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Psalm 116

When is the last time you felt overwhelmed?  Maybe you were running from something that you knew was ultimately going to catch up with you no matter how fast your feet could carry you?  If you are reading this, well then, congratulations, you survived and you have something very valuable to share with others.

Psalm 116 is a thank you note written after a near death experience.  He was at rock bottom, cried out to God, got pulled through, and now wants everyone to know about it.

We love God because He listens.  Sometimes we are ‘drowning’ yet He still comes through.  He keeps us alive, dries our tears, and keeps us from falling.  We hold on even when we find ourselves a mess.  And we wonder, how do we ever repay Him for this??

Funny, I was having coffee with a friend today who I meet up with about every 6 months if not sooner.  We very much enjoy each other’s company, but we are polar opposites about so many aspects of life.  Religion is one of them.  He even mentioned today how he is not a religious man but certainly is not offended by anyone that is (i.e. me!).

But it was interesting as I found myself later in the conversation discussing the moment almost 3 years ago that I was in, what I believed to be, a near death experience.  I had never discussed it with him before.  I very quickly covered some of the details of that day and without thinking about what I was saying, I was giving all grace to God and one of my guardian angels for making it through the other side.  And for a few seconds, I could see him thinking about what it might be like to share my beliefs.

His demeanor shifted just for a minute.  I saw him study my words as if he was listening to me give him a very quick and poignant testimony.  Its as if he was open, just for a second, to peak inside and get a glimpse of what God’s work had done at that moment in my life.  Then BOOM, back to reality and regular conversation.

We said our goodbyes, after a two hour coffee talk.  I got in my truck, and I thought about that moment for a second.  That person doesn’t want someone to give him a sermon.  God knows that this is not how he operates.  Instead, that five minute testimony was the maximum amount of time God knew he could handle before I lose his interest.  On the flip side, I believe those short 5 minutes gave me an opening and cracked the window further with my friend in the future and hopefully grant me 10 minutes next time to stretch the spiritual conversation a little further.

That is a big part in how we repay Him!  We find and use moments like that in our lives, with people who aren’t sure or have simply never had those conversations and we share what we can when we have the opportunity, just like the writer of Psalm 116.  Go forward and never once be nervous, scared, shy, or embarrassed to share God’s word, especially the way He has impacted your life.  We all have at least one story worth sharing, worth listening to.  Verse 18, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people”.  Amen.

Psalm 107

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” — Psalm 107:1 (NKJV)

Psalm 107 reminds us of God’s unwavering faithfulness. Throughout the chapter, people are lost, imprisoned, suffering, or overwhelmed by storms. Despite their circumstances, they share one response: they cry out to God, and He delivers them.

Last Tuesday’s elections remind us how easily we place our hopes or fears in earthly leadership. Whether you celebrated the results or were disappointed, one truth remains: God is sovereign. His authority is greater than any election, political party, or elected official. Our peace comes from trusting His plan, not political outcomes.

As Christians, we also recognize that life on earth was never promised to be perfect. We live in a fallen, sinful world filled with suffering, division, and uncertainty. But we have an incredible promise: Jesus Christ will come again. His return is certain, and those who place their faith in Him have the assurance of eternal life. Our ultimate hope is not in making this world perfect, but in the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 107 encourages us to remember God’s past faithfulness and trust Him with tomorrow.

Personal Reflection: Am I placing my hope in earthly circumstances or in God’s eternal promises?

Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy and faithfulness. Help us trust Your sovereignty, remain steadfast in our faith, and find peace in the promise of Christ’s return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Psalm 34

“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Ps. 34:8). In this psalm, David has an encouragement to the reader to actually experience God’s goodness. He doesn’t want the reader to just take David’s word for it. He wants the reader to actually get a taste of God’s goodness. Tasting and seeing are two of the five senses that we as humans use to experience the material world. If you are anything like me, my favorite sense is tasting. A good-tasting homemade chocolate chip cookie brings satisfaction and contentment to my life. Likewise, getting a taste of God’s goodness in my life ought to bring satisfaction and contentment as well.

