Psalm 23 ~ Part 1

Whom do you trust?

David had a rock-solid confidence in God. He didn’t wonder whether God was going to give him food to eat, clothes to wear, or a place to live. Part of that confidence came from his experiences. And part of that confidence came from the fact that David knew God very well. All of David’s hopes and dreams were caught up in the Lord. Even if he had been forced to go without some of the things that people consider necessities, he wouldn’t have missed them much. His trust was in the Lord. 

http://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/isaiah/49-10.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/luke/passage/?q=luke+12:29-31

http://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/john/6-35.html

Your situations might make you feel that you’re alone, you’re hopeless and cannot be healed again. Rather than living in a dead situation, live in the life Christ offers you. Before you let the Devil know about your God, you need to know Him and trust him; the Devil already knows the power of God. We let him in through open doors because we don’t trust in God and we don’t realise His power. I saw every problem as a dead end in my life till I didn’t completely recognise the power of God in my life. Today when I do, I can easily depend on Him even in the times of trials. I can easily praise and worship Him, dance even when it hurts and rejoice even when there is no reason to do so. My situations may not give me a reason to rejoice; but my God surely does! 

Touch Me Not!

All of us have learnt about sensitive plants like the mimosa. They close themselves when touched. As kids, we used to find that very amusing. And as grown ups now, it is equally amusing to find people with so much of sensitivity. As Vishwas, a brother in church once told me, ‘I find people become more sensitive after accepting the Lord.’ As I pondered over it, I found it to be a fact. We can find ‘touch me nots’ more in the church than what we may find in the world outside. All of us, somewhere down the line, feel bad about almost everything and anything thrown at us, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. 

We feel bad about not being smiled at, not spoken to, not taken extra care of, our needs not being noticed, being discussed in our absence, being addressed in our presence, and so much more!! And each one of us has gone through this phase at some point of our Christian life in our fellowship with our spiritual family. Some of us have matured through it while some of us prefer to remain stuck down there. 

Most of the sensitive people would be the old members who demand personal attention for everything. The scenario should actually be the other way around; the new members should be given more love, care and attention by the older members. That’s how we work together in the family of Christ. Not putting down one another, but encouraging one another. When we gossip and not be open about how we feel, we create barriers for ourselves. Much of those barriers are unnecessary and wouldn’t have ever existed if we were open and clear in our communication with each other. 

Philippians 2 : 1 - 7

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2%3A1-7&version=ESV

Hebrews 5 : 12 - 14

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%205:12-14

When God was dealing with this issue in me, I realised why did I feel so bad about little things that shouldn’t make a difference? And God showed me the answer through my mom. When I see her serving people in the church, as their spiritual mother, I see her love for them just as her love for my sister and me. I don’t find her service for them any different from all that she does for us. When I learned to embrace people as they are and love them, even though we do not belong to the same biological family, I found it easier to accept correction from people, take jokes lightly and be open about how I felt. I realised that just as you can’t develop a close bond with every other person in your family, you might not be able to bond closely with everyone in your spiritual family. In spite of it, the love of Christ keeps us bound and even if we are not closely bound, we can still be available for each other to help, love, care, share and pray. When we view our spiritual family like our biological family, we’ll be able to stand by each other at all times with unconditional love. My mom has always taught me that the spiritual family is as important as the biological family and she has lived by it. 

1 John 4 : 7 - 21

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A7-21&version=ESV

My Glorious!

Psalm 19 : 7 - 10

This is a Psalm of eloquent praise of the Lord and His laws. Verses 7 - 10 mentions the excellencies of the law in its manifold uses. 

It took me a while to write this one. Even as I continued to meditate on this Psalm, verses 7 - 10, to be precise; I could draw out 6 points about the the faithfulness and glory of God. These verses just provide a ‘perfect revelation of the Lord’. 

1. The law of the Lord : All the laws of the Lord are perfect - flawless. When we love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul; and when we follow His laws, it has the power to convict us and change us. It is by following the law of the Lord that we are able to live righteous lives.     2 Timothy 3:17, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’
2. The testimony of the Lord : All that the Lord says, He does. All the works that He has done in the past, the mighty works He still does, and the faithful works in the years to come has proven and will continue to prove His steadfast love. If you can, just take a moment to remember the recent wonderful surprise from God in your life. And I’m sure that there will be many more such incidents in your life and you won’t be able to stop thanking God for His faithfulness. In times of difficulties, these experiences and testimonies that God has raised in our lives gives us wisdom and helps lift our spirits because we know we can trust God. We know that we can encourage each other because of His goodness that we have experienced in our lives. We can rest in the fact that ‘He is the same yesterday, today and forever.’ Hebrews 13 : 8
3. The statues of the Lord : Whenever we hear of some court case going on in the country, we wish for the honest side to win. And when that happens, we do feel happy about it. Similarly, the percepts of God are true, just like Him. There is no hidden lies or compromise in it. It is true in itself. Following His statues helps us live life the right way. Because His percepts are true, it brings joy and refreshment to our hearts. God’s truth and justice will always stay supreme. All those who rely on His truth and justice will never be disappointed. Psalm 119 : 128, ‘and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.’
4. The commandments of the Lord : At times, we find the instructions of God irrational. But God knows best. All His commandments are pure, unadulterated. He gives us instructions only because He loves us and wants the best for us. Following His pure instructions only purifies us further. It refines us. It displays our trust in Him. When we embrace His commandment which is without darkness and surrender to it, the Spirit will enlighten us, convict us and cleanse us. Psalm 119 : 9, ‘How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.’
5. The fear of the Lord : God will live forever. When everything on earth has decayed, He will still be Lord. And all those who chose to worship Him, will still be singing His praises. There will be worship in heaven for all eternity. Revelation 15 : 4, ‘Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.’
6. The judgements of the Lord : His judgements are grounded on truth and righteousness. They help us stay alert and be thoughtful about our thoughts, words and deeds. They are right and help us stay upright in our ways. They are to be valued more than gold and silver, because His judgements will not rust away or reduce in value, but they will endure forever. Psalm 119 : 103, ‘How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’

