LOOKING INTO THE EYES OF GOD

Posted on August 26, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

There are some people who seem to live calmly in the chaos around them. There is no need for lists to get organized. They seem at peace with the stacks of stuff around them that could fall at any minute. If the stacks fall, then a new stack is created an it’s okay. I am not one of these people. I like order. I like getting things right. Lists keep me productive in accomplishing…well, more lists.

Both kinds of people like us, the unorganized and the organized, are in need of seeing what God wants most from us. Neither one of us can ultimately set things right, for God’s business as the Psalmist writes, “is putting things right, he loves getting the lines straight, setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall, we can look him straight in the eye.” Yes, that’s what I desire! To stand tall, above the lists and the chaos of this life and look into the eyes of God. I need to really see what is behind those eyes and think more like Jesus taught us to think of God. I need to forget MY lists and see Him for Who He is, thanking Him for what He has done, is doing and will do. He is God and we are not. I need to let Him do what He does best…set things right. Peace comes from knowing God and believing He is in control.

Psalm 11, The Message

1-3 I’ve already run for dear life
straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now
when you say,
“Run to the mountains; the evil
bows are bent, the wicked arrows
Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness
at every heart open to God.
The bottom’s dropped out of the country;
good people don’t have a chance”?

4-6 But God hasn’t moved to the mountains;
his holy address hasn’t changed.
He’s in charge, as always, his eyes
taking everything in, his eyelids
Unblinking, examining Adam’s unruly brood
inside and out, not missing a thing.
He tests the good and the bad alike;
if anyone cheats, God’s outraged.
Fail the test and you’re out,
out in a hail of firestones,
Drinking from a canteen
filled with hot desert wind.

7 God’s business is putting things right;
he loves getting the lines straight,
Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall,
we can look him straight in the eye.

Psalm 11

In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe and I will trust in You.

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WHEN WE THINK GOD DOESN’T SEE

Posted on August 25, 2016 by randscallawayffm
Psalms of Honesty and Truth
 
The problem in Psalm 9 is the enemy invading from without, while the problem in Psalm 10 is the enemy corrupting and destroying from within. There were wicked nations around Israel (9:5), but there were also wicked people within the covenant community (10:4), people who claimed to know God, but whose lives proved they did not know God (Titus 1:16). They know there is a God, but they live as though there is no God or no final judgment. They are “practical atheists” who are their own gods and do whatever they please. This is troubling to the Psalmist and for awhile the “songleader” loses his song. Honesty. He cries out, God do you see what is going on? Where are you, God?
 
As we work our way through this passage, we follow the human thinking of the writer and we relate. We also cry out to God at times, maybe more times than not, with these same questions as people who love God, in the thick of ministry, and we see people not responding and for sure not living as they say they believe. Then we realize, of course, God knows and sees it all. He will always have the final say. “But you know all about it…” writes the resolved Psalmist. Oh yeah, You are God and we are not. And we soon realize, as the Psalmist does in the last line of his “song”…”Yahweh’s grace and order wins, godlessness loses.”
 
Psalm 10, The Message
 
1-2 God, are you avoiding me?
Where are you when I need you?
Full of hot air, the wicked
are hot on the trail of the poor.
Trip them up, tangle them up
in their fine-tuned plots.
 
3-4 The wicked are windbags,
the swindlers have foul breath.
The wicked snub God,
their noses stuck high in the air.
Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls:
“Catch us if you can!” “God is dead.”
 
5-6 They care nothing for what you think;
if you get in their way, they blow you off.
They live (they think) a charmed life:
“We can’t go wrong. This is our lucky year!”
 
7-8 They carry a mouthful of hexes,
their tongues spit venom like adders.
They hide behind ordinary people,
then pounce on their victims.
 
9 They mark the luckless,
then wait like a hunter in a blind;
When the poor wretch wanders too close,
they stab him in the back.
 
10-11 The hapless fool is kicked to the ground,
the unlucky victim is brutally axed.
He thinks God has dumped him,
he’s sure that God is indifferent to his plight.
 
12-13 Time to get up, God—get moving.
The luckless think they’re Godforsaken.
They wonder why the wicked scorn God
and get away with it,
Why the wicked are so cocksure
they’ll never come up for audit.
 
14 But you know all about it—
the contempt, the abuse.
I dare to believe that the luckless
will get lucky someday in you.
You won’t let them down:
orphans won’t be orphans forever.
 
