TRANSFORMED BY GOD’S LOVE AND MERCY!

We are forgiven!

Read Psalm 51

Psalm 51:1-2

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin! 

We remember the time when David went to God for forgiveness. He had sinned by committing adultery with Beersheba, and by then having her husband Uriah killed, to cover his sin.

Why would David, under the inspiration of God, write a psalm that would remind all of his sins for thousands of years? Certainly it was both the overflow of his repentant heart, and, in the long term, to teach some very valuable lessons.

David is described by God, Himself, as a man after His own heart.

Acts 13:22-23

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ From this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised. 

David loved God, he pleased God, and was chosen by God to be not only the king of Israel, but also in the lineage of Christ. He was inspired by God to write about 78 psalms recorded in the Scriptures.

We should never believe that we are above any sin. Our lives need to be in continuous submission to God, for when we allow ungodliness to creep into our lives, the most heinous sins can follow right behind.

When David sinned, his return to God was based on the only way any person ever receives forgiveness: by God’s grace, alone.

There is no sin that cannot be forgiven; the grace and love of God is sufficient to forgive every sin.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

David approaches God on the basis of His steadfast love and abundant mercy.

God’s love can never be merited, or even attracted, by us. God is so holy and pure that He could never have loved us, based on what He saw in us. His love is perfect, eternal, unwavering, faithful, true, relentless, and immense. Paul had to pray that believers would understand this transforming love of God in Christ.

Ephesians 3:17-19

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

God’s love goes beyond anything we could ever imagine.

David knows that his forgiveness will come only by the limitless grace of God. Grace cannot be deserved, or it would stop being grace. God loves to show His grace to undeserving man. Only those who humbly come to Christ, broken and aware of their inability to please Him, will find grace.

John 1:14,16,17

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Apart from grace, we could never even approach God, no matter what kind of sin we have committed.

Romans 5:1-2

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23,24

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

God is the only One who can wash away sin; David knew this very well, and so he came to Him for forgiveness.

Dear friend, no matter what sin you may have committed, there is forgiveness by coming to Christ in faith. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, and no sin that can be forgiven any other way.

Our hearts should be overwhelmed by the love of Christ and by His mercy! We should also be watchful and sober, as we live our lives. Any of us is capable of any sin, and we know that there is no sin acceptable in God’s eyes. He is grieved every time we sin. May our confession of every known sin be both sincere and prompt.

We are blessed beyond our understanding! This love and grace must surely transform our lives!

TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS IN OUR HEARTS!

READ PSALM 50

Psalm 50:3

Our God comes; he does not keep silence;

before him is a devouring fire,

around him a mighty tempest. 

The God of heaven has a right to judge, and He will. The writer reminds us that the Lord will judge empty worship. He has never been pleased with men who practice empty ritualism, with hearts that are far from Him. We should continually be checking our hearts.

The psalmist reminds the readers of this with God’s own words of rebuke for their rebellion:

Psalm 50:16-18

16 But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

17 For you hate discipline,

and you cast my words behind you.

18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,

and you keep company with adulterers. 

The children of Israel went through their prescribed rituals many times, but had set aside the words of God. They rebelled against the discipline of the Lord and communed with God’s enemies.

Psalm 50:19-21

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,

and your tongue frames deceit.

20 You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother's son.

21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;

you thought that I was one like yourself.

But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. 

Their mouth spoke evil and they assumed that God’s silence implied His approval.

Psalm 50:22-23

22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,

lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!

23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who orders his way rightly

I will show the salvation of God!” 

What is the solution to a rebellious heart? A change of ways! The one who sets his life in order and is grateful to God. Those are the ones whom God approves, the ones whom God saves.

We are not very different from the children of Israel: we, too, go through our practices of worship with our hearts far from God. We, too, go through seasons of rebellion and think that God’s silence in some way lessens the gravity of our rebellion.

God’s standards are not to be overlooked! We should be alarmed by our seasons of rebellion. If we go through times of disdain for God’s teaching and do not feel the heavy hand of God on our lives, then we should question our relationship with God. God is not indifferent to our sin and is not looking for people that merely give Him lip service. Oh, we can deceive man, but we can never deceive God!

One of the greatest warning signs to us is a lack of gratitude. Our dissatisfaction exposes our hearts. Those who know God should be grateful for His presence and sovereignty in their lives. True worship will always be accompanied by true gratitude.

