Make His Praise Glorious
Click on the references below to hear the Scripture passages and song, and to view the memory passage.
Today’s Passage – Psalms 65 – 68
Second Milers also read – Revelation 20 – 22; Psalm 136 – 140; Proverbs 28
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Read an earlier post from this passage – “What Are You Thinking About?”
“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.” – (Psalm 66:1-2)
Our God is an awesome, and wonderful, and great, and powerful God. The English language really does not contain enough adjectives to describe how glorious our God is. Yet, we who have been saved through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are encouraged to learn about the greatness of God from His Word, and then communicate our appreciation and admiration to Him first, and then to the people around us. In order to do this, we must first study God. One of the reasons why many Christians hava a tough time praising Him is because they don’t know Him; and there are others who are praising Him, but not according to knowledge. We are commanded to study God through the Scriptures. If the God you serve seems vague or small to you, it is because you do not know Him very well. Open the Bible and read about His awesome power, as well as His infinite wisdom, and loving compassion. He is wonderful. Get to know Him.
Once we know some things about God, we are to sing about Him. These Psalms were all originally songs, and many of them are songs of praise. I sometimes get a kick out of watching the song service at our church. I often see people going through the motions, thoughtlessly and half-heartedly mouthing the words of the hymns. Every once in a while I have to shake myself, and remember what I am singing, and to whom I am doing it. Singing is a form of praise and worship. When we sing the songs of God, we are worshipping Him, and praising Him. If there is one part of our church service that I have really been trying to work on, it is the song service.
Notice also Psalm 66:3:
“Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.” – (Psalm 66:3)
We are to speak our praise to God, and for God continuously. The Scripture says that the redeemed of the Lord are supposed to “say so” (Psam 107:2). We have an awful lot to be thankful for; and an awful lot to praise Him for. My preacher in Texas used to say, “if you’re not going to Hell, you ain’t got no problems; and you ought to be shouting.” He is right. I once heard Pastor Charlie Clark say, “Open your big, fat mouth, and praise God.” Perhaps if we started praising the Lord as we ought to, more people would be attracted to our God. Jus a thought.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Lead Me To To The Rock
Today’s Passage – Psalms 58 – 64
Second Milers also read – Revelation 16 – 19; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 27
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 121
Read another post from this passage – “Can’t Sleep”
“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” – (Psalm 61:2)
I love this verse from Psalm 61. David was a man who had many enemies and spent much of his life fighting them. He valiantly strove against the enemies of God’s people throughout his life, and he also spent a good portion of his life defending himself from some of his own people that had turned against him. He lived much of his life at war. I can certainly understand why there were many times that his heart was overwhelmed. Imagine how he must have felt for David when King Saul pursued him for all of those years; or when his own son Absolam led a rebellion against him, forcing him out of his own city temporarily. David’s life was not easy. He experienced much heartache along the way.
Though I have never experienced the horrors of military battle, I have experienced my share of trials and difficulties in life. There have been many times when life got a bit overwhelming. There have been many times when I just did not know what to do. These are the times in life when we should go to God, who is the Rock that is high above all of the circumstances of life.
I have given some thought to David’s use of the illustration of a mountaintop to express his going to the Lord during the difficult days (and nights) of his life. In a battle, there are many advantages to having the higher ground. The mountaintop was a place of safety. It is much harder to attack someone when you have to climb up to fight them. It is easier to defend a higher position than it is a lower one. God is our place of safety. Nothing can happen to the child of God, who is living in His will, unless God wants it to happen. It is very comforting to know that God has got my back.
