The Week-long Psalm

Lessons from Psalms: 14

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

Of course, since the prosperity gospel preachers are really telling the truth, we really don’t need this verse of great promises. But since they are not telling the truth and are false teachers who wound many souls, then we all need every single promise from Psalm 18:2. This could be called the “week-long psalm” because it contains security for every day of the week. There are seven powerful assurances of God’s care for His children.

When the waves of life beat against us we have a rock that will not move. When Satan sends his forces against us we have a fortress that cannot be assailed. When we become captive to our own lust we have a deliverer who will set us free. When we are weak we have the God who is strong. When we are in doubt we have someone we can absolutely trust. When we face a direct assault from our adversary we have a shield that cannot be bent or broken. When we are lost and hopeless Christ points us to His cross and says I am the way of salvation. When panic overtakes our feeble ability to cope with life, He is the panic room where we are safe. This is our God who is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day.

Dear Father, Thank You for being our sure support and defense every single day. Amen. 

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Christ Alone is Our Righteousness

Lessons in Psalms: 13

“You are my Lord. My goodness is nothing apart from You.” Psalm 16:2

One day two men went into the temple. One of them walked boldly to the front and said, “Look at me, God, I do what you ask. I even go above and beyond what others do. I am not like that guy cowering in the back who doesn’t obey you.” The second man told God only one thing. “God, I am a sinner”. Then he asked God one thing. “Be merciful to me.” Jesus said that guy number two had it right. If we always compare ourselves with ourselves we will never come up short. But there is a higher standard. God said, “Be ye holy, for I am holy”.

By God’s measure we will come up short. We sin and break His holy laws. We want our own way and not His pure way. We love this world more than the next. Paul summed it up in Romans 3 where he said, “There is none righteous, no not one.” But Christ died for the unrighteous and offers them His righteousness instead. Those who know Christ are now righteous in Him and can say with the psalmist, “My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

Dear Father, Thank You for sending Your Son to become our unrighteousness that we might become His righteousness before You. Amen.

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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The Foolish Response

Lessons from Psalms: 12

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” Psalm 14:1

By the definition of this verse there are not very many foolish people. People all over the world say they believe in a god. Some of them try to equate their god with God; but at every turn the comparison fails. They would still say, however, that they believe in God. If we were to boil down the numbers of people who actually don’t believe in a god, then we would be left with few foolish people in the world. If we were to take away those who believe in pagan gods who do not equal God the Father Almighty maker of heaven and earth, then the number of fools would greatly increase. But what if we take another look at this verse?

In Bibles that are literal translations we find that two words in this verse are in italics meaning that they have been added by the translator. Those words are “There is”. So, without those words the verse reads, “The fools says in his heart, “No, God”. Now how many people does that include? How many times do we say “No” to God when He tells us what to do? How many times do we say, “No” to God when He calls upon us to hear His still small voice? David says that it is foolish to say “No” to God at any time. Let us not act foolishly. Let us listen to God and say with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant is listening.”

Dear Father, We thank You that You do speak to us in Your word. Help us to act wisely and listen to what You say and then do it. Amen. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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The Bible Stands

Lessons from Psalms: 11

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.” Psalm 12:6-7

There is an old hymn that goes, “The Bible stands like a rock undaunted through the raging storms of time; its pages burn with the truth eternal and they glow with the light sublime.” Psalm 12 assures us that God’s word is enduring. It is tested and proven and He preserves its integrity. If anyone wants to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, all they have to do is open up Holy Scriptures and it will be right in front of them. As Isaiah 40 tells us, “The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

We are constantly bombarded in our lives with a smorgasbord of ideas. This is the right way, no this one is, no they are both wrong and we have the right one. We are confronted with outright liars who say that God didn’t mean what He said and they have the newest inside scoop on His thinking. The noise from all these voices becomes such a cacophonous din that our heads begin to spin. Relax and open the eternal, preserved word of God and be refreshed by the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Dear Father, Thank You for giving us Your eternal and true word for our guidance and wisdom each day. Amen. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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Anti-Christs Among Us

