Daily Devotion

         ^{The devotional writings on these pages were written by Dr. Armand L. Weller, Senior Pastor of the Church by the Sea (CBTS) in Madeira Beach, Florida. They are primarily intended for use by the members of that congregation but can also be beneficial to any others who request them. Each week, the CBTS Church family reads these Bible Study Devotions. On the following Sunday, the morning message is preached on a portion of the material covered in the devotional thoughts written here.}

^{Two additional Bible Study sessions are also scheduled at CBTS to allow individuals the opportunity to interact with the pastor and one another on the subject of the devotions and the Sunday morning message. You are invited to join one or both of those studies. One is Monday evening at 7:00. The other is Friday morning at 9:30.}

Psalm 133:1 (NIV)   1     How good and pleasant it is        when brothers live together in unity!	For the Week of Nov 17-23, 2008   DAY #1:                                            Psalm 133:1               The theme of this psalm from beginning to end is unity. What is unity? How can we best describe the richness and the blessing that comes to us from God Because we are at one with Him and with one another? What is unity like?               The Key term commonly used in the church to describe unity or oneness is atonement. It conveys a sense of being “at-one” with God. Another term we often use is reconciliation. According to the apostle Paul, when we have been forgiven for our sins and commit our lives to the Lord, we are reconciled to God. That is we are made one with Him. We are in union with God. As our heavenly Father, we are accepted into His family and are brothers and sisters with one another because of our unity with the Lord. That is to say, we are made one with one another through our unity with Father.                Paul goes on to say in II Corinthians 5 that we, as new creatures in Christ, are not only reconciled to God, we have a ministry of reconciliation with one another. As we are one with God, we are to promote unity with one another. In fact, it is our union with God that makes it possible for us to want to and be able to be reconciled with one another. In addition, our message of reconciliation is designed to help others become unified with our heavenly Father.               Let’s see what King David believes about unity. In verse 1, we see that he agrees with us in the understanding that we are one with one another because we are one with God. He communicates this idea through the use of the term “brothers.” Brothers dwell together in unity because of who their Father is.             This unity was the desire of Jesus. This is what He prayed about in John 17 when He requested of Father that we might all be one. Jesus said that, just as He was one with father, we might be one with Father and with one another. Jesus makes that union possible through His death and resurrection, paying the price for our sins through the shedding of His precious blood. Our part in the process prompted and empowered by the Holy spirit, is to confess our sins to the Lord and to one another. The forgiveness that follows is the force that draws us together and gives us the desire to remain one with one another.
Psalm 133:11 (NIV)   1     How good and pleasant it is        when brothers live together in unity!	DAY #2:                      Psalm 133:1               I see the action of each member of the Trinity in this psalm…one person of the Trinity in each verse. Verse one is clearly the work of our heavenly Father. As noted yesterday, our unity as brothers is directly related to our unity with Father as we allow ourselves to live under the authority of Father.             I had the good fortune to have an older brother who loved me and challenged me and spent a lot of time with me, even though he was six years older than me. We had a sense of oneness, first of all, because of our common parentage. Our lives were the gift of the union of two loving parents. Because we were born into that family, we were united. Second, we had a sense of oneness because we loved one another and just enjoyed being with one another and doing things together.             As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a union with our brothers and sisters in the family of God because we have been given the gift of new life through salvation.. Because we have been born again into our heavenly family, we have one Father in heaven who makes us one with one another. Second, we have a sense of oneness with our brothers and sisters in the family of God because we have a real love for one another. There is nothing to compare to the sense of joy that comes from being with fellow Christians. How good and pleasant it is. Given the choice of five different kinds of social groups, I will choose to affiliate with the Christian group every time. In travel across the country, I can meet a Christian I have never met before and immediately have a sense of unity because of our union in Jesus.             How good and pleasant it is when we enjoy and celebrate that oneness we have as Christians. When we live together in Christian love, it not only has a positive impact on our lives but on the lives of non-believers as well. They see our unity and have a strong desire to share in that union as well. As Jesus said, people will know we are His disciples because of our love for one another in the Christian family (see John 13:34-35).
Psalm 133:2(NIV)   2     It is like precious oil poured on the head,          running down on the beard,      running down on Aaron’s beard,      down upon the collar of his robes...	DAY #3:                       Psalm 133:2               King David uses two word pictures to get across his point about the wonder of unity among believers in the Lord. The first image calls the believer to remember the procedure of anointing Aaron, the brother of Moses, as the High Priest of God’s people. Here we see two important qualities of this unity among brothers and sisters in God’s family. First, this unity is good and pleasant because it is Precious. It cannot be found everywhere. It is only available among the people of God.             The instructions for the anointing oil to be used in consecrating the High Priest can be found in Exodus 30:22-33. It was a unique oil with specific instructions concerning the proportion of its ingredients. It was to be used to anoint the priests and no one else. Indeed, great penalties were prescribed for any who used this special oil for anything other than its intended use.             This special anointing oil was symbolic of the Holy spirit coming upon the person who was anointed. The prophet Joel was told by the Lord that there would cone a day when all who believed in the Lord, not just prophets, priests and kings, would receive the anointing of the Holy spirit. We know from scripture that such an outpouring of the Spirit of God occurred on the celebration of Pentecost in Jerusalem seven weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection (see Acts 2). The apostle Peter tells those gathered and raising questions at that time that this outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel.             This anointing is something precious and unique that binds together all who believe in Jesus as Lord. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow a second important quality of this unity among brothers and sisters.