The mountaintop is also a place where our sight increased. Have you ever gone up to the top of a mountain? The views are sometimes absolutely breathtaking. Last year my wife and I were blessed with a once in a lifetime trip to to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. We took a drive on the Big Island up the side of an old volcano on the Kohala Mountain Road. I don’t know how high up we drove, but when we got to the top, we could see everything. It was an absolutely gorgeous view. It was a rather strange experience being on top of a mountain, and looking down at miles and miles of shoreline, as well as the vast Pacific Ocean. We could even see one of the other islands from where we were. God wants us to understand that when we are overwhelmed with life, He can see much better than we can; and through the eyes of faith, we can see a little better too. We may not be able to fully understand what we are going through, but we know that God does; and we can trust that He has a purpose for it all.
It is wonderful to know that though life gets a little overwhelming for us, it never is that way for God.
Posted in Thoughts from the Psalms by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Just for Ladies by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Psalms 51 – 57
Second Milers also read – Revelation 12 – 15; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 26
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
The Study of Women in the Bible
This week: Sarah
Good morning and welcome once again to Women in the Bible. This week we will be looking at Sarah and how she walked ahead of God.
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1 – 3)
“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” (Genesis 15:1 – 5)
“Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived:” (Genesis 16:1 – 4)
Abraham and Sarah lived a secure life in Ur, with friends and family . One day God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his land and go to a place, which He would point out to him. Most women would find it hard to leave their home to face an unknown future, but Sarah got on board and stood behind her husband, obeyed God and went willingly. After moving over 600 miles away, God told Abraham to move again. All the while Sarah was waiting for the promise of God to bear a child.
Abraham and Sarah continued moving around, and because of a famine, they decided to move to Egypt. For the first time Sarah saw Abraham not take counsel from God. She must have really questioned her husband when he asked her to tell the people that she was his sister. Here was a man who walked beside God now running ahead. Sarah honored her husband, and God honored Sarah by protecting her in Egypt. Sarah knew from experience that to live a life of faith she would need to be patient. Faith and patience go together. You can’t buy them, you have to experience them. But Sarah was growing older and now past her days of child bearing. She suggested to Abraham that he take a Hagar as his concubine. Although these things happened frequently back then, it was still wrong because of her lack of faith.
A year after God appeared to them again, Sarah conceived and bore a child. Finally, receiving the promise from God.
Today we have two nations from the loins of Abraham: the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael; and the Jews, the descendants of Isaac. They are still at war with each other, all because Sarah ran ahead of God.
We too must follow by God’s side; never running ahead or dragging behind. Moving when God moves us, and waiting when He is working. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” If you ever walked in the woods at night with a flashlight, you know you must walk next to the one holding the light. Too far behind or ahead, and you are in darkness. You might go down the wrong path, stumble, or fall. So let’s take the Saviour’s hand and walk together by His side.
In conclusion, I do not want to leave Sarah on a sour note. Sarah’s life had experienced many sacrifices. Her faith grew after the birth of her son, Isaac. She experienced hardships and disappointments, all without complaint. She was flexible with the changes that were made in her life. By her obedience to Abraham, she allowed him to obey God. In Hebrews 11, she was honored for the faith she had, not without having her failures pointed out.
Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy Blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God I come…
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Guest Posts, Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
You Can’t Take It With You
Today’s Passage – Psalms 46 – 50
Second Milers also read – Revelation 8 – 11; Psalms 121 – 125; Proverbs 25
Scripture memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read a previous guest post from this passage by Sarah Becker – “A Very Present Help”
“For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.” – (Psalm 49:17)
You have heard it said that you will never see a U-haul behind a hearse, except, of course, in comical pictures like the one above. The bottom line from Psalm 49 is, however, that your accumulated wealth and status in this life will do you no good in eternity, unless your life and wealth have been invested in the cause of Christ, and in the lives of others. This Psalm admonishes us to not envy the lifestyles of the rich and famous among us. First of all, we don’t see the whole picture. While they may seem to be enjoying life on the surface, we know that lives that are lived outside of the will of God are not really happy on the inside. There is a lack of inner peace, and a void that cannot be filled with the things that this world offers.
