IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER?

Posted on September 7, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

“Is that your final answer?” We hear many times on the game show, The Pyramid. Sometimes I think the MC tries to trip up the contestant, to rethink his answer or overthink his answer by asking the question, Is THAT you final answer? Or maybe he just wants them to be sure. Mm.

When it comes to trust, what is our final answer? Maybe a better question is WHO is our final answer? Many trust in the things of this world to get them through each day…until the thing or things fail, break or stop working. Many trust in people to meet all their human needs…until one or more of those close to them lets them down. It’s not fair or right to put all your trust in a person who could not possibly meet all your needs.

David, the confident new leader sings a song of praise to our Sovereign Lord with a message. Trust only in God! Raise the roof of praise to the One and Only in whom all blessings flow! Verse 9 affirms that the Lord is sovereign because He hears prayer and is able to answer. David may plan his strategies for the battles ahead, but it is the Lord alone who determines the outcome. David knew that. God has the final answer. Believe and Trust.

Psalm 20, The Message

A David Psalm

1-4 God answer you on the day you crash,
The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm’s reach,
Send reinforcements from Holy Hill,
Dispatch from Zion fresh supplies,
Exclaim over your offerings,
Celebrate your sacrifices,
Give you what your heart desires,
Accomplish your plans.

5 When you win, we plan to raise the roof
and lead the parade with our banners.
May all your wishes come true!

6 That clinches it—help’s coming,
an answer’s on the way,
everything’s going to work out.

7-8 See those people polishing their chariots,
and those others grooming their horses?
But we’re making garlands for God our God.
The chariots will rust,
those horses pull up lame—
and we’ll be on our feet, standing tall.

9 Make the king a winner, God;
the day we call, give us your answer.

This was a prayer offered before battle. What impending battles can you pray about? WHO do you trust for the final outcome?

praying-through-the-psalms-psalm-20

Dear Heavenly Father, You are the One and Only we trust with the lives you gave us. We praise You today and give honor to You alone for all the glorious outcomes in our lives. We thank you for Your Presence in all the battles and skirmishes of this life. Go with this day, again with a fresh outlook, confidence because of you living in us and wisdom. Our trust is in You. In Jesus Name, Amen

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WORDS…THEN THERE’S GOD’S WORD

Posted on September 6, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

Words, words, words. We have lots of words to say, to write down, to email, to facebook, to facetime, and in all the other forms of media. Words bombard our lives as we have the TV on almost 24/7. We wake up to words. We go to sleep with words. What are the words written on our hearts? What words do we chew on or think about all day long? Are they past words of hurt that we keep replaying or words of life that we have just learned from God’s Word to us?

Words. Some words are foolish. We laugh over some words. We cry over some words. God’s Word is like a hidden treasure of wisdom that has just been discovered. If we allow His Word to permeate our hearts, minds and souls, we discover that those very words have transforming power to save us from ourselves, to change us into the person we’ve always wanted to be and then challenge us to move a little farther down the road with God.

David’s song of praise for God and His Word is uplifting, encouraging, challenging and convicting. Be blessed by reading and “chewing” on these words all day long.

Psalm 19, The Message
A David Psalm

1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
Professor Night lectures each evening.

3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.

4-5 God makes a huge dome
for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
racing to the tape.

6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
warming hearts to faith.

7-9 The revelation of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
down to the nth degree.

10 God’s Word is better than a diamond,
better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
better than red, ripe strawberries.

11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
Keep me from stupid sins,
from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Psalm 19 pleasing

–Remember, only God is to be praised and His Word used to guide our lives and hear His voice speak to us. His Word leads us to his salvation found only through His Son, Jesus Christ.

May the Holy Spirit guide us in true understanding of these nuggets of treasure that lift us up and allow us to get a better view of our lives in relationship to our God. In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD IS THE ONLY GOD…and i am not.

Posted on September 5, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

The remaining verses of David’s song to His Father, God, warms our own hearts with reminders of how God has rescued us, provided victories in the trials of this life while molding and shaping us for His purposes all along our journey with Him. He is God and we are not is our life song, our mantra for life.

“Is there anyone like our God?”, David declares. We immediately respond with a resounding “NO”! He is our rock, the God of our salvation. Sing and shout praises for the Lord is our God who loved us before we knew Him, who rescued us before we knew we needed it and while we were rebellious sinners, provided a way to be saved. No, there is no one like our God!