Discontent not only exposes our rebellion, but it is the easy path to sin. Dissatisfaction, bitterness, anger, ungratefulness never produce godliness, but they always produce more sin.

Have you checked your heart, even better, have you asked to someone close to you if your words and attitudes show gratitude to God, or complaint?

If you are like me, you have all kinds of excuses for your attitude. We blame it on others, on circumstances, on our health, even on the weather. We tend to not take personal responsibility.

The wonderful thing is that we can confess our sin, ask God for help, change our ways, and return to godly worship. God demands our worship, He deserves our worship, but He looks at our heart and desires our heart to be devoted and submitted to Him.

May our praise be sincere and apparent today! We have every reason to be grateful for the privilege to call God our Father. We are His children forever! Jesus has changed our lives and His Spirit continually works in us! TRUE PRAISE BEGINS IN OUR HEARTS!

HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR HEART?

GOD WILL NOT RECEIVE TO EMPTY WORSHIP!

READ PSALM 50

Psalm 50:1

The Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to its setting. 

In this psalm, the author presents God as the righteous judge, the one Who has the right to call every creature on earth to judgment. No one escapes the right of the Lord to judge.

Psalm 50:3

Our God comes; he does not keep silence;

before him is a devouring fire,

around him a mighty tempest. 

God’s judgment is clear and consuming. Nothing is hidden from His sight.

Psalm 50:4

He calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 

The heavens are His witnesses of His judgment against His people. His judgment is not against the sacrifices they make, but against the attitude behind their acts of worship.

Psalm 50:7-9

7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

I am God, your God.

8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9 I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds. 

God is looking for His people to have an attitude of thanksgiving.

Psalm 50:14-15

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows to the Most High,

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” 

God’s words are clear: gratefulness and humility are what God is expecting, and then He will deliver them in the times of trouble.

As we rehearse our lives, do we recognize the same unacceptable traits that the children of Israel displayed so often?

Do we recognize God as the One Who has the right to judge all? Do we remember that He is interested in our hearts, and not our empty acts of worship?

It’s easy to live a life of ingratitude and still show up for church, as if all is well. At times we have allowed sin to find root in our hearts, while we sing heartily on Sunday. We know that we have unresolved issues with others, yet come and think that God is satisfied with our verbal assent in church.

Nothing is hidden from God. He is not interested in our hypocritical worship. Jesus said it clearly:

Matthew 5:23-24

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 

The Apostle spoke very clearly of the sin of participating in the Lord’s Supper without being purified:

1 Corinthians 11:17-18, 27-29

But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you… Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

We tend to repeat the same sins Israel did. We approach God with carelessness, forgetting that the Lord sees our heart and is not pleased at all with our external rituals.

Lest you think that the solution is to just avoid worship, so you will not incur the judgment of God, I want to remind you that the only wise and Godly solution is to repent and make sure that your heart matches your actions.

God desires our gratefulness. The Lord loves our worship when it is the expression of a submissive heart. He loves to succor us in our times of trouble.

Why don’t you stop and check your heart? Make sure that it is right before God, and then worship Him in a way that truly honors him. 

DEATH, A CERTAIN END FOR ALL!

Death is the great equalizer!

READ PSALM 49 

Psalm 49:1-3

1 Hear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2 both low and high,

rich and poor together!

3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 

The invitation is for all people to come and listen, for what will be announced is true for all, rich and poor, of any social position in society.

Psalm 49:5-9

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

6 those who trust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

7 Truly no man can ransom another,

or give to God the price of his life,

8 for the ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

9 that he should live on forever

and never see the pit. 

The psalmist asks a very penetrating question: Why should I fear evil people who really have no power to purchase life? With all their money they cannot keep anyone from dying. They trust in their power and wealth, but have no lasting power.

Psalm 49:10-12

10 For he sees that even the wise die;

the fool and the stupid alike must perish

and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves are their homes forever,

their dwelling places to all generations,

though they called lands by their own names.

12 Man in his pomp will not remain;

he is like the beasts that perish. 

Death is the great equalizer. Wise and foolish, rich and poor all die leaving all behind. They all end up in the grave; their power does not make any difference.

Psalm 49:13-14

13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.

Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.

