Category Archives: Psalms

O Jehovah, keep us faithful. Amen.
Reading:

Psalm 12

I wasn’t going to do this this morning because I was going to publish “Faith That Moves God” at my CLE site and then send out my Sunday School email to my “Thoughts for the Week” subscribers. But then I read Psalm 12 and got “sidetracked” pecking out some notes…

This dire, dreary Psalm begins with David declaring that the godly were gone — the inventory of them was depleted. The faithful ones had disappeared from humanity.

  1. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
  2. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
  3. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
  4. Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
  5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
  6. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
  7. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
  8. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

When I was growing up (especially after hitting my teens, of course), I knew was surrounded by blatant and unapologetic corruption, oppression, injustice, deception, and immorality. And with them, accompanying fears and decadence that poison and rot the soul and spirit. I found the States to be noticeably and refreshingly less so. It was amazing. Continue reading →

Encouragement and assurance for the follower of Christ

I got to Psalm 138 in my reading early this morning:

The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever:
forsake not the works of thine own hands.
(Psalm 138:8)

That reminded me, vaguely and hazily, of another verse. I found in it 1 Thessalonians, and along the way I found some other verses:

Being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 1:6)

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
(Jude 24,25)

Now the God of peace,
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ;
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
(Hebrews 13:20,21)

Be encouraged, if you’re a disciple of Jesus!