God Equips Us When We Submit to Him (vv. 28-45). What was God accomplishing during those difficult years of Saul’s reign? For one thing, He was disciplining His people for running ahead of Him and making Saul king! In His long-suffering, He was also giving Saul opportunities to repent. At the same time, He was equipping David for his years of service. God takes time to prepare His servants: thirteen years for Joseph, forty years for Moses, and forty years for Joshua. The lessons David learned about himself and God during those years of exile helped to make him the man he was. The images in these verses reveal God developing a great warrior, a compassionate leader, and a godly man.

Because David trusted God (v. 30), God enabled him to run, leap, fight, and defeat the enemy (vv. 29, 32-34, 37-45). He could run through a troop, scale a wall, or leap like a deer up the mountains. This is not a glorification of war, for God trained him to fight His battles (v. 34) and protect Israel so they could accomplish His purposes on earth. After looking back at God’s gracious ministry to him, what else could David do but praise Him?

Psalm 18, The Message (Final stanzas of David’s song)

31-42 Is there any god like God?
Are we not at bedrock?
Is not this the God who armed me,
then aimed me in the right direction?
Now I run like a deer;
I’m king of the mountain.
He shows me how to fight;
I can bend a bronze bow!
You protect me with salvation-armor;
you hold me up with a firm hand,
caress me with your gentle ways.

You cleared the ground under me
so my footing was firm.
When I chased my enemies I caught them;
I didn’t let go till they were dead men.
I nailed them; they were down for good;
then I walked all over them.
You armed me well for this fight,
you smashed the upstarts.
You made my enemies turn tail,
and I wiped out the haters.
They cried “uncle”
but Uncle didn’t come;
They yelled for God
and got no for an answer.
I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.
I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.

43-45 You rescued me from a squabbling people;
you made me a leader of nations.
People I’d never heard of served me;
the moment they got wind of me they listened.
The foreign devils gave up; they came
on their bellies, crawling from their hideouts.

46-48 Live, God! Blessings from my Rock,
my free and freeing God, towering!
This God set things right for me
and shut up the people who talked back.
He rescued me from enemy anger,
he pulled me from the grip of upstarts,
He saved me from the bullies.

49-50 That’s why I’m thanking you, God,
all over the world.
That’s why I’m singing songs
that rhyme your name.
God’s king takes the trophy;
God’s chosen is beloved.
I mean David and all his children—
always.

No one like our God 2

Pause to remember a recent victory God gave to you. Now, praise Him! Remember the lessons you learned before and after the victory, for it is those truths that mold and shape us for our future with God in the lead.

I’m thank you, God for salvation, peace, hope, lessons learned, joy, provisions, protection and Your love. May Your glory be seen in my life. In Jesus Name, Amen

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RUN TO GOD!

Posted on September 4, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

We run to the store. We run in races for health and friendly competition. We run and even jump hurdles to get to the finish line. We run to better our time in running. We run to pick up the kids from practice where they run in sports of all kinds. We run to get groceries so we can run home to fix a quick dinner so we can run to the meeting at church. Or we run by the fast food or deli to get dinner so we can run to…..You get the picture. We are always running here and there. I think of this when I read a key verse in the passage from Psalm 18 today, “Everyone who runs toward him (God) makes it. In all our “running”, are we running to God or away from God in our journey?

David speaks of rich blessings of God’s glory flooding our souls when we run to God…

Psalm 18, The Message

25-27 The good people taste your goodness,
The whole people taste your health,
The true people taste your truth,
The bad ones can’t figure you out.
You take the side of the down-and-out,
But the stuck-up you take down a peg.

28-29 Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;
I’m blazing with glory, God’s glory!
I smash the bands of marauders,
I vault the highest fences.

30 What a God! His road
stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.

Psalm 18 32

Pause to think…who or what am I running to and for what reason? Am I running to God, for God, with God being lead by God who is running ahead of me? Yes, everyone who runs toward God…makes it…to the finish line. Run God’s race to win!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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BUT ME HE CAUGHT!

Posted on September 3, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

There are days when it seems like the details of your life are tidy and orderly. Your “ducks are in a row” and all is going well. You are accomplishing and growing and then it happens. One by one, all those “things” of this life begin to fall apart. Like chickens who found a hole in the fence and begin to leave the pen, you try as you might to gather the hens, and they run as you run, making it impossible to put them all back in their place.

Worse than that, life is running smoothly and then you get a diagnosis from a doctor that you were not expecting would ever happen to you…or a family member. You live a “new normal”.

Maybe it is a relationship that you thought was secure and suddenly you find out it is indeed falling apart. Hate replaces love. Calm is replaced with chaos. You wonder what went wrong.

