Patterns in the Bible

Don’t you love the way certain themes and ideas crop up again and again in the bible? Take the story of David and Goliath and the life of Jesus. Here are some of the similarities. It was 40 days that the Giant Goliath taunted the Israelites, 1 Samuel 17:16. Interestingly that is the same number of days that Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, Matthew 4:1-2. The taunts of Goliath and temptations of Satan have a certain similarity too. Goliath insisted that Israel prove themselves and in a sense their God, by sending their champion to fight against him 1 … Continue reading →

Questions From a Psalm

What do your thirst or hunger for? In Psalm 42 the psalmist states the deep thirst he has for God, like that of ‘a deer panting for water,’ verse 1. Do I have that same ongoing desire and need to meet with the Lord as this psalmist?I admit I have been struggling in this area recently. What about you? Do you have this same deep longing for God – that you simply couldn’t imagine life without Him? That you can’t wait to be in His presence? God certainly convicted me this hasn’t been my response of late. The psalmist recognizes … Continue reading →

How Can Reading a Psalm Help You?

Let me give you some ideas of how reading a psalm can sharpen and challenge our thinking. And suggest how to apply it to your life. This morning I read Psalm 57. In verse 1 David pleads with God to be gracious. Why? Because his soul ‘takes refuge’ in God. Is God my place of refuge and the One I run to when trouble comes? Is he yours? Notice David’s confidence in verse 2. He knows exactly where to turn and why to go there. He has confidence in God’s ability to undertake for him. David knew God ‘accomplishes all … Continue reading →

Dangers of Complacency

Are you comfortable in your life? Have you reached a point where things seem to be going along well, where you think you’ve done enough and can afford to slack off a little? This passage in Isaiah 32 highlights the dangers of complacency. What a blessing righteous and just government is, verse 1. It brings peace and security verse 2. Ultimately, this will only come about when Jesus reigns. His kingdom will be one of perfect righteousness. Those who have been blind will see the truth clearly. Those who hear will actually listen, verse 3. They will discern the truth, … Continue reading →

More Lessons from Isaiah

Israel had rejected God’s plans and decided to follow their own way, Isaiah 28- 30:11. See Warnings in Isaiah blog. God here warns of the consequences of those actions Judgment comes to those who reject God’s Holy One and rely on other means to guide them in life, Isaiah 30:12. What are you relying on? What have you put your trust in? Is it wealth, contacts, education, possessions, family? All of these will crumble and fall, verses 13-14. Israel put her trust in allies and idols rather than God and God promised judgment as a result. Yet we see God’s … Continue reading →

Warnings from Isaiah

How much notice do you take of warnings? Every day we see warning signs telling us to slow down on the road, to take corners at a safe speed or warnings about the dangers of smoking or alcohol or overuse of painkillers. Too often people ignore the warnings and trouble results. Isaiah contains a number of warnings for God’s people. In verse 14, God through Isaiah, warns of the dangers of scoffing and treating God’s Words lightly. Jerusalem thought they were okay because they were God’s people. But that does not mean a license for them to do as they … Continue reading →

Psalm 5: Praying Expectantly to Combat Discouragement

The older I get and the closer I grow to the Lord, the more I’ve come to realize that discouragement is really ungodly thinking in disguise. I don’t really mean to say that one should never be discouraged. But rather a discouragement without hope, one that ruins our day and our thoughts, is discouragement that hasn’t been handed over to God. And yet, how do we hand discouragement over to God? David, if anyone, had a reason to be discouraged. Like so many of God’s faithful he was persecuted for doing nothing wrong. He served Saul faithfully, so faithfully in … Continue reading →

By Faith. . .

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Romans 11:1 I think it is often easy to read in the Old Testament and miss the actions of faith that the ancients are commended for. When I read the story of Abraham taking Isaac to the mountain, I have always imagined him kind of tentatively trusting God, walking up the mountain thinking, “Well Lord, if you say so? But gosh this doesn‘t make sense.” But the reality is, He had the promise of … Continue reading →

Psalm 1: Uncompromising Godliness

Yesterday I gave a brief introduction to the Psalms as well as to David’s life, who is the author of many of the Psalms. Today we’re going to delve right into Psalm 1 and look at some of the truth there. I am going to follow a somewhat inductive pattern of study and so you might find it helpful to pull out your Bible and pen if you’re using this for devotions. The Progression of Sinful Compromise Look at the first 3 verses of Psalm 1. . .”Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the … Continue reading →

Psalms

While Dale is out (and maybe a little when she comes back) I thought I’d spend some time looking at the Psalms. One resource that I’ll be using is Living Beyond the Daily Grind by Chuck Swindoll if you’re interested in picking it up. A Little Background The Psalms are songs, most of which were written by David. David, as I’m sure you know, was “a man after God’s own heart.” A good look at his life and relationships gives a good indicator as to why he received such an honored distinction in the Bible. Let’s remember David was a … Continue reading →