Psalm 133:2 (NIV)   2     It is like precious oil poured on the head,          running down on the beard,      running down on Aaron’s beard,      down upon the collar of his robes.	DAY #4:                      Psalm 133:2               On DAY #2, we noted that the unity that comes to us as believers is primarily the work of Father. Yesterday, we saw this unity coming from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We noted one quality of this unity was its uniqueness. It is precious, a treasure to appreciate and enjoy.             Another quality of this unity is its power. From the time the Holy Spirit is first mentioned in the Bible, there is the clear understanding He is in the business of transforming and changing and empowering. In Genesis, the Spirit moved upon the chaos and brought order to Father’s creation by the Word (Jesus). It is by the Holy Spirit that God brings us out of the domain of darkness and introduces us to His marvelous light (see Colossians I).             The purpose of the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon Aaron was to set him aside for God’s purposes and God’s purposes only. So it is with us as we surrender to the Lord Jesus, accept His wonderful gift of salvation, and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be with us always. We are set aside to do the will of God. Just as important, the Spirit within makes it possible for us to do the will of God as He makes His power available to each one of us.             Ah, the sense of unity and common purpose that permeates each brother and sister in the family of God. How good and pleasant it is.
Psalm 133:3 (NIV)   3     It is as if the dew of Hermon        were falling on Mount Zion.      For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.	DAY #5:                      Psalm 133:3               How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. It is like the dew that flows down from Mt. Hermon. Here on Mt. Hermon in the very north of the nation of Israel is where the fresh water needed to sustain life enters the Holy Land and flows from the north to the south, through the Sea of Galilee and along the winding valley of the Jordan River, passing Mt. Zion and moving on to the Dead Sea. Other than rain, there is no other source of fresh water for this nation. Control these waters and you control the nation. The one who ultimately controls these fresh waters is God Himself.             It is on Mt. Zion that the Temple of the Lord is situated. Here is where the people come to encounter God. Here is where the people receive forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of an innocent animal. It is here, on the same range as Mt. Zion that we find Calvary. Here is where Jesus, declared by John the Baptist as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” was our substitute. He died for our sins that we might have new life in Him.             Here life breaks forth in a totally new dimension. Note the nature of this new life. It is eternal, never-ending. Here is where “the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.”
Psalm 133:3 (NIV)   3     It is as if the dew of Hermon        were falling on Mount Zion.      For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore..	DAY #6:                      Psalm 133:3               What would it be like, King David seems to be asking, if the dew that falls on Mt. Hermon were to envelope Mr. Zion? Mt. Hermon is much greater in volume and area than Mt. Zion. It would cause an explosion of fruit to break forth upon the trees in that holy location. Life would abound in all its beauty and glory. People would be fed with the rich crop to be harvested there.             As noted yesterday, a part of the range in Jerusalem called Mt. Zion is called Calvary. Consider the richness of the blessing of new life that blossomed forth from that location. Jesus, says the apostle Paul, is the first fruits of new life. Those who surrender to Him and accept Him as Lord are the further fruit of His sacrifice.             The prophet Ezekiel (47:1-12) has a beautiful vision of events in the future taking place around a stream that flows freely from the Temple. It is a picture which looks back to the Garden of Eden and at the same time forward to the end times when we will all be reunited with the Lord in His heavenly realm (see Revelation 22:1-6). This holy stream of living water causes fruit to burst forth on the trees along its banks.             The stream flowing from the Temple, from the holy presence of God, empties into the Dead Sea and something miraculous happens. Normally, when fresh water flows into salty water, all becomes salty. And there is no sea more salty than the Dead Sea. In Ezekiel’s vision, when this living water flows into the Dead Sea, the Sea becomes fresh. Or it could be translated from the Hebrew, the Sea is healed. In the waters of baptism, we make a public statement that we have been made whole through the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. No matter how much we may have led a life of death and darkness, we are touched by the Lord and made new and whole…new creatures in Christ.             Nothing unites us more in the family of God than the new life we have in Jesus. We are, therefore, to produce much fruit by the power of the Holy Spirit a we see more people coming to faith in Jesus. The fruit we produce is new brothers and sisters in the family of God.             In verse 1, we see the work of Father. In verse 2, we are awed by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Verse 3, we see new life blossoming forth by the life, death, and resurrection of the only begotten Son of God. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. How good and pleasant indeed!

