Psalm 9:7-10 - January 29, 2010

Pastor Dan will be starting a new series of devotional studies on February 1, 2010. The studies will be of the gospel of Mark.

Ps 9:7-10 “The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” NIV

As trust is the centerpiece of every healthy relationship, so the character of God is our foundation stone for a trusting relationship with him. God declares himself to be just, and full of wise judgment. Jesus declares in John 5:30 “I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” Because God is not a biased judge but centers his dealings with man firmly on the principles of justice not a self-serving motivation we can live in confidence before him. Not only does our God judge justly but he judges with mercy and comforts us in Ja. 2:13 with the knowledge that mercy triumphs over judgment. What a wonderful truth that our God holds up a righteous standard and then provides the means for meeting the requirements of his justice through the merciful blood of Christ.

The nature of human justice is consistently tempered by personal agendas and limitations but God presents himself to us consistently in a different spirit. When James and John were ready to call down fire on the town that had rejected Jesus in Luke 9:55-56 his response to them was, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." God’s primary desire is the redemption of man not the destruction of the wicked and therefore his motive in bringing judgment is not centered driven by a need for revenge or some other human motivation in judgment.

True government was intended to protect and provide for the people and God establishes the fact that in him and through his government we have a place of refuge that we can run to. Because the motives of his rule are entirely pure we can run to him as a stronghold and not fear the abuse of power that comes when the corrupt nature of man is entrusted with too much power. In fact the scriptures present the reality that those who seek God will never be forsaken.

Psalm 9:1-2 - January 28, 2010

Pastor Dan will be starting a new series of devotional studies on February 1, 2010. The studies will be of the gospel of Mark.

Ps 9:1-2 “A psalm of David. I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” NIV

Are you living a life of whole hearted praise? David is declaring his determination to give his whole heart as a worshipper before the Lord. I believe that this is a key facet of a life of passion. David demonstrated this passion in II Sa. 6:14 as he danced before the Lord with all of his might. He was not self conscious as he gave himself to the Lord in the dance but was fully abandoned to God. His response to those who stood by and mocked his passion was, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” David entered into a place where his acts of passionate worship were intended to be an act of humility and surrender in the eyes of God and man.

In this psalm David continues on to express his commitment to tell of the wonders of God, his commitment to be a voice for the king of kings. That is the powerful thing about such passionate living; it has to be expressed. In word and deed David was commitment to a life of wholehearted abandonment to the purpose and pleasure of God. Everything about him expressed a commitment to living the first commandment; “Deut 6:5-6 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Each one of us is created to live our life with a passion that flows from wholeheartedness towards God. A divided heart waters us down and takes the fire out of life. Make a decision today to burn for one thing and one thing only, a wholehearted response to every word from the mouth of God.

Psalm 8 - January 27, 2010

Pastor Dan will be starting a new series of devotional studies on February 1, 2010. The studies will be of the gospel of Mark.

Ps 8 “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” NIV

The majesty of God is shouting forth over all of the earth. Man stands in wonder at such beauty as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone park, the Swiss Alps, and Mount Everest, yet each one is but a tiny fragment of the majesty of the one who created them. Each one of these masterpieces of creation was but one small thought in the infinite mind of the creator God and yet each one leaves man staring in wonder. Do we truly understand the measure of God’s greatness? His is set above the highest heavens calling out to man night and day saying, “Who will acknowledge me? Who will confess that God is all and is over all?”

The psalmist declares that the praises of children are ordained by the Lord. It takes a child’s simplicity to freely acknowledge the depths of the wonder of God. The psalmist paints such a contrast between God and man through the revelation of God’s works. “When I consider the heavens, the works of your fingers… what is man that… you care for him… ?” Why would such a powerful creator have us on his mind? The answer is a simple one. He did it for love! The creator of all of the heavens and the earth is in love with you!

Crowned with glory and honor, ruler over the works of God’s hands, this is who we are to God. In all of his creation he has set his Spirit within man to mark him as the capstone of all of his works. No other part of creation has God’s breath, God’s very essence living in us. This is the ultimate statement about God’s majesty. He is so far above, so glorious that he could make man in his own image, entrust him with all of his creation knowing that man would abuse this trust, and yet be perfectly secure and loving in relationship to mankind that he has created, having already provided in his plan from the creation of the world for every man who is willing to return to him in voluntary affection. He could have demanded our allegiance and yet he gives each man freedom to choose him or to reject him. This is the ultimate statement of his glory and great power.