Those who have placed their confidence in their strength in this life, even though they might still be praised by some people after their death, are dead forever.

Psalm 49:15

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will receive me. Selah 

The psalmist reminds himself and us that God is his hope after death, that God will ransom him and receive him. We should not fear in life or death.

Psalm 49:16-20

16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed

—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—

19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again see light.

20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. 

How could the psalmist state it more clearly? Everyone will die, and their status while on earth will have no eternal value. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews echoes this, as well:

Hebrews 9:27

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 

What should we learn from this psalm?

- Never envy those who seem powerful today – Their power will end soon.

- Do not fear man – His power is temporal.

- Death is the great equalizer – All die and are buried.

- Only Christ can give true hope – He is the Redeemer.

- Accumulating wealth on earth has no eternal value – You will leave all behind.

- Eternal values are the only ones worth living for – They make an eternal difference.

- Do not become distracted by the temporal – You will be working hard for things that do not make a difference.

Dear friend, look at your life right now…

Is your time driven by the temporal?

Are your thoughts captivated by things that have no eternal value?

Are you worrying?

Are you envying others or always hoping that your situation might change?

Do you fear men?

May this psalm drive you to biblical thinking. Live in light of eternity, driven by eternal goals, and rejoicing that you have a redeemer. Christ is alive today, may our lives be centered on Christ and may our desire be to dwell with Him forever!

OUR PRAISE REFLECTS WHAT WE THINK ABOUT GOD!

Have you lost sight of God?
READ PSALM 48 

Psalm 48:1

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God!

His holy mountain, 

Here the psalmist is praising both the Lord, and Jerusalem, God’s own city. As we read this psalm, the worthiness of God to receive worship and praise is magnified. The city of God is blessed by the Lords’ protection and care.

God’s power has demonstrated by His miraculous protection of His city from the enemies. The beneficiaries of His protection and care are overwhelmed by His unfading, unending, and perfect love. The inhabitants recognize God’s righteous control over the city.

As they watch God’s work, they are grateful and will proclaim to the next generation the wonderful deeds of their Lord.

Psalm 48:12-14

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,

number her towers,

13 consider well her ramparts,

go through her citadels,

that you may tell the next generation

14 that this is God,

our God forever and ever.

He will guide us forever. 

Most of us look at God as our wonderful Lord, but do not look at our country as a place where God dwells or that He blesses in a special way.

We know that He indwells the believer and that He blesses us and protects us. We should be continually amazed and grateful for the privilege we have in Christ.

We have been saved by grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We are secure in our salvation.

Romans 8:31-35

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

We have the Word of God.

Psalm 119:97-100

how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,

for it is ever with me.

I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged,

for I keep your precepts. 

We have the Holy Spirit in us.

John 14:16-17

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 

We are perfectly loved.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

We have the privilege to pray.

Philippians 4:6-7

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

We have the fellowship of the church.

Colossians 3:15-16

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

We have God-appointed leaders for our protection.

Hebrews 13:17

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 

We are constantly recipients of grace.

  

Romans 5:1-2

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

We have received every spiritual blessing.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

We certainly could think of many more truths that would cause us to praise God and proclaim this truth for the generations to come!

Why is it that we allow the cares of this world to dim the eternal blessing we have instead, of allowing the eternal blessings we have to dim the cares of this world?

DO PEOPLE KNOW HOW GREAT YOUR GOD IS?

Our God is reigning unrestricted today!

Psalm 47:1-4,

1 Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth.

3 He subdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet.

4 He chose our heritage for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 

The invitation is clear to the children of Israel and all of us; we must come to praise and worship our God! He is the Lord Most High. No one deserves to be praised as our God does. We should say that no one deserves praise at all compared to our God.

Our God is king over all the earth. All was created at His command, and all is sustained by His word. Every person, every nation, and every ruler is under His meticulous sovereignty. His purposes are eternal and righteous. How do we dare question them and arrogantly think that things should be different, believing that what we think is better?

Those men and women who do not praise are, in fact, presuming, in their disdain, that God is not wise, that what is happening does not have a good purpose, or that God really is not in control, in other words, that the world is running free without restraint.

Psalm 47:5-7

5 God has gone up with a shout,

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm! 

The Psalmist continues to command to praise God, reminding us that He is our King! Not only does God deserve our praise, but if He is indeed our King, He can and does demand our praise.

