Monday, August 31, 2009

Psalm 51

Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy - wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in Your laundry. I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.

You're the One I've violated, and You've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before You; whatever You decide about me is fair. I've been out of step with You for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What You're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels Your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to Your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with Your praise.

Going through the motions doesn't please You, a flawless performance is nothing to You. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.

Make Zion the place You delight in, repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls. Then You'll get real worship from us, acts of worship small and large, including all the bulls they can heave onto Your altar!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Psalm 55:22

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righeous to be moved.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Psalm 103:1-5

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless His holy name! O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins - every one.
He heals your diseases - every one.
He redeems you from hell - saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal.
He renews your youth - you're always young in His presence.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Romans 12:19

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Jeremiah 30:16-17

"Everyone who hurt you will be hurt, your enemies will end up as slaves. Your plunderers will be plundered; your looters will become loot. As for you, I'll come with healing, curing the incurable, because they all gave up on you and dismissed you as hopeless - that good-for-nothing Zion."

Psalms 91:10-11

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Jeremiah 30:5 - 31:6

God's Message:

"Cries of panic are being heard. The peace has been shattered. Ask around! Look around! Can men bear babies? So why do I see all these he-men holding their bellies like women in labor, faces contorted, pale as death? The blackest of days, no day like it ever! A time of deep trouble for Jacob - but he'll come out of it alive.

"'And then I'll enter the darkness. I'll break the yoke from their necks, cut them loose from the harness. No more slave labor to foreigners! They'll serve their God and the David-King I'll establish for them.

'So fear no more, Jacob, dear servant. Don't despair, Israel. Look up! I'll save you out of faraway places, I'll bring your children back from exile. Jacob will come back and find life good, safe and secure. I'll be with you. I'll save you. I'll finish off the godless nations among which I've scattered you, but I won't finish you off. I'll punish you, but fairly. I won't send you off with just a slap on the wrist.'

"This is God's Message:

"'You're a burned-out case, as good as dead. Everyone has given up on you. You're hopeless. All your fair-weather friends have skipped town without giving you a second thought. But I delivered the knockout blow, a punishment you will never forget, because of the enormity of your guilt, the endless list of your sins. So why all this self-pity, licking your wounds? You deserve all this and more. Because of the enormity of your guilt, the endless list of your sins, I've done all this to you.

"'Everyone who hurt you will be hurt; your enemies will end up as slaves. Your plunderers will be plundered; your looters will become loot. As for you I'll come with healing, curing the incurable, because they all gave up on you and dismissed you as hopeless - that good-for-nothing Zion.'

"Again God's Message:

""I'll turn things around for Jacob. I'll compassionately come in and rebuild homes. The town will be rebuilt on its old foundations; the mansions will be splendid again. Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors. Things will get better and better. Depression days are over. They'll thrive, they'll flourish. The days of contempt will be over. They'll look forward to having children again, to being a community in which I take pride. I'll punish anyone who hurts them, and their prince will come from their own ranks. One of their own people shall be their leader. Their ruler will come from their own ranks. I'll grant him free and easy acess to me. Would anyone dare to do that on his own, to enter My presence uninvited?' God's Decree.

"'And that's it: You'll be My very own people, I'll be your very own God.'"

Look out! God's hurricane is let loose, His hurricane blast, spinning the heads of the wicked like dust devils! God's raging anger won't let up until He's made a clean sweep completing the job he began. When the job's been done you'll see it's been well done.

"And when that happens" - God's Decree - "it will be plain as the sun at high noon: I'll be the God of every man, woman, and child in Israel and they shall be my very own people."

This is the way God put it:

"They found grace out in the desert, these people who survived the killing. Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them!" God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love! And so now I'll start over with you and build you up again, dear virgin Israel. You'll resume your singing, grabbing tambourines and joining the dance. You'll go back to your old work of planting vineyards on the Samaritan hillsides, and sit back and enjoy the fruit - oh, how you'll enjoy those harvests! The time's coming when watchmen will call out from the hilltops of Ephraim: 'On your feet! Let's go to Zion, go to meet our God!'"