Lessons from Psalms: 10

“The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven.” Psalm 11:4

In First John, the beloved Apostle, warns us of many anti-Christs that will come into the world and are already here. The Christian community has too strong a focus on the one Anti-Christ who will come to defy Christ’s return. While he will come and be the epitome of wickedness, he isn’t the only anti-Christ. There are many today who come and say that they believe in Jesus or are Christians but who are anti-Christs. They try to unseat Christ from His rightful place of full authority and adulation. They want to deny His right to His status as God. They want to disrupt His laws and replace them with ones that say sin is right and righteousness is wrong. When they do this within the framework of the name of Christ; they are anti-Christs.

But, there is good news. The Lord is in His holy temple. He cannot be moved. He is not threatened by all the false assumptions of man and false messiahs, whether political or religious, that try to upend His eternal rule. God, Psalm 2 says, sits in heaven and laughs at them. This is good news for those who get so concerned about the work of the anti-Christs. These false Christs will not prevail in the eternal realm. While they try to prevail in our temporal realm we are to be busy doing what is best for eternity and not become obsessed with what will perish. The Lord is in His holy temple and we can confidently depend on His help each day to do His work for eternity.

Dear Father, We rejoice in the certainty that You cannot be moved by all the schemes of man. Help us to concentrate on eternal work and not be dismayed by the scheming of the anti-Christs among us. Amen.  

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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God Declares the Doom of the Wicked

Lessons from Psalms: 9

“The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17

About eighty percent of American citizens today identify themselves as “Christian”. The number of Americans who say they believe the Bible is true, however, is only thirty percent. That is an unfortunate gap in theology. Christian means “follower of Christ” and Christ said the Bible is altogether true. His professed followers aren’t nearly as sure as He was. Another statistic about biblical beliefs is the issue of hell. Just a little over half of all Americans believe in it even though Christ talked more about it than heaven. Most everyone wants to believe in heaven because it is a better option than what Jesus actually warned about.

The reality is that Jesus, Peter, John (the apostle of love), Paul, and the rest of the biblical authors all believed in hell. They did so because God’s word says it is true. He warned about the dire consequences when nations forget that God is real and true. God said that He would turn such nations into hell. Every nation that forgets that God is true, His word is true, His law is true and that His Son is true are playing with fire, literally hell fire. As His children we should be concerned for the eternal souls of these people and “pull them out of the fire” as Jude said to do. We shouldn’t just mock their ignorance or gloat at their end, we should love and care for and reach our nation and world for Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, We thank You for Your true word and ask that we would think more like You toward a nation that is perishing and teetering on the brink of hell. Amen.

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No, Never Alone

Lessons in Psalms: 8

“For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:10

What were Jesus’ last words to His followers who were gathered in Matthew 28? His last words were, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” What absolute comfort we can draw from this promise. What great hope it gives to us in times of trial. What assurance of His love is provided for all who believe what He says! He said simply, “Don’t despair, I’m there.”

Psalm 139 amplifies this theme. David says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” He answered his own question with this statement of certainty. If I go to heaven, you are there. If I go to the pit of Sheol, you are there. If I could find the start of the morning, you are there. If I hide in the mountains or the depth of the ocean, you are there. If I try to find the darkest darkness, you are there.

Beloved, we encounter many times in our lives when we feel very alone. It can be sickness, death of a loved one, financial disaster, loss of home or the torment of depression. But God is there. He promised to be there and God cannot break His promises. Hebrews sums it up so well, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” We can know with absolute assurance this great truth. If we know Christ as our Savior, then where we are He is there also.

Dear Father, Thank You for the comfort of Your promise to always be with us not just in life but onto the farthest extent of eternity. Amen. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

If you don’t already subscribe to this blog, you can do so and receive it each day M-F by choosing the Abundant Grace section on my website and signing up for free delivery every day.