Stuck in the Middle with You – Psalm 118 – Purity 758
Purity 758 06/15/2022 Purity 758 Podcast
Good morning,
Today’s photo an out cropping
of rock and a natural water fall comes to us from a friend who recently decided
to stretch their legs and remember a departed loved one by hiking the Catskill
Mountains, as they brought a photo of their friend with them and took photos of
it at various locations along the way, stating that the Catskills were the
closest place to heaven in Greene County and that they were enjoying treasured
memories of days gone by and sharing the magnificent views they encountered with
thoughts of their friend every step of the way.
Well its Wednesday and I share this photo taken along the
trail heading up a mountain to remind us all of the natural beauty that is out
there waiting to be discovered and to remind us that we are headed up the “hump”
of the midpoint of the work week.
Speaking of work, I was out late last night at my second job
as a Psychiatric Tech for the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team and am scrambling to
“get er done this morning” as I am seeking to simultaneously encourage my
friends on the path of Christian Discipleship and activate my new iphone, which
is an early birthday present to myself as I hit the big “5-0” in 10 days. This hurried multi-tasking might prove to be
foolish especially considering the fact that I didn’t get home until after midnight and
have already altered my regular routine by “sleeping in” and forgoing my normal
exercise regimen and will have to satisfy my craving for God’s word by
revisiting some of the content of yesterday’s Bible study by sharing Psalm 118.
As always the Lord knows our situations and as “coincidence
has it” it turns out that Psalm 118 is completely appropriate for sharing on “hump
day” because if you didn’t know it, Psalm 118:8 is the middle point in the
Bible! That’s right if you take the content of the Bible and divide it in half you
would see Psalm 118:8. Don’t ask my what
industrious Bible scholar determined that but I will take it on faith that this
Bible fact is true.
But is it meaningful? Is the middle verse in the Bible say
something that would satisfy the curious or indicate that the Bible is not just
some book but is the inspired word of God.
Well let’s look at it and you tell me what you think:
Psalm 118:8
(NKJV) says
8
It
is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
I don’t know
about you but that sort of gives me goose bumps. Imagine it. Someone decides to
give the Bible a shot and opens it to the middle point of the scriptures and
this is what they find! “It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.” I don’t know about you but that would cause
me to keep reading.
And that’s what happened to me when after 38 years of doing things my way in a life of ups, and downs, and error and confusion, I heard a gospel message that adequately explained to me., as if for the first time, the fact that it Christ died for my sins and it only required a simple act of faith, by making Jesus my Lord and Savior, to receive the free gift of God’s forgiveness, eternal life, and entrance into His kingdom.
After I said yes to Jesus, I was far from perfect but I had a perfect hunger to pursue the truth of who Christ was and how I should live after I had received such an awesome gift. So I started reading the Bible to figure this thing out and to try to be an authentic Christian.
And if you are new to the Bible, I would say that the midpoint in the Bible is a great place to start your journey to get to know God more as the use of some of the verses from Psalm 118 in the New Testament, make it the most quoted psalm in the New Testament. Let’s read it and you will see why:
Psalm
118:1-29 (NKJV)
1
Oh,
give thanks to the LORD, for He
is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2
Let
Israel now say, "His mercy endures forever."
3
Let
the house of Aaron now say, "His mercy endures forever."
4
Let
those who fear the LORD now say,
"His mercy endures forever."
5
I
called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me
in a broad place.
6
The
LORD is on my side; I will
not fear. What can man do to me?
7
The
LORD is for me among those who
help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8
It
is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
9
It
is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.
10
All
nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD
I will destroy them.
11
They
surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12
They
surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the
name of the LORD I will destroy
them.
13
You
pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD
helped me.
14
The
LORD is my strength and
song, And He has become my salvation.
15
The
voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The
right hand of the LORD does
valiantly.
16
The
right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does
valiantly.
17
I
shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.
18
The
LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19
Open
to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will
praise the LORD.
20
This
is the gate of the LORD, Through
which the righteous shall enter.
21
I
will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.
22
The
stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
23
This
was the LORD'S doing; It is
marvelous in our eyes.
24
This
is the day the LORD has
made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25
Save
now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
26
Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27
God
is the LORD, And He has
given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28
You
are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt
You.
29
Oh,
give thanks to the LORD, for He
is good! For His mercy endures forever.
There are some familiar verses in that psalm for sure and even though it is in the new Testament its content points us right to Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
And although I am running and gunning this morning with a hectic pace, that’s all I want to do, point my friends to Jesus Christ: to not only admire Him as a good example but to trust, believe and obey Him as one of His many disciples.
