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Great is the Lord – Series Wrap Up

November 26, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

Today’s post covers the last verse of Psalm 145 and is our series wrap up for our study, Great Is the Lord.

My youngest child is still in the process of learning what to say and what not to say. We discuss questions like, “What words build others up? What’s necessary to say? What might sound like complaining? Am I praising and glorifying God with my mouth?”

She makes the job easy on me because she’s a sensitive, caring girl. After all, good words come out easiest when the heart and mouth agree.

I love the last verse in Psalm 145:

My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:21)

The eloquent words of praise in Psalm 145 came from David, a “man after God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22)

Because his heart was in the right place, his words flowed suit. (Matthew 12:34)

“My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD…” When our hearts are in the right place, our words will follow suit. #GreatIsTheLord #Psalm145

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We Can “Speak the Praise of the Lord”

My goal is to agree with David and make sure my mouth speaks God’s praise! I will join with “all flesh” and “bless His holy name forever and ever.”

As Thanksgiving approaches and I gather with family and friends to count my blessings, I know I’ll have the perfect opportunity to praise God’s holy name with a heart full of gratitude.

And I pray this: after the dinner is over, the dishes are washed, the family drives away, and life goes back to “normal,” I’ll continue to praise Him… come what may.

Series Wrap Up: How We Can Continue to Focus on His Greatness

Yes, I desire to Praise Him, Daily and Forever. When I create a daily habit of praise, praising God for eternity will take care of itself. Consistency in time spent praising God may not win me an award, but it is sure to be rewarding!

Like Jaime wrote about in her post. Great is the Lord from Generation to Generation, I will tell the next generation whom I worship and why! “Holidays are a time when families gather to pass on stories and traditions about who we are, why we are here, and most importantly, who we worship.”

I’ll try to be like Lisa, who reminded us to look for the goodness of God so that we can share it with others. In Is God Good to YOU? Lisa said, “Be intentional. Look closer. Pay attention to the good things that God is doing in our lives.We can’t share about God’s goodness if we don’t see it.” (I love how her post gave us three ways to find the good in God!)

I plan to focus on the fact that the is No Greater Kingdom than the kingdom of God! Like Cheli said in her post, No Greater Kingdom, “There is no other God like our God. His kingdom is everlasting, faithful, grace-giving, and abounding in blessings. The qualities of the kingdom originate with the King. Great is the Lord! May our praise and gratitude magnify Him and His kingdom.”

I’ll also remember that the Lord is Near, like Jennifer reminded us. She said, “God is responsive. He hears His people’s cries and responds to their needs. This is His righteousness and kindness in action. Psalm 145 is David’s great expression of praise, extolling who God is and what He has done. The Lord is near. Let’s lift our voices in praise.”

Will you be remembering and focusing on those things with me? I pray that as God moves in our hearts to respond to His greatness, a powerful praise will result that changes lives: ours and others— all for His glory!

How are you remembering that Great Is the Lord?

Tell us in the comments or over in our Facebook community.

Blessings to you and yours, this Thanksgiving and always!
Ali

Great Is the Lord: Psalm 145, Bible Study Wrap Up. Remember God’s greatness this Thanksgiving and always. #GreatIsTheLord

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The Lord is Near

November 21, 2019 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

We’re excited to welcome our guest, Jennifer Hong, whose post today continues our study of Psalm 145 in our Great is the Lord series. Find the full series here.

I have taught my children not to say “always” and “never.” More specifically, I have advised them to be very careful about using such words when speaking about people or circumstances, as a declaration of absolutes is rarely true.

“You always interrupt me.”

“You never let me have the first turn.”

“We never play the game that I pick.”

These kinds of statements are usually exaggerations and often put someone on the defense. To encourage my children to think carefully before speaking, these words are taboo in our home.

In All His Ways, In All His Works

Maybe it is because absolutes are buzz words in my household that my ears prick uncomfortably at the abundance of the word “all” in Psalm 145. I counted eighteen uses of “all” in twenty-one verses! Then, I read the Psalm again, soaking in the full meaning of each of these great statements.

Though I caution my children against characterizing themselves or others with such broad-sweeping declarative words as “always” and “never,” absolutes can absolutely be applied to God! They are no exaggeration here. God is love (1 John 4:7-10). He is all love, through and through, entirely and always. He is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9). He is always faithful, forever and ever, into eternity. God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6), and David extols God’s unchanging goodness throughout Psalm 145.

