Psalm 1 Break Down Part 1

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

Psa 1:4  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 

Psa 1:5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 

Psa 1:6  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. 

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Thursday night at Impact we were encouraged to meditate on Psalm 1 this week. To help me with that and gain further insight, I decided I'd break it down verse by verse.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Let's take a look at the meaning of the words in bold. For this, I will be using the Strong's Hebrew & Greek Lexicon.

• Blessed - 'esher(H835), meaning happiness. 'Esher comes from the word 'âshar(H833), meaning to go forward or prosper.
• Counsel - ‛êtsâh(H6098),  meaning advice or plan.
• Ungodly - râshâ‛(H7563); morally wrong
• Standeth - ‛âmad(H5975); abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain
• Way - derek(H1870); along, conversation, custom, journey, manner
• Scornful - lûts(H3887); to scof, to make a mock, mocker

 My version:

Happy/prosperous is the man that doesn't take advice from the morally impaired nor abide by the customs of the sinners, nor sits as the mockers.

 Thoughts:

It is often times easy for us to get caught up in the what everyone around us is doing. If we let ourselves lose focus of God and fall into the traps the devil has set we will have difficulty in finding happiness.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

• Delight - chêphets(H2656); pleasure, desire, willingly
• Law - tôrâh(H8451); a precept or statute
• Meditate - hâgâh(H1897); study

 My version: 

But he willingly is in the law of the LORD; he studies the law both day and night.

 Thoughts:

We should have a desire for knowing the word of God so much that we willingly study it often.

Season of Sorrow

Maw-maw, my maw-maw, where are you tonight? This is the 4th Christmas I will have to endure without your presence. As the pain sets in I miss you more. Life has not been the same since you left us all those years ago. You kept our family alive. We have slithered to destruction without you as our glue. I never thought we could fall apart so much. I just want to scream and pull my hair out. I know you will never read this or never know how much I miss you.

Unworthy and Worthless

Often times throughout my life I would look in the mirror and simply whisper the word "worthless". This is what I ultimately thought of myself.

What does it mean to be worthless? Being worthless means to have no value, no meaning, no use.

Without value, use or meaning there is no reason to live or even want to live.

Naturally, since I thought myself to be worthless, I also thought myself to be unworthy. What was I unworthy of? Love. Acceptance. Friendship. Life.

Why would anyone ever look at me and love me for me? No one would ever be able to love such an unworthy person.

Unworthy and worthless. Nothing more. At least, that is what I thought. It was a long and lonely trip deep into a dark pit of despair and abandonment of any care before finding out how truly wrong I was.

Imagine the darkest black you have ever seen. Impenetrable by light. Sucking away all life from anything in existence. That was my address. The place I called home. A home in which one could not find enough comfort to sleep, but also no reason to stay awake. Being ripped apart by each demented thought. Being choked by the lies of Satan. No hope and no reason remained.

Then suddenly, blasting away the darkness, came a love unlike any other. Jesus came running for me. Fighting away all the demons I let consume me. He placed me on His shoulders and carried me away from that pit. Taking the jabs for me. Bloody and bruised, he redeemed me. Freed me from my prison.

Jesus gave me a home on His shoulders. I never have to leave. I can rest comfortably on His shoulders as long as I want to. This is my new home.

Jesus let me know that I am worthy. I am worthy of His love, His acceptance, His friendship, and His life. I do have worth. I am worth His blood and His body. He took on flesh and accepted a brutal death so that I don't have to suffer.

Purely by the grace of God I am worthy and I have worth!

If Jesus Returned Tomorrow

When I was a child my family did not regularly attend church. With my two older brothers I often attended various youth groups. We pretty much just went for the fun and games. I remember when I was around 9 or 10 we discussed when we would start living a Christian lifestyle. I stated that when I turned 40 I would probably then be willing and ready to live life as a Christian.

Last night at the Impact bible study one questioned asked was, "Are you anticipating the return of Jesus?" After some discussion, one student boldly declared, "Many people would live differently if they knew Jesus would return tomorrow. I know I would." That just pains my soul so I could only imagine how that makes Jesus feel. Many of us, myself included, aren't living wholly for Jesus and realize there are some things we have to change before His return. The return of the Messiah is near, but there are some things that still have to happen, according to the bible, before it takes place. Knowing this makes it easier for many of us to live in sin. By sin I mean not completely sanctified in His spirit.

What are we waiting for? We may not all live to be 40 so why continue to wait? Jesus here now. Calling to us and asking us to follow him. Giving us many opportunities and reasons to, yet we still hold back? Holding back from the One who came and died and defeated Satan and gives us life. To me it doesn't make any sense.


This leads me to my question. If Jesus returned tomorrow, would you know Him? Matthew 24:24 states "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very Elect" To me that is something that makes me want to know Jesus even more. I don't want to be deceived by a false prophet. The only way I find it possible to not be taken by one of the false prophets is to not depend on Jesus for His miracles, but instead for His love and relationship. If we can get ourselves to develop a relationship with Christ and not what He does for us, we will be ready for His return.