15-16 Break the wicked right arms,
break all the evil left arms.
Search and destroy
every sign of crime.
God’s grace and order wins;
godlessness loses.
 
17-18 The victim’s faint pulse picks up;
the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood
as you put your ear to their lips.
Orphans get parents,
the homeless get homes.
The reign of terror is over,
the rule of the gang lords is ended.
Psalm 10
 
God is on the move. God is in control. God knows what you are going through. Always.
 
As we prayer through the Psalms, let us pray in Jesus Name, Amen.
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THE BOOK OF HALLELUJAHS!

Posted on August 24, 2016 by randscallawayffm
Psalms of Honesty and Truth
 
How are our lives governed? What “foot” do we lead with, the one that sometimes gets stuck in our mouth, saying all the wrong things in situations that, instead, desperately need words of hope? Are we “yeah, but-ters? Don’t tell me you don’t know what a “yeah, but” is because ALL of us have sinned on this one. Someone offers positive words of hope, and we dash hope and derail the comment with, “Yeah, but…what if this or that happens?” “Yeah, but, I can’t help you because of this ailment I have.” “Yeah, but, there aren’t enough funds or people resources to pull that off because…” and the “yeah, buts” can continue on for hours, days, weeks and months until a life, a project, a challenge is killed.
 
That’s why I love reading this passage this morning! It is the book of Hallelujahs! It is songs of praise to the God who is always right beside us, the One and Only who is there when we call! There is no reason to “yeah, but” the following Psalm that proclaims the character and awesome nature of our God! My favorite verses in this song are
 
“I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs;
on the corner of Main and First
I’ll hold a street meeting;
I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air
with salvation songs.”
 
Instead of leading out with the foot of despair that sucks life from people, lead with Christ who taught us how to live with hope, encouraging others, always pointing them to Jesus! No “yeah, buts” here!
 
Psalm 9, The Message
A David Psalm
 
9 1-2 I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart,
I’m writing the book on your wonders.
I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
I’m singing your song, High God.
 
3-4 The day my enemies turned tail and ran,
they stumbled on you and fell on their faces.
You took over and set everything right;
when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.
 
5-6 You blow the whistle on godless nations;
you throw dirty players out of the game,
wipe their names right off the roster.
Enemies disappear from the sidelines,
their reputation trashed,
their names erased from the halls of fame.
 
7-8 God holds the high center,
he sees and sets the world’s mess right.
He decides what is right for us earthlings,
gives people their just deserts.
 
9-10 God’s a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you’re never sorry you knocked.
 
11-12 Sing your songs to Zion-dwelling God,
tell his stories to everyone you meet:
How he tracks down killers
yet keeps his eye on us,
registers every whimper and moan.
 
13-14 Be kind to me, God;
I’ve been kicked around long enough.
Once you’ve pulled me back
from the gates of death,
I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs;
on the corner of Main and First
I’ll hold a street meeting;
I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air
with salvation songs.
1
15-16 They’re trapped, those godless countries,
in the very snares they set,
Their feet all tangled
in the net they spread.
They have no excuse;
the way God works is well-known.
The cunning machinery made by the wicked
has maimed their own hands.
 
17-20 The wicked bought a one-way
ticket to hell.
No longer will the poor be nameless—
no more humiliation for the humble.
Up, God! Aren’t you fed up with their empty strutting?
Expose these grand pretensions!
Shake them up, God!
Show them how silly they look.
psalm 9 grateful
What do we learn and want to think about?
–When we need God, He is there. Always. He is in charge. He is God and we are not.
–Begin the day praising God and all our problems, concerns and troubling circumstances are put into a new perspective.
–Never say, “yeah, but” to God!
–Let God have His way in us.
–The way God works is famous and magnificent!
–You will never be sorry for entering “Yahweh’s safe house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked.”
 
Count your blessings…no, really! Think of it this way, what if we began counting and taking note of all the problems we DON’T have? That, in itself, are blessings beyond our wildest dreams and will shock us back into God’s praise!
 
All this, in Jesus Name, Amen. I believe. No “yeah, buts” here, Lord.
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LET’S JUST PRAISE THE LORD, GOD!