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” (v. 17)

I am struck by the contrast between this statement and my own life, where my flesh still struggles against submission to grace. I try to act righteously, but no one would suggest that I am righteous in all I do. Kindness is my aim, but I have spoken over my children words that hurt. Thank Goodness, the Lord’s ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Because the Lord is righteous and kind in all that He does, I can trust Him, in every circumstance and every season.

The Lord is Near

In verse 18 the Psalm transitions from praising God’s absolute characteristics to extolling our Lord in terms of how He relates to His people — to those who call on Him, fear Him, and love Him. God is responsive. He hears His people’s cries and responds to their needs. This is His righteousness and kindness in action.

Read the following verses and identify the “who,” the recipient of God’s mercy.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.” (vv. 18-20)

Did you notice that each of the “who” phrases include the word “Him”? The recipients of God’s mercy are identified not by their own character and actions but by their relationship to God. They call on Him. They fear, revere, and honor Him. They love Him.

The Bible also tells us that this relationship was initiated by God. 1 John chapter 4 shows us that the love we receive from God is the very source of our love given in return.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins…. We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:10, 19)

Do you see how love flows through this beautiful relationship? God loves us, and we respond to His love with trust, reverence, and love. We call to Him with a sincere heart, and He is near. Psalm 145 is David’s great expression of praise, extolling who God is and what He has done. The Lord is near. Let’s lift our voices in praise.

Psalm 145 is David’s great expression of praise, extolling who God is and what He has done. The Lord is near. Let’s lift our voices in praise! #GreatIsTheLord

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For Study and Reflection:

1) Speak or sing God’s praises by reading aloud Psalm 145 or singing a song of praise. Psalm 145 was written millenia ago in the Kingdom of Israel. O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus was written by Trevor Francis in London in 1835, and Reckless Love by American songwriter Cory Asbury was released last year. All three declare God’s extravagant love. Lift your voice in praise.

2) How have you seen God’s righteousness or kindness?

3) In what current or recent life circumstances do you need to call on the Lord?

4) Thank God for His faithfulness.

Jennifer lives in Houston with her husband of fourteen years and their four energetic children. Since leaving her pediatric practice seven years ago, she has found life at home to be wild but wonderful. Homeschooling has fueled Jennifer‘s passion for education, driving her deeper into the Word. Her favorite day is Thursday, when her family escapes their urban surroundings to walk in the woods and dig in the dirt.

No Greater Kingdom

November 19, 2019 by Cheli Sigler Leave a Comment

Thank you for joining us this month as we delve into Psalm 145. Today we are studying verses 13 through 16, but if you’re just joining us you can catch up on all of this month’s posts here.

Psalm 145 is clearly attributed to the psalmist, David— the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Charles Spurgeon, a late 19th Century preacher and Bible commentator, said that Psalm 145 is David’s “crown jewel of praise.” We can make David’s praise our own, and even better, use this psalm as a model to create our own praise, for “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised…” (Psalm 145:3).

An Everlasting Kingdom

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Psalm 145:13a

In this verse David praises God for His eternal kingdom. Unlike earthly nations whose rise and fall, success and failures, fill the annals of history and dot our timelines, God’s kingdom and rule will never end. From David’s praise to my own: “God, you are the King of Heaven; You will never vacate Your throne.”

A Faithful Kingdom

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.] Psalm 145:13b

Because God and His kingdom are eternal, we can count on Him to do what He says. We who are bound by time, can look back and count all the ways and times God has kept His promises. Furthermore, God uses His power and sovereignty for the good of His people. Earthly rulers parade their power and increasingly find ways to use it to benefit themselves and those who are in their cultural/political tribe. With David I say: “God, you are the Faithful One. You are true to Your people in every way.”

A Kingdom of Second Chances

The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14

True to His faithful nature, our failing is not disastrous because He stands ready to rescue and re-establish us in Him. Earthly kingdoms quickly abandon those who fail, but God embraces those who cry out to Him for saving. It’s humbling to ask for help or a rescue. Our earthly systems applaud self-sufficiency, but God exalts those who allow Him to take the lead in their lives. David knew the reality of sin and humility before the Lord, and with David I say, “God, there is NONE like You. There is no one gracious like Our God.”

