Psalms
The LORD’s Servant
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you just wanted a do over? Perhaps you, like I, have regretted saying things due to frustration or just lack of preparation and wanted to take those words back and start again. Or maybe a job or a relationship got off to a horrible start and…
Read MoreThe Character of the LORD
We live in a secular world. People focus on secular accomplishments, judge value in physical ways, and offer materialistic explanations for their own existence. While the intellectuals of modernity attempt to couch their trust in the world in scientific and philosophical terms, in the end they have simply added technical dressing to a pagan principle. […]
Read MoreAre You Impressed?
Different people find different talents, characteristics, and achievements impressive. Someone interested in sports will find a feat of athleticism far more impressive than a perfectly performed violin concerto. Similarly, an official in the State Department likely values the skill of negotiation more than those working in Defense. Therefore, our own interests play a significant role […]
Read MorePurposeful Praise
Everyone enjoys receiving praise. In general it denotes respect, appreciation, and admiration. In learning it indicates satisfaction, competency, and progress. Praise can motivate us toward reaching new heights while justifying the effort made to that point. People have so valued praise that they began treating it as a means of building self-esteem, even to the […]
Read MoreBlessings of Righteousness
God has done so much for man that it boggles the mind. From the provisions of creation to the promises to Abraham to His intervention in history with the children of Israel to the sending of the Savior, at every turn God stepped in to provide precisely what man needed at exactly the right time. […]
Read MoreSpiritual Motivation
The assembly should highlight the week of every faithful child of God. This period of worship, study, and devotion provides the much-needed focus and spiritual context for life that the world attacks as dull or meaningless. Every gathering offers yet another opportunity to remind ourselves of the extent of God’s interest, the depth of God’s […]
Read MoreMessianic Meaning
David’s words recorded in Psalm 110 anticipate the Messiah so precisely that his prophetic utterances from this passage formed the foundation of inspired arguments multiple times in the New Testament. As such, they deserve even deeper consideration and explanation because the implications of this single psalm offer powerful testimony to the truth of Christianity in […]
Read MoreThe Guilt of Accusers
Lies hurt. They hurt the truth, they hurt feelings, and they can hurt reputations. However, when lies turn into accusations and accusations into action, a malicious lie, once believed, can lead people to commit character assassination, outright violence, and even atrocities—and justify it all in the name of a lie. People have little patience today […]
Read MoreFighting Valiantly
The character of the psalms as a collection of individual works assembled with deliberate and divine purpose created the possibility of a later psalmist repurposing portions of earlier psalms, with minor adaptations, for use in a different context. David himself did this in applying the words of Psalm 18, penned originally in regard to Saul, […]
Read MoreThe Beauty of Hindsight
From the moment Moses’ original appearance before Pharaoh led to that ruler’s hard hearted crackdown on the family of Jacob, the children of Israel established their spiritual credentials as unappreciative complainers in response to the goodness of the LORD. Even as they came to recognize His power through the ten plagues, their instincts focused on […]
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