Sunday, September 20, 2009

Prayer of Teacher Dedication:

Dear God,
Help these that stand before you to teach with wisdom, for they work with you to shape minds. Let them ask the hard questions and work through the answers, and then frame provocative questions to stimulate the thinking of their learners. Let them analyze their subject matter into parts and see the relationships and discover the unity of the whole. Help them to know the problems their learners experience with the subject matter, and let them encourage them to get over the humps of discouragement. Equip these teachers to teach with truth as they work with You to shape their learners conscience. Encourage these teachers, before You, to teach with vision for they help to shape their student’s future. A good teacher foresees objections and thinks them through so they can answer their pupils intelligently. Help them to put themselves in the place of a variety of learners, and therefore explain hard things in terms we as learners can understand. Help our teachers to be concrete not abstract, specific not general, precise not vague, vulnerable and not evasive. Empower them to teach with love for they help to shape the world. Finally, dear Father, let their goal as good teachers be to transform life and thought into a Christ-honoring unity. Amen.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Learning to Endure – A Better Way

To keep your faith strong, focus your life on Christ.

Heb.12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author  and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Because Christ is superior to all, worship Christ as superior to all creation.

Heb.1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Our Lord Jesus knows how we feel, He helps when we hurt, so count on Christ’s sympathy in suffering.

Heb.2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Our Lord has been faithful, so we should remain faithful since Christ is faithful.

Heb.3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

God provides His special blessings of eternal rest, so enter God’s rest through faith.

Heb.4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief . 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Jesus Christ is the perfect priest for believers, so grow in spiritual maturity through His mediation.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age , even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.



Christians need to move forward in hope, not slip back into doubt, so lay hold of the hope that is in Christ.

Heb.6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Christ’s priesthood gives confidence and stability to His people, so rejoice in Christ, the Great High Priest.

Heb.7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

In Christ, God has provided a new covenant that fulfills what the old covenant could only picture, so find joy and hope in Christ’s priesthood.

Heb.9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot  to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Believers must be in practice what they already are in Christ, so be encouraged in the face of pressure.

Heb.10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Faith is essential in living a godly life, so exercise faith in God no matter what.

Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The godly person endures in hope, so face challenges with eternal certainties.

Heb.12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

A godly life will demonstrate practical love, so demonstrate practical love without hypocrisy.

Heb.13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

73 A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and peak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into he sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