David knew the reality of sin and humility before the Lord, and with David I say, “God, there is NONE like You. There is no one gracious like Our God.” #GreatIsTheLord

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A Bountiful Kingdom

The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:15-16

The people of God know that everything belongs to Him and comes from Him. There are no winners and losers in God’s economy. Everyone has what they need. This is not the case with earthly kingdoms; no nation exists that satisfies the needs of its citizens. In God’s Kingdom His people are satisfied with His perfect provision. Along with David, I lift my praise, “God, You are my Provider.”

Kingdom Living

What about the days when our flesh fails, and our emotions take the lead? If we’re honest, there are days when we are dissatisfied with what God provides because we compare ourselves to others. There are moments when we get distracted by things we want, forgetting that God gives us what we need. On the days and in these moments, we can turn to praise and gratitude to train and retrain our hearts and minds to depend on the Lord.

Praise

From our lips to God’s ears, words of praise instruct our hearts on the nature and attributes of God. As we worship Him, our impotency becomes clear and God’s omnipotence overtakes the fear and failing. Simply start with the words, “God, You are. . . .” According to His Word, tell Him who He is, and His provision will become evident.

Gratitude

After telling God who He is and seeing His care in our lives, our praise turns into thanksgiving. “God, thank you for. . . .” Giving gratitude to God quiets our wanting with satisfaction. It creates a list of proofs of God’s working in our lives and confirms this for our heart and mind.

A Kingdom Like None Other

There is no other God like our God. His kingdom is everlasting, faithful, grace-giving, and abounding in blessings. The qualities of the kingdom originate with the King. Great is the Lord! May our praise and gratitude magnify Him and His kingdom.

His kingdom is everlasting, faithful, grace-giving, and abounding in blessings. The qualities of the kingdom originate with the King. Great is the Lord! #GreatIsTheLord

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Study Questions

1. What words do you ascribe to God today? Fill in the blank: “God, You are ________________.”
2. Continue to study what praise is by reading the following verses of scripture. In each verse, what specific attribute of God is being praised?

1 Chronicles 16:28
Daniel 2:20
Jeremiah 20:13
Ephesians 1:6
Exodus 15:2
Isaiah 9:6

3. Make a list of what you’re thankful for today.
4. How is God’s kingdom different from earthly kingdoms, and what does that mean for Believers?

Is God Good to YOU? 3 Ways to Find the Good in God

November 14, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 19 Comments

We can’t share about God’s goodness if we don’t see it.

Do you know how God has been good to YOU?

Join us as we continue our study of Psalm 145 this month. Today we are on Psalm 145:8-12. [See all the posts here.]

Psalm 145:8  The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9  The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!
11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
12  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Can You See?

I couldn’t see closely without my glasses. And I couldn’t find my glasses.

I realize people often need reading glasses when they’re older. Yet I didn’t think it would happen to me.

But of course it happened to me.

How often have I misplaced my glasses when I need to read instructions? Or when I want to look at a picture someone is showing me on their phone? Or read a book to my granddaughter that contains fine print?

When I’m not intentional about keeping my glasses with me, I miss out on seeing good things.

Maybe that’s what David was trying to get across to us in Psalm 145. Not about reading glasses, per se. (How did they manage without glasses back in the day?)

But maybe David was saying this:

Be intentional. Look closer. Pay attention to the good things that God is doing in our lives.

On any given day, we can see bad things happen around us. We wonder why God isn’t rushing in to remove all obstacles or heal all sicknesses, even though He can. When we don’t understand what is happening, we can be quick to jump to wrong conclusions

But what if instead of jumping to blame, we jump instead to grace?

3 Ways to Find the Good in God

Here are three things we see David doing in Psalm 145:8-12 that we can do, too, to find the good in God.

1. ATTRIBUTE GOOD THINGS TO GOD

When David saw good things happen, he attributed the good things to his good God. He knew that God was full of mercy and grace and love. He knew to look for God’s goodness in His creation.

When we see good things happen, explainable or mysterious, we, too, can give thanks to God for them.

Be specific. Perhaps God worked through a person or science or nature to make the good thing happen. But all goodness still originates with God.

If He is good to all (Psalm 145:9), that includes you.

2. DOCUMENT TO REMEMBER

Another way to find the good, is to keep track of it. David wrote poetry and songs to document the good things he saw God do.

How can you set up reminders to remember God’s goodness in your own life?