Psalm 100:1-3 (NIV)   1     Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2        Worship the LORD with gladness;        come before him with joyful songs. 3     Know that the LORD is God.        It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture	For the Week of Nov 10-16, 2008   DAY #1:                                           Psalm 100:1-3               The overarching theme of this psalm is worship. Verses 1 and 2 make this theme obvious.               Depending on your family’s religious traditions as you were growing up, you feel comfortable in some expressions of worship and uneasy in other settings. In some groups of Christians, worship is very subdued. In others, most of the worship activity takes place in the front of the church where the priest is the most involved participant. In still other settings, there is total involvement of the worshipers even to the point of calling out responses to the worship leader’s directions and the preacher’s message. Some will be dancing and raising their hands as songs of praise are sung with great gusto. Most of these expressions of worship are an extension of one’s cultural background and have very little to do with biblical principles, examples, and directives.               We get a clear insight into how biblical Hebrews worshiped as we peruse this psalm. First of all, people are instructed to “Shout for joy to the Lord.” Not all Christian traditions would feel comfortable with that kind of activity in their worship services. Yet, it was natural and accepted in Hebrew worship. Perhaps the best way to deal with this discrepancy between how many worship and how Psalm 100 challenges us to worship is to understand a simple fact. The Hebrews were challenged to consider who God is and how glad they were that He had revealed Himself to them. If you are happy and joyful (full of joy) and glad that He loves and cares for you and meets all your needs, how can you best express that joy? For the Hebrew, it involved shouting and loud, expressive praise.               To get a better sense of the atmosphere in Hebrew expressions of worship, we need to understand the word for praise used here. It describes the kind of activity you might demonstrate when you are at a hockey game and your favorite team just scored the winning goal in overtime. That is the kind of excitement expected of the Hebrew. So, we may need to ask ourselves an important question. Even though culture has a large part to play in our worship activity, how glad are you that God loves you and has offered you the free gift of salvation? How much joy is in your heart because God answers your prayers and meets your needs day-by-day?   I must confess I have seen many people singing a hymn like “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” at the beginning of a worship service with the most dreadful expressions on their faces. And then there are those who don’t sing at all but look as though they would much rather be in bed, or any place else, than in this pew in this place. It is hard for me to imagine, in those moments, any real joy in the hearts of many of the people who are singing about being joyful. On the other hand, there are many who are so filled with the joy of the Lord that their faces radiate gladness and thanksgiving. However you express it, joy should be the driving force in your worship life. Some may even shout about it.
Psalm 100:1-3 (NIV)   1     Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2        Worship the LORD with gladness;        come before him with joyful songs. 3     Know that the LORD is God.        It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.	DAY #2:                      Psalm 100:1-3               Verse three reminds us of two key reasons to worship God. First, because of who He is. Second, because of who we are.               We worship God because He is worthy of our adoration and praise. The English word “worship” is the combined form of the archaic British expression “worth-ship.” The sense here is that we honor one who is worthy of honor and praise. Certainly, that is who God is. The one and only one who is worthy of our worship. Why? Because He is the Lord. “Because of Who You Are” is the title of a popular Christian song recorded many years ago by a group called The Imperials. The essence of the lyric was that, even before God did anything, He is worthy of worship just because of who He is. Certainly, we can agree with that sentiment.               “Know that the Lord is God.” Allow this to be personal knowledge that penetrates your heart and mind. This should not be simply an impersonal fact that you accept as true but about which you have no personal knowledge. Acknowledge the truth that God has been acting graciously in your life and He, therefore, deserves our unbridled adoration and praise and thanksgiving.               We worship God, first, because of who He is. Second, we worship the Lord because of what He has made of us . . . because of who we are by the grace of God. Note the order. The fact is, we cannot truly appreciate who we are until we comprehend who God is and how much He is worthy of praise.               Who are we? We are living beings molded and lovingly shaped by the hand of God. According to Psalm 139, God was working in our mother’s womb to make us who we are today. “It is He [the Lord of the universe] who made us, and we are His.” We belong to Him. Review our notes on Psalm 23. There we saw the importance of being “owned” by God. Indeed, there is a repeat here of familiar thoughts from Psalm 23. “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” The Lord is our good shepherd. That is something for which to be thankful. There is something that should prompt our exuberant worship.