The enemy has only a few tools and very little power, but he knows how to get to us, using the same methods over and over again. He will make us feel unworthy, unappreciated, undone and unloved when chaos ensues and life seems to fall apart. All the opposites of what God really thinks of us and desires for us. Watch for it…it happens often. And when it does, like my new favorite songs reads…Just Be Held. Be “caught” by God, loved by Him, redeemed and free.

Just be Held..By Casting Crowns
Hold it all together
Everybody needs you strong
But life hits you out of nowhere
And barely leaves you holding on

And when you’re tired of fighting
Chained by your control
There’s freedom in surrender
Lay it down and let it go

So when you’re on your knees and answers seem so far away
You’re not alone, stop holding on and just be held
Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place
I’m on the throne, stop holding on and just be held
Just be held, just be held

David is saying pretty much the same thing in the next passage of Psalm 18…
“But me he caught–reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning.”

Psalm 18, The Message

7-15
Earth wobbles and lurches;
huge mountains shake like leaves,
Quake like aspen leaves
because of his rage.
His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke;
his mouth spits fire.
Tongues of fire dart in and out;
he lowers the sky.
He steps down;
under his feet an abyss opens up.
He’s riding a winged creature,
swift on wind-wings.
Now he’s wrapped himself
in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness bursts through,
spraying hailstones and fireballs.
Then God thundered out of heaven;
the High God gave a great shout,
spraying hailstones and fireballs.
God shoots his arrows—pandemonium!
He hurls his lightnings—a rout!
The secret sources of ocean are exposed,
the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered
The moment you roar in protest,
let loose your hurricane anger.

16-19 But me he caught—reached all the way
from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

Psalm 18

Pause to take it in and take all the time you need…You are loved! You are His creation. God wants the best for you. God brings order to chaos. David continues his praise of the character and love of our Father in Heaven…

20-24 God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways;
I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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OUR CRIES BRING US TO HIS PRESENCE!

Posted on September 2, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

Our God is a just God balanced with an extreme love for us. He passionately loved us so much that He sent His One and Only Son to come to earth, from the throne and safety of heaven, to live among us, to teach us how the Word is supposed to work in our lives and then did the ultimate…laid down His life on a cross to die for our foolish sin.

Because Jesus was the Word and was part of the God, He had the power to lay down his life and pick it back up again, defeating death forever…for all of us…who believe. Is it no wonder that when His people cry out, He listens? When we honestly and opening talk to our Father, heaven stops to listen? We are in His Presence! Take all the time you need to think about that.

David knows this well. He declares His love for God and thanks Him for coming to His rescue from his enemies (Saul and his crew). This prayer Psalm of praise and thanksgiving is long so we are going to take just a few passages at a time and celebrate with David the continual rescue of our God, our Father in Heaven.

Psalm 18, The Message
A David Song, Which He Sang to God After Being Saved from All His Enemies and from Saul

1-2 I love you, God—
you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
the castle in which I live,
my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
where I run for dear life,
hiding behind the boulders,
safe in the granite hideout.

3 I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,
and find myself safe and saved.

4-5 The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;
devil waters rushed over me.
Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;
death traps barred every exit.

6 A hostile world! I call to God,
I cry to God to help me.
From his palace he hears my call;
my cry brings me right into his presence—
a private audience!

Pause to think…
Whatever you and I are going through at this very moment, God knows. We need to know that we can walk right into His Presence, just as we are, because of Jesus’ work on the cross that broke down the wall between God and us. Build a solid relationship with the One who loves you most. Know, without doubt, that we can tell God anything. Yes, anything. Then stand up tall and praise Him, giving Him glory and honor for all He has done, is doing and will do. Trust.

Psalm 18 1 2

It is the cry of my heart to follow You, it is the cry of my heart to be close to You, it is the cry of my heart to follow…all of the days of my life.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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PRAYERS EXPECTING ANSWERS

Posted on September 1, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

We pray on the run. We pray long and hard. We pray quickly. We pray as one wishing and hoping but not really expecting an answer. We are surprised when the answer comes! What? We corporately pray words written out for us. We “practice” pray as one getting ready for the Olympics of praying. Sometimes we pray with a little sermon thrown in for the “sinners” who need to listen who are in earshot of our prayers.

