(Psalm 62)
I wait patiently for God to save me;
I depend on him alone.
He alone protects and saves me,
He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated.
How much longer will all of you attack a man
who is no stronger than broken-down fence?
You only want to bring him down from his place
of honor;
you take pleasure in lies.
You speak word of blessing,
but in your heart you curse him.
I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him.
He alone protects and saves me; he his my defender,
and I shall never be defeated.
My salvation and honor depend on God;
he is my strong protector; he is my shelter.
Trust in God at all times, my people.
Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge.
Men are all like a puff of breath;
great and small alike are worthless.
Put them on scales, and they weigh nothing;
they are lighter than a mere breath.
Don’t put your trust in violence;
don’t hope to gain anything by robbery;
even if your riches increase,
don’t depend on them.
More than once I have heard God say
that power belongs to him
and that his love is constant.
You yourself, O LORD, reward everyone
according to his deeds.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
28.4 Return To Your Redeemer
(Isaiah 44:21-23)
The LORD says, “remember this;
remember that you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant,
and I will never forget you,
I have swept your sins away like a cloud,
Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”
Shout for joy, you heavens!
Shout, deep places of the earth!
Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest!
The LORD has shown his greatness
by saving his people Israel.
The LORD says, “remember this;
remember that you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant,
and I will never forget you,
I have swept your sins away like a cloud,
Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”
Shout for joy, you heavens!
Shout, deep places of the earth!
Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest!
The LORD has shown his greatness
by saving his people Israel.
28.3 God Is The Only Savior
(Isaiah 43:3-8)
For I am the LORD your God,
the holy God Of Israel, who saves you.
I will Give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Sudan and Seba.
I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because your are precious to me
and because I Love you and give you honor.
Do not be afraid- I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.
I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
God says, “Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!”
For I am the LORD your God,
the holy God Of Israel, who saves you.
I will Give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Sudan and Seba.
I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because your are precious to me
and because I Love you and give you honor.
Do not be afraid- I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.
I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
God says, “Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!”
28.2 God Saves Us From Pain Or Suffering
(Isaiah 25:1-9)
LORD, you are my God;
I will honor you and praise your name.
You have done amazing things;
you have faithfully carried out
the plans you made long ago.
You have turned cities into ruins
and destroyed their fortifications.
The palaces which our enemies built
are gone forever.
The people of powerful nations will praise you;
you will be feared in the cities of cruel nations.
The poor and the helpless have fled to you
and have been safe in times of trouble.
You give the shelter from storms
and shade from the burning heat.
Cruel men attack like a winter storm,
like drought in dry land.
But you, LORD, have silenced our enemies;
you silence the shouts of cruel men,
as a cloud cools a hot day.
LORD, you are my God;
I will honor you and praise your name.
You have done amazing things;
you have faithfully carried out
the plans you made long ago.
You have turned cities into ruins
and destroyed their fortifications.
The palaces which our enemies built
are gone forever.
The people of powerful nations will praise you;
you will be feared in the cities of cruel nations.
The poor and the helpless have fled to you
and have been safe in times of trouble.
You give the shelter from storms
and shade from the burning heat.
Cruel men attack like a winter storm,
like drought in dry land.
But you, LORD, have silenced our enemies;
you silence the shouts of cruel men,
as a cloud cools a hot day.
Here on Mount Zion the LORD Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the nations of the world- a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine. Here he will suddenly remove the cloud of sorrow that has been hanging over all the nations. The sovereign LORD will destroy death forever! He will wipe away the tears from everyone’s eyes and take away the disgrace his people have suffered throughout the world. The LORD himself has spoken.
When it happens, everyone will say, “He is our God! We have put our trust in him, and he has rescued us. He is the LORD! We have put our trust in him, and now we are happy and joyful because he has saved us.”
When it happens, everyone will say, “He is our God! We have put our trust in him, and he has rescued us. He is the LORD! We have put our trust in him, and now we are happy and joyful because he has saved us.”
28.1 No Other God Saves Like Our God
(Deuteronomy 33:26-29)
People of Israel, no god is like your God,
riding in splendor across the sky,
riding through the clouds to come to your aid.
God has always been your defense;
his eternal arms are your support.
He drove out your enemies as your advanced,
and told you to destroy them all.
So Jacob’s descendants live and peace,
secure in land full of grain and wine,
where dew from the sky waters the ground.
Israel, how happy you are!
There is no one like you,
a nation saved by the LORD.