The entrance into the kingdom through a prayer or and act of faith that specifically claims Him as your Lord and Savior is only the beginning of our new and eternal life in Christ.
And even thought the road as a Christian may be difficult at times, when you are walking and talking with God and have made Christ the Lord of your life, you can somehow have peace in the midst of any storm, as God Himself through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, is stuck in the middle with you.
So if you
are in a hurry or not, keep going on your search to discover who God is, who
you are, and what the purpose He has for you in this life. As Psalm 118:says, if you can’t trust me,
trust in the Lord because: “It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
______________________________________________________________
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book
for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
1 John 4:17
(NLT2)
17
And
as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the
day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus
here in this world.
Today’s
Bible verse reminds us that we can face the Lord with confidence on the day of
judgement when we “live like Jesus in this world” and that our love grows “more perfect” as we
live in God.
So
much for “just believing”. Phrases like “just
believe” or “just have faith” will undoubtedly be good encouragements as we attempt
to live out our Christian faith authentically but those phrases are not to be
intended to be the one or final instruction.
As today’s verse indicates, we are to have a lifestyle and a mindset of Christian as we are directed to “live like Jesus here in this world.” We are supposed to follow Christ in the way we live.
And not only will we benefit from making “good choices” as a natural result of cause and effect relationships, when we decide to follow Jesus and live “in God” (talk about an immersive experience) we will have confidence in our security when the day of judgement comes but our love will grow “more perfect”.
God’s love is perfect and when experience it we know that to be true. God is the higher love that Steve Winwood was looking for. “Bring me a higher love!” Well, Steve if you live “in God” by following Christ’s example in the way that you live in this world, the higher love will be brought right to your doorstep every day you Abide in Him.
So let’s be
encourage to become “more perfect” in love by sharing the love that we have
received from God in the way we live here on the earth. We can have confidence that when we are in
Christ we have nothing to fear and we have been given an incredible purpose to
experience and to share the love of God.
As
always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from
prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and
sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today
we continue sharing from Clinton E. Arnold’s “Powers of Darkness”
As always, I share this
information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Clinton
Arnold’s books for your own private study and to support his
work. This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.
The Burning of the Magical Books in Ephesus:
Acts 19
Luke
also gives us an incredible account about a situation involving magic during
Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:13–20). It reinforces the impression that
Ephesus was a center of magical practices during the first century. Luke tells
us about some itinerant Jewish exorcists, who attempted to use the name of
Jesus as part of their exorcism on a man troubled with an evil spirit.
Tragically unsuccessful, they were physically assaulted by the demon-controlled
man so that “they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” As a result,
numerous people brought out their books of magical formulas and incantations
and burned them. The combined value of the books was estimated by Luke to be
worth as much as 50,000 days’ wages.
This account is very important for understanding
the social and religious situation of the early Christian churches. Luke here
gives the distinct impression that those who were burning their magical texts
were already Christians. He observes, “Many of those who believed now came and
openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought
their scrolls together and burned them publicly” (19:18–19a). It underlines the
temptation faced by early believers to return to their former practices, in
particular, magic.
Summary
Luke is
concerned to show that the gospel of the Lord Jesus and the power of God are
indeed mightier than any opposition. Luke also clearly ties magical practices
and divination to the work of Satan and his powers. In all of these instances
the work of the devil through these people hindered the progress of the gospel.
The power of God working through his messengers needed to confront and overcome
Satanic opposition.
Each of these accounts in the book of
Acts also raises issues that are relevant to understanding better what the
apostle Paul has to say about principalities and powers. It helps us clarify
the felt needs of the readers Paul addressed in his letters. They would
naturally be filled with questions as they sought to make sense of Christianity
in light of the religious and magical environment in which they lived. They
would ask questions such as: How should converts from a background in the
occult and spiritism live in light of their newfound faith in the Lord Jesus?
What should they believe about the powers they once thought served them and the
powers they feared? Were some of them still to be considered good and others
evil? Where does Christ stand in relation to these spirit beings and
supernatural powers? Can one still be devoted to Christ and wear an amulet for
protection? How should the church respond to non-Christians involved in
spiritism?
Knowing the questions that would
undoubtedly have been on the minds of new believers in the first century will
help the New Testament come alive when we consider the things Paul has to say
about principalities and powers.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join
our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in
Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can
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Email
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My
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Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Clinton E. Arnold, Powers of Darkness:
Principalities & Powers in Paul’s Letters (Downers Grove,
IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 1992), 33–34.
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