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Psalms 91

You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "God, You're my refuge. I trust in You and I'm safe!" That's right - He rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you - under them you're perfectly safe; His arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing - not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because High God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered His angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!"

Monday, August 24, 2009

1 Samuel 2:22-36

By this time Eli was very old. He kept getting reports on how his sons were ripping off the people and sleeping with the women who helped out at the sanctuary. Eli took them to task: "What's going on here? Why are you doing these things? I hear story after story of your corrupt and evil carrying on. Oh, my sons, this is not right! These are terrible reports I'm getting, stories spreading right and left among God's people! If you sin against another person, there's help - God's help. But if you sin against God, who is around to help?"

But they were far gone in disobedience and refused to listen to a thing their father said. So God, who was fed up with them, decreed their death. But the boy Samuel was very much alive, growing up, blessed by God and popular with the people.

A holy man came to Eli and said: "This is God's message: I revealed Myself openly to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests to preside at the altar, to burn incense, to wear the priestly robes in my presence. I put your ancestral family in charge of all the sacrificial offerings of Israel. So why do you now treat as mere loot these very sacrificial offerings that I commanded for My worship? Why do you treat your sons better than Me, turning them loose to get fat on these offerings, and ignoring me? Therefore - this is God's word, the God of Israel speaking - I once said that you and your ancestral family would be my priests indefinitely, but now - God's word, remember! - there is no way this can continue.

I honor those who honor me, those who scorn me I demean.

Be well warned: It won't be long before I wipe out both your family and your future family. No one in your family will make it to old age! You'll see good things that I'm doing in Israel, but you'll see it and weep, for no one in your family will live to enjoy it. I will leave one person to serve at my altar, but it will be a hard life, with many tears. Everyone else in your family will die before their time. What happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be the proof: Both will die the same day. Then I'll establish for Myself a true priest. He'll do what I want him to do, be what I want him to be. I'll make his position secure and he'll do his work freely in the service of my anointed one. Survivors from your family will come to him begging for handouts, saying, 'Please give me some priest work, just enough to put some food on the table.'"

Because Eli's sons sinned against God and Eli did nothing about it, God took his sons. Not only is it wrong to sin against God, but it is wrong not to do something about it if someone you know is sinning against God.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Psalms 23

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, You find me quiet pools to drink from. True to Your word, You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when You walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

Hebrews 8:12

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Psalm 9:10

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Isaiah 62:4-5

No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined. You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight), and your land Beulah (Married), because God delights in you and your land will be like a wedding celebration. For as a young man marries his virgin bride, so your builder marries you, and as a bridgroom is happy in his bride, so your God is happy with you.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Psalms 100

On your feet now - applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into His presence. Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn't make Him. We're His people, His well-tended sheep. Enter with the password: "Thank You!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank Him. Worship Him. For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Micah 7:18-20

Where is the god who can compae with you - wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of Your purged and precious people? You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, for mercy is Your specialty. That's what You love most. And compassion is on its way to us. You'll stamp out our wrongdoing. You'll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean. You'll stay true to Your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion You showed Grandfather Abraham - everything You promised our ancestors from a long time ago.

Micah 7:7-10

But me, I'm not giving up. I'm sticking around to see what God will do. I'm waiting for God to make things right. I'm counting on God to listen to me. Don't, enemy, crow over me. I'm down, but I'm not out. I'm sitting in the dark right now, but God is my light. I can take God's punishing rage. I deserve it - I sinned. But it's not forever. He's on my side and is going to get me out of this. He'll turn the lights on and show me His ways. I'll see the whole picture and how right He is. And my enemy will see it, too, and be discredited - yes, disgraced! This enemy who kept taunting, "So where is this God of yours?" I'm going to see it with these, my own eyes - my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter.

