The gray areas of life aren’t where I excel. I prefer black and white. Yes or no. Right or wrong. When it comes to emotions and conflict, I like to have things in the open, dealt with, and preferably tied up with a bow at the end. Christian Forgiveness When it comes to forgiveness, I …
During our walk through Psalm 119:33-40, we discovered many things. If you haven’t watched or read Asking God (Week Two), I encourage you to check it out. One particularly challenging idea was that though it is God’s ultimate plan to take away sickness and reproach from his people (He will wipe away every tear from …
Psalm 119:31 is a challenging verse, “I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!” The entirety of Psalm 119 is a love song to God’s Word. It’s David’s Magnum Opus, a masterpiece in which every brush stroke paints a picture of David’s desire to obey. But even the “man after …
Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. Psalm 119: 17 In this verse, David cried out for bounty, for abundance. We have all heard about the abundant life. Jesus promised it to us in John 10:10. But what does it mean? And is abundant life a life without trouble, …
Even as a king himself, David understood that God was sovereign. And though he always gave all glory and honor to God for anything he accomplished, David also understood his own responsibility in the work. Let’s see how David harmonizes these ideas of faith and works by looking at the parallel between the last verse …
Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes! Then I shall not be ashamed When I look upon all Your commandments. Psalm 119:5-6 As we learned in Sunday’s sermon, these verses are the cry of a man who was kept from observing God’s commandments due to oppression and persecution. David, before and …
I read an interesting blog that challenged my perception of complaining. In her post, the author delved into the difference between complaining and lamenting. She presented a case, drawing from the example of David who faithfully lamented before God in the Psalms. She contrasted how complaining (woe is me, life isn’t fair) is bad while lamenting …
Do you ever wonder if you’ve messed up so bad that God won’t want to use you anymore? If anyone has ever stood firmly in that place of uncertainty, I think it was David and Bathsheba. Yet tucked away into Jesus’s genealogy is a small detail of significant impact the notorious couple left to encourage …
Awhile back, I heard someone say that they wrote out a Psalm by hand every day. As Nathan has been walking us through the importance of loving God’s word, of panting after his word, of living according to his word, I was reminded of this practice of writing out Scripture. During our time in Psalm …
Last year, we taught our baby to drive, which is crazy because it feels like yesterday that she was in diapers. Every time I explained a road rule, I remembered what it felt like to learn myself—because that feels like yesterday too. Our Focus Problem Some things stand out in my memory, like my mom …