Some of us, when by ourselves, alone with only God, talk to God out loud as we try to figure out what is going on in our lives at the moment. Talking it out for some of us brings clarity somehow, we think. But do we take time to listen? Do we ask God to examine our hearts as we pray, making sure the motivations of our hearts are pure and holy? Do we ask for God’s rescue instead strength for our tiny efforts to solve problems ourselves? Do we go to God with injustices or try to ask God for wisdom to solve it ourselves? Are we so full of ourselves that we think God cannot handle what is going on in our lives at any given moment? How much time do we give God to answer? What is the measure of our faith? How assured are we of answers from God?

In this prayer, David deals with three pressing concerns and makes three major requests to the Lord. Each section opens with David addressing the Lord.

Psalm 17, The Message
A David Prayer

1-2 Listen while I build my case, God,
the most honest prayer you’ll ever hear.
Show the world I’m innocent—
in your heart you know I am.

3 Go ahead, examine me from inside out,
surprise me in the middle of the night—
You’ll find I’m just what I say I am.
My words don’t run loose.

4-5 I’m not trying to get my way
in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way,
your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail;
I’m putting one foot
In front of the other.
I’m not giving up.

6-7 I call to you, God, because I’m sure of an answer.
So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp!
Paint grace-graffiti on the fences;
take in your frightened children who
Are running from the neighborhood bullies
straight to you.

8-9 Keep your eye on me;
hide me under your cool wing feathers
From the wicked who are out to get me,
from mortal enemies closing in.
1
10-14 Their hearts are hard as nails,
their mouths blast hot air.
They are after me, nipping my heels,
determined to bring me down,
Lions ready to rip me apart,
young lions poised to pounce.
Up, God: beard them! break them!
By your sword, free me from their clutches;
Barehanded, God, break these mortals,
these flat-earth people who can’t think beyond today.
I’d like to see their bellies
swollen with famine food,
The weeds they’ve sown
harvested and baked into famine bread,
With second helpings for their children
and crusts for their babies to chew on.

15 And me? I plan on looking
you full in the face. When I get up,
I’ll see your full stature
and live heaven on earth.

psalm 17

David’s three, honest, pressing concerns motivate passionate requests expressed to God:
1. Vindication: Examine Me!
No matter what Saul and his men had said about him, David was able to affirm to the Lord that he had not spoken evil of the king. David’s declaration of righteousness was not evidence of pride or hypocrisy but of faithfulness to the Lord in difficult situations.
2. Protection–“Keep Your Eye on Me”
David knew that God was not only the Righteous Judge, but He was also the powerful defender who could shelter David and his men from the enemy. David prays EXPECTING an answer!
3. Salvation–“Rescue Me”
He makes suggestions to God, knowing God is able but leaves the battle to the Lord. David now sees the Lord as his gracious Redeemer, rescuing him and his men from the wicked hands of Saul. These verses contrast the “people of this world” to the “people of God” who live for that which is eternal.

Verse 15 is pivotal and important! Warren Wiersby writes; “This last verse describes David’s glorious future: seeing God’s face and sharing God’s likeness. This is one of the few texts in the Psalms that touches on the future life.”

“Awake” is a metaphor for the resurrection of the human body. David seems to be saying, “Even when I die, the Lord won’t desert me; for I shall be awakened and given a glorified body. I shall see His face, and I shall be satisfied!”

As we pray, then, let us look up, look full into the face of God, expecting that He will hear and WILL indeed answer our cries for help, our requests for others’ salvation, our own needs for protection, vindication, salvation and provision in HIS way and in HIS time. For His ways are perfect. He never sleeps and is always at work for those who love and honor Him. Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD IS NOT FOR SALE!

Posted on August 31, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

We have a ton of choices in our world today. Maybe, we have too many choices, causing too many complicated decisions, robbing us of our peace. We can choose among many kinds of products that supposedly we cannot live without. There are even many kinds of the kinds of products. I ran out of toothpaste and was shopping for more. I thought I might try something new. After reading the labels of a few dozen or more kinds, spending way too much time staring at the shelves, I walked away with the one I have always used. It gets the job done. It cleans my teeth. Whew. I don’t need this kind of pressure in my life. I will stick to what I know works!

David says why shop for gods and brands of gods who you cannot rely on and will let you down. God is not for sale. We choose Him. He chooses us. Simple. Don’t make it complicated. We love Him BECAUSE He first loved us. Abide with Him and He will abide with us. He never changes. He is always the same, the One and Only who saves us, so why go shopping for anyone or anything else?

This next Psalm should be the life song of our lives….

Psalm 16, The Message
A David Song

1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
Without you, nothing makes sense.

3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!

4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names.

5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!

7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!

11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I’m on the right way.

Psalm 16 8

Pause to realize the goodness and steadfastness of our God.

Stay with God and develop your relationship with Him as you would your best friend.