To taste and see the goodness of God, you must trust in Him. To experience, and therefore enjoy, God’s protection, defense, provision, graciousness, mercy, love, and goodness you must trust Him. David had tasted and seen God’s goodness in his deliverance from his troubles.

A major way that I experience God’s goodness is when I take a step of faith in full reliance on Him. When I have no strength in and of myself I see God move in my life for His own glory. My heart is that you would say yes to God and put yourself in situations to taste and see that He is good.

The last thing to talk about here is that we don’t base our relationship with Jesus solely on feelings and experiences. We must also know that He is Good and trust in what the Bible reveals about God. Some of the most intimate times I have had with God lately have been when I am sitting and meditating on a truth about Him. Recently, I have been thinking about how Jesus satisfied the full wrath of God for my sins. Pondering the pain and suffering he endured on the cross to reconcile me to Himself fills my heart with gratitude. We can always gain more knowledge about who God is and we can always deepen the knowledge that we already have about God, but my heart for you is that you would richen the knowledge you have of God. This is where the simple truths of Christ settle deeply in your heart expanding your love for Jesus.

Today’s Reading: Psalms 27

As we get older, time seems to go faster and faster. 

We just celebrated Halloween a couple days ago and it feels like two weeks ago was the beginning of the year. 

This realization has shown me that we are moving quickly in time. It also shows the realization that we have this beautiful gift of life as a limited engagement. We know that at one point in time, we will leave this body, but the time and place is uncertain. What do we do in the final time that we are given?

Over the past couple weeks, I had a great opportunity to connect with some younger individuals. Last week, I had the privilege to host a pharmacy student for a week.  During this week, we connected and formed a great  professional relationship. At the end of the week, the student stated that this was one of the most influential times that she has had during her time in graduate school. She learned more in a week with me than in the last several months in school. When she left, she was saddened but at the same time excited about this new relationship that we have created to help her in our future studies.

This past week, I also had the honor to speak to some scholars at a monthly meeting. The presentation  was about an hour.  During this time I gave them a glimpse of my past and what God has done for me over the years from childhood up until now. I thought that the information would be not received, and that my experiences would not help or shape these individuals. But I received feedback that those brief minutes that we had together actually were very impactful.

These are some examples of how a finite set of time may seem somewhat insignificant to us at the moment , but these moments you share and engage with others can have a lasting impact on them. 

In todays reading of Psalms 27,  David states “I’m asking GOD for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬

David is saying that we are going to  be here for a finite  period of time. David also understands that the one thing that will be impactful for him is to be in God‘s presence. No matter how much we are busy with everything else if we take time to be in God‘s presence for any amount of time, this limited engagement will be so much more impactful to us.

We are given limited engagements every day. These limited engagements can change us and change others without us really understanding the true impact. When we are given these opportunities, we need to allow God to work in us to show his goodness. We do not know if that  connection with us will be their last connection ever. We do not know if that connection with that person may create a spark that will grow for generations. We know that we have a finite time.

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

David even shows that he knows his time will be limited. We cannot live on this earth forever. During the time that we have let us be an inspiration during this limited engagement.

1 John 1

The short of it.  God is REAL!

The disciple John wrote this as an older man, likely in the first century, to the churches he cared about.  His writing here can be perceived as push back to the teachings in other churches at the time who were spreading a couple different ideas.

1. Jesus wasn’t really a flesh and blood human
2. What you do with your body doesn’t matter if you have the right “spiritual knowledge”

Three takeaways from the reading –

1. Christianity isn’t built on good philosophy. It lays on eyewitness testimony about a real person.  John’s writing is essentially him saying, ‘here’s my receipts’.
2. Faith and lifestyle aren’t separate boxes. Walking ‘in the light’ means no secrets.  Instead, it means to live transparently with nothing your trying to hide.
3. The goal isn’t to pretend to be perfect. It’s to be honest.  Confession isn’t begging. It’s agreeing with God about what’s true, and then receiving the forgiveness he’s already promised.

