Category: Psalms

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Little Old Ladies

When I put the words “little old ladies” into a search this morning, this was one of the images that popped up.

I want us to look at one little lady that the Lord brought to the attention of His disciples.

“ Jesus sat near the Temple collection box and watched as people put money into it. Many rich people put in a lot of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny. 43 Jesus called his followers to him and said, ‘This poor widow put in only two small coins. But the truth is, she gave more than all those rich people. 44 They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. It was money she needed to live on.'” Mark 12:41-44 ERV

I’ve seen this lady many times in my imagination. Hair brushed back, the fabric in her clothing faded, a bit thin but a smile on her face and an air of confidence in her step.

The disciples hadn’t noticed her but God did!

The world around her ignored her. She wasn’t significant to them, but she was to the Lord. She didn’t come to Jesus asking for anything, she came to give to God willingly, sacrificially and without pretense.

There’s no mention that Jesus had any personal encounter with her, not like He had with Zacchaeus when he told him to come down out of the tree or that He had with Peter when He asked him to leave his fishing nets and follow Him.

No, but He noticed her. He knew what God would do.

“Everyone depends on you, and when the time is right, you provide them with food.
16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live. 17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.” Psalm 145:15-18 CEV

“ When you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand gives. 4 Your giving should be in secret. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:3-4 NLV

This isn’t a message on giving, please don’t think that. But it is a message on being seen by the Father.

These four verses tell us that nothing is outside of the Father’s attention. Something that appears insignificant to the world makes our heavenly Father take notice.

A little boy’s lunch, a widow’s small offering, a cup of cold water, a broken bottle of perfume – all gifts from the heart. All were noteworthy and found their place in Scripture. God felt they were important enough to be recorded in a book filled with miracles.

The little kindnesses we extend each day, the time spent in prayer for a loved one or a neighbor, forgiveness given, sacrifices of time, all are noticed.

Young child, college student, young mother, career path walker, blue collar worker, executive, retiree or little old lady – the Father sees you, He notices and He knows your heart.

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Mending Fences

Some years back, about this time, I had the privilege to preach the funeral of a dear friend. This old cowboy had lived a good life but not always a godly life. In fact, it wasn’t until a couple years before he died that I had the opportunity to lead him to Jesus. How special it was to know that God’s love had touched this man’s life and that he accepted Jesus as his Savior.

Dave and I made the trip from Montana to Nebraska for the celebration of his life. I remember asking him just a few days before he died if he was ready to see Jesus and he responded with a resounding “Yes, I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

When we arrived at the funeral home his favorite saddle was positioned at the end of the casket and tied to the saddle was a pair of fencin’ pliers. This made me wonder, how many times he must have used those as he rode fence and checked on the cattle. He would stop, pull the wire tight and keep the cattle in the pasture where they were well fed and safe.

How many times have I needed a pair of spiritual fencin’ pliers? How many times have I needed to have the lines around me pulled tight and secured once again to a strong post? How many times have I tried to grab a loose strand of wire with my hands and been stuck on the barbs?

God cannot lie when He says something, and He does not lie when he makes an oath.

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:18-19 NLT

To me hope is like a pair of fencin’ pliers. It pulls things up tight and keeps us for running into open pasture beyond the fence of safety that God has established for us.

“But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.” Psalm 94:22 KJV

Now this is definitely a play on words but I think we can all agree that the Lord is our de-fence.

God can’t lie. Trust His Word, it pull our fence tight, and He will keep us safe and sure.

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Rejected to Redeemed

By now you all know that I love words. What writer doesn’t? But I am intrigued by the way simple words tell a story.

You can image how excited I was this morning when my heart began coupling words with the prefix “re”. I’ll have you look at a few of those words with me.

Rejected.

“He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, ‘He is a nobody.’ 4 He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. 5 He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.” Isaiah 53:3-5 CEV

Redeemed.

“ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ” Galatians 3:13 NKJV

He was rejected so we could be redeemed!

Repent. Receive.

“ Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Acts 2:38-39 NLT

When we repent we receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit who gives instruction and comfort.

Rescue. Reward.

“The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Psalm 9:14-16 NLT

The Lord promises to be our rescuer, our protector, and the One who rewards us with long life and salvation.

Now for one more “re”. Rejoice.

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 NLT

Rejoice in that fact that He was rejected so we could be redeemed. Rejoice that when we repented of our sins, we received the Holy Spirit. Rejoice that the Lord rescues us and rewards us with life.

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How Great Is God

I woke up this morning singing “How great is our God, sing with me, How great is our God. All will see. How great, how great is our God!”

Daily we need to remind ourselves that our God, our Father, is the great God!

There are no other gods, that are greater than He. No power in the universe can overshadow God, our defender, deliverer, and our provider.

“ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your feet go out from under you. He Who watches over you will not sleep. 4 Listen, He Who watches over Israel will not close his eyes or sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your safe cover at your right hand. 6 The sun will not hurt you during the day and the moon will not hurt you during the night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all that is sinful. He will watch over your soul. 8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going, now and forever.” Psalm 121 NLV

Some of the obstacles and adversaries we face are physical but we can trust the Lord to watch over us and be our “safe cover” and our help.

Some obstacles are dogmas, philosophies, doctrines and train of thought that try to capture our thinking, rob our peace and deceive our minds.

“My children, you are a part of God’s family. You have stood against these false preachers and had power over them. You had power over them because the One Who lives in you is stronger than the one who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NLV

“ It is true, we live in a body of flesh. But we do not fight like people of the world. 4 We do not use those things to fight with that the world uses. We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. Those things God gives to fight with destroy the strong-places of the devil. 5 We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 NLV

And sometimes the enemy we face is our own self-doubt. We feel we don’t measure up or we’re not good enough.

“ My children, let us not love with words or in talk only. Let us love by what we do and in truth. 19 This is how we know we are Christians. It will give our heart comfort for sure when we stand before Him. 20 Our heart may say that we have done wrong. But remember, God is greater than our heart. He knows everything.” I John 3:18-20 NLV

Our Father’s love for us is greater than our own self-doubt and condemning guilt.

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give peace to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28 You heard Me say that I am going away. But I am coming back to you. If you love Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father. The Father is greater than I.” John 14:27-28 NLV

The Father, Jesus said, “is greater than I”. So, that definitely makes the Father greater than us. His love never fails, He never leaves us or abandons us in our time of need. He gives us peace to replace our fears!

How great is our God – Sing with me – How great is our God. All will see How great, how great is our God!

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Throw Up Your Hands

in praise to the Lord!!

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:22-24 NLT

Yesterday was a day of tiny miracles and heart filled praise.

It started before I even walked out the door. Reports of the goodness of God and answers to prayer. Before I the day was over I had heard from friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances of God’s goodness. Mended relationships, answers to medical questions, living situations set on course, financial blessings, safety and protection from imminent danger!!

“All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude?

I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah”

This song by Brandon Lake is one of my favorites that we sing in worship, “Gratitude”. I can sense the tears beginning to well up as I write you these words and silently sing “Hallelujah, Hallelujah”.

“Let all that I am praise the Lord;  with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins  and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!…Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.” Psalm 103 NLT

He fills my life with good things. I am justified freely, made right with God. Covered by His mercy, living by His grace, and strengthen by His might.

“But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 NLT

Join me. Join all of creation! Throw up your hands and praise Him again and again. Sing hallelujah.

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A Day of Praise

It’s Monday and you know what that means don’t you? It’s another wonderful day to praise the Lord for His love and goodness.

Join in with me.

“The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.” Psalm 18:46

“We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.” Psalm 20:5

“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” Psalm 62:7

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” Psalm 68:19

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.” Psalm 70:4

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

Count your blessings this morning – the Lord covers us with His love.

I’m not through praising yet, but I will quit and let you continue on with your praises too!

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More Than Good

As I was going about my normal routine yesterday morning, I realized that some of you may be thinking that I have a “Pollyanna” approach to the Gospel. And you’re right, I do.

Not that I ever discount the hard times, the struggles, the anxious moments in life but in each of those moments and in each moment of every day I can see and choose to focus on the goodness of God.

Here’s why.

“ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” Romas 2:4 NLT

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 NKJV

It is the kindness and goodness of God that draw us to Him. It’s His love and compassion that give us the hope and comfort we need so badly.

His goodness and love are His core and direct all He does. He wants us to share that with the world.

God, our heavenly Father, is just and righteous. He abhors sin but loves everyone who does sin. In fact, He had Jesus take all our sin on Himself so that we could be clothed in His righteousness.

“17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new…21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:17, 21 NKJV

When we realize the length that God, the Father, went to in providing the forgiveness for our sins we are/will be overwhelmed by His goodness and love. We lose the desire to sin in light of His goodness.

“So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? 2 Of course not! Our old sinful life ended. It’s dead. So how can we continue living in sin? 3 Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ Jesus when we were baptized? In our baptism we shared in his death.4 So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and took part in his death. And just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father, so we can now live a new life.” Romans 6:1-4 ERV

Our Father wants us to live the best life, a life set free from the power of sin. He has provided us with a new life; it is a gift of His goodness!

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Look for the Good

Getting up this morning did you give thanks to the Lord? Or did you complain about what your day has in store?

Do you have a vehicle that runs – maybe even more than one? Praise the Lord! Do you have a job to go to? Praise the Lord.

