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Joy after the Drought

Psalm 65:1-5, 8-13; Joel:23-32 Both of these passages from the Old Testament are full of rejoicing, gladness, and praise for the Lord who has delivered them from drought. Not only on their farmlands but spiritually in their own lives. Psalm 65 is attributed to David. It is a song of praise for God’s works. At the temple of Mt. Zion worshipers would fulfill vows of thankfulness for God’s help. David tells how the Lord answers prayers. God has shown God’s power by creating and sustaining the world. The goodness of thy house may refer to a festival meal celebrating a plentiful harvest. What caused this great harvest? It was the water God provides through the rain and the rivers. It says the Lord waters the furrows – trenches where seeds are planted, abundantly blessing their growth. The pastures and the hills overflow not only with plants for the flocks to eat but they gird themselves with joy. From this water the valleys deck themselves with grain. Both meadows and valleys shout to...
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Sacred/Powerful Writings

Psalm 119:97-104, I Timothy 3:14-4:5 The sacred writings that the psalmist followed are described as God’s laws, commandments, precepts, decrees, and ordinances that he considers God’s word. The New Testament finds these sacred writings to be scripture as told about in II Timothy. So, are we Christians of the New Testament free from the law which the psalmist praises? Well, the sacred writings of Timothy’s time were the Old Testament. Paul tells him to continue in what he has learned and has firmly believed. Now as Paul talks about the sacred writings he is not just referring to them as literature but as scripture. They are inspired by God and are useful for teaching, or reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Scripture is what Paul calls sound teaching and he warns about those who listen to ones who deviate from it saying words that accommodate the listener’s desires. They wander away from truth and wander away to myths. This reminds us of the Greek and Roman...
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Thanking the Lord’s Goodness

 Psalm 66:1-12, Luke 17:11-19 The psalmist of Psalm 66 gives thanks and praise to the Lord for God’s goodness to Israel. This was a song the Israelites would sing to remember and praise God for God’s many blessings. Yet it seems to be forgotten by nine lepers out of ten who Christ healed with only the foreigner, a Samaritan at that, returning to thank Christ. What about the other nine? Did they forget this Jewish song of thanks or were they isolated from the temple due to their condition so they never learned it? They were so excited to go to the temple to show themselves to the priests who had been avoiding them all these years they forgot to thank Christ. In the Psalm, the psalmist invites the audience to come and see what God has done. He begins to site examples of God’s power and deliverance of them. He tells of the sea turning into dry land so they could escape the Egyptians and how God keeps watch over the nations. They are told to let the sound of their praise be heard s...
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Power of Faith

 Luke 17:5-6, II Timothy 1:1-14 The apostles in our Luke account ask the Lord to increase their faith. They see faith as something measurable that the more you have the more you can do. Jesus turns this concept of increasing faith around by saying if you have a mustard seed of faith you can move mountains. Jesus is talking about the strength, the intensity of one’s faith versus its size. They have what the writer of II Timothy says in today’s passage, “the cowardice of spirit.” We can’t be too hard on them however since this was well ahead of Pentecost when they finally received the power of the Holy Spirit. I love this Timothy passage since it commends Timothy’s mother and grandmother for bringing him up in the faith. It even mentions them by name, which is something unheard of in ancient patriarchal literature. Note his father and grandfather are not mentioned. Paul tells him to rekindle and ignite the faith they taught him telling him that God has given him a spirit of pow...
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The Life that Really is Life

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; I Timothy 6:6-19 Our Psalm for the day, which has been made into some beautiful songs, tells a lot about the protection of God who will deliver us from trouble. The last verses tell how God will deliver and protect those who love the Lord. God will satisfy them with a long life and show them God’s salvation. There is no promise of riches here – no prosperity gospel, but what the Psalmist finds more important, protection and a relationship with God who brings long life and salvation. Money is discussed in I Timothy. He continues his talk about godliness saying how there is great gain in it combined with contentment. The godly do not seek riches but are content with what they have – the basic food and clothing. Then comes the famous verse often quoted that the love of money is the root of all evil. Those who seek it fall into temptations and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction that can lead to wandering away from the faith when money become...
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Jesus the Balm

  Jeremiah 8:18-9:1, I Timothy 2:1-7 Jeremiah has a sick heart and is weeping for Israel for the brokenness of the daughter of my people. He cries out asking if there is a balm in Gilead, a physician to save the spiritual health of Israel. You see Gilead was known for its balm, a substance grown there that could cure one from physical diseases. It had this power to soothe and heal. Unfortunately, Jeremiah doesn’t know of the great physician Jesus who will come to bring salvation. I Timothy tells of this great physician who has brought salvation. It is the one mediator between God and humans – Christ Jesus. The healing balm being his blood for the atonement for our sins. He gave himself a ransom for all. In this passage the writer tells how the aim of all worship should be salvation for all. Included in our prayers should be the kings and all who are in high positions. Why? So, we can live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. In these Pastoral letters in ...
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Shaped Like Clay

Jeremiah 18:1-11, Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18 These both can be difficult passages. The Jeremiah account talks about God changing God’s mind on whether the Lord who has shaped them for a good purpose will change God’s mind to destroy them if they continue to do evil. Then we have the Psalm 139 passage used controversially to decry abortion. The potter and the clay metaphor we have been brought up with tends to tell how God shapes our lives and if we combine this with Psalm 139, God has shaped us from the womb. The Psalmist says, “It was you who formed my inner parts and in your book are written all the days.” From this view one can feel that God has shaped them from the womb for a purpose. I’ve always struggled with the “wonderfully made” since I wish the Lord would have made me better looking. Now Jeremiah hears the voice of the Lord who has taken him to the potter’s house. God talks about shaping nations and breaking down, destroying them if they are evil. Yet God will change God’s m...
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