John isn’t passing along rumors about Jesus he heard online.  He heard Jesus talk.  He saw Him with his own eyes.  He touched Him.  Just being able to share that with people gave John the truest sense of joy.

God is COMPLETELY good.  There is no shady side to Him, no agenda, no darkness.  So, if you know someone who says that they are ‘close with God’ but are living 2 separate lives, they are simply not being honest.  But if we live openly and honestly, the way God is, then we can have real fellowship with each other, and Jesus’ sacrifice keeps us clean.

If we say and believe we don’t live in sin, we are absolutely kidding ourselves, and everyone else can see it.  But if we are upfront and admit it, God is faithful and fair.  He forgives us and makes up entirely clean.  If anyone insists they have never done anything wrong, they are basically calling God a liar and showing his message hasn’t really sunk into them.

Here comes a shocker to all….sometimes I act one way at home and turn around and act a little bit different out in the world.  Guilty.  And the crazy thing, I know I am doing it when I am doing it.  AND, it is always one of the first things I ask God to forgive me for every night.

To be thankful to Him is an understatement when we acknowledge that we simply aren’t a perfect person and in no way are we ever going to be.   Obviously, this doesn’t give any of us free reign to do as we please and ask for forgiveness later, but it certainly feels amazing to have a relationship with someone who loves and forgives us no matter what mistakes we can make on this earth.

God, You are light, You are faithful.  Help me walk honestly with You and thank You for the forgiveness I don’t have to earn.

2 Thessalonians 2

This chapter is one of the few places in scripture that we see reference to a world leader in the end times. This individual has a few titles: son of perdition, the lawless one, the Antichrist, the man of sin, the little horn, and the beast. This individual will receive his power, authority, and dominion from Satan (Rev. 13; 2 Thess. 2:9). This man will convince the world to come together in unity and will likely bring peace to the middle east by some agreement or covenant (Dan. 9:27). He will rule over the earth for two sets of three and a half years (Dan. 9:27). The first three and a half years will be somewhat peaceful and liveable. The second three and a half years will be devastating. The switch is marked by an event called the abomination of desolation (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4). The Antichrist will exalt himself as God in the temple and stop offerings and sacrifices. After this, he demands worship or his statue image will kill you (Rev. 13:15). There is more to say about the antichrist and the endtimes, but there isn’t enough time here.

What is important in our context is the church at Thessalonica thought they were already in the tribulation. Paul is reassuring these people they didn’t miss Jesus. A few things have to happen first: the falling away or apostacy, the Antichrist needs to be revealed, and the Holy Spirit within the Church taken away. There are two ways to look at the apostacy. The first is that there will people who fall away from the Truth and forsake their salvation or there will be a falling away of Truth. I personally believe that restraining force is the Holy Spirit at work within the Church pushing evil back. The people of God are referred to as light that exposes darkness and salt that preserves righteousness. We don’t do this of ourselves, it’s by the power of the Holy Spirit. I think the restrainer being taken away is in alignment with a pretribulation rapture view among other lines of reasoning. What we do know for sure is that Jesus wins in the end! Jesus will come back and destroy the antichrist and all rebellious souls and spirits (Dan. 7:13-14; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:11-21, Matt. 24:29-31).

Paul ends a rather bleak chapter about the end of the world with some amazing truths for the believer. You were chosen at the beginning. Before the world was created, God chose you, yet you still acted freely and chose to believe in the Truth (2 Thess. 2:13). How amazing is our God. It is because you are a Christian that you must stand fast and remain in the True Doctrine of Jesus Christ.  Beware of proggressive Christianity that changes doctrine to fit their lifestyle and their beliefs. May we be a  Church that is sold out for True Doctrine, pushing back evil until Jesus meets us in the sky!