Write it down. Make an altar. Take a photo. Practice remembering your own stories with God. God wasn’t only good to those in the Bible; He is good to each of us in this very day.

3. TELL OTHERS ABOUT IT

I’m glad David shared his words about God’s goodness with those around him, and consequently to us. We still praise God through many of these same words, thousands of years later.

Don’t keep God’s goodness to yourself. Let others know when you see Him at work in your life and in their lives.

Sometimes we can miss the hand of God in our busyness, but when we look closely, we see His fingerprints on all good things that happen around us.

Focus on His Goodness

I later found my missing reading glasses. They were on the kitchen counter where I’d last used them. I’ve since learned to stock up on reading glasses from the dollar store; I keep a pair tucked away in several spots around the house.

Likewise, we can keep our goodness glasses handy. When we’re having a bad day or need to encourage a friend or just simply want to praise God, put them on.

When we look closer for the good things that God is doing:

We’ll begin seeing more and more good things.
We’ll have more peace about the future.
And we’ll discover our faith is growing deeper and stronger.

By keeping good theology plainly in sight—that the Lord is good to all and His mercy is over all—we will find it easier to give thanks to the Lord and bless His name.

Focus today.

Open your eyes to God’s goodness all around you. It’s there. It’s personal. And it’s glorious.

Study Questions

1. Read Psalm 145:8-12 in a variety of translations. You can do it here.

2. All that God is and does is good. Read more scriptures about His everlasting goodness and how it impacts us.

Psalm 31:19
Psalm 34:8
Psalm 84:11
Psalm 107:1
Nahum 1:7
Romans 8:28
Ephesians 2:8
1 Timothy 4:4
James 1:17

3. Pray and ask God to reveal ways He’s been good to you this week that you may have overlooked.

4. Talk with a family member or friend about ways you’ve each seen God’s goodness this week. Spur one another on to tell of His mighty deeds and the splendor of His kingdom.

We can’t tell about God’s goodness if we don’t see it. How has God been good to you? #Psalm145 #GreatistheLord

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How has God been good to YOU lately? Please share in the comments.

Great is the Lord from Generation to Generation

November 12, 2019 by Jaime Hilton Leave a Comment

November is brown. September is red.

October is orange. No, I’m not trying to write a poem.

I like to make calendar layouts for different projects I work on like our homeschool, writing projects, and my bullet journal. I think about the months in terms of colors, specifically the colors I like to feature when I decorate. December is all the colors of Christmas: chiefly red and green, with lots of whites, blues, golds, silvers, and so on. January is a powdery blue. Do you see what I mean? November is a deep, beautiful, warm, chocolate, nutmeg brown. I cannot decorate for Christmas even a minute before we celebrate Thanksgiving because it would mean missing out on all the beautiful shades of brown.

It’s a silly thing to think about, I know. But whether you are the kind of person who blasts Christmas music the second you feel a chill in the air or the one who prefers to wait until December 1, there is one thing we all basically agree on: for better or for worse, holidays mean family. At some point between November 1 and December 31, you will have to confront the idea of family. Will they share your celebrations? Will you go your separate ways? Will you send a card? Call the day of? Either way, a decision will be made to see or not see, include or exclude, your family. In verses 4-7 of Psalm 145 (part 2 of our Great Is the Lord series), David encourages us to include our families in our worship of the Lord.

Sharing the Story

For many believers, myself included, Thanksgiving represents a season of gratitude that perfectly sets us up to celebrate and remember the grace of God coming into the world as a human baby at Christmas. They are distinct holidays with different functions, yet intricately related, sharing one particularly significant purpose. Holidays are a time when families gather to pass on stories and traditions about who we are, why we are here, and most importantly, who we worship.

In verse 4 we read,

“One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.”

Our faith is lived out in the context of family – yes, the ones we’re born into, the ones we make out of dear friends, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. The words we study are given life as we play them out in the relationships around us.

This holiday season I will teach my children to set the table, cook a turkey, and play a good game of Skip-Bo. But I will also teach them why we pause in this busy month to give thanks.

I will teach them by example as I make prayer and study a part of our daily experience (remember? A string of todays is what builds a forever!)

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.” (v. 5)

Together we will tell stories of God’s provision, deliverance, and mercy throughout the ages. From the Israelites in Egypt to the Pilgrims in Plymouth, we will remember that He is in control.