I want to be clear to point out, however, that wealth or possessions are not evil in themselves. God blesses His children with some of the non-sinful pleasures in this life. The key, however, is found in v. 20:
“Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” – (Psalm 49:20)
Notice that only the man that understandeth not is like the beasts that perish. Honor and wealth, and possessions, etc. are wonderful gifts given by the Lord to the person that “understands” Him, and His will. So, go ahead and enjoy the possessions that this life contains, but do not let them possess you; and remember to thank the Lord who gave them to you.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Thirsty?
Today’s Passage – Psalms 40 – 45
Second Milers also read – Revelation 4 – 7; Psalms 116 – 120; Proverbs 24
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” – (Psalm 42:1-2)
I remember when I was a boy, the neighborhood that I grew up in was involved in an unorganized baseball league and we would challenge other neighborhoods in our town to play us. I remember one very hot, summer afternoon we were playing Lake Riviera, our arch rivals. The temperature was in the 90’s with high humidity. It was a real scorcher. I don’t remember who won or lost that game, but I do remember that out of all of the dozen or so guys on our team only one had enough sense to bring water. I recall he had one of those Coleman jugs that contained about a half gallon or so of water. At first he did not want to share; but under the threat of death from his teammates, he finally yielded and shared his treasure. It was as close as I ever came to identifying with the rich man in Luke 16, who desired just a drop of cool water.
In the passage referenced above the Psalmist tells us that he had that kind of a thirst, not for water, but for the things of God. Jesus said, “…if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37), and “blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Amos referred to a thirst for the “hearing of the words of the Lord”. (Amos 8:11)
We tend to get thirsty when we have been without hydration for a while. America is dehydrated spiritually, and I bet there are a lot of folks out there who are thirsting for God; and they may not even realize what they are thirsting for. They have been drinking from the wells of this world for a long time, but have not found satisfaction. The people of God are not helping the situation because they too have abandoned the well of the Word of God and have been sipping at the fountains of the devil.
Are you thirsty? As God’s people, our desire should be for God’s will and God’s Word. We should thirst after it. How long has it been since you took a good, long, satisfying drink from God’s well? How long has it been since you offered a cup of God’s Spirit to the thirsty people of the world around you?
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Guilty – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning. Guilty in 45 of the 48 counts against him. That’s what the news said. Psalm 37, verses 1 and 2 cry out a warning: “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
Jesus warned, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18:6-7).
I have a hard time even imagining what it was like to stand before a judge and hear the gavel slam down on the bench saying, “Guilty! Period! No if, ands, or buts!”
A good deterrent for crime is knowing the consequences. The wages of sin is death. Do you believe the truths of the Bible: God’s Holy, Infallible Word? Just like Adam and Eve, when we sin, we die inside: spiritually. Physical death will come later. Do we believe that the wages of sin is death?
Read all of Psalm 37: this is a great Psalm. Within this Psalm, there are five directions given. Give heed to them. Understand them. Do them.
Verse 3 tells us to TRUST in the LORD.
Verse 4 tells us to DELIGHT in the LORD.
Verse 5 tells us to COMMIT OUR WAY unto the LORD.
Verse 7 tells us to REST in the LORD.
Verse 34 tells us to WAIT on the LORD.
It is better, when the gavel comes down, to hear: “Not guilty! Case dismissed!”
Peace. (Psalm 37:37-40)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Forgiven
Today’s Passage – Psalms 32 – 35
Second Milers also read – 1 John 4 – 3 John; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1
The Book of Hebrews admonishes us to grow up in our faith and move beyond the foundational truths of the Christian life. That’s good advice: we cannot stay babies forever. However, it is wonderful to be reminded often about the simple truths of the forgiveness that God offers to all those who are willing to put their faith in Him. In this passage, there is a reminder to all of us who are saved. The verse above simply reminds us of the fact those who have their sins forgiven are a blessed people. To think that an omniscient God, who knows every sinful act of my past as well as every evil thought, would be willing to forgive me, and even look at me and treat as if I had never done or thought any of those horrible things.
