Psalm 96

Psalm 96

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

From the rooftops

Matthew 10:26-27

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

God gives us what we have chosen

Proverbs 1:28-33
 
²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
   they will look for me but will not find me,
²⁹ since they hated knowledge
   and did not choose to fear the LORD.
³⁰ Since they would not accept my advice
   and spurned my rebuke,
³¹ they will eat the fruit of their ways
   and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
   and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety
   and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

I find it interesting that people blame God for everything that goes wrong, when in reality, he gives us what we ask for. Maybe it's because we know that he is all powerful and he alone is able to keep those things from happening so we think it is his fault for letting us suffer; but it seems to me that the disconnect is a lack of understanding that all good things come from God. People think that they can go their own way and do their own things in order to have the most fulfilling life, but as soon as something goes wrong, they blame God. So here comes the heavy question.. How can a loving God send people to hell?
I'm sure there are many answers to this question, but you may want to brace yourself for this one. He does it out of love. What?! how can that be?! Like it says in Proverbs 1:31, "they will eat of the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes." He gives them what they have chosen. To get a better grasp of the question, we need to understand what hell is. Put simply, hell is eternal separation from God. Yes, it's horrible, but as we've already established, all that is good comes from God; if God's not there, neither are those things. It is not God's will to send anyone to hell, but he gives us what we have chosen. If we choose to live by our own ways because we don't want to surrender to God's plan, then he's not going to force himself on us; he will remove himself from us in spite of his desire to be with us, for love without freewill is not love at all. People don't seem to understand that without God, there is no peace, there is no love and there is nothing desirable. We can't fathom the love that God has for us, nor are we capable of bearing the pain he feels when one of his children chooses to separate from him.

John 3:16

 ¹⁶ For 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.

 1 Corinthians 2:9
 "'What no eye has seen,
   what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived'
   the things God has prepared for those who love him" 

 James 1:17

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

 Isaiah 55:6-7
 ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 

Spiritual battles

"Satan is more afraid of our prayers than we think they have power"

How much do you typically think about spiritual warfare? Is it something that crosses your mind every now and then, or maybe something you've heard of, but aren't clear on what it really is? The more I think about it and the more I study the bible, the more I realize how much is actually affected by spiritual battles. I'm beginning to see that everything we do and everything that happens to us is closely related to what goes on that is unseen.  I know that as I pursue God and become proactive in furthering his kingdom, I become a force to be reckoned with.
Today, as one little thing went wrong after another, I realized that I was under spritual attack. Instead of just resisting the urge to lose my temper, like I normally would, and eventually giving into anger, I thought about it for a minute and had a realization. If the demons are picking on me because they don't like what I'm doing, what is keeping them from going all out and making my life miserable? Usually when someone has a beef with someone else, they will pick on them a little, but the fear of retaliation is what keeps them from going too far. So I thought about what it is that I am capable of retaliating with that the demons apparently see and I don't. Then it came to me, if I'm caught in a spiritual battle, I'm not just going to resist, and I'm certainly not going to give in to frustration, or even run from it, I'm going to fight with the power of the holy spirit. What I am capable of that keeps the demons shaking are my prayers to the Living God who hears me. When I am attacked, I will plead with the Almighy for revival. That God will rain down fire from heaven, consuming his enemies on every side. I will pray for the oppressed to be set free and all that is unholy to be devoured. I will respond to spiritual attack with worship and joyful songs. That is the retaliation that makes hell tremble. 

Isaiah 64

 ¹ Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
   that the mountains would tremble before you!
² As when fire sets twigs ablaze
   and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
   and cause the nations to quake before you!
³ For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
   you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
⁵ You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
   who remember your ways.

