.

Study#2

Psalm 2 – First Part – vs: 1 – 6  –  NLT version

1 Why are the nations so angry?  Why do they waste their time with futile plans?

2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.

3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury.

6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

The Second Psalm continues to serve as an Introduction to the book of Psalms. It states two cases for the world and its leaders, during King David’s time and in the future for the return of our Lord Jesus.

So much of the world today is against God, Christianity and the Bible. For centuries the Bible, God’s Holy Word has explained about truth and morality, the Sanctity of Life and the importance of Men’s “free will” …

Like it says in our Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These come from God. Remove God and now men have no rights. How happy that makes the governments that want to control the people.

Think about all the current governments around the world today and see how much freedom there is for their people. This freedom is directly proportional to governments with constitutions based on judeo/christen values. No Values = No Freedoms!

Those opposed to God don’t even know why they are fighting against Him.  They are embracing a slavery far worse than the reality of a Biblical Life. The deception is near complete in the world today. The Government / Media Complex and system of Political Correctness have changed Bad for Good.

The world’s has a problem. There is an Anger that is spreading, the governments prepare for a Battle and Cry for Freedom against the system. vs. 1-3

Remember the Old Saying, Careful what you ask for, you just might get it…

God is laughing at them vs. 4 and turning them over to their own kind…

He has already declared who the real King of Kings and Lord of Lords is… vs. 6

Which side will you be found standing on when Jesus comes back? – Bro Bo

Study in Psalms for 2015

The Book of Psalms – 1st Psalm

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This Study in the Book of Psalms is my look into how The Psalms helps me deal with the news and events of the day (Local, State, National and World wide) How it gives me perspective and understanding in this complex and confusing world.

I am not a Bible Scholar giving a commentary on the scriptures. There are many of those and I encourage you to look up and study any scriptures God lays on your heart. My purpose is to develop perspective and help with discerning the world’s wisdom and how it compares and contrasts against God’s.

Please read through Psalm 1 a few times and really think about what it is saying…

 

Psalm 1 NLT version

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1 AMP version

1 Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.

3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

4 Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor [b]sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].

6 For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to naught).

 

This first Psalm gives us an Intro into the book of Psalms.  It sets the stage clearly on which path we should follow. Who we should believe has the truth and what will happen to you because of your choices.

It is so easy today to listen to the “wise” people in government and on TV. The information from the internet and from all the experts; like doctors, lawyers, psychiatrists, counselors etc. Someone will always know better and will be only too happy to tell you about it.

Sometimes they may even have good advice but; I think, most times not so much.

This will be one of my big areas of concern, what the Experts have to say and how it compares to God’s Words here in the Psalms.

So to start things off in the Book of Psalms, let’s be clear. There are two paths to choose, one is God’s way and the other is not God’s way. Today in this world everything is upside down and backwards. Good is bad and evil is good. Many of the rich, wealthy and successful famous people use the wisdom of the world to succeed, and they will have their rewards here in this world. I also feel that almost all of them are not really happy, true happiness eludes them. A very sad example would be Robin Williams suicide.

There is no guaranty of wealth, success and fame under God’s way, as a matter of fact; I think God’s way will be harder and more difficult; but in the end well worth it. Looking closely at vs. 3 we can see what can happen for us.

This analogy of the fruitful tree in due season will come up many times in these studies.

It takes time, we must be patience as we learn and grow to becoming more “Christ like”. In this way we become well grounded, like the tree by the river. Deep roots into the Living Water will help us produce the fruit God desires for us at the right time. It all takes time.

We need to have a LONG range view, we are collecting rewards in Heaven, where there will be no wicked who are worthless. Please check your salvation, make sure you know Jesus as your personal savior and like it says in vs.2 Desire/delight in the Word, Study and Ponder/meditating on it daily…

This is a very good start – Bro Bo

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Perspectives on Defeat

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Ravi Z

A few years ago Forbes magazine published a special edition issue dedicated entirely to a theme they boldly called “the biggest concern of our age.” The articles began with the blunt assertion that “we’ve beaten or at least stymied most of humanity’s monsters: disease, climate, geography, and memory. But time still defeats us. Lately its victories seem more complete than ever. Those timesaving inventions of the last half-century have somehow turned on us. We now hold cell phone meetings in traffic jams, and ’24/7′ has become the most terrifying phrase in modern life.”(1) Certainly this statement is a telling look at some of our modern assumptions. Particularly fascinating is the categorizing of time as a monster. Time is limiting after all and, no doubt, the greatest modern monster of all is to find ourselves limited in any way.

