Is it a bad thing to have fear? Is it proper to have fear? Look for a moment at the following verses in Psalm 112.
Psalm 112:1, 7
Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
Notice that this whole psalm is speaking of a person who fears the Lord. Then, notice how v. 7 gives us one of the life results of the person who fears the Lord: he is not afraid of evil tidings or bad news.
Fear is proper when directed toward God. The point this psalm is making is that if an individual is going to receive God’s benefits, he must live with a proper reverence and awe of Him. It is important, therefore, to constantly marvel at the attributes and works of God. Praise God for them in your prayer life. Meditate upon them throughout the day. Proper fear of God can only result from proper thoughts about God and much time spent meditating upon Him as a person.
One of the benefits for the individual who fears God is that he/she is then able to stop fearing the stuff of life that could happen. Sometimes, Christians are very pessimistic, almost expecting bad news to come. It is like we are afraid that somehow, in order to experience a dynamic Christian life, something terrible has to happen like it did to many of the great men and women of the Bible. Other times, we are simply paranoid about the future. We fear a substantial loss of money, or an accident, or a family crisis, or a health issue, etc. Instead of seeking first Christ’s kingdom and letting Him concern Himself with the rest of our lives (Matthew 6:33), we seek first our kingdom.
The message I gleaned from these two verses in this psalm is that if I find myself fearing bad news, I am not properly fearing God. I am not meditating upon Him enough. I am not depending upon Him. We should ask God to help us fear Him, and then trust Him to take care of the things that we might be tempted to fear.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Establish My Works
In reading through the psalms the last few days, I came across this prayer of Moses:
Psalm 90:17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
This verse warrants careful observation. It contains the words of a man who fought and fought God's will at the burning bush because, in his pride, he felt he was not able to obey (Exodus 4:10-18). Yet, God used him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt en route to the Promise Land.
On the other hand, Moses was also the one who, in pride, hit the rock when God told him to speak to the rock (Numbers 20:7-12). Because of that, Moses would never actually enter the Promise Land himself.
This psalm may have been written before Moses struck the rock. Nevertheless, his words here contrasted with his actions in the two instances noted above make an important point: man is unable to accomplish anything of any lasting value for the Lord unless God Himself "establishes" that work. In other words, the works we do for Christ mean absolutely nothing without God giving them value. Moses could try to avoid God’s will or change God’s will, but God would have none of it. Moses needed to be in God’s will and submitted to it in order to have God’s power on his life. Just as dynamite has no power until it is touched by the flame, so we have no power unless the flame of God touches upon our lives and works and makes them powerful for Him. And then, things will be as they should be, and He gets all the glory, not us. We must quit trying to live a successful Christian life by ourselves, because our flesh and judgment are often weak.
May my prayer be today, "Lord, establish my works!"
Psalm 90:17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
This verse warrants careful observation. It contains the words of a man who fought and fought God's will at the burning bush because, in his pride, he felt he was not able to obey (Exodus 4:10-18). Yet, God used him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt en route to the Promise Land.
On the other hand, Moses was also the one who, in pride, hit the rock when God told him to speak to the rock (Numbers 20:7-12). Because of that, Moses would never actually enter the Promise Land himself.
This psalm may have been written before Moses struck the rock. Nevertheless, his words here contrasted with his actions in the two instances noted above make an important point: man is unable to accomplish anything of any lasting value for the Lord unless God Himself "establishes" that work. In other words, the works we do for Christ mean absolutely nothing without God giving them value. Moses could try to avoid God’s will or change God’s will, but God would have none of it. Moses needed to be in God’s will and submitted to it in order to have God’s power on his life. Just as dynamite has no power until it is touched by the flame, so we have no power unless the flame of God touches upon our lives and works and makes them powerful for Him. And then, things will be as they should be, and He gets all the glory, not us. We must quit trying to live a successful Christian life by ourselves, because our flesh and judgment are often weak.
May my prayer be today, "Lord, establish my works!"
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Please pray for me
Hey everybody, i would really really REALLY appreciate your prayer right now. My life is really coming under spritual attack right now, so please pray that i would stay strong and fight the good fight. Satan busted out some heavy stuff today and i came under attack like i never have before. I will not give in to it, but i need your prayer! Thanks you.
Dan
Dan
Forgive others
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking,be put away from you, with all malice:And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Just think about those verses. When someone does something to you and hurts you we are to forgive them. We are to love them and forgive them just as God forgives us everytime we do something wrong against Him. Don't stay mad at them and hold a grudge against them. You can't grow in Christ when you are bitter at someone. Also if you dont forgive others God wont forgive you.
Matthew 6: 14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Just think about those verses. When someone does something to you and hurts you we are to forgive them. We are to love them and forgive them just as God forgives us everytime we do something wrong against Him. Don't stay mad at them and hold a grudge against them. You can't grow in Christ when you are bitter at someone. Also if you dont forgive others God wont forgive you.
Matthew 6: 14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
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