It gets even better. Notice verse 2:
“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”(Psalm 32:2)
It is one thing to choose to forgive the acts of the past; but to also forgive ahead of time all of our future transgressions is beyond comprehension. God loves us unconditionally. He says he will not “impute” our sin. The word impute means to assign to or credit to. God says that he will not assign or credit our debts or sins to our account. Why? Because 2000 years ago he laid all of the debt of my sin upon the His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus paid my sin debt for me. What a wonderful thought. Notice how that happened to David:
“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)
He acknowledged his sin. He did not deny them or hide them. He then confessed them to God and asked the Lord for forgiveness. God could only forgive him because the debt would be paid by Christ. Have you confessed your sin to God, and asked Him for forgiveness? Have you come to the foot of the cross and called upon the name of the Lord for salvation. If you haven’t done so yet, please call upon Him today.
To those of us who have received the forgiveness of God through the remission of our sins, how are we at forgiving each other? God has forgiven everything that I have ever done or will do. What right do I have to withhold forgiveness from others? Just a thought.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Are You Teachable?
Today’s Passage – Psalms 21 – 25
Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 4 – 2 Peter 2; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17
Read a previous post from this passage – “Mountaintop or Valley?”
“Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” – (Psalm 25:4-5)
It’s really a very simple question, isn’t it? Are you teachable? Can God shew you and lead you as He did David, and countless other men and women in the Bible? I would like to pull some thoughts out of this Psalm that I believe will help us identify some of the problems that most of us have in learning from God. In order for God to teach us, there are some attributes that must be present in our lives:
1 We must first be saved
God will instruct a lost man regarding salvation, but in order for a man to really get to know God, he must first have trusted Christ as his Saviour.
“What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. … The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” – (Psalm 25:12, 14)
2 We must be submissive
By this, I mean that we must be humble. Most people cannot learn, because their pride causes them to think that they already have all of the answers. God cannot teach the man that is full of himself. None of us knows all that God wants to teach us. We must keep our hearts open to new truths constantly, from the mouth of God and from the instruction of people that God places in our lives. Someone once said, “Every man is my teacher”. That is a true statement. We can learn something from everybody.
“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” – (Psalm 25:9)
As you read through this Psalm, you will notice that David recognizes that he is nothing without God. Notice how often he asks for forgiveness. Keep in mind that David is seen as a king in the eyes of men, but he knows that the only true king is God.
3 We must be starving for God
God will not instruct those that do not desire to be instructed. As you read through this Psalm, and others penned by David, you can easily see his hunger for God. He wanted all that God would give him.
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;” – (Psalm 63:1)
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – (Matthew 5:6)
One of the characteristics of true spirituality is that a person will remain teachable throughout his life. We never arrive. In fact, the closer we get to God, the more we realize that we are still very far away; and the more we become like God, the more we recognize that we have fallen short in so many ways. Stay teachable: always growing, learning, and drawing closer to Him.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Just For Ladies by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Psalms 17 – 20
(Second Milers also read – James 5 – 1 Peter 3; Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19)
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
The Study of Women in the Bible
This Week – Noah’s Wife
Good morning and welcome back to “Women in the Bible”. This week we will be looking at an obedient and faithful women of God with no name – Noah’s wife.
“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
“But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.” (Genesis 6:18)
With the fall of Adam and Eve, the world became more and more evil. In Genesis 6, the Bible tells us that it repented the LORD that He created man and He was going to destroy it, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. So God told Noah what He was about to do and asked Noah to build an ark. I don’t know about you but if my husband came home and told me that, well!
A Faithful Woman
Noah’s wife was a Godly wife with much faith in both God and her husband. She stood behind her husband, while the rest of the world mocked him. She must have felt isolation when her friends and other family members walked away from them. She was committed to serving her family for many years in building a huge boat and supplying it with thousands of animals. Oh yeah, and living on it for a year. She was about to preform a task which no other woman was asked to do.