Posted on August 23, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

There are a lot of days when we realize just how magnificent God is to us and to others. We look around our world of nature and wonder fills our mind. We ask out loud, how did create the roses we enjoy and the mighty trees in our own backyard that keep rising to the skies with beauty and gracefulness? On a clear night we see the heavens adorned with bright stars, all in order, traveling through space that seems to never end. We know we are but a speck of dust in the scheme of things, but God loves us still, knows us by name and wants a pure relationship with us. Wow. And we sigh with peace while we praise our God, our Creator with all that is in us. Today is that day. Let us rejoice and just be glad.

Psalm 8, The Message
A David Psalm

God, brilliant Lord,
yours is a household name.

2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.

3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?

5-8 Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.

9 God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.

What do we learn and why praise God?
–“That God, in His remarkable condescension, should focus attention on us is proof of our dignity as creatures made in the image of God. The grandeur of men and women is found only there. Apart from knowing God, we have no understanding of who we are or what we are to do in this great universe.” (Warren Wiersbe)

Psalm 8, 1

So we’re singing…Praise God from Whom all blessing flow…
In Jesus Name, Amen

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MISCHIEF BACKFIRES, VIOLENCE BOOMERANGS

Posted on August 22, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

Little girls would run up to me on the first grade playground and yell, “Mrs. Callaway, those boys are chasing us!” This was my best advice (from experience), “If you don’t run, they can’t chase you! AND they won’t know what to do next and will run from you!” When they took my advice, they understood and loved the power that gave them of standing their ground which ended the “game” of chase. When they didn’t follow the advice the game of boyish torment and teasing continued. Mm. Also, running to me was a good thing, because I already knew what was going on.

David is being chased by his enemies. His enemies, friends of Saul, are lying about his character. He runs full blast to God for dear life. The chase is wild. “If they catch em, I’m finished. He doesn’t fight back for David has figured out in this case that “mischief backfires and violence boomerangs.” He knows that God will take care of everything. David’s trust is in Yahweh, God, His Father and Protector. God will be the judge and bring justice and deliverance. David also examines himself in this process. We can learn a lot from David and his emotional, passionate crying out to God. God is still God and we are not. Why not trust Him, only trust Him? And THEN, thank God for the rescue?

Psalm 7, The Message
1-2 God! God! I am running to you for dear life;
the chase is wild.
If they catch me, I’m finished:
ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,
dragged into the forest and left
unlooked for, unremembered.
3-5 God, if I’ve done what they say—
betrayed my friends,
ripped off my enemies—
If my hands are really that dirty,
let them get me, walk all over me,
leave me flat on my face in the dirt.
6-8 Stand up, God; pit your holy fury
against my furious enemies.
Wake up, God. My accusers have packed
the courtroom; it’s judgment time.
Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel,
throw out the false charges against me.
I’m ready, confident in your verdict:
“Innocent.”
9-11 Close the book on Evil, God,
but publish your mandate for us.
You get us ready for life:
you probe for our soft spots,
you knock off our rough edges.
And I’m feeling so fit, so safe:
made right, kept right.
God in solemn honor does things right,
but his nerves are sandpapered raw.
11-13 Nobody gets by with anything.
God is already in action—
Sword honed on his whetstone,
bow strung, arrow on the string,
Lethal weapons in hand,
each arrow a flaming missile.
14 Look at that guy!
He had sex with sin,
he’s pregnant with evil.
Oh, look! He’s having
the baby—a Lie-Baby!
15-16 See that man shoveling day after day,
digging, then concealing, his man-trap
down that lonely stretch of road?
Go back and look again—you’ll see him in it headfirst,
legs waving in the breeze.
That’s what happens:
mischief backfires;
violence boomerangs.
17 I’m thanking God, who makes things right.
I’m singing the fame of heaven-high God.

psalm 7 b

What do we learn?

–David is maligned and tormented by Saul and his crew who want to destroy him for he is a rival and one of God’s own.
–David runs for dear life to God. He knows he cannot take care of this by himself.
–We are sometimes maligned by others who want power and will say and do anything to get it. When people falsely accuse us and create problems for us, we should follow David’s example and find refuge in the Lord. But let’s be sure that we are suffering wrongfully and not because of our own foolishness or disobedience (Matt. 5:11-12; 1 Peter 3:13-17).
–What is our motive? Are our own hearts clean? Hands clean? How important it is that we are open and honest with both our Lord and ourselves. If he was proved guilty, then David was willing for his own honor to be laid in the dust; but David knew that his hands were clean.
–God judges sinners righteously (vv. 6-13). David didn’t take the situation into his own hands; rather, he turned Saul and his scheming men over to the Lord. Only God’s holy anger could truly vindicate David (Rom. 12:17-21).
–Sin Itself judges sinners ultimately (vv. 14-17). The image of sin as pregnancy is frequently found in Scripture (James 1:13-15). Sinners “conceive” sin, like a monstrous child, eventually grows up and destroys them. They dig pits and fall into them themselves. Trouble they cause comes back on their own heads (Gal. 6:7). There is a work of divine retribution in this world, and nobody can escape it.
–People may not like the way God runs His universe, but, as Dorothy Sayers expressed it, “for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is–limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death–He had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine.”
–David, as always, ends his “song” with praise:
“I’m thanking God, who makes things right.
I’m singing the fame of heaven-high Yahweh.”

Dear Heavenly Father, Keep us alert to our own sins so that we can repent of them and be made clean as we run to you for help. Thank you for the help that comes. Thank you for all those times when You rescued me before I even knew I needed rescued. You are amazing and the only one to trust! Thank you for always being there for those who believe and trust in You. In Jesus Name, Amen

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TIRED IN BATTLE?

Posted on August 21, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Truth

We do grow weary in doing good, but what does God’s Word tell us? Don’t give up! And don’t give in to the tiredness. We are humans. Of course we will tire of the daily battle of fighting the enemy away from our efforts to be more and more like Christ.

David is besieged by an enemy, quite possible physical death. He feels he is about to die. Suffering is allowed by God sometimes to discipline us. David records the stages in his difficult experience of moving by faith from trial to triumph. David’s writing follows this pattern often. He cries out to God. He repents. He sees from God’s perspective, followed by thanksgiving for God’s refuge, rescue, deliverance and redemption. That’s what being honest and truthful before God renders…peace through redemption by really hearing what God has to say and recognizing that God is always at work in and through us. We are a redeemed people! Do we live like we know this?

From my own experience and pastoral ministry, I’ve learned that sickness and pain either make us better or bitter, and the difference is faith. If we turn to God, pray, remember His promises, and trust Him, we will find His grace sufficient for our needs (2 Cor. 12:9). The Lord may not do what we ask, when we want it, but He will do what needs to be done and help us glorify His name. The question we should ask isn’t “When will I get out of this?” but “What can I get out of this?”

A David Psalm

1-2 Please, God, no more yelling,
no more trips to the woodshed.
Treat me nice for a change;
I’m so starved for affection.

2-3 Can’t you see I’m black-and-blue,
beat up badly in bones and soul?
God, how long will it take
for you to let up?

4-5 Break in, God, and break up this fight;
if you love me at all, get me out of here.
I’m no good to you dead, am I?
I can’t sing in your choir if I’m buried in some tomb!

6-7 I’m tired of all this—so tired. My bed
has been floating forty days and nights
On the flood of my tears.
My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.
The sockets of my eyes are black holes;
nearly blind, I squint and grope.

8-9 Get out of here, you Devil’s crew:
at last God has heard my sobs.
My requests have all been granted,
my prayers are answered.

10 Cowards, my enemies disappear.
Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

Psalm-6-save me

In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.

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GOD-SEEKERS…DECKED OUT IN DELIGHT!

Posted on August 20, 2016 by randscallawayffm
Psalms of Honesty and Truth
 
There are days, like this morning, that I couldn’t wait to get out of bed and run to God…not with delight but with cries for help. Sometimes our systematic praying is put aside to simply run to God, like a child who has been hurt, runs to mom or dad. If someone else listened in, our cries might be judged as selfish. Don’t judge. We are just being honest. We hurt. We know who to run to for help. We know who will calm us, bring peace and pour unconditional love over us until the hurt is soothed, and we realize, once again, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, how to keep moving forward.
 
This is David’s Psalm of honesty. He begins with cries for help, stating his cause and ends with praise for the One and Only who can calm his fears and anxiety and can talk him off the ledge of life. We can learn from David’s system of prayer…honesty and truth. Maybe that’s why he is the “apple of God’s eyes”. God is Truth. God hears only truth, whether we speak it out loud or not.
 