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)   4     Enter his gates with thanksgiving        and his courts with praise;        give thanks to him and praise his name. 5     For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;      his faithfulness continues through all generations..	DAY #3:                       Psalm 100:4-5               Some years ago, I heard Terry Law talk about the time he was leading a singing group on a world tour. This was before the Iron Curtain was torn down. His group was presenting a concert in Poland to great acclaim by the Polish Christians.               Their practice was to read the Bible and then sing a song. The communists told Terry that his group could sing but not read from the Bible. We are so used to having the Bible in our hands that we take for granted how powerful is the message contained in it. A friend of mine was ‘smuggling” Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. When he came to a check point at the border to Romania, he was stopped and inspected and asked three questions. (1) Do you have any weapons? (2) Do you have any drugs? (3) Do you have any Bibles? The Word of God was considered by the communist regime to be as dangerous as weapons and drugs.               Terry’s group had to change their ways. So, instead of reading the Bible between songs, the singers took turns sharing personal testimonies about how God had changed their lives. Word got to the Cardinal of Poland that they were being harassed by the guards. He made some contacts and then sent a message to Terry Law. He was allowed to read the Bible aloud as much as he desired in their concerts.               Some years later, Terry and his singing group were invited to present a concert at the Vatican in Rome. The Cardinal of Poland had been elevated to Pope. Before coming into the presence of the Pope, the singing group was given “protocol” for how to enter into the Pope’s presence and how to address him.               After that experience, Terry said he was reading Psalm 100:4-5. He discovered a key to understanding the kind of worship called for here. “Protocol” for entering into the presence of God is to do so with words and songs of praise and thanksgiving. Some years ago, I wrote a song based on these verses.               For thankful hearts, Your gates are open, Lord.             Your courts, we fill with praise.             This is the day of true rejoicing.             Father, we seek Your face.             We approach You to extol You,             Hands uplifted to show Your worth.             You are holy, God Almighty,             King of heaven and Lord of earth.
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)   4     Enter his gates with thanksgiving        and his courts with praise;        give thanks to him and praise his name. 5     For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;      his faithfulness continues through all generations.	DAY #4:                      Psalm 100:4-5               This psalm ends with another reminder of why it is good and right to worship God. We are to do so for three more reasons. First, because He is good. He is not only the Lord. The Lord is good. Think about all the people you can think of that you might describe as “good.” Take their actions and characteristics to the “nth degree” and you get close to the idea of what it means that God is good. Remembering once again Psalm 23, God is our shepherd. Jesus notes that He is the Good Shepherd who cares about the sheep (see John 10:11-15).               Second, we worship God because His love is not a here today and gone tomorrow kind of caring. His love endures forever! There is never a time when God does not love us. Even when involved in sin and questionable activities, the Lord loves us. And because He loves us, He is distressed about sinful activity. That brings about separation between us and God. God’s forgiveness and a reconciliation and reunion with the Lord are available to those who are truly sorry for their sins and confess them to the Lord.               Third, God is faithful always, from one generation to the next. Like His love, God’s faithfulness is constantly dependable. That means He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. A popular Christian song says, “My God He was. My God He is. My God is always gonna be.” He is eternal. And He deserves, therefore, our worship and praise.
Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)   1     I lift up my eyes to the hills—        where does my help come from? 2     My help comes from the LORD,        the Maker of heaven and earth.	DAY #5:                      Psalm 121:1-2               Most of us have heard the term “acropolis.” We usually associate it with the high hill in Athens where one can see the Parthenon, a temple for the worship of the Greek “god” called Athena (for which the city of Athens was named). The fact is every city had an “acropolis.” That is a common Greek word that means “the high place of the city.” This is where each city would erect a temple for the worship of the favorite “god” or “goddess” of that municipality.               Before the Greeks, it was also the practice of people in the land of Canaan and surrounding nations to set up idols on the high places of the city. Here is where people would go to worship their pagan “gods.” After entering the Promised Land, many Hebrews were negatively influenced by residents of the area. They fell into the sinful practice of worshiping others “gods” on the high places. It is instructive to see the rating of many of the kings of Israel as recorded in II Kings. They were judged on whether they followed the faithful ways of King David and some of his descendants or whether they were sinful. It was often noted whether or not the king removed the idols from the high places to draw the citizens back into an exclusive relationship with God (see II Kings 12:3; 14:4; 15:4 and 35; 16:1-4, and 17:7-12).               That background helps us see what the psalmist is saying in verses 1 and 2. “I look to the hills where pagans worship their make-believe gods, but find no peace, comfort, or direction there. My help does not come from the idols on those hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.”               Is this God I worship, who I claim is the Lord, is He able to meet my needs? Absolutely! He is the one who made all that is, all that was, and all that will ever be.