Psalm 5:11-12 - January 26, 2010

Pastor Dan will be starting a new series of devotional studies on February 1, 2010. The studies will be of the gospel of Mark.

Ps 5:11-12 “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” NIV

The Apostle Paul said, “… our life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Those who accept the Lord have a place of refuge beyond any other. What is there to be happy about in this life? I am with Christ! I am hidden from Satan’s accusations. God’s desire is that the knowledge of this place of safety brings forth praise in our lives. What a precious gift the Father has given us, to be hidden in Him. God spreads his protection over those who love His name so that we will rejoice in Him. He desires to be our joy, our source.

The psalmist declares that the Father surrounds the righteous with favor as a shield. God has placed a protective shield around your life to keep you and to secure his purposes in you. This shield is called the favor of the Lord. When we live a life that is pleasing to God he has committed to making our way for us. The very means of protecting your destiny is that God places favor on you. It was said of both John the Baptist and the Lord himself in the verses related to the youth that they “grew in favor with both God and man.” This is the shield of the Lord.

When others are going through economic shaking those who are hidden in the Lord can lean on this promise of favor being on our lives. When the enemy seems to be gaining ground in the culture and it is harder and harder for the righteous to live in this age God can place favor on his saints. Both Daniel and Joseph walked in the favor of the Lord. Each was righteous in the midst of an unrighteous culture and the Lord set them apart with such favor that it protected them even in a foreign land and caused them to rise to the top in the midst of their trials. They lived under the blessing of Deut 28:13 “The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.”

Psalm 5: 7-8 - January 25, 2010

Due to the earthquake in Haiti and our involvement in the nation we will post some of the best devotionals from last year in the coming season. The devotionals are of the book of Psalms.

Ps 5:7-8 “But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies — make straight your way before me.” NIV

In his mercy God draws us. Jesus declares in John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” Without the Holy Spirit calling us we cannot come. This is reflected in the desires of your heart. The very fact that you desire God is evidence of his mercy touching your heart. This knowledge should produce an abundance of good fruit in the form of both thanksgiving and reverence as we understand that it is God’s mercy that has enabled us to come into his holy place.

A heart of reverence is a precious gift from God. The ability to appreciate God’s worth and to live in a genuine, healthy fear of the Lord is a precious treasure. This heart leads me into the presence of God with a right spirit so that I may come to God bringing him the praise that he is due from a heart that understands the difference between the weak life that I bring as an offering and the graciousness of a perfect, pure and powerful God who has chosen to welcome me into his presence.

From this place of reverence we can ask with certainty for the leading of the Lord into his perfect will. A heart in right order can expect God. We can be assured that he desires to direct our steps, deliver us from evil and lead us into his many great and precious promises. He desires to lead us in the straight-way. Too often it is our own heart condition that leaves us vulnerable to the enemy and causes us to fall into paths that are not straight but are distractions from the directions that God has for us.

Psalm 5:1-3 - January 24, 2010

Due to the earthquake in Haiti and our involvement in the nation we will post some of the best devotionals from last year in the coming season. The devotionals are of the book of Psalms.

Ps 5:1-3 “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” NIV

When our hearts are aching, when the cares of life are weighing us down God is listening. He is waiting for the uplifted voice. His ear is attentive to the groaning of the weary heart. Just as the night is an opportunity for listening the morning is a time for crying out. The psalmist identifies in this passage his routine, his personal discipline. More important than the time of day, is the consistency of his habits in God. Do you have an appointment with the Lord?

The cry of the psalmist is rising morning by morning, morning by morning, sighing, crying for help lifting up his voice in expectation! Faith is reflected in these two things: consistency and expectation. The spiritual habits that you discipline yourself to live consistently are a reflection of your faith and dependency. Living with expectation is the path to response from God. Heb 11:6 states, “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. Diligent seeking is the result of a conviction that there is a reward awaiting those who choose this path.

It is time to expect great things from God. Seek him with a whole heart and expect that the reward of God will be great. The first reward is God himself. The second is a pattern of receiving the fulfillment of his many great and precious promises will be established in your life, and experience breeds more experience. Once you have tasted of a consistent response to your consistent pursuit a spiritual hunger is awakened that there is no turning back from.