Tell of His mercy and faithfulness

Psa 89:1  I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. Psa 89:2  For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

 God is good, and it is on this foundation of God’s goodness that His mercy and faithfulness builds.  God is faithful, He is worthy of trust. What He has promised He will do.  His faithfulness is as dependable as the sun, moon and stars, steady and fixed in the heavens. This Psalm was written in a difficult time for David.  Yet he recalled God’s mercy and faithfulness, and he then declared that mercy and faithfulness.  When we are struggling, it is a good time to rehearse God’s past mercies and faithfulness, to make them known to those around.  It will strengthen both our and their faith to hold steady in the storm to once again see the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promises.    

No regrets

(Prov 10:22 KJV)  The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

We are often tempted to believe that we are missing out on something by living a Christian life.  It is often assumed that one must be somewhat deceptive to get ahead.  But this leaves God out of the equation.  God’s blessing enriches us without any regrets, guilt or sorrow.  Purpose to live honestly, and trust God to bless as He sees fit.

Praise God for hearing our prayers

Psa 28:6  Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. Psa 28:7  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

 Our God is a prayer hearing and prayer answering God.  He is trustworthy; He is our strength and protection. God is faithful to hear our prayer and bring us the help we need.  What a thrill it is to trust the Lord and experience His deliverance.  One of the greatest sources of joy for a Christian is answered prayer.  Trust Him.  Call out to Him.  Allow God to prove Himself faithful in your life.  Then your heart can thrill with joy and your mouth be filled with song and praise.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved...

2 Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 Every now and then it is good for us to take a step back and get perspective.  We need to be reminded that this world is just temporary.  Everything in this world is going to be destroyed.  With this perspective, there is really only one thing important in this life and that is making heaven our home.  There is nothing more important than living the way God has instructed us.  No matter the cost, we need reminded that living a holy life is worth more than anything we may gain in compromise.  Keep your perspective, stay faithful.   

Our help comes from God

(Psa 121:1 KJV)  I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (Psa 121:2 KJV)  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

 We are in need of help.  Our country, our society and even our churches are in trouble.  There is only one solution.  We need to lift up our eyes and look up to where our help comes from.  Only God has the wisdom and the power to bring real help to our situation.  My prayer is that we will look to the mighty Creator God for the help we stand in need of. 

Teach me

Psa 119:68  Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

 God is good, He is altogether good, perfectly good; it is who He is.  Not only is God good, but everything He does is good.  The Psalmist’s plea is for God to teach him His statutes, His ways.  Our plea should be as the Psalmist’s.  To know God’s ways is to know His goodness and to also know how to conform our own lives to be and do good.  Let us strive to know His goodness and learn to follow His ways.

Let no one deceive you

1 Jn 3:10  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Modern Christianity places a huge emphasis on grace, and rightly so. It is by grace we are saved.  Yet, salvation produces a real change in our lives.  Too often, this truth is neglected.  A real experience of salvation changes us from our old sinful life of loving our self supreme to a new life of loving God supreme and loving others as our self.  This love is shown in the way we live and produces a life of righteousness.  This life of righteousness is the distinguishing mark of those who are the children of God.  Anyone who doesn’t love others and live righteously is not of God.  Grace, love and holiness are not opposed to each other, in fact you cannot have one without having the other as well.  Let no one deceive you.

God is great

.  Psa 145:3  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Psa 145:4  One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

Our God is worthy of praise.  His holiness, His goodness, His purity, His love, His compassion, His wisdom and His power are beyond our comprehension.  The greatness of God elicits praise.  Those of us who know Him must let others know who He is, let them know of His wondrous works.  Our greatest obligation is to the generation that follows, to tell them of our great God.  Let us not fail to rightly portray our God to those who come after us.  Praise Him.

God still rules

Dan 4:32  And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

 No matter how powerful the nation or ruler, God is still God.  Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of the world empire, the most powerful man on earth.  Yet God humbled him, made him become as an animal grazing in the fields to show him that God was the ruler over all the earth.  No matter how powerful nations and rulers appear, they are still ultimately responsible to God.  God still rules, God still ultimately determines the destiny of nations.  Don’t fear, trust the future to God.     

Love God, hate evil

Psa 97:10a  Ye that love the LORD, hate evil:

 There is a tendency in Christianity today to equate the love of God with a tolerance of evil.  Such is far from the truth.  Part of loving God is to hate evil. To love God is to also love holiness, to love all that is good, to love all that God is.  We need to take time to consider the wickedness of sin, to see the absolute hideousness of sin and evil, to see the hurt and suffering caused by sin.  We need to consider the affront to God that sin is.  Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.  Begin by hating evil in yourself.  Don’t tolerate sin in your own life, for the love of God.    

