Soul Strength
Soul Strength
Psalms 138
I will give thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down toward Your temple and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and truth; for You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalms 138:1-3
The Psalmist is responding to God’s kindness and blessing. His response is three-fold: with heart, mouth and body. Give thanks with my HEART; Sing praises with my MOUTH; BOW down and give thanks. Perhaps the Psalmist had adult A.D.D. such as many of us. In order to really remain focused and in the spirit of worship, he gives all his attention to God in praise: in his heart with thanks, with his mouth singing praises and always moving his body by bowing. Read more
No Want
Nate on a mommy date with Beri. On the menu was coconut curry soup, octopus and squid salad and passion fruit ice cream. #livingabroad
No Want
Psalms 34
O taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
We have some good ol’ fashion “cause and effect” being taught once again. A familiar pattern in Psalms and Proverbs and a predictable pattern in life that we can leverage. The desired outcomes are given as having “NO WANT” and to “NOT BE IN WANT OF ANY GOOD THING” and a LONG LIFE FILLED WITH GOOD. Read more
You’re Moody
This is Josh and Debs Walker. They do ministry on the streets of Houston. They are great in the Kingdom of God and two of my favorite people in the world.
You’re Moody
Psalms 34
This morning as I sat down to do my devotions in Psalms 34, I didn’t really feel like it. Amazing how our moods can swing without cause, so it seems. Yesterday morning my devotions were sweet and refreshing, yet this morning I sat down and felt nothing. Fortunately, the habit has been bolted and secured within my mind, so it’s not like I’m going to just watch a movie or something. I’m going to persevere, but it’s odd that none of the glow of yesterday remains. Yesterday was a normal day, a good day, but moods just vacillate sometimes. So, I said to myself, ‘you should write about it.’ So here we go.
First, I prayed and disciplined myself to write out my prayer further than I felt. That felt good. I wrote, “Give me a deeper devotion to You and a heart, soul, and mind to pray and seek you more.’ I trust God to answer. I have read Psalms 34 and a it has triggered a spark. Let’s see where this takes me.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and deliver me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. Read more
Psalms 106
This beautiful young lady is Hope. Hope was a middle schooler in my Youth Group many years ago when I was in youth ministry. Now she's a mom, raising her two wonderful daughters to follow the Lord. What a blessing!
Psalms 106
Many times, He would deliver them; they, however, were rebellious in their counsel, and so sank down in their iniquity.
Nevertheless, He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors.
Save us, O lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, Amen. Praise the Lord! Psalms 106:43-48 Read more
The Cause
The view from our apartment in Houston.
The Cause
Proverbs 3
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the skies drip with dew. My son, let them not vanish from your sight; keep sound wisdom and discretion. So, they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. Proverbs 3:19-22
Parents teach the principles of cause and effect continuously. “You left your half-eaten Popsicle on the dining room table and now, look what happened?” With our children, we probably spend a lot more time pointing out the negative results of cause and effect than we proactively nurture the positive side.
My grandson Ryker,age 6, loves the garden club at his school. Gardening is filled with the positive principles of cause and effect. Plant these tomato seeds, water the right amount and tomatoes will grow. Not carrots, or beets, but tomatoes. Easy to understand and very predictable. Read more
The Effect
I was the guest of a dear friend at a small hunting lodge in the back woods of Georgia this past week. What a refreshing weekend!
The Effect
Proverbs 3
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, so you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.
God is so good to us in that He doesn’t just tell us what to do, He gives commandments that come with blessings. How blessed we are that our God is a Benevolent Sovereign. He is the perfect balance of Strength and Kindness; Truth and Grace; Power and Gentleness; He is far above us in Majestic Glory and He is right next to us in intimate affection. What a God we love and serve!
As a parent, I used to give my daughters commands. If they asked why, I would say “because I said so.” It was a one-side command. Read more
Take it to Heart
My daughters, Beri and Brooke, and grandsons, Nate and Ryker!
Take it to Heart
Proverbs 3
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them (with a permanent marker) on your heart; So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Do we confuse knowledge with information? When I find myself in certain social settings, it becomes apparent that I rarely watch or read the daily news. I am often uniformed. I’m not proud of it and some good-meaning Christians will consider me negligent. I accept their critique; but I don’t plan on changing my habits and daily schedule, at this time. Read more
It’s Simple
It’s Simple
Proverbs
In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’ Solomon said to God, ‘You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people for who can rule this people of Yours? 2 Chronicles 1:8-10
God plays the magic genie and offers to grant Solomon whatever he wants. Solomon refers to God’s lovingkindness which is a particular reference to God’s faithfulness to fulfill His covenant with David. In the Davidic covenant, God promised David a son that would rule after him as the next step in God’s ultimate promise to David; that from his heirs, the Messiah would come. And that his kingdom would last forever. Read more
His Greatness!
His Greatness!
Psalms 145
This Psalm is rich and overflowing with praise and worship. David exclaims God's attributes: His greatness, splendor, goodness, righteousness, His acts of grace and mercy, slow to anger, full of lovingkindness and power. Very moving.
Great for meditating on who God is and who He is to you.
Not only is it majestic in its content but it is beautifully poetic. It is written as an acrostic with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Unfortunately, we can’t appreciate it in English, but know that it is there. Read more