May 30 - Psalms 47-50
Today, we begin by reading two psalms of praise. That is a great way to start of any day. The Lord loves for His people to praise Him. In fact, He loves for us to shout praises and to clap our hands in praise. Some people don't understand that level of praise, but it is simply that God wants us to put everything we have into praising Him. The Jewish people in the Old Testament times had another specific reason to praise God. He was dwelling among them in Jerusalem. Just think if every time you drove through Atlanta you could see the Temple of God and know that He was residing there. It would be a great reason to praise God. However, today we have even more reason to praise Him, because He cares enough to live inside of believers. What a blessing!
Psalm 49 reminds us that redemption comes only from the Lord. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. It does not matter how rich or powerful we are. Our houses will not last forever, and we can't make ourselves live forever. The only way to eternal life is through faith in the Lord. Then, when the believer dies, He will deliver that soul from the power of the grave. (v.15) It does not matter how important a person is on this earth. When he dies, he is gone from this world. In the next world he can't work things out himself. He is at the mercy of God, and God has proclaimed that salvation is by grace through faith. We must trust Him and not ourselves.
Psalm 50 proclaims that God is the Judge. He is not looking for outward works or sacrifices. He is looking at hearts to see who trusts Him and His word. When He finds a person who sincerely calls upon Him, He will deliver that person, but when He finds a dishonest person, who lives for himself, He rejects that person. How many times have you seen people who went to church to make points with God, but then, they went out to live how ever they wanted. They would lie, steal, and cheat, but they would keep going to church, so God would save them. This psalm tells us that a person who does this is very foolish, and he can expect nothing but punishment from God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalm 51-54.
Psalm 49 reminds us that redemption comes only from the Lord. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. It does not matter how rich or powerful we are. Our houses will not last forever, and we can't make ourselves live forever. The only way to eternal life is through faith in the Lord. Then, when the believer dies, He will deliver that soul from the power of the grave. (v.15) It does not matter how important a person is on this earth. When he dies, he is gone from this world. In the next world he can't work things out himself. He is at the mercy of God, and God has proclaimed that salvation is by grace through faith. We must trust Him and not ourselves.
Psalm 50 proclaims that God is the Judge. He is not looking for outward works or sacrifices. He is looking at hearts to see who trusts Him and His word. When He finds a person who sincerely calls upon Him, He will deliver that person, but when He finds a dishonest person, who lives for himself, He rejects that person. How many times have you seen people who went to church to make points with God, but then, they went out to live how ever they wanted. They would lie, steal, and cheat, but they would keep going to church, so God would save them. This psalm tells us that a person who does this is very foolish, and he can expect nothing but punishment from God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalm 51-54.