“They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.” (v. 6)

We will sing songs and play games and create memories around the holidays.

“They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.” (v. 7)

And generation after generation we will add our praise to David’s because,

“Everything which has to do with the Great King is majestic, honorable, glorious. His least is greater than man’s greatest, his lowest is higher than man’s highest.” – Charles Spurgeon

Study/Reflection Questions

What holiday traditions helped shape your faith as a child?
Think through examples of God’s “glorious splendor”, “wonderous works”, “awesome deeds”, and “abundant goodness”, either from the Bible or your own life.
David uses so many strong adjectives to extol the Lord in these verses. Pick one or two and do a word study
Make a list of ways you can use the holidays to remember God’s work and character.

Praising God, Daily and Forever

November 7, 2019 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

Today’s post, Praising God, Daily and Forever, is the first post in our series Great Is the Lord, a study of Psalm 145.

When my children were little, I remember often using the word “forever.”

I thought I’d be changing diapers forever. I thought I’d be stepping on Legos forever. And I thought I’d said goodbye forever to a good night’s sleep.

Because I did those things daily, I thought they were eternal. But really? They were just seasons. At that time, my habit was to change diapers, clean up toys, and wake up in the middle of the night if my kiddos need me. Though I was tired, and life as a young mom required that I develop a new type of personal discipline, being a mother to my little ones was a true joy, even though it was challenging.

In Psalm 145, David writes about a daily spiritual habit that he commits to doing forever: Praising God.

Praise is a form of worship and so that makes it a spiritual discipline. Through it, we draw nearer to God and grow in grace and knowledge. The result is enjoying God.

Extol Our God and King

In Psalm 145, verse 1, David tells the Lord that he “extol you, my God and King.”

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1

Like I mentioned in the introduction to this series, David uses many synonyms for praise throughout this psalm. “Extol” is one of them. Being a word girl, I decided to look into the etymology of this word to learn the specifics about it. It comes from Latin and means “to raise outward, upward.” It’s very similar to the word “exalt,” except that exalting can be done without praise. (An example of that is in this sentence: “The person was exalted into a higher level of leadership.”) Extolling, though, can’t be done without praise.

David tells God that he will bless God’s name and extol Him forever, or forever lift Him in praise, outward and upward. Isn’t that beautiful?

Bless God Every Day, for Forever

Before David can worry about forever, he tells God that he will bless Him every day.

“Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:2

When my children were small, I mistakenly thought what I was doing had no end. I knew that a string of todays is what builds a forever. Of course, my situation did end, though, because things changed. My kids grew up.

But David promises God that he will forever continue the spiritual discipline of worship; he commits to a daily practice of praise. Like what I realized, David found that a string of todays is what builds a forever! And David’s situation wouldn’t have to end. David understood that what he committed to doing every day on earth would continue into eternity!

A string of todays is what builds a forever. Praise God daily, forever, just like King David did. #Psalm145 #GreatIsTheLord

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When I faithfully praise God each day, then praising Him forever will take care of itself. And I’m more likely to stand steadfast when trials come. (On standing steadfast during trials, see: James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 5:10, Psalm 16:8, Matthew 7:24-25)

Have you heard of Carl Ripkin, Jr? I’m not much into sports, but I recently heard about him on the radio. Apparently, he played a lot of baseball! He continually showed up to each of his scheduled baseball games. That consistency? It won him slot as record holder of the most consecutive baseball games ever played.

Consistency in time spent praising God may not win you an award, but it is sure to be rewarding!

Great Is the Lord

Verse three of Psalm 145 tells us exactly why David feels the way he does about praising God. Essentially, it’s because God is so very worthy.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3

That word, “unsearchable,” means that though we could try to search God’s greatness, we’d never discover it all! It’s too big for us to fathom. Matter of fact, that’s how the NIV translates it: “…his greatness no one can fathom.” The NLT even says that “no one can measure” it. How awesome is He!

God tells us to “be still and know” that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) Quieting our minds, stilling our hearts, and focusing on the beautiful fact of His immeasurable greatness can lead us to a sweet place of holy, heartfelt worship.

Sisters, He is truly great, indeed! What a reason to praise Him daily, forever!