Psalm 121:3-8 (NIV)   3     He will not let your foot slip—        he who watches over you will not slumber; 4     indeed, he who watches over Israel        will neither slumber nor sleep. 5     The LORD watches over you—        the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6     the sun will not harm you by day,        nor the moon by night. 7     The LORD will keep you from all harm—        he will watch over your life; 8     the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.	DAY #6:                      Psalm 121:3-8               The many mythical gods and goddesses of pagan cultures tell fantasy upon fantasy about the activities of their “divine” beings, showing their human-like errors and foibles. We are most familiar with such stories told about the Greek pantheon.               The prophet Elijah dealt with 450 priests of the “god” called Baal (a generic term meaning simply “lord”). In I Kings 18:16-40, we find Elijah challenging these priests of Baal to a contest to see who the real God was . . . Baal or Yahweh, the God of Israel. As you read this story, you find Elijah taunting the Baal priests and asking whether their “god” is busy or taking a nap because their “god” is obviously not answering their prayers. After many failed attempts on their part, Elijah calls upon the one true God. With complete confidence that He is watching over him and is not off taking a nap but always available to him, Elijah calls upon God to miraculously consume the offering placed on the altar in full view of all the citizens around Mt. Carmel.               The psalmist is as confident as Elijah that God is the one to whom he can go for help. Why? Because God never sleeps. He is the Lord of the universe, the giver of life who watches over His people.               See how often the title “Lord” and the phrase “watches over” is repeated in these verses. The Lord watches over you and protects you no matter where you are, no matter what time of day it is. He will do so forever because He is the one true everlasting and eternal God.

Psalm 92:1-3 (NIV)   1     It is good to praise the LORD        and make music to your name, O Most High, 2     to proclaim your love in the morning        and your faithfulness at night, 3     to the music of the ten-stringed lyre             and the melody of the harp.	For the Week of Nov 3-9, 2008   DAY #1:                                  Psalm 92:1-3               The first few words of verse 1 set the tone for the entire psalm. “It is good to praise the Lord.” That seems rather obvious. And this psalm was written as a hymn to be sung on the Sabbath as a song of praise to God. What makes this psalm instructional is the way it outlines why is it good to praise the Lord even in the midst of evidence that some evildoers seem to be getting off easy.               “It is good to praise the Lord,” the Most High God (see our notes on Psalm 91) at any old time of day or night. There is no time when it is not good to praise the Lord. There is no better way to start the day. I met a man many years ago who had a terminal illness that would have caused most people to become bitter and negative. Not this man. He said he began every day by saying, “Good morning, Lord. I thank You that you have given me another day to live and to serve You. I will live this day for You.” If he could do that, so can I. How about you?               Praise Him in the morning for His love. Praise Him in the evening for His faithfulness. “Lord,. I began the day with You. I committed the day to You. I have chosen to do whatever I believe You want me to do. And here we are at the end of the day and You have absolutely come through in every instance when I needed You. Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. May I be so faithful to those I encounter each day.”               It is good to praise the Lord because doing so makes our days go much better. It is much more rewarding to go through my day in His presence, making decisions by the wisdom He shares with me, reaching out to others with the compassion and the spiritual gifts He pours into me, and accomplishing all things by the power of God that flows through me. How can I not decide to praise God day after day and moment by moment? And there is reason #1 for praising God – It is simply the smartest thing to do. Though it is reason #1, it is not the most important reason. That is the subject of tomorrow’s notes.
Psalm 92:1-5 (NIV)   1     It is good to praise the LORD        and make music to your name, O Most High, 2     to proclaim your love in the morning        and your faithfulness at night, 3     to the music of the ten-stringed lyre        and the melody of the harp. 4     For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;        I sing for joy at the works of your hands. 5     How great are your works, O LORD,        how profound your thoughts!	DAY #2:                               Psalm 92:1-5               It is good to praise the Lord because it is the smart thing to do. It makes sense. It works. A second reason to praise God, and the most important reason, is because it is right and proper to do so. God deserves our praise.               God deserves our praise because of who He is. That may be the first thing we say as we begin each day of praise to the Lord. “God, I praise You today because of who You are.” Once spoken, it is good to begin to list in our minds and with our mouths what we appreciate about who God is. That can have a positive impact on our attitude for the day. It can influence the content and tone of our prayers throughout the day. And it can help us end the day with an attitude of gratitude. “This awesome God, this holy heavenly Father, the Lord who loves me, often in spite of me, has spent the day with me. Thank You God. I praise You for who You are.” That kind of attitude not only opens the door to a blessed new day. That also leads into a night of peaceful rest. Why? Because I have accomplished what I believe God wanted me to achieve that day and I look forward to another day He has set aside for me to enjoy tomorrow. I may have some difficult things in store for me but I’m not handling them alone. The God who loves me and is faithful will be with me.               It is good to praise the Lord because it is smart. And it is good to praise Him because it is right and proper to do so, because of who He is. It is also good to praise the Lord because of what He has done in the world and in my life. The deeds of the Lord make me glad. He has given me life. He has provided me with the gracious gift of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, His only begotten Son. He indwells me by His Holy Spirit. He empowers me to be successful in all that I do for Him. He has given me a beautiful and functional and wonderful world in which to live. When I think about all God has done, how can I not praise the Lord? Yes, I have tough times and difficult decisions and occasionally strained relationships, but they fade into less significant factors in my life when compared to all God has already done. And what He has already done is only the down payment on what He has promised to do in my life in this world and in the world to come.   #1 --- It is good to praise the Lord because it is smart. #2 --- It is good to praise the Lord because it is right and proper. #3 --- It is good to praise the Lord because of who He is. #4 --- It is good to praise the Lord because of what He has done. #5 --- It is good to praise the Lord because it feels good.   Isn’t it nice that something God requires of us just feels good when we do it?