It is not a surprise that the world does not praise God. They don’t recognize Him as their master. They have rebelled and have set themselves and their own thinking as the leader of their lives. It is important to remember that all those who do not believe exclusively and completely in the God of the Bible are worshiping another god. The god of the Mormons, the Muslims, and of every religion on the earth is an invention of man. We are not calling the same God with different names; we are not worshiping the same God at all. There is only one true God and it is the One Who has revealed himself through Scripture. He is a jealous God, Who will not share His glory with man or any other invented deity.

Why do we not praise our God as we should? We have certainly allowed other things to distract our attention, seeds of distrust and displeasure have crept into our hearts and we find ourselves rebelling towards our God.

Our attitudes or thoughts do not change the eternal truth that God is reigning, He is in total control.

Psalm 47:8-9

8 God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

9 The princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted! 

The hosts of heaven worship Him continuously. They see His perfection and holiness; they marvel at His sovereignty and are in awe of His tender care of His own. They are aware of His grace and love. They rejoice when a new believer comes to understand the grace of God.

I trust that you and I are not going through a season of rebellion, but that our lack of praise is only the result of distraction. We should stop now and rehearse the many reasons we have to be grateful. His care is meticulous and particular. In other words, His protection and attention to our lives is so careful that nothing escapes Him and His work in us and around us is perfectly controlled for our benefit. His care for the world does not leave us with second best, but God is completely capable of working perfectly in every life at all times and simultaneously. That thought alone should leave us stunned and amazed!

At times, we praise God because our situation is not as bad as it could be. We look around and see people who are worse off than us and think that this fact should encourage us to worship God. I would like to invite you to embrace the fact that your praise for God should be the result of understanding and believing that your situation is exactly what God intends and desires for you and that ultimately it is the best for you.

Our God is reigning unrestricted today. His work is meticulous, driven by His perfections. He is holy, righteous, perfect, wise, loving… Our praise should be continuous. Our gratitude should be unstoppable.

What should you be praising God for right now? May those around you be attracted to your God, may the Lord use your praise to bring glory to Himself! 

BE STILL IN THE STORM! GOD IS AT WORK!

Only God’s Word can inform us about what is true!

READ PSALM 46

Psalm 46:8-11

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Selah 

As God worked in the life of the Israelites, they should have called attention to their Lord: the God who had power to make the other nations desolate and to bring victory to them.

God desired that they would recognize Him and find peace in Him. The natural reaction would have been for them to praise Him above all nations, above all things.

True believers frequently experience the tender care of their God, who has consistently shown His power and love through the many difficulties of their lives. Those who know Him are continually encouraged by His loving care and tenderness.

As His children, we are well aware of our helplessness and dependence upon our Lord. We came to Him as desolate and broken people deserving nothing, and we have found in God our rest and our refuge.

Yet, we are so easily driven by our feelings, which are driven by our thoughts. God wants our thoughts to be informed by truth, but we are surrounded by lies that want to control our thoughts.

Our hearts are so deceived and deceitful. The father of lies rules the world and so our hearts can quickly embrace his lies.

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately sick;

who can understand it? 

Left to our human thinking, we are not even able to judge our hearts and our feelings. Only God’s Word can inform us about what is true and what should be driving our decisions and reactions.

When Christ invites us to come to Him, He promises to provide peace and rest.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

God’s provision is inexhaustible.

Philippians 4:19-20

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 

We have a comforter.

John 14:25-27

 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

He prepares us to help others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

The Psalmist reminds us to be still and wait upon God. Let me tell you the signs that we are not doing this: when we have no rest, no peace, we are troubled, we are not close to God, and we are unprepared to help others.

Why should we be still? Because when the waves are driving our thoughts, we are in turmoil. When the clouds are driving our thoughts, we live in fear. When people are driving our thoughts, we live in confusion.

We need to stop, redirect our thoughts, meditate on the truth of the Scriptures and trust in what we know of the character of God. Even though our surroundings are fluctuating, our God always remains our sure foundation.

When in a storm, don’t doubt what you know about the Lord. Be still and your fear will turn to trust, your anxiety will turn to peace.

This Psalm has walked us through the reality of life: that we live in the midst of real storms, protected by our true God, and our faith will direct us to a life of trustful dependence and true peace.

WE ARE SO BLESSED!