The LORD himself is your shield and your sword,
to defend you and give you victory.
Your enemies will come begging for mercy,
and you will trample them down.
People of Israel, no god is like your God,
riding in splendor across the sky,
riding through the clouds to come to your aid.
God has always been your defense;
his eternal arms are your support.
He drove out your enemies as your advanced,
and told you to destroy them all.
So Jacob’s descendants live and peace,
secure in land full of grain and wine,
where dew from the sky waters the ground.
Israel, how happy you are!
There is no one like you,
a nation saved by the LORD.
The LORD himself is your shield and your sword,
to defend you and give you victory.
Your enemies will come begging for mercy,
and you will trample them down.
27.4 Hymn To The Majesty Of God
(Psalm 8)
O LORD, our LORD,
your greatness is seen in all the world!
Your praise reaches up to the heavens;
it is sung by children and babies.
You are safe and secure from all your enemies;
you stop anyone who opposes you.
When I look at the sky, which you have made,
at the moon and the stars,
which you set in their places-
what is man, that you think of him;
mere man, that you care for him?
Yet you made him inferior only to yourself;
you crowned him with glory and honor.
You appointed him ruler over everything you made;
you placed him over all creation:
sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too;
the birds and the fish and the creatures in the seas.
O LORD, our lord,
your greatness is seen in all the world!
O LORD, our LORD,
your greatness is seen in all the world!
Your praise reaches up to the heavens;
it is sung by children and babies.
You are safe and secure from all your enemies;
you stop anyone who opposes you.
When I look at the sky, which you have made,
at the moon and the stars,
which you set in their places-
what is man, that you think of him;
mere man, that you care for him?
Yet you made him inferior only to yourself;
you crowned him with glory and honor.
You appointed him ruler over everything you made;
you placed him over all creation:
sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too;
the birds and the fish and the creatures in the seas.
O LORD, our lord,
your greatness is seen in all the world!
27.3 Adoration Of The God Creator
(Revelation 4:6b-11)
Surrounding the throne on each of its sides, were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and behind. The first one looked like a lion; the second looked like a bull; the third had a face like a man’s face; and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. Each one of the four living creatures had six wings, and they were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop singing:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.”
The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns down in front of the throne and say,
“Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.”
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.”
The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns down in front of the throne and say,
“Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.”
27.2 Hymn To The Creator
(Jeremiah 51: 15-19)
The Lord made the earth by his power;
by his wisdom he created the world
and stretched out the heavens.
At his command the waters above the sky roar;
he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning flash in the rain
and sends the wind from his storeroom.
At the sight of this, men feel stupid and senseless;
those who make idols are disillusioned
because the gods they make are false and lifeless.
They are worthless and should be despised;
they will be destroyed when the
Lord comes to deal with them.
The God of Jacob is not like them.
he is the one who made everything,
and he has chosen Israel to be his very own people.
The Lord Almighty is his name.
The Lord made the earth by his power;
by his wisdom he created the world
and stretched out the heavens.
At his command the waters above the sky roar;
he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning flash in the rain
and sends the wind from his storeroom.
At the sight of this, men feel stupid and senseless;
those who make idols are disillusioned
because the gods they make are false and lifeless.
They are worthless and should be despised;
they will be destroyed when the
Lord comes to deal with them.
The God of Jacob is not like them.
he is the one who made everything,
and he has chosen Israel to be his very own people.
The Lord Almighty is his name.
27.1 The Story Of Creation
Genesis 1:1-2, 26-31a)
In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water.
Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.” So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all wild animals. I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food” –and it was done. God looked at everything he made, and he was very pleased.
Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.” So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all wild animals. I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food” –and it was done. God looked at everything he made, and he was very pleased.
26.5 In My Troubles, I Trust In God
(Psalm 56:1-4; 8-11)
Be merciful to me, O God,
because I am under attack;
my enemies persecute me all the time.
All day long my opponents attack me.
There are so many who fight against me.
When I am afraid, O Lord Almighty,
I put my trust in you.
I trust in God and am not afraid;
I praise him for what he has promised.
What can a mere human being do to me?
You know how troubled I am;
You have kept a record of my tears.
Aren’t they listed in your book?
The day I call to you,
my enemies will be turned back.
I know this: God is on my side—
The Lord, whose promises I praise.
In him I trust, and I will not be afraid.
What can a mere human being do to me?
Be merciful to me, O God,
because I am under attack;
my enemies persecute me all the time.
All day long my opponents attack me.
There are so many who fight against me.