Consistency in time spent praising God may not win you an award, but it is sure to be rewarding! #GreatIsTheLord #Psalm145

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Questions for Study and Reflection:

1. What can you do today to bless and extol God?

2. How does remembering that “forever” is built of “todays” enhance your view of this day’s importance?

3. Have you stopped to dwell on God’s greatness? Here are some verses that may help you do that: Deuteronomy 10:17, Psalm 95:1-7, John 3:16, John 16:33, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 1:1-9

4. Praising God grows our gratitude. Gratitude is expressed in praise. How can you show public praise and thanksgiving to God this holiday season?

Feel free to share your thoughts on this post here in the comments or over in our Facebook group.

Blessings, Ali

Great Is the Lord – Psalm 145

November 5, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

We hope you’ll join us this month for our new series, Great Is the Lord, where we’ll study Psalm 145, a psalm of praise, together.

I wish I could say that I love fall and winter. But, I really don’t. Truth be told, I kinda like fall, but I know it’s ushering in winter. And winter and I? Well, we have a struggle.

Normally I’m an optimistic thinker. But because I don’ t care for fall and winter, my optimism tends to fall short these days. So, my oldest daughter reminds me often try to look for the good things in these seasons I don’t like… and hold onto them.

There are a few things about fall that I do like. I love donning jeans and boots, kicking the fallen leaves, the nip in the air when the sun is still warm on my face, and snuggling up to read or crochet on a chilly evening. But Thanksgiving is what gives me the most joy!

Yes, I love gathering together with my family, lingering over a good meal, laughing, talking, and playing games well into the evening. It’s a true joy and gift!

But even more poignant than that is the time spent in gratitude, both with family and just quietly, between God and I. Usually, for days before and after the holiday, I’m in a “thankfulness mode”— thanking God deeply for all that He’s given. Intentionally looking back over the year and counting blessings has a way of highlighting how very awesome God is and just how indebted to Him I am.

Gratitude puts everything in proper perspective!

Praise and Gratitude Go Hand in Hand

Why are we focusing on praise as thanksgiving approaches, instead of gratitude?

Many people say that when a Believer wishes to express thanksgiving to God, the result is praise.

But I think it goes the other way, too. When God’s children stop to praise God, like David does in this Psalm, I believe it helps us reflect more on what God has done and why He is so worthy of receiving our praise. The result? Gratitude!

Gratitude results in praise, but so does praise result in greater gratitude.

Great Is the Lord

This month we here at DoNotDepart will be focusing on the great awesomeness of God. We’ll be leading you through a study of Psalm 145, a Psalm of David.

Psalm 145 is considered a psalm of praise. And boy, is it ever! The ESV study Bible says, “The author has exploited all the vocabulary he can muster to describe this great activity, praising God for his greatness and goodness.” (Emphasis, mine.)

Over and again, David talks about praising God, what praise looks like, and why it should be done. The ultimate reason?

Because God is so great!

Does praise make you feel grateful? What are you especially thankful for this year?

Let us know in the comments or in our Facebook group.

Join us this month for a study of Psalm 145: Great Is the Lord

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Blessings,

Ali

Lord of the Sabbath: Series Wrap Up

October 31, 2019 by Ali Shaw 1 Comment

Today’s post is the wrap up for our series, Lord of the Sabbath. All this month as we’ve attempted to learn more about the Sabbath and what it teaches us about God.

Sabbath rest.

Those words sound so sweet, don’t they? And I pray that as we say goodbye to October, those words sound even sweeter than they did before you joined us in this monthlong series of looking intently at what Sabbath says about God!

Through God’s giving of the Sabbath, we see His nature. As I stated in the introduction to this series,

And while “the salvation we have in Christ has made the old law of the Sabbath no longer needed or binding” the Sabbath continually points to Him.

Throughout the Bible, not only in the New Testament, Sabbath rest points hearts to God! Sabbath reveals His character and attributes in myriad ways.

Yes! God shows us that:

He’s a God of provision.
He loves us enough to give us good gifts.
Our health is important to Him.
He desires our obedience.
He’s a promise-keeping God.
And also through the Sabbath, He shares glimpses of things to come.

There is so much to learn about God!

Our Posts:

What the Sabbath Says: The God Who Provides

I looked at the story of the Exodus to show how the Sabbath points to God’s provision. When they grumbled for food, He gave it. God provided enough manna and quail to feed His people and last them through a day of rest on the Sabbath. “What was God doing here? God wasn’t just caving to the desires of His people; He was teaching them a valuable lesson about Himself. He provides! And as His people, we (like they, then) should trust that He is faithful to do that.”