I was reminded of this article and its fearful expressions of limitation while reading something in the book of Psalms. Like the candid passage above, the Psalms are known for their sincere expressions of troubling ailments and enemies. And yet the gigantic differences in worldview are not only evident but helpful in uncovering a logical perspective. It is easy to be blinded by progress and convenience such that we find “humanity’s monsters” to be the problem that needs correcting—and not humanity itself. Limitation is far from what ails us. Yet, it is often what brings us to the physician.

Significantly, the psalmist presents his list of the various monsters that limit and block his way before the God he seeks. “Be merciful to me, O Lord,” writes the psalmist, “for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief” (Psalm 31:9). Standing before one who is limitless casts limitation in a wholly different light. The psalmist powerfully concludes, “But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands… Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.” Gazing at trustworthy hands that hold fleeting days, the psalmist recognizes that, like time itself, all that limits and weakens us will also eventually fade—but God’s unfailing love will not.

The Christian perception of weakness is also one steeped in the person and character of God. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of something he calls the “thorn in his flesh.” No doubt a striking expression of limitation, scholars have debated for centuries what this thorn might have been—a physical ailment, a burdensome opponent, a disability of some sort. No one can be sure.  But what is certain is that Paul was a uniquely significant influence in spite of this limiting thorn. He writes, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But God said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” “Therefore,” continues Paul, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

It is a countercultural proclamation for sure. Yet what God can do with us through hardship, through limitation, even through seeming failure, is a testimony to the grace and authority, sovereignty and care of the God these weak proclaim.

What is in the time you hold before you this very moment? Do you see limits and fear? Or do you see as Paul saw, limitations and impossibilities made approachable by the power of a God who is near? Even in our weakness, maybe because of our weakness, God can accomplish far more than seems available. No one hoped for a weak Messiah. No one would have asked for a suffering servant where a military leader was needed. No one thought the death of Jesus could be the catalyst for a powerful grace. The defeat of Jesus as a display of power still seems a foolish suggestion. But the love of God is jarringly given in the broken gift of the Son. God’s defeat is boldly God’s victory. And the last are made first, the broken made beautiful, and the weak made strong in the power and the life of the Spirit.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Forbes, special edition, 2000, emphasis mine.

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Our Daily Bread — Mysterious Truth

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John 17:20-26

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. —Psalm 116:15

Sometimes when the infinite God conveys His thoughts to finite man, mystery is the result. For example, there’s a profound verse in the book of Psalms that seems to present more questions than answers: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants” (116:15 niv).

I shake my head and wonder how that can be. I see things with earthbound eyes, and I have a tough time seeing what is “precious” about the fact that our daughter was taken in a car accident at the age of 17—or that any of us have lost cherished loved ones.

We begin to unwrap the mystery, though, when we consider that what is precious to the Lord is not confined to earthly blessings. This verse examines a heaven-based perspective. For instance, I know from Psalm 139:16 that Melissa’s arrival in God’s heaven was expected. God was looking for her arrival, and it was precious in His eyes. And think about this: Imagine the Father’s joy when He welcomes His children home and sees their absolute ecstasy in being face to face with His Son (see John 17:24).

When death comes for the follower of Christ, God opens His arms to welcome that person into His presence. Even through our tears, we can see how precious that is in God’s eyes. —Dave Branon

Lord, when sorrow grips our hearts as we think about

the death of one close to us, remind us of the joy You are

experiencing as our loved one enjoys the pleasures of

heaven. Please allow that to give us hope and comfort.

 

A sunset in one land is a sunrise in another.