Where did she get great faith from? Maybe it the result of serving God for many years. It could have been because God provided for her family in the past, and she knew she could trust Him in the future.
How can we develop such great faith? Simple, spend time with God. When we take time each day to study His word and talk to Him, we learn to hear that still small voice. We grow closer to Him and learn His way for our life. Trusting and obeying Him in the small things, gets us ready for the things that seem to “BIG”.
A Righteous Woman
She trained her boys to love the Lord. She taught them to pray. She told them about and Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel and the consequences they suffered. They helped with building the ark and the wives they select also entered the ark. I believe she worked hard training her sons and did a great job. Remember the rest of the world was wicked in the sight of the Lord.
We also should teach others about God. How? By example. Being an example is louder then words.
If they see you pray, they will pray. If they see you do whats right, they will do whats right. Will they mess up? Yes!, but we still should do all we can.
A Compassionate Woman
News about the ark spread quickly. People came from a far to see them building a boat in the middle of dry land. For 100 years she begged and pleaded with them to serve the Lord, but no one listened. They laughed and mocked as they heard the story of the coming rain. I can only imagine how she felt knowing their fate as she pleaded with them to trust in the Lord. Yet she stayed by her husband’s side to finish the work of God. Her heart must have crushed, when she heard the cry’s and screams of the people outside the ark. The waters became, deeper and deeper until —- a hush.
How can we be a compassionate woman?
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” – (Luke 16:19-26 KJV)
Need I say more. We learn John 3:16 and Psalm 23 but I believe these should be verses we repeat to ourselves everyday. If we keep the fire of hell in the front of our minds, it will be very easy to be compassionate to all around us. I ask myself, who is getting on the ark because of me? I will ask you, who will be on the ark because of you?
A Busy Woman
Noah’s wife had 3 sons. That in itself will keep any woman busy, but lets remember the times in which they lived. There was no electric which means, no washer, dryer or dishwasher. No cars or store to buy anything. They had to grow their own food and kill the meat gather wood for a fire to cook. As more and more trees were needed, they had to travel to acquire them. While on the ark, she had to help with taking care of the animals. The list goes on and on. With all she had going on in her life she still had time for God. We know this because the Bible says the Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord. He was a just man, perfect in his generations, and he walked with God. If Noah’s wife was not a Godly woman, she would have never stayed with her family while they were getting ready to enter the ark.
How can we keep our lives in order and still have time for God?
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these thing shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Although we ladies of today are busy, God should be a priority. If Noah’s wife did not keep focused on God, she wouldn’t have lived the life she did. Even Jesus instructed Martha to be careful not to miss what was important. Martha complained about her sister Mary not helping because she was sitting at the feet of Jesus.
As ladies, no matter if you are young or old, married with children or not, the most important thing we can do for our families is to sit at the feet of Jesus. I hope to see you there!
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Does God See?
Listen to yesterday morning’s message by Evangelist Taylor Gillespie. There is 15 minutes of singing by Vessels of Honor, a tour group out of West Coast Baptist College before the message.
Today’s Passage – Psalms 9 – 16
Second Milers also read – James 1 – 4; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18
Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
“He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.” – (Psalm 10:11)”
The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” – (Psalm 11:4)
“For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” – (Psalm 11:7)
“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.” – (Proverbs 5:21)
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” – (Proverbs 15:3)
“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” – (1 Peter 3:12)
The simple answer is yes – He sees. I believe the Scriptures referenced above make that clear, and there are many other verses we could include. Yet, little man thinks that somehow his actions and his thoughts are hidden from the eyes of God, but He sees it all. There is both a negative and a positive side to this principle. The negative, of course, is that God is aware of every evil though that we contemplate, and every sinful thing that we do. The positive side, however, is that God also sees all of the things that we have done for His glory. Whether any man ever sees it or not is not important. We know that God knows, and we also understand that God will reward us for all that we do for Him. Just a thought.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.