Less Google, More God – Take and Informational Sabbath

God is omnipotent! But it’s our human nature to crave information. In her post, Lisa reminded us that how important it is to understand that knowledge alone can’t save us! “Knowledge by itself does not save us. It leads us to the One who can: Christ the living Truth (John 8:32 ).Thankfully we don’t have to figure everything out. God already has. He knows it all. And we know Him.” Lisa challenged us to take a “Sabbath” from Google. “During your Sabbath break, trust God to let you know what you need to know, when you need to know it.”

The Lord of the Sabbath is Trustworthy

Jaime taught us about the importance of physical rest and how it points to trust in God. “Rest, it seems, is the action of trust. Taking time to rest acknowledges our dependence on God. …He can be trusted because He is

Unchangeable (Malachi 3:6 ; Numbers 23:19 ; Psalm 102:26-27 )
Just (Deuteronomy 32:4 ; Psalm 18:30 )
Good (Psalm 145:9 , Psalm 34:8 )
He keeps his promises (Numbers 23:19 , 2 Corinthians 1:20 )

As we practice the Sabbath rest we learn firsthand that God is worth putting our trust in and on that foundation of experience we can ‘be still and know’ who God is.”

Set Apart by the Lord of the Sabbath

Cheli shared with us ways that we are set apart by God. “Very few of the special days dotting the calendar are true ‘holy days.'” …but “God designed the Sabbath as a holy day to remind us of our identity in Him. No matter your practice of Sabbath, God has given it to us as a reminder of who we are in Him. He has provided the Sabbath to set us apart as created, saved and sanctified.”

Why Can We Rest? Jesus is the Answer!

In our series, we did a lot of looking at what Sabbath rest says about God’s character. Let’s not forget, though, that the whole reason we can rest in the first place is because of Jesus, our beloved Savior. Through His sacrifice, we are made acceptable to God. (Hebrews 10:12) Unlike the Old Testament Jews who had laws to follow and sacrifices to offer in order to please God, we can rest in the fact that Jesus has done everything necessary in order to make us righteous in the Father’s eyes! (2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9)

Glimpses of the Future

Because of the perfect and complete rest we find through belief in Jesus, we will gain life in eternity. Our Sabbath is an eternal promise, and someday we will rest completely in the presence of our mighty, loving God! What a wonderful thing that will be!

Wrap Up

Though sometimes we can’t do anything to change the busy season we’re in, we can always find rest and peace when we trust the Lord of the Sabbath. He has so much to teach us about who He is! And when we are still, we can know Him better.

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)

What does the Sabbath teach us about the nature of God? Come find out! #LordOfTheSabbath Wrap up at DoNotDepart.com

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What did you learn about God through His provision of rest? Share with us in the comments or over in our Facebook community group.

Blessings in Christ,
Ali

Do You Want God to Know You? {Psalm 1:6}

October 28, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 22 Comments

She’s new to us.

We know little about her. But we want to know everything about her because she lives here now.

She needs us to know.

Do we want God to know everything about us, too?

Join us in our final week of memorizing Psalm 1.

Do You Want to Be Known?

My daughter birthed her new baby daughter two weeks ago. I’m excited to be a grandmother now to two beautiful granddaughters!

But with a newborn in their house, everything is changing. They listen for her cries to know if she’s hungry. They feel her skin to know if she’s hot or cold. They watch her chest to know she’s breathing in and out.

And she knows none of it.

Do we like being watched?

Are we aware of how closely God watches us?
Do we wonder how much He knows about us?
Do we even WANT to be known that much?

Sometimes we prefer to remain unknown.

It feels safer to hide in the dark instead of to be seen in the light. Like Adam and Eve, we think we can hide from God.

We don’t want God to know our bad thoughts, our guilty secrets, our impure motives. If He knew, really knew us, would He still love us? Would He be disappointed? Would He turn away from us?

But He already knows us. Everything about us. And His love for us is as strong as ever.

Knowledge Is Power

“Know” in Psalm 1:6 is from the Hebrew word yada (Strong’s #3045) meaning more than our causal “to know,” but a deeper knowing, a very familiar understanding of someone or something.

When we reframe God’s knowledge of us as faithfulness instead of spying, we can accept the grace of being known. We can live openly; live protected; live loved.

