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Psalms 19-20 – 4/15/2025

Living in the age after Jesus, it is easy for me as a Christian to neglect the idea of the perfect law, a law that God has set forth to make straight the path of the people of Israel. Considering that Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the law and has come to create a new covenant with us, it is easy for me to throw any thought about that old law to the wayside. After all, Jesus changed everything for us, right? He did indeed change everything, there is no doubt about that. But that doesn’t change the fact that God’s law is still perfect forever, and that law is still to be delighted in if we are to have a full understanding of our creator and savior. 

As I read through Psalms 19, I am greeted with various verses that describe the law. It makes wise the simple, it rejoices the heart, it enlightens the eyes, it endures forever, it is righteous, more to be desired than any gold and sweeter also than honey. What admiration the Psalmists have for the law of the Lord! They know that the Lord loves them and is a righteous God, and that the boundaries that he has set for them are meant to prosper them and guide them on the path to righteousness. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” They love the Lord, and in return they desire to adhere to the law. 

God is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The law that he created is good in all times and to all people. It is perfect, and always will be. But we live in a different time than the Psalmists, they lived in a time before Jesus and his sacrifice. How does the involvement of Jesus change how we should live our life according to the law?

Jesus makes it clear that his coming does not abolish the law, but instead he has came to fulfill and perfect the law, giving us the ability to be made right with God through his sacrifice. “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4). The law is still good, but Christ is the culmination of it all, meaning that by believing in him we follow his law perfected. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.” (Hebrews 10:1) The law is only a shadow of Christ, it pointed to Jesus to come as the fulfillment of everything that it had to offer. In these ways, Christ has bridged the gap between us and the Father, ultimately doing everything that we couldn’t and making us perfect before him.  

The law is good, and to know the perfect law is to know Christ, our savior. It is important that we, like the Psalmists, have an understanding that perfection through the law is still expected of us as Christians and is still the standard that God has set for us to be in relationship with him. But unlike the time of the Psalmists, Christ has come to die on our behalf, to make a sacrifice that washes us clean in the eyes of the Lord. In his perfect fulfillment of the law, we are made righteous and have the opportunity to be with him for eternity. This Jesus, the word made flesh, can only be understood in fullness when we understand that the word that he fulfilled was the perfect law of the Lord. May we all delight in the law of the Lord, for by delighting in the law we really are delighting in Christ who perfected it. 

Imagine David standing at the end of a long, hard-fought journey—his armor battered, his soul weathered by years of trials. He had faced lions, giants, a jealous king, betrayal by friends, and even rebellion from his own son. Psalm 18 is David’s victory song, sung not just from the throne, but from a heart that remembers every cave, every battle, and every desperate prayer.

He opens with an intimate declaration: “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” David doesn’t just know about God—he knows Him personally. Throughout the psalm, he calls God his rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, and stronghold. These aren’t poetic titles—they’re survival stories.

David recalls how, in his darkest moments, he cried out, and God responded—not passively, but powerfully. The heavens shook, thunder roared, and God reached down to rescue him. It’s a dramatic picture of divine intervention—a God who doesn’t stand far off but moves heaven and earth for His people.

He praises God not only for deliverance but for strength in battle. God didn’t just save him; He equipped him, trained him, and lifted him up.

Psalm 18 closes with public worship—David magnifies God before the nations, giving Him full credit for every victory.

During our trials and tough times, we feel like God has “left us.”  We may feel like no good God would allow us to suffer like this. When the tough times come, and they will, how do we react?  Do we “run toward” our Father or do we question Him for not fixing or removing our troubles?

Our Application from Psalm 18:

• God is our strength when we have none.
• We can trust Him to hear and respond to our cries.
• Living with integrity invites God’s blessing and protection.
• Our testimonies should lead to praise and public declaration of God’s goodness.

Psalm 18 reminds us: God doesn’t just deliver us—He walks with us through every trial, and He turns our scars into songs.

Written with the assistance of ChatGPT

The Lords Ways are Higher
Acts 28:1-10

The context of this passage of scripture is that Paul, along with other prisoners, had started their voyage to Rome. Shortly, after they had started their voyage, Luke describes a tempestuous storm arising. It is likely that Luke was with Paul at this time as we see him use the words “we” and “us”. The seas raged and the boat went shipwrecked. We see that the soldiers had planned to kill the prisoners because they didn’t want any of them to escape, but there was a centurion who wanted to save Paul. We see that this centurion made sure they all survived and made it to land safely.

