Read the Bible in a Year (10JUL19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, July 10’s Bible reading is Psalms 133-139.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, July 11’s Bible reading is Psalms 140-145. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

PSALMS MOMENT – (10JUL19) “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). The psalmist spoke of unity amongst the people of God and how it was similar to the anointing that was on Aaron the high priest. When the Children of Israel was to be rescued from under the enslavement of Pharaoh, they had to fall in line under the leadership of Moses and Aaron, so that they could be in compliance to God’s instructions for their exit. Throughout Moses’ leadership, there were those who wanted to rebel by doing their own thing, but it often caused disaster not just for the individual(s), but the camp at large. This allowed for them to see and understand that they were to be responsible to one another, and in so doing, there would be unity within their ranks.

After Jesus returned to Heaven, the apostles and other followers of Jesus came together in one place to receive the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). It was important for there to be no confusion amongst them or the Holy Spirit would not have come. Later, the Apostle Paul wrote about the church being united as the body of Christ with many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Those who are believers in Christ are given many gifts, but they all work together for the edification of Him. God desires for His people to be in unity because He is not a God of confusion. The Bible says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33). We as Christians are not able to witness well to others if we are a divided body.

One of the things that is sad on social media is when Christians act like piranhas and tear each other apart over theological issues. There is all sorts of name-calling, bashing, slandering, and down right hate that is spewed out over non-salvation issues. The world looks at us and shake their heads in disbelief of how we, who claim to have the knowledge of Christ, chew and spit each other out. This is displeasing to the Lord. We must learn to be agreeable even in our disagreements. This does not mean that we condone false teachings, but we have to learn how to use apologetics in the right manner without there being a lack of love for our fellow brother or sister. Despite how much knowledge a person possesses, if you cannot teach it in love, your knowledge is in vain. The Bible says, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (10JUL19) Did you know that God knows what we will say before it is ever spoken? Some may ask, “What is the purpose of prayer if God already knows what is on our mind?” Good question! The psalmist wrote, “Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know if completely” (Psalm 139:4). The psalmist was letting the reader know that God knows all there is about us and there is nothing that we can say or do that will surprise Him. The psalmist admitted that it was all to much for him to be able to comprehend, but he was just wise to the fact that God is God. When we recall the story of Job and how God posed the question to Satan as to if he had considered His servant, God was not asking a question that He did not already know the answer to. God posed the question because He already knew the answer before Satan had opened his mouth. The Lord never asks a question that He doesn’t already know the answer to. Evidence of this is in the psalmist’s writings when he wrote, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (Psalm 139:2-3). In other words, God knows us better than we know ourselves. There is nothing hidden from Him. So, back to the question, “What is the purpose of us praying when God already knows what we are going to say?” Faith and being able to resist temptation is made possible through prayer.

Prayer is the way that we communicate with God. Jesus communicated often with His Father through prayer. When He was on the Mount of Olives, Jesus said this to His disciples, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:40). Jesus knew that the devil was going to tempt them when He was away from them, so prayer was their weapon of defense against the enemy. Also, when we pray, it helps to build our faith in God. The Bible says, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, a person must believe in the existence of God when they pray for them to receive whatever it is that they have prayed for, which helps them in their faith. So, even though God already knows what we are going to say prior to us saying it, He still desires that communication with us, which not only delivers our wants, but builds the faith and resilience against the enemy that we need. Something to ponder….

PSALMS MOMENT – (10JUL19) “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). The psalmist described God’s care for us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb. The world today thinks of unborn babies as being parasites or as an invasive disease like cancer when a woman does not want to carry the child that she and the father created. Politicians, doctors, and even some clergy try to make the argument that life does not begin until after birth, and even then, some would have the public to believe that a woman has the moral option as to if that child lives or dies. Yet, God has a different take on the matter that would not be politically correct for many.

When God created man and the universe, He declared that everything that was made as being good (Genesis 1). There was nothing that God created where He declared it to be a mistake, mess-up, or some type of mathematical error. God knew what He was doing, and to this day, God does not make mistakes. The only mistakes that are made is when man tries to undo what the Creator has done. The psalmist wrote, “For you created my inmost being’ you knit me together in my mother’s womb…I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My frame were not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:13-15). There is not one birth that is a mistake by God. Regardless of how that life came to be, it is not by accident that God allowed for the child to be conceived. Unfortunately, man wants to destroy God’s creation as Satan has had it in his plans since the fall of man. Yet, Jesus came that we may have life more abundantly. Therefore, let us be protectors of life because all life matters to the One who created it. Something to ponder….