Within Psalm 95 is enumerated the aspects of God which make Him praiseworthy. He is Supreme King, Creator, and Shepherd of His people. All things belong to Him and are under His control. We are not to neglect lessons learned but remember His great power displayed throughout history, praise Him, and obey His instructions. We are to hear God’s voice and not harden our hearts as the Israelites did in the wilderness or we fall short of the rewards He has for us. Instead praise God and lift each other up in prayer.
One of my blogging buddies wrote a prayer of blessing for his readers at this link. Thanks Noel for your blessing. Let us value the blessings God gives and hold them dear; using the momentum to keep our faith strong, our hope firm, and our love overflowing.
It’s time for many to return back to school so the sermon message this past weekend at the church I attend was titled “Back to School” and can be listened to or viewed at thislink. Below is an outline of the message. The words in black are notes provided by the church staff and the notes in blue are notes I added as I listened to the Podcast.
1. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH.
“God poured out richly upon us that Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior. Being made right with God by His grace, we could have the hope of receiving the life that never ends.” – Titus 3:6-7 (NCV)
Amazing things happen with the Holy Spirit is helping.
“But you are God’s chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” – 1 Peter 2:9 (NCV)
2. YOU ARE INVESTABLE.
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest, they don’t have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds.” – Luke 12:24 (NCV)
It’s not about your net worth. It’s about the worth God sees in you.
“God paid a great price for you. So don’t become slaves of anyone else. Stay what you were when God chose you.” – 1 Corinthians 7:23-24 (CEV)
3. YOU ARE LOVABLE.
“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. – John 3:16 (NIV)
Pastor Steve became a grandfather … again! This past week, his granddaughter was born and if you watch his podcast you will see how much love he has for his children and grandchildren. He mentions that God’s love for us is many times more than for our own children.
“The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but My love will never disappear; My promise of peace will not come to an end,’…” – Isaiah 54:10 a, b (NCV)
4. YOU ARE FORGIVABLE.
“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’” – Mark 2:5 (NLT)
“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” – 1 John 1:9 (NLT)
We are redeemed through Christ – We are free.
5. YOU ARE ABLE.
“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” – 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV)
The secular world offers no solutions to most problems like low self esteem, a sense of failure, and discouragement but God gives solutions; God makes us new, we are redeemed, we are free.
“For I can do everything with the help of Christ Who gives me strength I need.” – (NLT)
We all come from different places and backgrounds. Some have wonderful earthly fathers and some don’t but our heavenly Father made you to do amazing things. You are good enough, investable, lovable, forgivable, and able. In searching for a video to bring these thoughts together, I found this one:Redeemed – Big Daddy Weave. Enjoy and have a wonderful day. 🙂
Noticed after reading in Psalm 94 was that society had problems just like in many ways we have today. The answer back then and today is building a society on the disciplined life of faith. Putting God first is the better way. Once we receive the benefits, we don’t want to go back like this video points out: I Won’t Go Back – William McDowell.
Applying God’s principles of leadership, teamwork, and service is the best way to provide strength and growth. It takes a disciplined continuous effort but it provides tremendous benefits for families, businesses, and organizations.
The author of Psalm 94 lived in a day when government promoted wrongdoing and persecuted the virtuous. He pleads with God for a settling of scores.
Think of all the negative enterprises today that prosper while they destroy the lives of people and their families like the ones that support drug addictions, gambling, and prostitution. A part of our culture even glorifies those enterprises while turning away from the positive enterprises that build up the lives of people and their families.
For the Psalmist in today’s reading, trusting in God is in the balance because the negative enterprises only prosper yet those that impact society in a positive way struggle. For the tide to turn, we must band together in the LORD. We must offer evidence of how God supports His people. Show people there is a better way; no more addictions, no more brokenness, no more ups and downs in life but evidence that a disciplined life of faith leads to repair, steadiness, and long term gain.
Are there examples in God’s Word were the virtuous eventually win. Think of current times and examples of people that are looked up to but then get involved in negative behavior. Examples may include political leaders that have been involved in scandals or athletes that find trouble off the field. The lesson today is that putting God first is the better way. Make it a part of your prayer today to put God first in your marriage, your family, career, ministry, and relationships.
There were some great lessons learned over the last few weeks in studying Psalm 91-93. One is that with God we can take courage and step out into the unknown because the angels are near. We can resist fear and master fear like David; taking on our giants because the voice of truth encourages us to live in new and adventurous ways.
Along life’s path, there are times of difficulty where we struggle to keep our heads above water but the good news is that we have our heavenly Father’s shoulders to hold onto. He helps us live an effective life as we learn to internalize the fruits of the Spirit by being committed to Him and praying.
The journey now takes us into Psalm 94-96. I’m looking forward to using the momentum being gained each day to keep our faith strong, our hope firm, and our love overflowing. It will take a disciplined continuous effort but the benefits will be enormous. Below are the planned readings along with questions for reflection that will help as I share over the upcoming posts.
Psalm 94 Passage Lookup
Why does God allow wickedness to prosper? What will ultimately prevail? How are righteous and wicked people described here?
Psalm 95 Passage Lookup
Enumerate the aspects of God which make him praiseworthy. What warning is inserted into the congregational worship? When does it become difficult to praise God? How does He respond to our reluctance?
Psalm 96 Passage Lookup
What aspects of God are being praised? How does nature participate in the praise? How do you relate this sense of praise to your friends?