Psalm 5, The Message
1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention!
Can you make sense of these ramblings,
my groans and cries?
King-God, I need your help.
Every morning
you’ll hear me at it again.
Every morning
I lay out the pieces of my life
on your altar
and watch for fire to descend.
 
4-6 You don’t socialize with Wicked,
or invite Evil over as your houseguest.
Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you;
you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.
God destroys Lie-Speaker;
Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.
 
7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
it’s incredible!
I enter your house; here I am,
prostrate in your inner sanctum,
Waiting for directions
to get me safely through enemy lines.
 
9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;
their lungs breathe out poison gas.
Their throats are gaping graves,
their tongues slick as mudslides.
Pile on the guilt, God!
Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.
Kick them out! They’ve had their chance.
 
11-12 But you’ll welcome us with open arms
when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night!
Stand guard over our celebration.
You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
for decking us out in delight.
Psalm 5
What do we learn?
–Come before God with honesty. He can take it.
–David was open with the Lord and admitted his inward pain (“meditation” can be translated “groaning”), and his prayer was a cry for help.
–David was a man with a broken heart, but he knew that the Lord understood his sighs and groanings (see Rom. 8:26).
–We may come to God’s gracious throne with “freedom of speech” (“boldly” in Heb. 4:16; and see 10:19) because the Father knows our hearts and our needs and welcomes us.
–No matter how we feel…come to God…every morning.
–David kept this appointment “morning by morning” and allowed nothing to interfere. (See Ps. 55:17-18; 59:16; 88:13; 92:2.)
–The Lord expects those who love Him to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
–Evil is not an abstraction; it’s a terrible force in this world, wrecking lives and capturing people for hell. God’s hatred of evil isn’t emotional; it’s judicial, an expression of His holiness.
–It is the evil in this world that brings on our “pain”, so crying out to the Lord is inevitable, unavoidable and necessary!
–David prayed for guidance, justice, and God’s blessing.
–Finally, David began his devotions seeking help for himself but ended by seeking blessing for all the people, including his enemies. That’s the way our devotional times ought to end. Then what God desires becomes more what we desire. We are delighted in His desires. We are one with the Three in One.
 
We pray this Psalm in Your Blessed, Holy Name dear Jesus, Amen.
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GOD’S MORE THAN ENOUGH!

Posted on August 19, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth   At the end of the day do we stop and consider just how much God intervened in our day? Are we grateful that we got to work and back home without trouble? Do we thank h…

Source: GOD’S MORE THAN ENOUGH!

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GOD’S MORE THAN ENOUGH!

Posted on August 19, 2016 by randscallawayffm
Psalms of Honesty and Truth
 
At the end of the day do we stop and consider just how much God intervened in our day? Are we grateful that we got to work and back home without trouble? Do we thank him for the blessing of a home to come home to after work? Do we thank him for the food that is in the pantry that can be thrown together to be a good meal? Do we thank him for the clothes on our back, a job to go to, a family to come back to, dishes to use, a box to keep our food cold, an oven to heat things up? If you really stop and think about all the blessing you have, the rest of what is dominating our minds may fade away as gratefulness to God takes over. God is more than enough!
 
Let’s get more serious. The aforementioned items were all things to make our lives easier. Have we stopped what we are busily doing each day to thank God for sending His Son to save us for eternity? Have we thanked Jesus for going through mocking, jeering, excruciating pain of being nailed to a cross for OUR sins? We are, by nature, a complaining society. And I am ashamed.
 
Let us pray this Psalm with this key verse in mind all day long today, “I have God’s more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day.”
Psalm 4
Psalm 4, The Message
A David Psalm
 
When I call, give me answers. God, take my side!
Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;
Now I’m in trouble again: grace me! hear me!
 
2 You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?
How long will you lust after lies?
How long will you live crazed by illusion?
 
3 Look at this: look
Who got picked by God!
He listens the split second I call to him.
 
4-5 Complain if you must, but don’t lash out.
Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.
Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.
 
6-7 Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say.
“More, more.”
I have God’s more-than-enough,
More joy in one ordinary day
 
7-8 Than they get in all their shopping sprees.
At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep,
For you, God, have put my life back together.
 
In Jesus Name, Amen
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CLOTHED IN BLESSINGS

Posted on August 18, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth   We cry out for help from God…and He gives it! Maybe it is not exactly what we asked for because we are human but God gives according to what He sees as best for …

Source: CLOTHED IN BLESSINGS

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