This sounds like a rough situation and things are not going according to plan, but we must read this passage, and go through life, with a higher perspective. Paul ends up on an island called Malta, and we see again something drastic happens. The NKJV says in verse 3 that a viper came out of a bundle of sticks and bit Paul on the hand. The natives viewed Paul as a murderer because he couldn’t seem to escape death. Miraculously, Paul was okay and the natives quickly shifted their view of Paul to being a god.

As we continue reading our passage, we see that a certain leading citizen’s father was very sick. Paul laid hands and prayed, and the Lord healed the man. Many others then came and got healed as well.

Sometimes our circumstances don’t make sense to us, but they make complete sense to God. Isaiah 55:8-9 reads, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Maybe something is going very south in your life and you just don’t quite understand why. Maybe you felt an urge to move somewhere, and you don’t get it. Maybe you lost your job, and you feel like the world is crashing down around you. God’s plans are greater than our plans. His will is better than our will. He loves you and will always take care of His kids. He is a good God and holds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3 NKJV). Have perspective as you face tumultuous circumstances and submit yourself to God’s will.

Today’s Readings: Acts 27

I’ve never been on a cruise or ship that could hold hundreds of people with sleeping spaces.  My wife Jennifer has.  She was once on a cruise that caught fire, and they all had to be lowered in rescue boats. Interestingly, she says that it seemed like the Titanic because they continued to play music and serve food while getting ready to be lowered.

In Acts 27, Paul travels from Adramyttium to Rome. When I looked at Google Maps for this course, I was amazed at the various islands and ports between the start and the finish. The only difference in the planned course was that a storm would come and cause the planned trip to change course. Similar to the opening episode of Gilligan’s Island, bad storms caused panic and fear throughout.

Except for Paul, he stayed strong. Our Lord communicated with Paul, and Paul sought His will. Paul’s relationship and trust in God were so strong.  He trusted despite the storms.

Maybe we can connect to this situation. Are you currently facing any storms? Have you experienced any “life” storms that have taken hold of your life? These could include the loss of loved ones, health, finances, jobs, friends, addictions, or the loss of a loved one.

This cruise included many losses, but not from Paul. God promises assurance through any storm we face. Seek and Trust Him.

Lord,

Storms are present. Sometimes, we are warned and listen, but there are still times when I think I have it figured out. Despite the wreckage, help us see God’s plan and purpose throughout.🙏

²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me

 

Today’s Reading : Acts 26

Living is hard. 

Doing what is required is hard.

 Attempting to live your best is hard. 

Throughout many struggles and challenges life can be difficult. In these situations we can give up or we can tap into the special gift of life that God has given us. 

The special gift is known as the Holy Spirit, we are able to withstand all of the pressures of life and lean heavily into the Holy Spirit, which is God the spirit. We have received this gift from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ was crucified, his blood allowed for the reconnection of our spirit and God the spirit. This reconciliation allows us to manifest or hold the Holy Spirit in our person. When we are in a relationship with God and allow the spirit to grow in us, then we can be a reflection of God. When we are a reflection of God, others can see God in us.

Over the last several weeks and blogs one thing that is constant is being a reflection of God’s love to the world. In Stephen’s confession and his presentation we see that Stephen was showing the face of an angel.

And Stephen, full of [b]faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Acts 6:8-10;15

  

In Acts 16,  we are reminded to be reflections of Christ by loving God and loving others through Paul, Timothy, and Silas in the jail.   In today’s reading Acts 26, we are shown how to be confident in our faith and showing others through our actions and life how to be more like Christ and showing Gods Love unconditionally. 

4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 5 They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

Acts 26:4-8

A while ago, I read an antidote about spilling coffee. In the story, a person has a cup of coffee and somebody bumped into them. When the person bumped into them, the coffee spills out. The moral of the story is what’s in your cup is what will come out. When we understand that God is in us and we cultivate God in us, then when life happens God can spill out.  Others will see the God in you. 

