Psalms Challenge

I am setting a Psalms challenge for myself: to go through the Psalms, picking out verses that impart more knowledge of who God is. Sometimes I think people are hesitant to know God because they do not know what kind of God He might turn out to be.

I love the poetry and purpose of the Psalms, as they are both songs and prayers, both cries of pain and praise, and both personal and able to be used in the assembly of believers.

Today is Psalm 1:

Though this Psalm is primarily about the righteous man and the wicked man, the last verse tells us that, "the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

This reassures me of God's justice, love of righteousness, and hatred for wicked things. In a world that is often tainted, and in novels where the hero has to have a "tragic flaw," it is so comforting to know of God's pure, righteous character.

In a world of so much injustice, it is good to know that God is following each person, and knows their ways, whether wicked or righteous. And His justice will be carried out.

Of course, we are all the wicked man (or woman) at some point, walking in the counsel of those who don't have Godly things in mind. But If we are delighting in the law of the Lord, and have accepted the blood of Christ, by faith, as an atonement for our sin, then we are given His righteousness, which we can walk in!


Thank God for His righteousness and justice today. Thank Him for the blood of Christ, by which you can be called righteous. What a great God we serve!

Let the Little Children Come

Working with young children, I have discovered a true secret: God is at work even in very young hearts and minds. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these because they believe in things so easily.

All I have to do is tell them that God is Holy, set apart, and perfect. He never makes mistakes. And they believe it. They are willing to believe there is a perfect and Holy God out there who loves them. Not simply because they are naive, but because they have not learned to be skeptical. There is something refreshing about such genuine and childish faith.

One 5 year old girl told me she didn't know God, so I told her that even though she didn't know Him, He knew everything about her. I told her He knew everything she had ever done, and even knew how many hairs were on her head. She was very impressed.
So then I told her that He knew even the naughty things she had done, yet He still loved her, and He sent Jesus to die for her so she could be with God.

"Oh, I love Him! I love God!" She shouted uncontrollably, clearly delighted at this news. Sometimes I think we make it all too complicated, and feel we have to know everything about God, and the mystery of salvation, before we feel we are a "real Christian."


But God made it clear that it is, "By grace through faith that you have been saved, not by works, so that no one can boast." Accept the free gift of salvation today, with a childlike faith, but a heart and mind that are ever-seeking more knowledge of your Father.

Living Monuments

I enjoy graveyards. Not in a creepy, emo way, but because I can read the names, the dates, and think about the lives of those who came before me on this Earth. Sometimes, though, it seems to be a contest to see which person has the biggest tombstone or monument erected in their name.

I cannot help but think, however, that the trees in the graveyards are much taller and more grand than any tombstone or monument. They also have the propensity to grow. A stone, however, remains a stone.

A stone stands for the life of one or more individuals, and marks their remembered presence here on this Earth. A tree, however, is a monument which honors it's Creator, testifying to His existence and grandeur. The bigger, and more beautiful it becomes, the more glory it brings to God!

It is a beautiful thing to remember that, "It is He who made the Earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the Heavens." (Jeremiah 10:12)

God's works testify to His power, His wisdom, and His understanding, but often our works testify to our stubborn stupidity. "Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, there is no breath in them." (Jeremiah 10:14).

Tombstones are not our idols, but they can represent the meaningless toil we endure on this Earth when we have anything else as our goal besides God. Knowing Him, enjoying Him, and following Him in obedience should be our response. If we become more like a tree, growing and stretching towards our Creator, acknowledging that it is He who formed us and He who guides our steps, then we will become ourselves a grand monument to Our Great Lord of Heaven!