Psalm 92:6-8 (NIV)   6     The senseless man does not know,        fools do not understand, 7     that though the wicked spring up like grass        and all evildoers flourish,        they will be forever destroyed. 8     But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.	DAY #3:                               Psalm 92:6-8               There are many people in the world, says the psalmist, who are not praising the Lord. Their focus is on the evil and wicked deeds of many people around them. They specialize in the negative. No matter what is happening, no matter how positive things may be, they can always find something negative to say. You know the kind of people I mean. Hopefully, you are not one of them. For, if you are, you will lead a life of defeat rather than victory. The psalmist says such people are “senseless.”               Why do the wicked prosper? That question is almost as old as the Bible. In fact, it is asked many times in the Bible. And the answer is always the same. “They will not prosper forever.” We usually equate accumulation of riches and a significant measure of fame with prosperity. That is life from a human perspective. From God’s perspective, the one who is successful is the one who enjoys life, experiences peace and freedom, is able to deal with each day’s responsibility with assurance, and who knows life in this world is not all there is. In fact, there is something so much better. It is life forever in the holy presence of our heavenly Father, a life made available to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. The wicked will not prosper forever. Indeed, they can only look forward to eternal destruction.               Having many riches is not a sign of evil nor a sign of spirituality. Material possessions are merely tools to help us do what God wants us to do. I know of many rich people who are nasty and miserable. I know other wealthy people who are at peace and who rejoice in their hearts that God has given them resources with which to bless others.               To focus our attention on the things of this world and to look enviously upon those who have accumulated the things of this world is to have a wrong perspective on life. We are to dwell upon that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8). If we do this, those are the thoughts that will govern our outlook on life day by day . . . and we will experience peace.
Psalm 92:6-8 (NIV)   6     The senseless man does not know,        fools do not understand, 7     that though the wicked spring up like grass        and all evildoers flourish,        they will be forever destroyed. 8     But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.	DAY #4:                               Psalm 92:6-8               We all live eternally. Some live in eternal harmony with the Lord and can look forward to endless days of blessing in His marvelous light. Others can only expect never-ending suffering, pain, anguish, and destruction – continuous destruction. The deciding factor is whether or not we confess our sins to the Lord, are truly sorry for the things we have done wrong, and accept God’s gracious gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.   I am called to surrender control of my life to the one who is the sovereign Lord of the universe. Such a confession leads me through the door into eternal life with heavenly Father. That eternal life begins the moment of my surrender and never ends. Jesus said it clearly, whether or not we like it. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He is the Way whether we accept it or not. He is the Lord, whether we confess it or not. The smart person accepts this truth and joyfully lives by it now.               Yesterday, we noted that the wicked may experience good feelings for a time, but they will encounter destruction forever. The psalmist shows us how this happens. He notes that, in stark contrast to the destruction of the wicked, God will be exalted forever. It is because God is forever that those who would go against His principles will not be exalted forever. They are exalted only for a time by many who are insensitive to the truth about life and life to come. Celebrity status is for a brief moment. Salvation is forever with the God who is exalted forever.
Psalm 92:9-11 (NIV)   9     For surely your enemies, O LORD,        surely your enemies will perish;        all evildoers will be scattered. 10   You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;        fine oils have been poured upon me. 11   My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;        my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.	DAY #5:                      Psalm 92:9-11               I like to tease my wife about her reading habits. When reading a mystery novel or any work of fiction, for example, she likes to read the last chapter first. That way, she says, she can see better how each part of the mystery puzzle fits with the other parts until the final denouement is revealed. She claims this saves time. When reading a complicated plot, once one finds out how it all turns out in the end, one is tempted to read the book all over again to see how it all happened. That takes much longer than reading the last chapter first. Of course, this means missing out on the “surprises” at the end. You can’t have both.               My wife also says she has read the last chapter of the Bible. Therefore she knows how the whole story of life turns out. We win! In the end, the people of God are eternally victorious. All the promises of God are fulfilled. Hallelujah!               The psalmist seems to know how it all turns out. Those who exalt themselves and clamor for attention will be brought down. Those who humble themselves before the Lord and enjoy life in this world with heavenly Father will be exalted by Father in the end – which is really the beginning of truly meaningful and fulfilled life with God.               Recently I talked to a lady who was by her father’s bedside in the hospital. Just before he passed away, he looked to the side and said, “What are all those children doing here?” And then he died. I am convinced God gave that man a peak into eternity where he was surprised to see so many children. And then he went to join them in God’s holy presence. He saw a part of the last chapter before he became a participant in the last chapter.               The wise person takes time to look back on life from the perspective of eternity. When we do that, it all makes so much more sense.
Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV)   12   The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,        they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13   planted in the house of the LORD,        they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14   They will still bear fruit in old age,        they will stay fresh and green, 15   proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;       he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”	DAY #6:                      Psalm 92:12-15               Compare verse 7 with verse 12 and see the dramatic difference between these two categories of people. On one hand, “the wicked spring up like grass.” On the other hand, “the righteous will flourish like a palm tree.” What a perfectly vivid picture to compare the just and the unjust.               Someone has said that, when we become followers of the Lord and He welcomes us into His kingdom as citizens of light, we are transplanted from the garden of the world into the garden of God. I like this image. It reminds me that when it all began, Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful and perfect garden where all things produced fruit bounteously. You and I are invited to share in this “Edenic” experience when we commit our lives to the Lord.               There is a two-fold blessing to this picture. First, in this world, until we go to be with the Lord or He comes to take us home with Him, we are empowered to be fruitful and multiply. We do this by sharing the good news of Jesus and watching God transform them and transplant them into His Garden of Life. In fact, it is in John 15:8 where we read about one key evidence that we are disciples of Jesus. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” New believers in the Lord are the fruit He enables us to produce.               I like the image of getting old and still being fruitful. One paraphrase of the Bible expresses verse 14 this way: “Although they are old, they will still be young and full of sap.” That is what I want to be until I go to be with the Lord.               The second blessing in this garden image is found in the last book of the Bible. There we see the life to come beyond this world. It is once again the garden God wants us to enjoy. There we see a stream of living water alongside of which are trees that bear fruit all year round. All we ever will need and all that will bring us a sense of completeness, satisfaction, and well-being will be provided in God’s eternal realm. In His unique way, and in His perfect timing, we will join one another there. Praise God who is the Rock of my salvation.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)   1     He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High        will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2     I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,             my God, in whom I trust.”	For the Week of Oct. 27 – Nov. 2, 2008   DAY #1:                                             Psalm 91:1-2               We begin with an overview of this psalm. Verses 1 and 2 set the theme for the psalm and clearly identify who God is and the type of person who benefits from His blessings. Verses 3-13 describe the protection such a person receives from the Lord. The last three verses are words of promise in the mouth of God. They are God’s assurance to the one who trusts in Him. Now, we turn our attention to verses 1 and 2.               This psalm clearly describes the blessings God will provide to a specific kind of person. He is the one “who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.” Other translations say he dwells “in the secret place of the Most High.” Who is “the Most High” God? This is the translation of the Hebrew name El Elyon. It is used in Genesis 14 and equated with the one true God who revealed Himself to Abraham as Yahweh or Jehovah. This is the name God used to describe Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14. It means “I am” or “I am who I am.” It conveys the sense of God being the source of all life. Applying the name El Elyon to Yahweh, in essence, says this. “There may be hundreds or thousands of so-called gods in this world, all of them imaginings of the human mind, but I am the one true God who is way above all the ideas mankind has used to create ‘gods’ to worship. I reveal Myself to you that you might know who I am.”               The one who places himself under the loving authority and powerful protection of the Most High God will be able to rest and relax peacefully in His presence. The image the psalmist uses here is of a chick resting under the wings of the mother hen. The one who trusts in the Lord, therefore, sees the Most High God as his fortress and protection against any who would dare to attack him. It may sound strange to equate God’s loving protection of His people with a mother hen’s watchful care over her chicks. That image only sounds unusual if you never lived on a farm or visited there and saw the ferocious activity of a mother hen toward any who would try to take her chicks from her.               Jesus used this very image when He overlooked the city of Jerusalem shortly before His arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 23:37). He also said, “No one can snatch you out of My hand” (John 10:28). Jesus lamented over the fact that the Hebrews had left the protection of God and would not come to Him that He might watch over them and protect them. Jesus gave the invitation (see Matthew 11:28-30), but so many refused to accept the gracious gift of salvation. Returning to Psalm 91:1-2, not everyone receives the protection of the Most High God. It is only for those who come to the Lord, trust Him, and place themselves under Him. I hope you have done so. If you have, this psalm and its message are for you.
