May 12, 2012

God Visits the Earth and Causes It to Overflow (5/12)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 65-67, 69-70.

In this psalm of praise, David mentions God’s providence as one of the reasons why He is to be honored.

“You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. You have crowned the year with Your bounty, and Your paths drip with fatness. The pastures of the wilderness drip, and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. The meadows are clothed with flocks and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for joy, yes they sing” (Psalm 65:9-13).

In the beginning, God established the natural laws that govern the world in which we live. The fact that we have rains, streams, harvests, and flocks is a testament to God’s power, love, and wisdom.

At the end of His creation, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). This is still true today and will continue to be true as long as this earth stands. God, by His providence, will continue to provide for us. Praise Him for that!

Tomorrow’s reading: 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20

[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]

Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.

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May 8, 2012

"The Lord Sits As King Forever" (5/8)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 25, 29, 33, 36, 39.

The 29th psalm praises God for His power over the natural world. At the end, the psalmist states the obvious conclusion: God is the supreme authority over all things.

“The Lord sat as King at the flood; yes, the Lord sits as King forever” (Psalm 29:10).

The Creation demonstrated the power of God to make all things. The Flood demonstrated His power to destroy that which He has created.
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May 6, 2012

“Shout Joyfully to the Lord” (5/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 89, 96, 100-101, 105, 132.

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.

“Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:1-5).

All people are to worship and praise the Lord. This invitation to come and glorify God was not just for the nation of Israel, but was for “all the earth.” In this short psalm, there are several reasons given as to why we ought to praise the Lord.
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April 30, 2012

The Eternal God (4/30)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 102-104.

“Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You will endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.

“But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end. The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You” (Psalm 102:25-28).

This brief passage reminds us of some important lessons about this world, our God, and our hope.
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April 28, 2012

What a Stupid Man Does Not Understand (4/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 81, 88, 92-93.

“How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man has no knowledge, nor does a stupid man understand this: that when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.

“But You, O Lord, are on high forever. For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord, for, behold, Your enemies will perish; all who do iniquity will be scattered” (Psalm 92:5-9).

The term stupid is not one that is typically used to describe someone in polite conversation. Yet we find the term being used here to describe certain individuals. It is not necessarily meant to be an insult, just an identification of those who are uninformed and lacking sense.
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April 25, 2012

Jabez Called upon God (4/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Chronicles 3-5.

“Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!’ And God granted him what he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:10).

Jabez is one of many obscure Bible characters that we know very little about. Yet he is noted for this prayer that he offered. This prayer is a good reminder of some of the things we need to focus on in our prayers.
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April 20, 2012

Had the Lord Not Been on Our Side (4/20)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 121, 123-125, 128, 130.

“‘Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,’ Let Israel now say, ‘Had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul; then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.’

“Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; the snare is broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:1-8).

It is the natural reaction of many people to turn to the Lord in time of trouble. But after we overcome the temptation, we forget that God provided the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). After we repent of sins and receive forgiveness, we forget that God made that forgiveness possible through the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7,9). After we endure difficult circumstances, we forget that it is through Christ that we have our strength (Philippians 4:13).
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