Love your neighbor

Matthew 22:37-40

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

My approach to interacting with people has changed drastically over the years. As I look back on it, I feel like something has been revealed to me about that. Several years ago, I despised situations where I knew I would have to talk to people, like school and other social gatherings, because I wasn't a very good conversationalist. I saw how people would exchange pleasantries and make small talk with a smile that they seemed to paste on regardless of whether they meant it or not. I didn't like what I saw. I knew there had to be so much more than that and I didn't want anything to do with it. So, as I avoided shallow conversations and false representations of how I really felt, I became alienated and bitter. I ended up avoiding conversation and human contact as much as possible because I didn't like the reputation I had achieved. So after a year or two of living this way, I became weary. It was to the point where I couldn't bring myself to initiate even a simple conversation with someone I actually wanted to talk to because it was so far beyond my comfort zone. It's like I wanted to be under water but wasn't willing to break the surface tension. I began to pray about it and asked God to change me. What he revealed to me was that I had lacked a love for people. I was always so over analytical of what people thought of me that I never gave them a chance. I began reading books about how to essentially be more likable (I know, weird right?) and the principles fascinated me. I took some time off of school and just discovered who God created me to be and how to get things turned back around. Jesus said seek and you will find, so as I sought truth, God revealed it. In fact, he's changed my heart so much, to the point where I view every conversation, and every interaction as an opportunity for someone to experience the love of Christ through me (I at least try to anyway). If I'm in a situation where I'm around people, whether I know them very well or not, I try to see it as an opportunity to make them smile. If I can let someone see that I went out of my way just for them, it could make their day. Dale Carnegie said, "I shall pass this way but once; any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
I love this outlook. Now, small talk doesn't have to be fake. I don't have to be talking  about something  of huge importance in order to allow someone to experience the joy that God has given me. If I'm only talking about the weather, yet I do it with a genuine care for the person I'm talking to, that becomes a rich conversation. And besides, isn't a shallow conversation necessary before delving into any in-depth confabulation?
One of my favorite examples of how far simple kindness goes, happened to me one day a while back. I was at Jack in the Box and as I went to throw away my trash, another customer nearby opened the lid and held it for me. It was a small gesture of kindness, but as I thanked him, with a big smile on his face he said," You're welcome brother, you're welcome." It was a simple statement, but the way he said it was so genuine. It wasn't just a programmed response. I genuinely felt like this guy who I had never met cared about me. I saw the love of Christ in him and it has impacted me to this day.
So, the moral of the story.. dare to love people and see what happens.

Redeemed from the empty way of life

"'Be holy, because I am holy'
Since you call on a Father who judges
each man's work impartially, live your lives
as strangers here in reverent fear.
For you know that it was not with perishable 
things such as silver or gold that you were 
redeemed from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ,
a lamb without blemish or defect."
1 Peter 1:16b-18

How awesome is it that we have been redeemed from the empty way of life both now and forever?! We are no longer bound by the things that earth has to offer and we are no longer slaves to our possessions! The things of this world that people seek for pleasure and satisfaction never seize to disappoint, regardless. The reason for this being, that it was not for the things of this world that we were created, but for God. He is our joy and satisfaction. He alone can save and he alone can quench our thirst, so much so, to the point that suffering for the sake of the kingdom is way better than delighting in the things of this world.

"But even if you should suffer for what is right,  you are blessed. 'Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened' But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord."
1 Peter 1:14-16a

shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness,
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his,
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name,
for the Lord is good and his love
endures forever; his faithfulness
continues through all generations."
Psalm 100

Is this not what we were made for? A life of joy in him, wholly surrendered in worship at all times? How refreshing it is to be around people who live by this; in a world full of selfishness and frustration, these people are a breath of fresh air! When we are truly in a state of constant worship, all of the things of this world that try to get in our way and try to bring us down become powerless. All of the trifles that may have offended us or stepped between us and God before are now something to laugh at.
We can't forget how important this is!

"Satisfy us in the morning
with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy
and be glad all our days."
Psalm 90:14

Money

I had this thought today about money.
Hard earned money, earned in the right way and spent in the right places is a blessing, but easy money spent on selfish things is a curse.
Sadly, many people would probably disagree, yet they can't figure out why they're still not happy.
:]

Holding people to the right standards

It occurred to me today while I was working, that I sometimes hold people to the wrong standards. After dealing with a cantankerous customer who was less than satisfied with my pool cleaning abilities, I asked God to help me see the man the way God sees him. What I realized was eye opening.
As a believer, I am to be held to a different standard than an unbeliever. Because I have given my life away in order to serve God, I no longer have a right to defend myself or even get offended, nor do I need to. The unbeliever, however, has not chosen to give their life to God, so they are still living for themselves while they maintain their rights. This life is all they have and everything they do is in effort to build their own kingdom. Wouldn't it make sense that they would get frustrated when things don't go right, and don't they have that right?
God has given them what they have chosen, a life where they call their own shots, without giving anything up for the sake of God's kingdom. And after all, this life is fleeting; the grave is already approaching from day one.They don't have the eternal rewards to look forward to that believers have, so their time on earth is precious.
At that moment, I saw the depth of the situation, or at least to the extent of my comprehension. I realized, that the only thing that I am entitled to give is love. Pure, selfless love.
  Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."
A clever statement, but how contrasting it is to the gospel! This lends great insight and explanation to the motives of the world, but we as believers cannot be held to this standard because we have already died to ourselves!! There is no more of us. Our identity is found in Christ alone, for he payed our ransom and we are his. So, here's my revision to Emerson's statement,"We are to make the most of God, for he is all there is of us."
Something to keep in mind.