“Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands…Those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them.”
Psalms 115:4, 8

What are you worshipping? Where are you placing your trust for your future and hope? Is it something you can see, touch and feel? Money, image, cars, status…they are all lifeless and provide no meaning. If your praise is given to these things, you, too, will be as lifeless as the object of your affections. Seek the One who gave His life so that you could know true life.

Thursday night I received the Ephesians Challenge: to read the book of Ephesians in its entirety at a single sitting every day for three weeks and to journal my way through. I started this today, and I can tell it will be transformative. Just me reading and studying with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Who wants to join in this challenge?

“Hallelujah! Give praise, servants of Yahweh; praise the name of Yahweh. Let the name of Yahweh be praised both now and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of Yahweh be praised.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭113:1-3‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

How, why should you praise God when you are grieving the loss of your treasured loved one? When your relationships are in shambles? When there is no money coming in to pay your bills? Scott Hubbard, editor of DesiringGod.org aptly writes,

“Sometimes, we feel that our worries are too big even for God to carry. Perhaps we don’t entertain the conscious thought, but deep down we doubt that the peace of God could ever guard our hearts and our minds as long as this burden lasts.”

As you make a habit of coming before God with praise for Who He Is and thanksgiving for all He has already done, you can also train yourself to give up those worries to Him until it almost becomes reflexive.

Step outside and look around at the great big world created by our God. He IS big enough. Let His name be praised!

“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.”

Psalm 112:6-8 NIV

Are you living life in fear? Anxiety? Depression?  The moment you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior God seated you jointly with Jesus in that position of both power and rest at His right hand in the heavenly realm. What will it take for you to align your daily walk on planet earth with that heavenly position as an unconditionally loved son or daughter of the King, chosen before the foundations of this world were laid?🚦

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
All who follow His instruction have good insight.
His praise endures forever!

A proper view of God is your launch pad for growth in your walk of faith. In a right perspective there is a sort of tension between shrinking back in reverential awe and drawing near in wonder and adoration. It is the consistent practice of trusting God, obeying God, and worshipping God, versus the trial-and-error method of learning, that leads to wisdom and depth of insight. May you praise His Name!

This is the declaration of the LORD to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
Psalms 110:1 HCSB

King David recognized that he worshipped God the Father but that the Messiah would come through his lineage to be his Lord. Jesus sits at the right hand of God and calls us to do the same as joint heirs with Him. When we sit next to Him we will find rest, power, and dignity. He Himself will bring down our enemies, also enemies of God, swiftly and and as easily as you pull up a footrest to prop up your feet. But not immediately. Rest in the knowledge that He is God and knows the right time for everything that is to come. Be still.🚦

Special credit goes to the Matthew Henry Commentary. It is always a great resource!

“Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭109:26-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When God reaches down and picks you up, when He shelters you under His wing, and when He provides a way where there was no way—who are you telling? So great is the wondrous grace and mercy and love of God the Father that we must be compelled to share this good news with the world so that they, too, would proclaim His name.

“It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬🚦

“But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.”
Psalm 109:21-22 NIV

Got deals kindly with you not because of what good you have done.

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
Isaiah 64:6 NIV

God delivers you from the muck and mire of your sin because that is who He is. You CAN’T clean up first. You can’t get clean enough on your own to come before the holy, righteous God. That’s why he became man to take the punishment for your sin (and mine) so that you could be restored to Him.

Remember this when dealing with others today: just as you are poor and needy with unspeakable wounds in your heart, so are others all around you. We are all the walking wounded when we come to the Savior.🚦

“The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the shadowland of death, light has dawned. He is here: the One who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, the One who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth. Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name. Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your faithful love is higher than the heavens, and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. God, be exalted above the heavens, and let Your glory be over the whole earth. Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous ones, and praise His holy name.

Matthew 4:16, Amos 4:13, Psalms 108:2-5, Psalms 97:11-12 HCSB🚦

Photo credit goes to Case Edmondson. He recently took this picture overlooking a tea plantation near Dummar, India.  A brilliant young man, Case is a senior at the University of Chicago with a double major in physics and mathematics. His parents are rightfully very proud and thankful to God.

“Others sat in darkness and gloom — prisoners in cruel chains — because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the counsel of the Most High. He broke their spirits with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them from their distress.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107:10-13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Have you ever looked at the pit you were in and wondered how you got in that mess? We can often, though certainly not always, chalk it up to our own rebellion, in one form or another. In a frenzied state you reached out to plea your case and try to get sympathy and help from others only to be rebuffed, chastised or otherwise rejected. Finally, in desperation you humbled yourself to God, knowing excuses are useless in the sight of the one who sees the whole picture with complete clarity. In times like these it’s so good to know you can cry out to Abba Father, and He hears you, sees you, and is ready to lift you up without saying, “I told you so.” Go before Him humbly today.🚦