The day Jesus does return will be a beautiful day. For this day I cannot wait. But until that day is upon us I will continue to fashion my life in a way that not only glorifies God, but also brings people to know Him. Praise be to God.

Holy Battle Rage

I am ready for the war of the ages. I stand, sword in hand, behind the only One I ever wish to lead me into battle. Holy battle rage! Holy battle rage!
I seek the leadership of no man. I am already dead to this world and I have nothing left to fear. I've pledged my allegiance to the Lord. Holy battle rage! Holy battle rage!
Protected by the full armor of God, no weapon formed against me will prosper. I have the power to end your existence within me. Holy battle rage! Holy battle rage!
Nothing can stop me at this point. I am storming the gates of hell with zero notion of retreat. The battle is already won, now we must let it rage. Holy battle rage! Holy battle rage!
You fought against my King and now you beg for mercy. I wrap my hands around your throat and choke out your final words. Holy battle rage! Holy battle rage!

We fight this day for the glory of our King!
We fight this day for the glory of our King!
Surrender you fool before the final bells Ring!

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It's been a long time since I wrote anything of any poetic value to me. I have to be strong in a certain emotion to even get the thought to write. Well, I am currently in battle mode. I am pumped up for any battle against Satan and even more so for that final battle. The day Satan is cast into the lake along with all things evil is a day I long for. But until then, I am donning the Holy Armor to fight all battles in the name of Jesus. I will no longer be beat down by the evil ways of the one who is eternally damned. I have the ability to cast down all evil spirits and to fight away all demons. I will not tremble if Satan himself stands before me ready to fight. I am a soldier in the Army of God! There is great power in proclaiming that. Put on your Armor of God, grab your Sword of the Spirit, stand your ground with faith in God, and let this holy battle rage!

Complaining About a Luxury

This past weekend I got an amazing opportunity to go on a Fall Retreat with a group of college students associated with Impact Campus Ministries. Many things occurred during the retreat and I will post about a majority of it later. However, I really feel God tugging on my heart to first share about one thing in particular that He revealed to me.

 One frigid autumn evening a young man is about to turn-in for the night. He dons his pajamas, lays out his pillow, opens up his sleeping bag and slips inside. Slightly chilled he decides to zip the sleeping bag all the way up and cover his head. The young man tosses and turns a few times and finally drifts off to sleep.
 About a half hour into his sleep, he awakes. Thinking to himself, "This cot is too thin, this bunk is too loud, this bag is too small, and it's just way too hot in this cabin!" After a few adjustments the young man gives it another try. Soon, he is able to nod off yet again. Many times throughout the night a similar scenario takes place. Never completely reaching a comfortable state.
 *Beep Beep* *Beep Beep* *Beep Beep*  It is now 6:35 in the morning. The young man, drenched in sweat and wholly disgusted, reaches over and shuts off the alarm. Excited about what God has in store for him he decides to move past the vexatious evening and hop into the shower.
 Feeling clean and rejuvenated he makes his way down to the fellowship hall. Still a bit sleepy-eyed he chooses to grab a cup of coffee and sit down by the fire. No one else is around. He finds it is a good time to read his bible and journal a bit about the previous evening.
 One after another, people begin to trickle in. Some will gather around various games and others will cozy up near the fire. A hallow hum of conversation occupies the atmosphere. In no time, the inevitable question finds its way to the young man. "How did you sleep last night?" one student inquires. The young man replies, "Not well at all. It was way too hot in the cabin. I was covered in sweat when I woke up." The student agrees it was a bit warmer than he would have preferred. In and out of conversation the palaver finally dies away, leaving the young man, once again, to his own thoughts.
 A few minutes into thought and "BAM!", it hits him, "I just complained about a luxury, a blessing, than many people go without." 

Yea, this is a true story. I caught myself complaining about something God blessed me with. Many people are, right at this very moment, laying on hard ground and shivering. Some may have multiple layers of clothes they found laying around or some old newspapers to lay on, but many of them have not even that. Not a stitch of extra blanket, not a bit of padding to place between their body and the frosty ground. Some people beg for change so they can buy booze in order to gain the false sense of heat hoping to combat against the nippy winds that rips through their dilapidated clothing. While there are people out there freezing to death, I am complaining about being warm.

Previously this year I met nearly 20 different homeless men and women. Some of them are able to find a bed at a local shelter when the temperatures decrease. While others are turned away due to over-crowding. I normally would have expected these people to be faithless. Not so. Even when faced with such hard times, more than a few of these people were completely thankful to God for anything and everything they had. If they were blessed with extra food, they willingly offered it to another person of misfortune that needed it.

My brethren that go without do not complain about having too little, yet I complain about too much?

Talk about God blasting you in the face with a revelation! I am grateful that he did. I hope that I can take this encounter and carry it through life. When I begin to complain about all that I have, I pray that I will be reminded of this moment and instead of complaining shout thanks to the Provider.

Thank you Jesus for the luxury to be too warm.

 

Casting Crowns - Come To The Well

I am absolutely loving this album! I am sure you will too. Enjoy it!