Finally, we know that God is all powerful. He alone can work wonders for us. He alone can do the impossible and all glory, honour and praise is due to Him!

Forget Not His Benefits

Amidst the storm I have felt your peace,

In your embrace I feel my fears release. 

In your light my darkness flees,

Your goodness, Oh Lord, will never cease!

You healed me when I was sick,

My thoughts, my words, my deeds you fixed. 

You consecrated me and set me apart,

Now from Your love, will I never part. 

You bring joy to every mourning,

And heartfelt praises for You are unending. 

Your grace never leaves me forgotten,

So I offer my praise unbroken. 

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not His goodness,

Surrender to Him, He will impart His righteousness. 

Obedience He seeks, and not your sacrifice;

Trust Him, His grace will suffice!

The Character of Those Who May Dwell With the Lord

Psalm 15 (NKJV)

We all know the life of David. He's fallen so many times and each time he ran back to the Lord. And the Lord calls David , 'A man after My own heart'. In Psalm 14:1, a lack of respect for God and His laws was the worst kind of ignorance, as far as David was concerned. The person who rejected God was considered the biggest fool of them all. And in Psalm 15, he shares what God expects out of us. We are humans and are bound to fall. That doesn't make God love us any less. His love is unconditional and doesn't change. But we can always strive to be the kind of people whom God seeks and loves.

1. He who walks uprightly : walking in accordance to God's word.

2. And works righteousness : truth in action.

3. And speaks the truth in his heart : truth in emotions, intentions behind the words and actions and thoughts.

4. He who does not backbite with his tongue : truth in speech, openness with one another and uplifting each other.
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th points imply honoring God and pleasing Him through our actions, thoughts and words.

5. Nor does evil to his neighbour : does not conspire.

6. Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend : loves unconditionally with a clean heart and forgives the wrong done to him.

7. In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honours those who fear the Lord : he is careful to fellowship with the right people. The fine balance of such a person's judgement is effectively described. Since his behaviour os consistent, he also knows whom to reject.

8. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change : true humility. If he has said something or committed something, and things suddenly take a turn in disadvantage of him, he doesn't change his words, but abides by it. His deliverance will come from God.

9. He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent : he does not demand money by taking advantage of others, specially in their difficult times. He is honest in his dealings.

He who does these things shall never be moved. 

The Sleep of Holy Confidence

Psalm 3:5 (NKJV)

I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. 

David was being hunted down by his son. His life was sought after by his own people. Was he scared? Yes! He was scared and went into hiding. Yet, his confidence was in the Lord. David was not only scared, but also hurt emotionally. There was a turmoil within him. In spite of it all, he chose to trust the Lord. He could confidently rest and find his peace in the Lord. He was sure that the Lord would never fail him. He was assured that his redemption would only come from the Lord; just like Peter in Acts 12. 

David had to be alert because of his enemies; but knowing that the Lord was his righteousness and justice, he chose to rest. When he awoke, the Lord had honoured his faith by keeping him safe and secure from his enemies. The Lord was his shield, his glory and the lifter of his head! David cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard him from His holy hill. (Psalm 3:3,4)

The Righteous Person

In today's world, being righteous would certainly not be considered as swag! It would sound more like a person committing crime by not following the standards of this world. But what does the Bible say about a righteous person? How does God view the righteous person?

Psalm 1:1 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked

Nor stands in the path of sinners

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful

1. Walking in the  counsel of the wicked. Counsel means direction or helpful suggestions. Everytime that we receive counsel, we need to first seek God's will in it before accepting the counsel. It is important to discern the counsel coming your way. It is important what we receive and feed our minds with, because it determines the course of our life. Continuously accepting advice from the ungodly (people who don't walk in submission to God and His word), will only lead to destruction. It is better to stay away from people who don't follow the word of God and those who take us away from the truth. 
2. Standing in the path of sinners. You cannot fellowship with a sinner and avoid staying away from sin. Our company, people with whom we fellowship, matters.  
3. Sitting in the seat of the scornful. Spending time with people who dishonour God is as good as dishonouring God ourselves. This will only make us forget God's goodness and walk against the will of God. And, for God, obedience is better than sacrifice. (1Samuel 15:22)

Psalm 1:2-3

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of river, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever he does prospers. 

The only thing that a righteous person longs for, is the presence of God. Meditatingon God's word (spending time to understand theword of God in order to live in accordance to the standards of God) is of utmost importance. It becomes easier for such a person to avoid listening to people who guide him/her against what God wants. Such a person won't mock God, even if it seems like everyone else does.  

God's Spirit is the river that flows by you and offers you all the life and strength you need. When you receive your life from the Holy Spirit, you're always able to succeed in God's eyes, even if everything around you seems out of control.