Do you have people in your life that are abrasive and aggravating? Or folks who are loving, kind and fun to be around? Then Praise the Lord! The aggravating help you appreciate the loving.

Were you able to have a hot cup of coffee and even some breakfast? Praise the Lord.

Ok, so do you see where I’m going with this? There is always something to Praise the Lord for.

“I will tell of your greatness, my God and King. I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day. I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise! No one can fully understand his greatness!…Everything the Lord does is good. Everything he does shows how loyal he is. 18 The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help.” Psalm 145:1-3, 17-18

“Thank the LORD for his faithful love and for the amazing things he does for people. 9 He satisfies those who are thirsty. He fills those who are hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:7-8

What is it in your life that you consider good?

Health, friends, family, career, cash in your pocket, a nice car, your boat, a new horse, an old well-trained horse, a shot gun, the right to bear arms – what? If it’s good, it’s a gift from God so make sure you thank Him today and that you look at all you have to be thankful for instead of wasting precious time being resentful for something “more” you think you should have.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” James 1:17-18

Let praise be the start and the end of your conversations today.

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Moved By Compassion

These are the words on my heart.

Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it

We are surrounded by so many people who are hurting. They have experienced betrayal, loss, reversal of circumstances, destruction and heart ache. I don’t think there’s ever been a time when there has been such heart ache culminated among my world of friends as there has been recently, and I know that God is moved with compassion on their behalf.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;” Lamentations 3:22-25 NIV

In those times, when we feel we are all alone and no one sees how our hearts are breaking our Father sees and He is moved with compassion. He is faithful every morning and His compassion never fails.

“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalm 34:3-5 NIV

The Father’s compassion isn’t just for our personal application. We are instructed to be compassionate toward others.

Jesus was asked once who we should consider as our neighbor. This came from His teaching on how we are to love the Lord with all our strength and our mind and that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

He replied with the story of what we call the good Samaritan. A man had been badly beaten and robbed, left on the roadside to die. A priest came by and saw the man but did nothing to help him. Then a religious official came by, and he too ignored the man. Finally, a Samaritan came by. (As a side note, the Jew and the Samaritans had been at odds with each other for hundreds of years.)

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’” Luke 10:33-35 NKJV

Jesus then asked which of these men do you think was his neighbor.

“And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Luke 10:37 NKJV

I know for a fact that the Lord’s mercy and compassion are poured out on me each day. That’s His promise to me and He does not lie. And I pray that I will be moved with compassion each day toward those around me.

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A Perfect Heart

This morning, I was reading in I Samuel 15. King Saul had disobeyed the command the Lord gave him. When Samuel confronted him, Saul said “the men” wanted to keep those animals to offer as sacrifice to the Lord. It’s amazing how he made justification for disobedience.

“…Then Samuel received this message from the Lord: 11 “Saul has stopped following me, so I am sorry that I made him king. He is not doing what I tell him.”…22 But Samuel answered (Saul), “Which pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obeying his commands? It is better to obey the Lord than to offer sacrifices to him. It is better to listen to him than to offer the fat from rams. ” I Samuel 15:10-22 ERV

To obey is better than sacrifice. What God desires is a heart that pleases Him, a heart that wants to follow His instruction. He’s not looking for our earthly perfection but for a willingness to obey.

“I try with all my heart to serve you. Help me obey your commands. 11 I study your teachings very carefully so that I will not sin against you. 12 Lord, you are worthy of praise! Teach me your laws.” Psalm 119:10-12 ERV

These are the words of King David. He was the man that replaced Saul as God’s chosen king.

Each morning a part of my daily prayer is “Lord, I want to please You. I want the things I do to honor You and reflect Your word”. And when I fail, I am quick to repent and receive His forgiveness and His strength for the next situation that may arise.

“But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” I John 1:9 ERV

Our short comings and failures shouldn’t draw us away from the Father, they should bring us closer to Him. We shouldn’t run and hide as Adam and Eve did in the garden. No, instead we should run to Him and find His help in our time of need. We have this promise.

“ My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place 20 by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself.

21 We have a great high priest who is in charge of God’s house. 22  So let’s come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let’s keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water. 23 We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us.” Hebrews 10:19-23 CEV

We can trust the ONE who made this promise to us, the One who gives us a clean heart and a clear conscience because of what Christ did in dying for us.

The following are words to a song we used to sing years ago, “A Perfect Heart” by Reba Rambo and Donnie McGuire.

Bless the Lord
Who reigns in beauty
Bless the Lord
Who reigns with wisdom and with power
Bless the Lord
Who reigns my life with so much love
He can make a perfect heart

Let’s not be like Saul who disobeyed and then tried to justify his actions; rather, let’s be like David who asked the Lord to create in Him a clean heart.

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