III. Book III (Pss. 73-89)
Eleven of the 17 psalms in this section are attributed to Asaph (Pss. 73-83), one to David (Ps. 86), three to the sons of Korah (Pss. 84-85; 87), one to Heman (Ps. 88), and another to Ethan (Ps. 89). Asaph, Heman, and Ethan were Levite musicians in David’s day (1 Chron. 15:17, 19).
Psalm 73
This psalm strikes the same theme as Psalm 49, and thus may be classified as a wisdom psalm or at least may be studied for its wisdom motifs. In it “Asaph” told of the doubts which nearly overwhelmed him when he compared the life of a worldly man with his own. But then he confessed the sinfulness of his thoughts and explained that the contrast in their destinies enabled him to keep a proper perspective.
A. Prosperity of the wicked (73:1-14)
73:1-3. Asaph began this psalm by affirming that though God is good to those in Israel who trust Him and are pure in heart (cf. v. 13), he himself nearly slipped (cf. 94:18) in his confidence in the Lord. The psalmist emphasized his own situation by beginning four verses with the Hebrew expression translated But as for me (73:2, 22-23, 28). His offense was that he was envious of the prosperity of the wicked. Why should the people who oppose God be better off than those who trust Him? This problem was so overwhelming he almost lost faith in God’s goodness.
73:4-12. Asaph explained the prosperity that troubled him. He observed that the wicked do not seem to suffer trouble as other people do (vv. 4-5). They cover themselves with pride and violence (v. 6). Their evil devices are unbounded (v. 7). Their speech is scornful, malicious, and arrogant, as if they owned the earth (vv. 8-9). Many people are carried away by their evil (they turn to them, v. 10) and presumptuous self-confidence, thinking God does not know of their sin (v. 11; cf. 94:7). With no cares in the world (cf. 73:4-5, 12) wicked, arrogant people continue to prosper.
73:13-14. Asaph said he was confused over the value of his salvation. He felt that he had cleansed himself in vain (cf. pure in v. 1) because since trusting the Lord he had been plagued and chastened. Like many saints before and after him, Asaph was puzzled that God seemed to prosper the wicked and punish the righteous.
B. Destiny of the wicked and the righteous (73:15-28)
73:15-20. Asaph overcame his doubts by considering the destiny of the wicked. First, he acknowledged the impiety of his former conclusion in view of this consideration. His words are like a confession, for he knew the treachery his words could have been to the congregation (v. 15). The entire conflict was painful (oppressive) to him, till in the sanctuary he understood what will happen to the wicked. God will set them in dangerous (slippery; cf. “slipped” in v. 2) places where they will stumble and fall, be cast . . . down in ruin, and suddenly be destroyed.
When God finally sets things right, the wicked will be like fantasies (a dream), counterfeits of reality. This was the negative aspect of the solution to Asaph’s problem.
73:21-26. The positive aspect of the solution was Asaph’s conviction of his own glorious destiny. He confessed that his perspective had been dulled by brutish ignorance. If he had not been so ignorant, he admitted, his heart would not have been so bitter (vv. 21-22). (Grieved is lit., “grew sour”; embittered is lit., “felt stinging pains.”) His true position was in stark contrast with the wicked, for he knew God was always with him (v. 23) and would guide him wisely (with His counsel) and receive him into glory (v. 24). “Into glory” could also be translated “with glory,” meaning that God would guide him through his troubles so that he would enjoy honor (and not shame; cf. 4:2) in this life. Since “glory” for individuals in the Old Testament seldom meant heavenly glory the psalmist was probably looking for deliverance in his lifetime. This would demonstrate that he was in God’s favor. Of course believers today know from the New Testament that God’s punishment of the wicked and blessing of the righteous extend beyond death.
In addition, Asaph affirmed that God was his only possession in heaven or on the earth. Though Asaph was overwhelmed, God was his Strength (cf. 18:1) and His Portion (cf. 16:5; 119:57; 142:5). Some wicked people prosper materially but only the spiritual “possessions” of the righteous will last.
73:27-28. Asaph concluded that those who are far from God and are unfaithful will be destroyed, but that those who are near God find joy and safety. Though he had nearly slipped in his confidence in God (cf. v. 2) he now was reassured that God was keeping him secure. God was his Refuge (maḥseh, “shelter from danger”; cf. 14:6; 46:1; 61:3; 62:7-8; 71:7; 91:2, 9). Nearness to God always helps believers maintain a balanced perspective on material things and on the wicked.

cf. confer, compare
v. verse
vv. verses
lit. literal, literally

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Doxologies of the Bible

Ps.41:13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

Ps.72:18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

Ps.89:52 Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

Ps.106:48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.

Ps.150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet : praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Eph.3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
A Greek word occurs that is not directly translated in the King James Version. Greek Strongs: 165

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Words spoken @ Betty’s (my Mom's) grave site

The death of a Saint is always precious in the sight of God:
Ps.116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
It is full of
a. Faith. Heb 11:13. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
b. Peace. Isa 57:2. …taken away from calamity; he enters into peace; they rest…
c. Hope. Pr 14:32. …the righteous finds refuge in his death.

Sometimes for a saint death is desirable: Simeon, spoke these words revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Luke 2:29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
 according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

It leads to
a. Rest. Job 3:17; 2Th 1:7. …there the weary are at rest. …to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us
b. Comfort. Lu 16:25. …now he is comforted here,
c. Christ’s presence. 2Co 5:8; Php 1:23. …we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
d. A crown of life. 2Ti 4:8; Re 2:10. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
e. A joyful resurrection. Isa 26:19; Da 12:2. Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead…. those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

Sometimes it is waited for:

Job14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my service I would wait,
till my relief should come.

Consolation & Encouragement for survivors is always appropriate:

1Thes. 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.