The Attributes of God:

Where do we turn for clarity in a confused world? Pt 1 Psalm 119 “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.”                   Where do we turn for answers in a morally confused world? Where can we find certainty in a world where there seems to be disunity and uncertainty?                   Psalm 119 sits at the center of the Bible. In many ways, it is not just a celebration of God’s word; it is a reminder that the Bible is the foundation of life. The Psalm is an acrostic, with each line of each stanza starting with a Hebrew letter. The words that divide the Psalm (Aleph, Beth, Gimel, etc.) are letters of the Hebrew alphabet, similar to A, B, C, D... This acrostic is more than just a literary form; it serves as a reminder that from beginning to end, and everything within it...

The Overlooked Psalms Today reading Psalm 116-118 Psalm 117, "Praise the Lord, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! For His loving kindness is great towards us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!"                   There are often two Psalms we frequently ignore, one because it is so short, the other because it is so long. Separated by only one Psalm, the two Psalms stand at the center of the Bible. In today's devotional, I would like us to look at the first of these two psalms, and then on Monday, we shall examine Psalm 119.                   Psalm 117 is only two verses (17 words in Hebrew), but in these two verses, we see the central themes that run throughout the rest of scripture. The Psalm begins with a simple call for all the nations to enter into the praise of the Lord. The Psalm...

The God of Science Today’s reading: Psalms 111-115 Psalm 11:2-Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.”                   Do we believe in science or the God who created the laws of science? Do we see scientific laws as the work of chance or the work of a divine creator? For many, science is more than the discovery of scientific laws that govern our universe. They see science is the basis for gaining knowledge and understanding of human evolution, so that, through science, we can discover meaning, purpose, and an understanding of life, which can provide a pathway for social progress. However, the tragedy is not that we seek to understand the world through scientific discovery, but that we do so without considering the God who created the laws of science. To remove theology from scientific ...

Finding Hope in a Broken World Today’s Reaching Psalm 106-110 Psalm 107:19-20, Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distress. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”                   The one thing we can all agree on in our present world, regardless of our political affiliation, is that we are living in a broken world. There is something deeply wrong in our culture. We are facing a social collapse as different factions vie to gain supremacy, believing that their party will provide the answers and that they can restore our world. If we only had the right leader, the right government, the right solution, all our problems would be solved. However, the issues we face in our world run much deeper than those that can be resolved through political means. Until we come to realize that the problem lies with us rather than others,...

Surrendering to God’s sovereign reign. Today’s Reaching: Psalm 101-205 Psalm 103:19, “the Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules overall. Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His Word, obeying the voice of His word!”                   At the core of our sin nature there resides a desire to usurp God’s sovereignty and set ourselves up as king. We strive to conform God to our perspective. Instead of conforming our moral truth to God’s word, we conform God’s word to our moral perspective.                   Woven through these five Psalms is the affirmation that God resides in heaven, clothed with splendor and majesty (104:2). The starting point of our understanding of God is the recognition that He is the sovereign ruler of the whole universe. In Psalm...

Seven Commands Today’s Reading: Psalm 96-100 Psalm 100:1-2 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.”                   Psalm 96-100 shares a common theme. In each of these Psalms, the writer extols the praise of God’s reign over the world. There is no nation, no people, no part of the world or the universe that is outside the realm of God’s sovereign oversight and control. However, His rule over the universe is both absolute and perfect. To oppose His reign is to face His judgment (97:3-5). To submit to His control is to discover the joy of His protection and deliverance (Psalm 98). However, unlike human leaders, His rule is perfect and a source of joy for He cares for His people. When we look at all the confusion and challenges of this world, we have hope because we have one who is in control of our lives. So how should we respo...

Finding Security in an Insecure World Today’s Reading Psalm 91-95 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”                   When we look at all the uncertainty and turmoil in our world, it is easy to become gripped with fear and anxiety. It seems that every place we look, we see threats and fears. Not only do we see turmoil on a global level, but we also see the uncertainty with the political division in our own country. Even more fearful is the uncertainty we experience in our own lives and circumstances. Permeating our culture is a culture of fear, conflict, and competing worldviews that shows no signs of abating. Jennifer Gerlach examines the fear that grips our culture in her article in  Psychology Today . She writes, “Centuries ago, the threats that faced our ancestors were severe and short-lived. Today, our fears are often much more...

Setting Priorities Today’s Reading: Psalm 81-85 Psalm 84:1-2 “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty, My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my cry out for the living God.”                   If you were given free, front-row tickets to attend a concert of your favorite singer or attend a playoff game of your favorite sports team, what priority would you give it? Would you cancel all your other plans to attend, or would you casually cast the tickets aside and go about your day as usual? When I was in seminary, I was once given front row, center court tickets to see the Portland Trailblazers play the LA Lakers. At the game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored his 30,000th point, and they awarded him the game ball about 10 feet from where I was sitting. I don’t recall my plans before receiving the tickets, but rest assured, I was at the game. We prioritize what we valu...

Finding Hope in a Hopeless World Today’s Reading Psalm 86-90 Psalm 86:15, ”But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh, grant Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your handmaid.”                   In this politically divided world, there is one thing we can all agree on: we live in a broken world where sin and evil reign unchecked, and we feel the weight of trials and difficulties. Yet the world we live in is not much different from the world of the Psalmist. He knew what it was like to live with the struggles of life. In reading through the Psalms, we find the repeated theme of adversity and suffering. Psalm 86 begins with the prayer of one afflicted and broken. He starts with the cry of his affliction and need. The word “afflicted” in verse one refers to one who is overwhelmed by want...

Praising God for his judgment and grace. Psalm 76-80 Psalm 78:36-38, “But they deceived Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.”                   While we sing the songs of God’s grace, in the Psalms, we are reminded to sing the praise of His justice and judgment, for He reveals both in His response to people. In Psalm 76, the Psalmist praises God for His judgment upon those who reject Him.  God is just and righteous in all His actions. If God overlooked sin, then He would be complacent and accepting of sin. For God to tolerate sin would mean He condones rebellion and those who violate His law. Thus, in Psalm 76, the Psalmist sings the praise of God because of His judgment upon those who reject His law. But His...

The Prayer of an Old Man Today Reading Psalm 71-75 Psalm 71                   The older we get, the easier it is to become the proverbial old grouch. We reflect upon the changes in the world, and we become cynical and bitter as we see the world continually descending into the abyss of sin. We reflect upon a time when TV shows upheld moral values and compare it to the onslaught of programs that today promote values that attack the very values we believe in. When we raise our objections, we are ridiculed as being “old-fashioned, legalistic, and outdated.”  We long for the days of Mayberry while lamenting that we live in the age of  “South Park,” which mocked religious followers and institutions.   However, in many ways, the nostalgia of the past is a remembrance of a myth, for we overlook the sins of the past while failing to see God’s activity in the present. The r...

God’s Care in Times of Adversity Today’s Reading: Psalm 66-70 Palm 66                     How do we praise God sitting in a cancer treatment center? Today is my wife’s chemo treatment for her incurable cancer. A little over a year ago, our life took an abrupt and unsettling turn when Becky was diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. In times like these, it is easy to become discouraged by life's uncertainties and even angry because heaven seems silent in the face of our trials and uncertainty. In this journey, we are not alone. As we read through the Psalms, we find a continual theme of trials and praise. The psalms do not paint a rosy picture of life where there are no problems or difficulties. Instead, the writers are confronted with profound challenges and threats. They often write from the depths of despair and discouragement. Life in a broken world is frequently difficult...

Satisfaction for a Thirsty Soul Today’s Reading: Psalm 61-65 Ps. 63:1, “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My Soul thirsts for You, my Flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”                     Have you ever been thirsty? Not just the desire for a drink, but so thirsty that all you can think about is water? Once, when I was in college, I was working in a field (back in the days when there were no air-conditioned cabs) on a hot summer day several miles from the farmhouse. Without thinking, I headed out to the field without any water. As the sun beat down, I became more and more thirsty until that was all I could think about. My one thought was to get a drink of water. But what happens when we have spiritual thirst?                   We live in a world of spi...

Living with confidence in a fearful world. Psalm 56-60 Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”                   We live in a culture of fear. Politicians often use fear to motivate people to vote for them. Companies use fear to try and sell us a product. Organizations use fear to try and motivate people to give to their cause. It is easy to become gripped by fear. However, in reality, much of what we fear is not an actual threat but merely a perceived threat. For example, people are afraid of flying even though the odds of dying as a result of a commercial airline accident are 1 in 13 million, while the odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 95. Yet we jump into our cars without fear, but we feel apprehension when our plane hits turbulence.                     However, what hap...

Being Honest with Ourselves Psalm 51-55 Ps. 51, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”             The hardest thing to do in life is to be honest about our condition before God. We all want to consider ourselves good people. If you ask almost anyone if they want to go to heaven, the response is likely to be “Yes.” If you ask them why God should accept them into heaven, the response would be, “Because I am a good person.”  We all like to think that we are good enough for heaven and worthy of being accepted. However, the harsh reality is that we are not honest with ourselves or with God. We focus on the good things we do and overlook the bad. We minimize our sin while justifying ourselves before God by comparing ourselves to others.             The first step to obtaining sa...