David expresses pure joy, “from the inside out and outside in” for his relationship with God. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Have you accepted your inheritance, and are you making the most of it for His glory? Do you anticipate being with Christ in glory? Is He the joy of your life today? For if He isn’t, when will you be prepared to enjoy Him for all eternity?

“Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.”

I love you, Lord with all that is in me. In Jesus Name, Amen

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THE GUEST LIST

Posted on August 30, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

Who is invited? When couples are working on a guest list for weddings and parties, it is amazing the criteria that goes into making the “cut” to be invited. You hear, “Oh, definitely invite Uncle George and Aunt Mary they are rich and give generously.” “Let’s cut the Smith’s from the list, they drink too much and will cause trouble.” “Please, not your uncle, he smokes and tells bad jokes!” “We have to bring this list down to only this number!” “Who get’s cut next?” “Yea, but I love him, he has to be invited.” Wow, it is behavior and lack of intimate relationship that most often gets cut from the list. Mm. Is getting into the wedding celebration like getting invited to God’s place? Mm.

David honestly asks God, “Who gets invited to dinner at your place?” David, who knows God and is the “apple of God’s eyes”, already knows the answer. Behavior and the motivation at the heart of our relationship is the key that opens the door to God’s place. Israel had two factions, those who loved and obeyed God and those who did not. This is what provoked the question, “Who is invited?”

It’s important to note that Psalm 15 is not a prescription for being saved but a description of how saved people ought to live if they want to please God and fellowship with Him. The list contains both positive and negative qualities, and these qualities must be present in all of life at all times. Believers who would fellowship intimately with God must follow David’s example and meet three personal requirements.

Psalm 15, The Message
A David Psalm

God, who gets invited
to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

2 “Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.

3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend,
don’t blame your neighbor;
despise the despicable.

5 “Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living,
never take a bribe.
“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

psalm 15

Pray for…
–Integrity–blameless character, “walk straight”. What we are largely determines what we do and say, so the first emphasis is on godly character.
–Honesty–righteous conduct, “act right”. People who “work righteousness” are honest in their own dealings and concerned that justice be done in the land.
–Sincerity–truthful conversation, “tell the truth”. Truth is the cement that holds society together. More trouble is caused in families, neighborhoods, offices, and churches by gossip and lies and the people who keep them in circulation than by any other means. The Lord wants truth in our innermost being, and He wants us to love the truth and protect it.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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IS THERE ANYONE AROUND TO SAVE US?

Posted on August 29, 2016 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty and Truth

In the midst of all the campaign ads of people declaring one thing but behaving quite differently than what they claim, we are frustrated. We don’t know who to trust. We don’t trust media to tell the truth. Media was not designed to tell the Truth or give the facts, only their opinion of opinions of untrustworthy people who desperately want to be known. We cannot rely on people to save us. We cannot rely on mere humans to be trusted. ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

David was frustrated at the behavior of his own…the nation of Israel and her leaders who were declared “God is gone”. He talks of how this must be disappointing to God as he looks for a leader to turn things around for his nation. There seems to be no one, only those who treat people “like fast food”. Wow. Is the church in this kind of trouble today? Do we do the business of church without being church to help build others up, to encourage each other in our walk? God knows our hearts. God is still in control. His Son, Jesus Christ is the only One to save us. People do not save us.

Yes, says the Psalmist, “God is around; Yahweh turns life around.
So, there is hope! Always.

Psalm 14, The Message

A David Psalm

Bilious and bloated, they gas,
“God is gone.”
Their words are poison gas,
fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
thistles are their cash crop.

2 God sticks his head out of heaven.
He looks around.
He’s looking for someone not stupid—
one man, even, God-expectant,
just one God-ready woman.

3 He comes up empty. A string
of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending
to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
follow their fellow.

4 Don’t they know anything,
all these impostors?
Don’t they know
they can’t get away with this—
Treating people like a fast-food meal
over which they’re too busy to pray?

5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
for God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess
with the dreams of the poor?
You can’t, for God
makes their dreams come true.

7 Is there anyone around to save Israel?
Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
turned-around Israel sings laughter.

Psalm 14

Praise God for His watch over us. He is always at work!
Turn things around Lord for Your glory, honor and praise!
In Jesus Name, Amen

Something to ponder…Those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity apart from the Lord and will honestly be able to say in hell, “There is no God–here!”

Posted in Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Encouragement, Faith, heaven, Holy Spirit, insight, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, ministry, Prayer, Psalms, Salvation, Teaching, Training, Transformation, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment