September 2, 2006 - Psalms 137-139 and I Corinthians 13
It is both scary and wonderful to consider that God knows each of us completely. He knows all of our thoughts, and He knows the condition of our hearts. Think about that as you read His Word today.
As I read psalm 137, I thought about how terrible it is to be far away from God and to lose your song. The Israelites had lost their song, because they were in exile in Babylon. There are many causes for not having a song in your heart for the Lord, but they are all sad. Many people are allowing their circumstances to dictate their joy. That should never happen. Our joy must come from our relationship with the Lord. The Israelites thought that they could not have a close relationship with God away from the Temple in Jerusalem. This caused them to hate their captors, which was so wrong. They could have kept their song, even in a strange land, if they had turned to the Lord with their whole heart. What is keeping you away from the Lord and robbing you of your song? He already knows, so talk to Him about it, and get it right.
Psalm 138 is a psalm of praise to God for giving boldness and strength in the face of trouble and enemies. Do you see the difference between the attitudes of the writers of these two psalms. Here David realizes that God is always there to help the lowly, and we are all lowly before Him. Do you need boldness and strength? He already knows, so talk with Him about it.
Psalm 139 is the basis for me saying that God knows everything about us. He formed us in the womb. He knows our thoughts. He knows all of our actions. He knows how He designed us to live and to honor Him. Why not just go along with His plan for how He made you? Why not cooperate fully with Him? If you are having a problem, He knows the problem, and He knows why you are having that problem. Go to your Designer for the solution.
I Corinthians 13 is the love chapter of the Bible. God is love. We are to love others with His kind of love, as believers. However, it is just human nature to want the bad people to get punished. In our flesh we want our enemies to be badly hurt or even killed. That is not God's heart. Even when He punishes people He does it in love. He gives people every chance to repent. Then, and only then, does He inflict the painful judgement, but He even does that with a broken heart. How is the quality of your love for the Lord and for others? Remember, He knows exactly how it is, so talk with Him about how to make it better.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 140-142 and I Corinthians 14:1-20.
As I read psalm 137, I thought about how terrible it is to be far away from God and to lose your song. The Israelites had lost their song, because they were in exile in Babylon. There are many causes for not having a song in your heart for the Lord, but they are all sad. Many people are allowing their circumstances to dictate their joy. That should never happen. Our joy must come from our relationship with the Lord. The Israelites thought that they could not have a close relationship with God away from the Temple in Jerusalem. This caused them to hate their captors, which was so wrong. They could have kept their song, even in a strange land, if they had turned to the Lord with their whole heart. What is keeping you away from the Lord and robbing you of your song? He already knows, so talk to Him about it, and get it right.
Psalm 138 is a psalm of praise to God for giving boldness and strength in the face of trouble and enemies. Do you see the difference between the attitudes of the writers of these two psalms. Here David realizes that God is always there to help the lowly, and we are all lowly before Him. Do you need boldness and strength? He already knows, so talk with Him about it.
Psalm 139 is the basis for me saying that God knows everything about us. He formed us in the womb. He knows our thoughts. He knows all of our actions. He knows how He designed us to live and to honor Him. Why not just go along with His plan for how He made you? Why not cooperate fully with Him? If you are having a problem, He knows the problem, and He knows why you are having that problem. Go to your Designer for the solution.
I Corinthians 13 is the love chapter of the Bible. God is love. We are to love others with His kind of love, as believers. However, it is just human nature to want the bad people to get punished. In our flesh we want our enemies to be badly hurt or even killed. That is not God's heart. Even when He punishes people He does it in love. He gives people every chance to repent. Then, and only then, does He inflict the painful judgement, but He even does that with a broken heart. How is the quality of your love for the Lord and for others? Remember, He knows exactly how it is, so talk with Him about how to make it better.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 140-142 and I Corinthians 14:1-20.