God, allow us to be reflections of you in our daily walk. 

Acts 24-25

I remember a book that I was reading, a long time ago.  I do not remember the name of it or the actual content.  What I do remember is being scared.  Really scared.  But not in the way that you might think.  I mean, when you think about being scared, we usually think about something evil.  But this was not the case.  It’s not evil that I was afraid of.  It was holy.

I think that my experience was similar to Felix’s.  You may want to reread it in Acts 24-25.  Let me set the stage.  He was talking to Jesus, and Jesus was telling him of our behavior and God’s judgment that would soon be upon us.  Then, “as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed.”

Stop for a moment and think about Felix’s alarm.  What was he afraid of?  Do you see it?  Felix was not afraid of something evil.  He was afraid of something good.  Jesus was showing him the Holy, and he could not hear it.  What is it about the holy that we do not want to hear?  Simply put, it’s the price.

If you can tolerate the old English, it is worth listening to John Calvin.  He says that we  “do desire to hear the gospel preached.”  But, he continues, as soon as we have heard, we do by and by either loathe, or else they cannot suffer it.” Do you hear it?

There are only two reasons, according to Calvin.  First, we may loathe it.  That means that we disagree with it.  We want to fight it.  That does not describe me.  If you are reading this, it probably does not describe you either.  Instead, I am the one that “cannot suffer it.”  Do you know what that means?  It means that I am not willing to give up myself.  I cannot fathom sacrificing my own agenda for his.  That would mean too much suffering for me!

Is there a limit to your suffering?  A point that you no longer want to follow Jesus because it’s just too hard?  The answer is yes.  It is too hard.   I am thankful for his grace.

For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

*Written by Delaney Bandy

Acts 24 covers approximately 2 years of time surrounding Paul’s trial before Governor Felix in Caesarea Maritima.

Paul’s accusers made their case against him by standing before Felix, the governor, and his wife, Drusilla. They condemned him for being the “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Deeming him as dangerous, they claimed that he had defiled the temple (v. 1-7).

Once the governor allowed Paul to speak, he defended himself by sharing his testimony. He explained that he had not been there long and that there was no evidence of their claims, but he confessed to being a follower of Jesus, that he agreed with the Jewish Law and what the Prophets spoke (v. 10-21).

Felix decided to delay his judgement of Paul’s case as he wanted to wait for Lysias, the commander, to make a decision. In the meantime, he opted to keep Paul in custody, with the exception of seeing his friends (v. 22-23).

A few days passed, and Felix sent for Paul concerning his faith in Christ. Paul shared his faith, about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come. Felix was scared of impending judgement, and he sent Paul away. He told him that he would summon him back (v. 24-25). Felix’s motives surrounding the situation were to be given money for Paul’s release, so he often called him back to converse. After 2 years, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, and to do the Jews a favor, Felix decided to leave Paul in prison (v. 26-27).

We can glean a lot from this chapter as Paul remains steadfast in his defense of the gospel, even in the face of criticism and false accusations. Acts 24:14-16 says, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.”

Paul describes Jesus in verse 14 as “the Way.” He believed that Jesus’ claims were consistent with the Law and the Prophets. In John 14:6, Jesus states “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In the divided, pessimistic world we live in, may we stand firm in the faith by sharing our testimonies and sticking to our convictions even in the face of criticism. Putting ourselves in the position of Paul, nothing is more frustrating than being deemed a liar or being punished for something you did not commit.

The Lord is a keeper of His promises, and although the Christian walk can feel lonely and isolating, our Father in heaven desires for us to endure in suffering and give Him glory.

John 15:18-25, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

*Written by Delaney Bandy

Acts 23

In chapter 23, we pick up where Paul was brought to the Jewish council to find out why a Jewish mob was trying to kill him.  He stood in front of the council declaring that he was living his life in the way that God had set out for him.  Because of what Paul said, the high priest ordered someone to punch him right in the kisser.

Paul knew that the Jewish council was divided up between Pharisees and Sadducees.  Verse 8 highlights the main difference between the two.  The Sadducees believed that there was no resurrection and that there are no angels or spirits while the Pharisees acknowledge them all.  A big uproar began amongst all of them and started getting violent when finally the commander told his troops to get Paul out of there before he was ripped to shreds.