Micah 6:8

But He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously - take God seriously.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Take Your Stand in Faith

When Ahaz was King of Judah, the neighboring kings of Israel and Aram conspired to overthrow him. Ahaz was terrified. God sent Isaiah the prophet to tell him this:

"It won't happen. Nothing will come of it because the capital of Aram is Damascus and the king of Damascus is a mere man, Rezin. As for Ephraim (Israel), in sixty-five years it will be rubble, nothing left of it. The capital of Ephraim is Samaria, and the king of Samaria is the mere son of Remaliah. If you don't take your stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on."
Isaiah 7:7-9

God told Ahaz that nothing would come of this threat, but Ahaz still had to have faith that it would come to pass exactly like God said it would (and it did). That is what is meant by taking your stand in faith. When God makes a promise in the Bible, these promises still apply to us today. If we have faith, these promises will come to pass for us as well.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Psalms 84:10-12

One day spent in Your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. All sunshine and sovereign is God, generous in gifts and glory. He doesn't scrimp with His traveling companions. It's smooth sailing all the way with God of the Angel Armies.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Persistent Faith

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!' He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice - otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'" Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for His chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, He will. He will not drag His feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"
Luke 18:1-8

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Job 38:2-11

"Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, while the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds, and tucked it in safely at night. Then I made a playpen for it, a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose, and said, 'Stay here, this is your place. Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.'"

God to Job when Job was complaining because he had lost all his possessions, most of his family and friends, and became very sick. God reminded him that He was in charge of the universe, and we really can't stand up to Him because we don't know His purpose for our lives. We are His creation, not the other way around. But because Job was honest about how he felt about God and asked for forgiveness, God turned things around for him. Job 42:12-17 says:

God blessed Job's later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 donkeys. He also had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He named the first one Dove, the second, Cinnamon, and the third, Darkeyes. There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance. Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren - 4 generations of them! Then he died - an old man, a full life.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Psalms 63

God - You're my God! I can't get enough of You! I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in Your strength and glory. In Your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless You every time I take a breath; my arms wave like banners of praise to You.

I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It's time to shout praises! If I'm sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because You've always stood up for me, I'm free to run and play. I hold on to You for dear life, and You hold me steady as a post.

Those who are out to get me are marked for doom, marked for death, bound for hell. They'll die violent deaths; jackals will tear them limb from limb. But the king is glad in God; his true friends spread the joy, while small-minded gossips are gagged for good.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Isaiah 54:7-10

"I left you, but only for a moment. Now, with enormous compassion, I'm bringing you back. In an outburst of anger I turned my back on you - but only for a moment. It's with lasting love that I'm tenderly caring for you.

This exile is just like the days of Noah for me: I promised then that the waters of Noah would never again flood the earth. I'm promising now no more anger, no more dressing you down. For even if the mountains walk away and the hills fall to pieces, my love won't walk away from you, my covenant commitment of peace won't fall apart." The God who has compassion on you says so.

Psalms 94

God, put an end to evil; avenging God, show Your colors! Judge of the earth, take your stand; throw the book at the arrogant.

God, the wicked get away with murder - how long will You let this go on? They brag and boast and crow about their crimes! They walk all over Your people, God, exploit and abuse Your precious people. They take out anyone who gets in ther way; if they can't use them, they kill them. They think, "God isn't looking, Jacob's God is out to lunch."

Well, think again, you idiots, fools - how long before you get smart? Do you think Ear-Maker doesn't hear, Eye-Shaper doesn't see? Do you think the trainer of nations doesn't correct, the teacher of Adam doesn't know? God knows, all right - knows your stupidity, sees your shallowness.

How blessed the man You train, God, the woman You instruct in Your Word, providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil, while a jail is being built for the wicked. God will never walk away from His people, never desert His precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right.

Who stood up for me against the wicked? Who took my side against evil workers? If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, "I'm slipping, I'm falling," Your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, You calmed me down and cheered me up.

Can Misrule have anything in common with You? Can Troublemaker pretend to be on Your side? They ganged up on good people, plotted behind the backs of the innocent. But God became my hideout, God was my high mountain retreat, then boomeranged their evil back on them: for their evil ways He wiped them out, our God cleaned them out for good.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Romans 12:19

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Psalms 62:1-2

"God, the one and only - I'll wait as long as He says. Everything I need comes from Him, so why not? He's solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I'm set for life."

Isaiah 7:9

"If you don't take your stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on."

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Psalms 91:14-16

"If you'll hold onto me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!"