We can rest more securely in God’s love precisely because He knows us, not in spite of it. Like a mother watches her child, so God watches over us.

With care.
With protection.
With love.

Because God knows us, He does what’s best for us. It’s a blessing, not a curse.

As our little granddaughter continues to grow, we will learn more and more about her. Our knowledge of her comes slowly, through time, and remains finite.

But God already knows all about her. He knows what she needs, who she needs, and when she needs it.

And because of His knowing, she is already blessed.

May we feel blessed likewise that He also knows us.

Memorize This Week

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:6 (ESV)

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Thanks to all who memorized and meditated through Psalm 1 with us this fall. Join us again in 2020 when we’ll learn another chapter of the Bible to hide in our hearts.

Do you want God to know all about you? Is it a blessing or a curse? #Psalm1 #HideHisWord

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Is It Dangerous for God to Know You? Yada, Yada, Yada

See all the Psalm 1 posts here.

Set Apart by the Lord of the Sabbath

October 22, 2019 by Cheli Sigler Leave a Comment

Christmas Day, Valentine’s Day, Veteran’s Day—you’ve heard of them. Do you know about National Pie Day (January 23) or International Talk Like a Pirate Day? People create “holidays” to celebrate who we are, what we value, and shared customs or interests. Very few of these special days dotting the calendar are true “holy days.” Today we will look at how God designed the Sabbath as a holy day to remind us of our identity in Him.

The Sabbath Command

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” —Exodus 20:8

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines holy as “set apart to a sacred use.” God expands on His purpose in creating the Sabbath in Exodus 31:13:

“You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.”

Like the word holy, the word sanctify means to “set apart.” In studying the Sabbath, we see that God sets Believers apart as created, saved and sanctified.

Created to Imitate the Creator

In the beginning, God spoke everything into being, except for Adam and Eve. He formed man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27). Like our Creator, we work. We take charge and manage creation, using our God given talents and abilities to fashion a life lived in cooperation with God and as worship to God. Paul addresses our God given work ethic:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. —Colossians 3:23-24

We not only imitate God’s work ethic, but we honor His command to rest: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). We rest because God rested. He gives us the Sabbath for our health and well-being. God calls us to rest from our work and enjoy Him and His creation. The Sabbath reminds us of our created identity and that we are set apart to imitate Him.

Saved to be God’s People

Since humanity’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden, God has been the Rescuer of His people. Each rescue pointed to the time when Jesus, “once for all,” saved all those who have and will believe (Romans 6:10). God set apart the Sabbath day from all the other days of the week, so we would remember that He is the God who saves:

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. —Deuteronomy 5:15

Shedding additional light on God’s purpose for the Sabbath, an article on the Sabbath from JewsforJesus.org states, “God’s intention in giving the Sabbath was for Israel to be a microcosm of redeemed humanity, a community beginning to live out the ‘rest’ of a people in intimate fellowship with Him, despite their continued struggle with sin.” God not only saved the Israelites from slavery, but He rescues us from sin and saves us from death, so we can be His people.

Scripture About Our Rescue From Sin and Death

Rescue From Sin: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4).

Safe From Death: “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:10-11).

God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to be a nation set apart for the Lord. He provided the perfect sacrifice for sin, Jesus, so we could be in relationship with Him as His people. He conquered death, so His people can dwell with Him forever. The Sabbath is sanctified from all other days to remember God’s saving work.

Sanctified for the Kingdom of God

The Sabbath and it’s keeping was a covenant between God and His people: “. . . this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you” (Exodus 31:13). God set aside a day for His people to find renewal as they sought His call and purpose.

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” — Deuteronomy 7:6

The nation of Israel was created to be an instrument through which God would bring salvation to the world. God called and re-called them to a life sanctified to God through the Sabbath.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit teaches, trains, and convicts us of sin, so we can do what God has planned for us since the beginning (Ephesians 2:10). To this end, we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Sanctified by the Sprit and The Word, God’s people are called to join God in building His kingdom. The Sabbath points to our identity as sanctified. Becoming more like Jesus, we are His ambassadors to the nations.

In Conclusion

No matter your practice of Sabbath, God has given it to us as a reminder of who we are in Him. He has provided the Sabbath to set us apart as created, saved and sanctified. May God bless you as you live out your identity in Him.