"In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" ~Psalm 56:4, NIV
David obviously believed in a God who controls the universe and holds tightly to what He has created. He believed in a separation of the body into body, soul and spirit, and knew that the spirit is the element that lasts forever.
David knew body and soul would eventually pass away, but the spirit would always remain. Therefore, he was aware that mortals could do what nature would by killing his body (and thus his soul), but that his spirit was in God's hand.
If the spirit lasts forever but the body exists for only a breath, why fear those who can only harm the body? What could mere mortals do in terms of eternity? Nothing. God, on the other hand, could do a lot, but David trusted as we can trust that in God's benevolence if we trust, accept and follow His son Jesus we can live an eternity of peace.
That is the God we trust and give our fear. The one who loved us so much that He gave the body and soul of His son into the hands of the devil so that when our life is sucked from us, we would not die forever.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Day 340: Psalm 118:8
"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans." ~Psalm 118:8, NIV
Logic. It is amazing, and gives us much insight. The thing about logic is that it is utterly subjective. If you have something to think about, logic is always based on prior knowledge, and connecting it together the way that you have been taught to connect things.
Thinking outside of the box then, is really just shifting the way you view your logic.
However, in light of that, we're going to look above and see why that sentence makes logical sense. David is a man of God, and he trusts that this invisible being will love and protect him ALWAYS. Humans have been proven to be fallible in his life, but God has always come to his aid when he needed it.
Therefore, if he were given the choice to trust humans or God, he would look at the track record and see that humans had failed him infinitely, whereas God had never failed him. While some people may have taken some of the events of David's life and questioned God's existence and trust (betrayal at Saul's hand, death of Jonathan, betrayal at Absalom's hand), David believed and trusted in God's good will, therefore allowing him to see everything in God's light.
So how does your logic work?
Logic. It is amazing, and gives us much insight. The thing about logic is that it is utterly subjective. If you have something to think about, logic is always based on prior knowledge, and connecting it together the way that you have been taught to connect things.
Thinking outside of the box then, is really just shifting the way you view your logic.
However, in light of that, we're going to look above and see why that sentence makes logical sense. David is a man of God, and he trusts that this invisible being will love and protect him ALWAYS. Humans have been proven to be fallible in his life, but God has always come to his aid when he needed it.
Therefore, if he were given the choice to trust humans or God, he would look at the track record and see that humans had failed him infinitely, whereas God had never failed him. While some people may have taken some of the events of David's life and questioned God's existence and trust (betrayal at Saul's hand, death of Jonathan, betrayal at Absalom's hand), David believed and trusted in God's good will, therefore allowing him to see everything in God's light.
So how does your logic work?
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Day 339: Psalm 46:7, 11
"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." ~Psalm 46:7, 11
Psalm 46 is a short little piece, but the above sentence is repeated twice, as noted. As we learned in 8th grade English, repetition is always used intentionally, and in the Bible that repetition is always used to accentuate some form of truth.
How else can we explain the 120-ish times the Bible says to fear not? The 600-ish times it says God loves us? The other, more subtle repetition of thoughts and ideas?
This is yet another emphasis on who God is and what that means in relation to us. What does it say to you?
Psalm 46 is a short little piece, but the above sentence is repeated twice, as noted. As we learned in 8th grade English, repetition is always used intentionally, and in the Bible that repetition is always used to accentuate some form of truth.
How else can we explain the 120-ish times the Bible says to fear not? The 600-ish times it says God loves us? The other, more subtle repetition of thoughts and ideas?
This is yet another emphasis on who God is and what that means in relation to us. What does it say to you?
Monday, December 03, 2012
Day 338: Deuteronomy 20:3
"He shall say: Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them." ~Deuteronomy 20:3, NIV
God liked telling Moses and Joshua what to tell the Israelites. And while back in that day the people needed intermediaries between them and God, today is extremely different.
Courtesy of Jesus' death, we can hear for ourselves what God wants us to know, and if we're afraid, I think the above serves as a good reminder for what that knowledge is.
Don't let your heart go jelly on you, and don't be afraid, don't let your heart take control of you and move you far out into the world. Just believe. Go into battle knowing that God sent you. What more is there to know? Seek the Bible for what you want to find, and let its God-given words may guide you.
(Disclaimer: use the Bible intelligently. Look up the context and see if it actually should apply to you. Also, listen in your heart to God's nudges. And make sure they're actually God's hand, not the Liar's. God bless!)
God liked telling Moses and Joshua what to tell the Israelites. And while back in that day the people needed intermediaries between them and God, today is extremely different.
