There is a God

Psalm 14:1 NLT Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! How can anyone look at the night sky and gaze upon the countless number of brilliant lights, and come to the conclusion that there is no God? How can anyone sit on a porch and watch humming birds fly with speed and precision and conclude that there is no Creator behind the creation? What a leap of faith it is to believe that all of the world's splendor just happened by chance! The Bible has one word for people that believe that way: foolish! They may be highly educated and elevated in the wisdom of men, but in the eyes of Him who looks down from the heavens, they are fools. It is also true that believers can and often do play the part of a fool as well from time to time. We can speak boldly with our voices that there is a God in heaven, but then live our lives as if no one is on the throne of the universe. To carry ourselves in such a way is equally foolish as the atheist and the skeptic. Let us live out our faith in such a way that the foolish might come to see and know the love of God. With our voices, our hearts, our hands and our feet, let us proclaim together......There is a God!

Two Way Praise

Psalm 9:1 NLT I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. Praise should come natural to the believer. It's simply a pouring out of our heart unto The Lord because of His majesty and glory. Although we often fail in this, our praise should not diminish based upon what's happening in our life, because praise is about Him and not us! There is, however, another side of praise that we should practice. Not only should we shower God with praise, but we should also tell others about His awesome works. When was the last time that you told someone how amazing God is? In world that is bent toward the negative, we should be a positive voice in their lives. It's really easy for us to fall in line and spew the same toxic language of pessimism, but instead let's join in together and give a two way praise to and for our God!

It's a Small World, or is it?

Psalm 8:3, 4 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Our universe is big, even beyond our ability to measure it. As our ability to see farther into space increases, so does our vision of the complexity and enormity of God's creation. We have used the phrase "it's a small world", but nothing could be farther from the truth! Our planet is filled with billions of people and billions of other forms of living creatures. But on the other hand, our world is small compared to other celestial bodes in our galaxy, not to mention the stars that dwarf our own sun that are found millions of light years away. It's really mind numbing, and when you really think about it, you start talking like the psalmist here: "who is man that you are mindful of him?". I am so small in the grand scheme of God's glorious creation, but He thinks of me! I don't know about you, but that makes my day! The majestic name of our God fills the whole earth, and He has placed His excellent name upon us, His sons and daughters. Our God is truly AWESOME! The next time that you look up into the night sky, and you are overwhelmed at its beauty, just remember, the One who hung those stars is madly in love with you :)

Everything He Gives is Greater

Psalm 4:7, 8 You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. Money can buy a lot of things, maybe even happiness to some degree, but it has its limitations. Possessions can never bring joy or peace into your life. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that the world can't give. You can't fake it, and there is nothing like it. It truly is a strength to us. Peace is often sought after through substances and relationships, but never achieved that way. As His children, we should live our lives with more joy than the wealthiest, and we should rest with more peace than those whose security is counted in dollars and cents. Why? Because He alone will keep us safe. God help us to trust in You more than our stuff, and to surrender to You until peace flows like a river. Help me learn to receive from You, because everything that You give is greater!

Take a Chill Pill

Psalm 4:4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Anger is not a sin in itself. It is actually a natural emotion that happens without our permission. The problem comes when we allow anger to control us. People who submit to their anger end up in some troubling predicaments. When anger is involved, our first reaction is almost always the wrong reaction. There is great wisdom here in that when we face situations that cause anger, we need to think about it overnight, and even more importantly, keep quiet so that we don't have to try and undo damage that our words might cause others when we are angry. God gave us emotions for our good, but we must allow the Spirit to control our emotions, instead of letting our emotions rule us.

From He is to You are

Psalm 3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. God is everything that we need in life. When your enemies surround you, and you need to find that shied of safety and security, He is! When you can't seem to do anything right, and you need the righteousness and glory of The Lord, He is! When life has beat you up, and let you down until your head is hanging low, He is the One who can lift your spirits and your outlook. He is all of this and more, but I don't want to settle for knowing that He is. I want to make it personal. I want to say, like David said, "Lord You are a shield.....You are my glory.....You are the lifter of my head!" David didn't focus on his enemies, even though he could have. He recognized that there were plenty of people and powers that were against him, and in the midsts of them all he declared "But You, O Lord"! I challenge you today to move your faith to a whole new level from "He is" to "You are"!

A Future of Success

Psalm 1:3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Prosperity is not a false teaching, although many have abused it. The word prosper actually means to be successful, and who doesn't want to succeed? This first psalm gives us some basic steps to have success in our lives. Verses one and two tell us to hate evil and love God's Word. Although that might seem too simple, it's really a very powerful principle to live by. Avoiding sin leads to avoiding the results of sin, and meditating on God's Word leads to walking in God's will. That sounds like success to me! What does success look like? It looks like a tree with deep roots that drink from an unending supply of water. Always bearing fruit, always producing and always edifying. Where are you getting your supply from? If it's from others who do not fear God, who do not serve Him, who do not have a desire to follow Him............your strength will dry up fast, and failure will become the norm. Instead, learn to meditate upon God's Word and let your roots grow deep. Success is in your future!