When I am afraid, O Lord Almighty,
I put my trust in you.
I trust in God and am not afraid;
I praise him for what he has promised.
What can a mere human being do to me?
You know how troubled I am;
You have kept a record of my tears.
Aren’t they listed in your book?
The day I call to you,
my enemies will be turned back.
I know this: God is on my side—
The Lord, whose promises I praise.
In him I trust, and I will not be afraid.
What can a mere human being do to me?
26.4 Rejoice—We Share In Christ’s Suffering
(1 Peter 4:12-16)
My dear friend, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed. Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ’s followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you. If any of you suffers, it must not be because he is a murderer or a thief or a criminal or meddles in other people’s affairs. However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don’t be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ’s name.
26.3 Our Models: The Prophets
(James 5:10-11)
My brothers, remember the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as examples of patient endurance under suffering. We call them happy because they endured. You have heard of Jacob’s patience, and you know how the Lord provided for him in the end. For the Lord is full of mercy and compassion.
26.2 Afflicted But Not Crushed
(2 Corinthians 4:8-18)
We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. Throughout our live we are always in danger of death for Jesus’ sake, in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours. This means that death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
The scripture says, “I spoke because I believed.” In the same spirit of faith we also speak because we believe. We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus to life, will also raise us up with Jesus and take us, together with you, into his presence. All this is for your sake; and as God’s grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving.
For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.
The scripture says, “I spoke because I believed.” In the same spirit of faith we also speak because we believe. We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus to life, will also raise us up with Jesus and take us, together with you, into his presence. All this is for your sake; and as God’s grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving.
For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.
26.1 We Are At The End Of The Line
(1 Corinthians 4:9-13a)
For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like men condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of mankind. For Christ’s sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honored! To this very moment we go hungry and thirsty; we are clothed in rags; we are beaten, we wander from place to place; we wear ourselves out with hard work. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are insulted, we answer back with kind words.
25.4 Those Who Obey The Law–Bear Fruits
(Psalm 1)
Happy are those who reject the advice of evil men,
who do not follow the example of sinners
or join those who have no use for God.
Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord,
and they study it day and night.
They are like trees that grow beside a stream,
that bear fruit at the right time,
and those leaves do not dry up.
They succeed in everything they do.
But evil men are not like this at all,
they are like straw that the wind blows away.
Sinners will be condemned by God
and kept apart from God’s own people.
The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord,
but the evil are on the way to their doom.
Happy are those who reject the advice of evil men,
who do not follow the example of sinners
or join those who have no use for God.
Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord,
and they study it day and night.
They are like trees that grow beside a stream,
that bear fruit at the right time,
and those leaves do not dry up.
They succeed in everything they do.
But evil men are not like this at all,
they are like straw that the wind blows away.
Sinners will be condemned by God
and kept apart from God’s own people.
The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord,
but the evil are on the way to their doom.
25.3 The Word of God Produces Good Fruits
(Isaiah 55:10-13)
“My word is like the snow and the rain
that come down from the sky to water the earth..
They make the crops grow and provide
seed for planting and food to eat.
So also will be the word that I speak--
it will not fail to do what I plan for it;
it will do everything I send it to do.
“You will leave Babylon with joy,
you will be led out of the city in peace.
The mountains and hill burst into singing,
and the trees will shout for joy.
Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers;
myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns.
This will be a sign that will last forever,
a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done.”
“My word is like the snow and the rain
that come down from the sky to water the earth..
They make the crops grow and provide
seed for planting and food to eat.
So also will be the word that I speak--
it will not fail to do what I plan for it;
it will do everything I send it to do.
“You will leave Babylon with joy,
you will be led out of the city in peace.
The mountains and hill burst into singing,
and the trees will shout for joy.
Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers;
myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns.
This will be a sign that will last forever,
a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done.”
25.2 Peace Is The Fruit Of Justice
(Isaiah 32:15b-20)
The wasteland will become fertile, and the fields will produce rich crops. Everywhere in the land righteousness and justice will be done. Because everyone will do what is right, there will be peace and security forever. God’s people will be free from worries, and their homes peaceful and safe. (But hail will fall on the forests, and the city will be torn down.) How happy everyone will be with plenty of water for the crops and safe pasture everywhere for the donkeys and cattle.
25.1 Fruits of Nature Are Good
(Genesis 1:11-12)
Then he commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”- and it was done. So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw.
Then he commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”- and it was done. So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw.
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