Courtesy of Jesus' death, we can hear for ourselves what God wants us to know, and if we're afraid, I think the above serves as a good reminder for what that knowledge is.
Don't let your heart go jelly on you, and don't be afraid, don't let your heart take control of you and move you far out into the world. Just believe. Go into battle knowing that God sent you. What more is there to know? Seek the Bible for what you want to find, and let its God-given words may guide you.
(Disclaimer: use the Bible intelligently. Look up the context and see if it actually should apply to you. Also, listen in your heart to God's nudges. And make sure they're actually God's hand, not the Liar's. God bless!)
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Day 337: Luke 21:12-18
"But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish." ~Luke 21:12-18, NIV
Verse 19 continues to say that if we stand firm, we will have life - not necessarily this physical life, but life as God intended it. The fact of the matter is exactly as Jesus stated it above. We're going to face a lot of trials in our lives, some more challenging to our faith than others, and we're going to get a lot of grief for the fact that we believe He's the Messiah.
On the flipside, He's also with us. He says that "not a hair of your head will perish." You will survive, even if it's in the afterlife. It's not going to be easy, but believe, and remember that in all of it, He's with you.
Verse 19 continues to say that if we stand firm, we will have life - not necessarily this physical life, but life as God intended it. The fact of the matter is exactly as Jesus stated it above. We're going to face a lot of trials in our lives, some more challenging to our faith than others, and we're going to get a lot of grief for the fact that we believe He's the Messiah.
On the flipside, He's also with us. He says that "not a hair of your head will perish." You will survive, even if it's in the afterlife. It's not going to be easy, but believe, and remember that in all of it, He's with you.
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Day 336: Psalm 16:1
"Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge." ~Psalm 16:1, NIV
Dear God,
I know You know everything I need. But I'm going to ask today anyways, like David did: keep me safe, please.
I'll trust You. I'll believe in You, that You'll guide me to do Your will and that it will bless me beyond comprehension. I'll choose to ignore doubts and uncertainties and obey Your voice, but please: You're my refuge. Don't let me down.
You're the one thing I know will never fail. So please... don't fail.
Thank You. Take fear away from me, and may the life everlasting come to pass. Amen.
Dear God,
I know You know everything I need. But I'm going to ask today anyways, like David did: keep me safe, please.
I'll trust You. I'll believe in You, that You'll guide me to do Your will and that it will bless me beyond comprehension. I'll choose to ignore doubts and uncertainties and obey Your voice, but please: You're my refuge. Don't let me down.
You're the one thing I know will never fail. So please... don't fail.
Thank You. Take fear away from me, and may the life everlasting come to pass. Amen.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Day 335: Psalm 31:6
"I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord." ~Psalm 31:6, NIV
The psalmist has one thing straight in his life: little metal (or plastic) objects don't deserve to be at the forefront of your trust. Despite the vigor with which you cling to your credit card for security, the fact of the matter is that material things only have the value we assign to them. That means that in the greater picture, they are worthless.
No matter your beliefs on the Son of God, I think we can generally agree with Him on at least one point: people are more important than possessions. Wouldn't you rather have a family that loves, supports and cares about you than $100,000? Wouldn't you rather have a partner that you knew would never abandon you, who loved you for who you were and supported your decisions than a Lamborghini? Relationships are what matter, relationships are the reason we are remembered, relationships determine how successful we've been in the end.
The Proverbs describe that it's better to have a good wife in a small house than a foolish woman and all the riches of the world. God is a person of sorts - someone we can relate to. He also happens to be the most bountiful giver and holder of all goods in the universe.
You can trust Him, or the goods He gives. The psalmist has it right - trust the hand that feeds you, not the food the hand gives.
The psalmist has one thing straight in his life: little metal (or plastic) objects don't deserve to be at the forefront of your trust. Despite the vigor with which you cling to your credit card for security, the fact of the matter is that material things only have the value we assign to them. That means that in the greater picture, they are worthless.
No matter your beliefs on the Son of God, I think we can generally agree with Him on at least one point: people are more important than possessions. Wouldn't you rather have a family that loves, supports and cares about you than $100,000? Wouldn't you rather have a partner that you knew would never abandon you, who loved you for who you were and supported your decisions than a Lamborghini? Relationships are what matter, relationships are the reason we are remembered, relationships determine how successful we've been in the end.
The Proverbs describe that it's better to have a good wife in a small house than a foolish woman and all the riches of the world. God is a person of sorts - someone we can relate to. He also happens to be the most bountiful giver and holder of all goods in the universe.
You can trust Him, or the goods He gives. The psalmist has it right - trust the hand that feeds you, not the food the hand gives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)