Later that night the Lord appeared to Paul in verse 11 to let him know he was going to get through this, get out of Jerusalem and make his way to Rome.  The Lord didn’t say HOW, but just reassured him there was a promise in place.

The next morning a group of 40 Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.  They all went to the Jewish council from the day before and asked if they could “have a word” with Paul.  In reality, they had a plan to ambush him while he would have been on the way to the council and kill him before he ever got there. BUT, crazy enough, Paul’s nephew overheard the Jews talking about their killing plot and he went and reported it to the commander.

After hearing this, the commander prepared a bunch of armed men to escort Pual in the cover of the night to Caesarea and sent with them a letter to the Governor explaining how a group of Jews want to kill him and that he deserved a fair hearing in front of his accusers instead of dying for no reason.

What I keep going back to in this chapter is Paul’s nephew and the Lord’s promise.  What are the odds his nephew overhears the group of Jews who were plotting out loud their plan to kill Paul??  We all know, have heard, what God’s miracles look like when they happen but what about the way God works in unseen ways that don’t APPEAR as miracles at first glance.

God promised Paul that he would have the chance to preach in Rome that night he was taken from the violent uproar.  I can only imagine the relief that Paul felt knowing that that wasn’t the last night he would ever have again.  It is sometimes easy to forget, but we need to remember…..everything, everyday, all of us are a part of God’s plan.  It was not dumb luck Paul’s nephew overheard that plot for murder.  God providentially arranged the time, place, and volume of the voices of the those would-be-killers and placed Paul’s nephew exactly when and where he needed to be to hear them.  Let us all rest assured, God works His will through the mundane and ordinary events of a busy world and our busy lives.

Acts 22

As we pursue the Lord, there are bound to be moments where we are used to spread the gospel. We are the body of Christ and it is our duty to show others the gift of salvation that Christ has so freely given to us. As most of us know, this job is never as simple as it sounds. Many people are difficult to reach, each living for their own agendas and wandering through life on their own accord. Nonetheless, our duty remains and we must seek out how to accomplish it. Luckily there are many great examples in the Bible of people who do well in spreading the word, Acts 22 containing one of them.

As Paul begins his address to the angry mob, he makes it clear to us that one of the best tools we can use in spreading the Gospel is our commonality with others. He knows the Jewish mob and what they appreciate, and he uses that to his advantage in his defense. Being a Jew educated by Gamaliel, Paul knows that he can earn the crowd’s ear if they are aware of his great credentials. After all, what crowd would receive a lecture from someone with no knowledge of what he speaks?

But this doesn’t only give the crowd assurance that Paul is intellectually strong in the ways of the Law, but also that he is one of them. Being a Jew himself who has converted, his story will carry much further than if he were to be some gentile from a far-off land. Paul once shared the same views that they do, and now he has changed. That means something!

This gives us great insight into how we should address others as believers. Paul began by being personal with the crowd, showing how he had once been very much like them. He had been in their shoes before, being one of the most zealous of Jews in the persecution of the church. Yet despite all of his prior convictions, he gave it all up in an instant when faced with the glory of Christ. 

I believe that we can share a similar sentiment about our lives with others when spreading the word. We were all once a part of the world, we all were slaves to our sin and struggled with the same things as those who don’t know Christ. We have enjoyed the same pleasures as them, and have endured the same difficulties. We aren’t some far-off people that have no clue, but instead are real people who have lived much like them before. 

This isn’t to say that everyone has endured the same struggles or has the same passions, of course not! But when we show someone that we can have at least a general empathy for their struggles, that we have been in similar dark places, it creates a trust that can allow for a conversation overflowing with the love of Christ. Once this trust is established, we can explain how Jesus has changed our lives and given us new meaning. 

From the story, we know that the hard-heartedness of the crowd didn’t produce much change in that moment. However, I still believe this is still an essential take-away from this chapter. We must relate to those around us to allow the love of Jesus to seep in. This does not mean sparing the truth, but instead creating a space for others to trust us in giving them the truth. Use the experiences that the Lord has brought you through to create connections with others and show them the love of Christ. Just as Paul did, show others how much Christ has changed you!