Psalm 91:3-6 (NIV)   3     Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare        and from the deadly pestilence. 4     He will cover you with his feathers,        and under his wings you will find refuge;        his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5     You will not fear the terror of night,        nor the arrow that flies by day, 6     nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,        nor the plague that destroys at midday.	DAY #2:                               Psalm 91:3-6               “He who dwells” is the one who remains securely under the protection of God. The Hebrew word for “dwells” has the sense of “moving in to stay” not just coming as an occasional visitor. If one does so, then “surely” he will be safe and secure and can even have the sense of being “at rest.”               There are two sources of danger mentioned in these verses. One source of danger is the “fowler.” This is a person who hunts birds for the purpose of having them for dinner. How does he catch them? He sets up little traps outside the confines of the “chicken coop” where a wandering chick might fall into his snare. Obviously, the safest place for the chick to be is under the wing of the mother hen or at least nearby where the hen will defend it. Wander away from that protection and it is on its own with often deadly consequences.               The psalmist is referring here to the efforts of the devil to snatch us away from the Lord. He wants us to wander. He wants to draw us away from the Lord. He is hoping we will leave the protective boundaries of the righteous principles of God and meander into the world where we are caught in his snare that he might devour us. We see a similar image in I Peter 5:8 where Satan is described as “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”               David used the image of walking “in the paths of righteousness” as the safest place to travel. This is a well-defined path near the side of the shepherd who will protect the sheep from those who would devour them.               So, is the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High immune from attacks from the devil? Not really. But he can be certain that the Most High is there to assure him of victory over such attacks. James 4:7 gives us confidence with these words: “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” That means place your self under His authority. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” First comes submission to God. Then, with resistance, comes victory.               The description of our protection under the authority of God takes on military terms in verse 4. The faithfulness of God will be the shield that will protect us. He will always be there for us, especially when the slings and arrows of Satan are hurled at us. In Ephesians 6, Paul instructs us to put on the whole armor of God, including the shield of faith, so that all of the devil’s attacks can be thwarted.
Psalm 91:3-6 (NIV)   3     Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare        and from the deadly pestilence. 4     He will cover you with his feathers,        and under his wings you will find refuge;        his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5     You will not fear the terror of night,        nor the arrow that flies by day, 6     nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,        nor the plague that destroys at midday.	DAY #3:                               Psalm 91:3-6               A second source of danger for the one who trusts in the Lord is deadly pestilence. A deadly plague or epidemic is being described here. We can spiritualize this and honestly say this is a vivid picture of what happens when the church begins to move away from the things of God and drifts into worldly ways and wayward philosophies. First, one by one, then in large groups of believers who once trusted God, people begin to accept the world’s deadly philosophies in place of the principles of God. Such a shift is not called sin. It is called “adopting personal preferences.” Now, how could anyone argue against a simple choice someone makes because of his preferences? If you object, you must be a bigot or a narrow-minded individual who engages in personal attacks and hate-speech toward others who just happen to be a little bit different from you.   After all, new understanding of the human condition and psyche have “proven” that some of those biblical prohibitions were based upon ignorance on the part of those who wrote down those principles. The arguments of the world can sound so sensible sometimes . . . unless you take time to realize the simple truth. They are saying God did not know what He was talking about when He set forth the right and the wrong way to live our lives. And if you can begin to pick and choose what parts of God’s rules are right and those that are wrong, where do you stop in surgically removing portions of the Bible? Do you really think you know better than God what is right and wrong?               Allowing this way of thinking to prevail in the church, as it has been for many decades, will cause an epidemic of sin and unbelief to spread across the face of Christianity like a plague. We need to do what Paul tells us in Ephesians. After taking up the full armor of God, we are to “stand firm” and trust the Lord.
Psalm 91:3-6 (NIV)   3     Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare        and from the deadly pestilence. 4     He will cover you with his feathers,        and under his wings you will find refuge;        his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5     You will not fear the terror of night,        nor the arrow that flies by day, 6     nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,        nor the plague that destroys at midday.	DAY #4:                              Psalm 91:3-6               What if we do not spiritualize this description of plague and pestilence coming upon us? What if it literally means real physical disease? Certainly we all suffer from various illnesses. We struggle with flu epidemics, west Nile virus, heart disease, cancer, and so much more. Often, we don’t feel protected in such situations. Does this mean the Bible is wrong about our being safe, that such things will not come upon us, that even though thousands fall around us, it will not come near us?               If we remain close to God, such diseases may attack us but will not come near to us as God is near to us. In recent weeks, I have been talking to a number of people who are dealing with cancer and other physical attacks upon their bodies. In each case, these faithful disciples of Jesus have used the same phrases to describe their attitude. “I know what I am going through, but more important, I know where I am going.” As close to God as they may have seemed at those moments, they will be infinitely closer to the Lord when they leave this world and are united with Him. They know there will never be a time when they are not secure and at rest in the shelter of the Most High.               I certainly am not saying these people have had “out of body” experiences, because I know they did not. However, they seemed to be able to stand back and look at themselves and make a clear analysis of their situation. I admire that kind of faith.
Psalm 91:9-13 (NIV)   9     If you make the Most High your dwelling—        even the LORD, who is my refuge— 10   then no harm will befall you,        no disaster will come near your tent. 11   For he will command his angels concerning you        to guard you in all your ways; 12   they will lift you up in their hands,        so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13   You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;        you will trample the great lion and the serpent.