I know Who I have believed

2 Ti 1:12  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 There are times that we may suffer for the cause of Christ.  We may suffer for being faithful to God.  Yet we have no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed because we know God.  We know who He is, we know His faithfulness, we know His power.  We know who we are trusting our lives and our eternal destiny to, and we know He is able to keep us to and through the final judgment.  Continue faithful, bear the cross when required.  Our God is faithful.

Ready to answer

Isa 65:24  And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

 We need God’s help in so many ways, yet we so often fail to realize how willing God is to answer our prayers. This passage shows us God’s readiness to answer prayer in that He answers as soon as we call, while we are yet speaking.  Do you have needs?  Bring them to God, He is more than ready to help.

Near

Jer 23:23  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

 There are times when God seems far away.  There are times when our own difficulties, disappointments and discouragement seem to scream “Where is God?”.    Yet God is always near.  He is always right at hand, with us, ready to help.  God is always with us, He knows what is happening.  His love and care remain the same.  It is a trick of Satan to make us believe God is no where to be found, to discourage us from seeking His help. Take faith, our God is near at hand.

This is God's world

Jer 10:6  Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.  Jer 10:7  Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

 Sometimes it helps to step back and take a look at the big picture.  This is God’s world, His creation.  It was created by Him and for Him, and for His purposes it exists.  God still reigns supreme.  Nothing has taken Him by surprise; nothing has occurred that He was unprepared for.  There is nothing that is beyond His wisdom.  He is still the creator God to whom all creation shall answer.  There is none like Him.  He is greatly to be feared and reverenced. Take courage…our God still reigns.

A new person

2 Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 Salvation is a radical change both within and without.  Salvation involves action on our part in repentance and faith, but salvation also involves a divine work by God as well.  We are indeed a new creature, a new creation, alive with spiritual life.  We have turned from the old life of pleasing our self to a new life of love and gratitude toward God.  We have a new perspective that changes everything.  We are alive to spiritual realities.  This is the salvation of the Bible.  We live in a time of much religion, but not enough true salvation.  Don’t settle for anything less than real salvation.  

Go on

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

 This wonderful salvation begins with repentance from our sins and faith in the sacrifice provided by Christ.  However, this is just the beginning, the foundation.  This Christian life is to be a life of growing in our knowledge of God and coming to know Him better and better.  It is a life that is alive, vibrant, progressing in our relationship with God.  Today, many professed Christians are not spiritually healthy and growing.  They have become stunted, babes in Christ.  A foundation is vital to a strong house, but we cannot stop when the foundation is laid.  Give effort to progress in knowledge of God, both by experience and by His word.  It is the path to Christian maturity that yields the pleasant fruits of this great salvation.  

Here I am

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

 God is still looking for “Here I am” Christians today.  In a time of wickedness and apostasy, faithful servants of God are needed now as much as ever.  “Here I am” Christians are prepared and waiting for the Lord’s call.  They are ready to be used of God, committed to carrying out His will. Are you ready and waiting for God’s call? 

A hunger to know God's way

Psa 25:4  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

This is the cry of both the beginning Christian and the mature Christian.  When first converted, we need to seek the Lord for His leading and guiding in everything.  After we have lived for God a while, learned His will, heard His word, we still need to seek the Lord for His leading and directing, in everything.  An earnest plea for God to show us His will, to lead and guide our life, should be a daily prayer.  We need His help.  We should desire His way, not our way.  His way is the way of life, the path of blessing, the road home to heaven.  Seek God to lead and direct your life daily.

God's means of encouragement

2 Co 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 2Co 7:6  Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

 Discouragement is a common enemy to be faced in this Christian life.  Many of the great heroes of the faith battled discouragement at times.  Paul found himself in distress and trouble.  There were conflicts all around, and he had fears and anxiety within.  There are times when we are surrounded by trouble and stressed by fears.  Paul found help from God.  God gives strength and encouragement to those who are down and in difficulty.  Are you in similar circumstances?  Look to God.  God sent the encouragement to Paul through Titus.  God often uses our brothers and sisters in the Lord to help and encourage us.  Take advantage of the help from God.  If you are down, don’t absent yourself from the house of God.  That may be God’s chosen method of bring you grace and help.    

Disciples indeed

Joh 8:31 b If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

 The proof of the reality of our relationship with God is not in our words but, rather, in our deeds.  A real relationship with God brings a change of heart that desires to know and follow the will of God, as revealed in His word.  In a day when very little premium is placed on a holy life, let’s not forget that this is the evidence of the Lordship of Christ in our life.