Re:Verse reading–Psalm 16 (day six)
We do not know when David wrote Psalm 16. We know that he was old enough to look back on his past experiences with God, look around at this present standing with God, and look forward to a secure future with God. In vs 2, he says, “I said to the Lord: I have no good besides You.” A watershed moment in the past that David still remembers. Have you had such a similar moment of verbal commitment? Vs 5 says “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance.” This is David’s present confident assurance. Vs 10-11 says, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol. . .you will make known to me the path of life.” This is David’s perspective on the days that stretch out ahead, his certainty that God will continue to lead. In a heart of true faith, the past prepares us for the present which teaches us to have confidence for the future.
Author: Larry Soape
Larry Soape is the Associate Pastor for Median & Senior Adults, and Missions at FBCSA.
Faithful
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 16 (day four)
It was the day of Pentecost…a noise like a great rushing wind…and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit! The results were amazing. People did not know what to think. It was Peter (anyone surprised?) who stood to preach and give explanation. In Acts 2:24, Peter said, “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” He then says in verse 25, “For David says of Him,…” and then he quotes from Psalm 16:8-11. Peter recognized, through the power of the indwelling Spirit, that when the Psalmist wrote the inspired words of God, it was impossible for them not to come true. All of God’s promises come true. He promised that His Holy One would not undergo decay. For Peter, with his new understanding, there was no doubt as to God’s faithfulness. What promises has God made that you have yet to accept and believe? He never fails!
Majestic
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day four)
Have you ever stood out in the country, or better yet, on top of a mountain and looked up into the vast night sky? The stars…the Milky Way…the constellations…the universe… stretched before you from east to west, north to south? I have. The pictures are etched into my memory. I can not only remember most every experience, I can remember the overwhelming feeling of grandeur. It is Psalm 8 that immediately comes to mind when I have such an experience. The majesty of the creation is but a small portion of the majesty of the Creator. As we contemplate the glory of our Creator, the response of the Psalmist wells up inside us…’when I consider all of this, God, what is man that you are mindful of him?’ The focus of our worship must always be on the person of God. The Psalmist started and ended this psalm in recognition of that…”O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Refuge
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day four)
From the beginning of time, man has rebelled against God. All through history, kings and rulers have sought to eliminate God and His authority over them. God, the Sovereign ruler, simply laughs at their attempts. In Acts 4:25, after Peter and John had been arrested and warned not speak any more about Jesus, they looked back to Psalm 2. They saw that Herod and Pilate, along with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel, had been acting according to God’s plan. The disciples asked God to fulfill His promise in Psalm 2 and to extend His hand against His detractors. The result of their prayer was that the building was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. When you face persecution and see God’s kingdom assaulted by the world, have you prayed Psalm 2, asking Him to stand against the opposition. His Word still stands and will never be overcome by man. “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Amazed
RE Verse reading–Mark 15:40-47, Mark 16: 1-8 (day two)
16:5 – “they were amazed”…that is probably an understatement! The Greek word used here is an intensified form of ‘terror or rendered immovable.’ These women could not comprehend what they were experiencing. What is our response when we enter into the presence or power of God? Do we casually approach God’s throne? He is the Creator, Sovereign over all of the Universe…He is All Powerful, All Knowing, Ever Present! The children of Israel would not even approach the mountain where He came to meet with Moses. Is our ‘fear of God’ at the point of ‘amazement’? When was the last time that we trembled in fear at the face of God? Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and Proverbs 10:27 says, “The fear of the Lord prolongs life.” Let’s remember the vast privilege we have to approach the throne of God in prayer through Jesus Christ, but let’s also remember Who we are approaching!
Big Picture
RE Verse reading: Mark 14:10-11, 17-21, 41-50 (day four)
What a disappointing experience! One of Jesus’ closest followers is the one who will betray Him. And worst yet, He knew it ahead of time. Jesus knew Judas’ heart even better than Judas. Judas had walked with Jesus, heard Him teach daily, seen miracles of healing…of quieting storms…of raising from the dead (Judas was even the treasurer of the group, a position of trust!). How would you respond to such betrayal? I know how I would have and I’m sure it wouldn’t have been pretty. Jesus saw a much bigger picture, though. He saw past any personal rights that were violated and saw God’s greater picture of redemption. We could look around ourselves in today’s world and feel that our personal rights are being violated, but God’s Word paints a much bigger picture than our rights. By staying in God’s Word daily, we can gain His perspective on current events, and like verse 49 say, “but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.”
God’s Approval
RE Verse reading–Mark 14:1-9 (day four)
It was a touching act of kindness…a very costly vial of perfume! It was not the cost of the gift that was important though, it was the heart motivation behind the act. This woman wanted to honor the Lord…verse 8 says, “She has done what she could”. Could it be said of you…”They have done what they could”? Have you done all you could to bring glory to God? Integrity is doing right before God. We don’t have to receive the approval of men for what we do…others may not even understand the motivation behind an act. God sees the heart…He knows the motivation…He recognizes the righteousness of our actions. It is His approval we seek, not the approval of man. When we are righteous before God, He looks with favor upon us. For this woman, Jesus said, Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Authority
RE Verse reading–Mark 12:28-34 (day four)
Jesus was in dialogue with the religious leaders. They knew the law…they knew the source of Jesus’ authority, but they refused to accept it. When asked if John the Baptist’s message was from God or from man, they knew the correct answer but would not believe it…so they said they didn’t know. They were so disoriented to God that their hearts and minds were hardened to the truth. Now in verse 28, one of the Scribes came to Jesus and recognized that He was answering correctly. The Scribe’s heart was open to truth. Jesus said, “you are not far from the kingdom of God”. How far are we? We spend day after day in the world…assaulted by its attacks on truth…becoming completely disoriented in our heart, mind, soul, and strength. That is why God gave us one day a week to pull aside and refocus on Him. Do you acknowledge the authority of Jesus? How have you responded to that authority?
Do You Have a Hardened Heart?
RE Verse reading–Mark 6:45-52, 8:1-21 (day four)
It was a stinging question! In verse 8:17, Jesus was amazed at His disciples. They had first seen Him feed over five thousand people with a few loaves and fish. Then, He did it again and fed over four thousand the same way. Now they were worried about a dozen people having something to eat. What was it that kept the disciples from understanding who Jesus was? Why did they not comprehend His power over the physical? These men were the closest ones to Jesus…they were with Him all the time…they heard Him teach every day. Maybe it was their expectations…maybe it was their selfishness…or maybe it was self-sufficiency. Whatever it was, it was sin. It so disoriented them to Jesus, that they could not recognize the truth. What is it in our life, that keeps us from seeing and understanding? Ask God to ‘open your eyes’ to see the Master!
Out of the Heart
RE Verse reading–Mark 7:1-23 (day three)
Verse 14 begins a lesson on the heart of man. The heart is the source of our actions. Jesus made reference to concerns of the Pharisees…they were worried about the cleanliness of the hands, the utensils, and what was eaten. Jesus said, it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles the man, because it enters the stomach and is eliminated. What man needs to be concerned with are the thoughts and actions that come out of his heart…those are the things that defile. Evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness…quite a list of wrongs! The source for these is our sinful heart. Only Jesus can cleanse our heart, only He can replace these evil actions with the fruits of the Spirit. Ephesians 5:26 says be cleansed with the washing of the water of the word…let Jesus’ Word cleanse your defiled heart. He will! …He promised in 1 John 1:9!