Psalms: God Has Always Been on the Throne and He Still Reigns! (Book 4)

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: gracewalkministries.blogspot.com

Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.

Psalms: God has always been on the throne and He still reigns! (Book 4)

We continue to state that the Psalms are, in reality, the words to the praise and worship songs of the long ago nation of Israel. We are asking you to imagine these lyrics as the power point slides or the song sheets handed out to those who come to sing praise to God each weekend.

Vibrant worship demonstrates our faith in the existence and involvement of our compassionate Lord God.

As we move into Book 4, Psalms 90-106 scream out the truth, “God has always been on the throne and He still reigns!” Hope begins to break forth into a blazing sunrise as the worshipper responds to this age-old truth: God is King – period. Consider this as the theme of this passage …

“Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” (Psalm 89:5–8, ESV)

This book, Psalms 90-106, reverberates with the triumph and power of our Almighty God …

  • Consider this statement by Moses expressing the eternality of God in Psalm 90:

“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. ” (Psalm 90:4, ESV)

  • Hear the strength of the Psalmist’s conviction concerning the rule of God in Psalm 93:

“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. ” (Psalm 93:1–2, ESV)

  • Listen at the Psalmist declares that there are no other gods above our God, who is King above all gods in Psalm 95:

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. ” (Psalm 95:1–3, ESV)

  • Rejoice in the reality that our God saves us from eternal destruction and real life’s situations with the Psalmist in Psalm 98:

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ” (Psalm 98:1–3, ESV)

  • Worship God as the Creator of the universe as described by the Psalmist in Psalm 104:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. ” (Psalm 104:1–6, ESV)

Psalm by psalm, verse by verse, these worship songs provide the reader with an inescapable conclusion: God is the mighty creator of the universe, intimately involved in the lives of his children and worthy of their praise for his protection and provision.

It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.

© 2011 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, All rights reserved.

For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.

======

Host a Reaching Your Community In Your Generation Seminar!

The world around us changes approximately every 18 months! Such change brings great challenges to our mission. Eagles In Leadership has designed a weekend to help you energize your congregation or organization to fulfill the Great Commission in your community. You can bring this weekend to your church or organization!

The weekend revolves around four key messages:

  • Help! My Community Is Changing!
  • What’s Your Dream for Your Church? (And How Do You Reach It?)
  • Healthy Churches Grow!
  • Reaching Your Community In Your Generation! (It’s All About the Mission!)

You can learn more here.


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Weight Loss Thoughts on the Daniel Plan

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Art Work Credit: naturalhealthcarereviews.com

As many of you know, Melodee, Tabitha and I began the Daniel Plan on January 15 of this year through the ministry of our pastor, Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. On Saturday, July 9, 2011, I spoke with Pastor Rick and discovered that his weight loss and mine were about the same – he had lost 40 pounds and I have lost 41.5 pounds on the plan. Both of us had a month where we plateaued.

We have both learned several things about why we plateau and how to get losing again. Among the things I have learned are these …

I need to …

Choose Right

If I want to lose weight, I need to choose foods that will fuel my body without putting fat on my body. These foods include more vegetables that are darker in color and less processed foods. Avoiding the addictive compounds of sugar, salt and fat are necessary. (We use dark olive oil, grape seed oil and refined coconut oil for cooking – all in great moderation!) Avoiding ENTIRELY the use of High Fructose Corn Syrup is essential to effective weight loss. Bottom line: Choose foods that are good for your body!

Eat Less

Portion size is a big issue with weight loss and good health. Since the average portion size is ½ cup, almost EVERYTHING I used to eat was larger! If there is a place where the battle rages today, it is here. Portion size on vegetables is 1 cup and with red meat – which we eat about once a week – is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of playing cards. The bottom line: Most of America is addicted to food. Get help if you need to, but you need to stop eating so much if you want to be healthy.

Move More

This may seem like an obvious one, but trying to move more in our sedentary world of vehicle travel and social media is becoming very difficult. “Anything important gets scheduled” is the old maxim I use. Each morning, after my quiet time with the Lord, I run – yes, I said run. I started walking about 6 years ago. Then as the pounds began to come off this year, I started jogging some – two block jogging, two blocks walking. Now I am up to 4 miles! We also walk “as if we are late” as a family and park farther from the entrance of the store we shop in. Bottom line: Just get moving!

Sit Less

The reverse is also true: the less you sit, the more you lose. Since I write a lot, I am at my computer desk for long periods of time. Scheduling in intentional movement, getting up and walking somewhere, moving about instead of sitting for hours are all part of my new regimen. Bottom line: Again, get moving by having fun!

Sleep More

Sleep is essential to weight loss. Studies show that you need 7-8 hours of sleep a night in order to lose weight. So, now I schedule into my day a sleep period of 8+ hours and have found the results amazing. In fact, when I was plateaued, I wasn’t sleeping 8+ hours! Who would have known? Bottom line: Which is more important, your health or the latest monologue from your favorite late night comedian? (You can record those you know.)

Drink More

Water is essential to weight loss. A gallon a day is my goal and, on those days I don’t make my goal, my weight loss is hampered or non-existent. Simply having a glass of water instead of the other things you drink – especially soda with its high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweetener – drops weight. Bottom line: If you don’t like water, get a better brand or admit you are addicted to sugar and get help.

These are the strategies at the core of my weight loss. You can learn more about the Daniel Plan here. If you have comments or questions, simply reply in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

(c) 2011 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, All rights reserved.

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In Times of Transition and Change In The Church

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: relationship-economy.com

The process of transition from a sick church to a healthy church is not an easy process! And when it begins, at least 5 things are true:

In Times of Transition

1)      Things do not stay the same

While we all like the security of stability, changes happen when we reorient our faith community to the health regimen of the New Testament.

2)      People are not what they seemed

As we evaluate everything based on spiritual health, the people around us who have been pretending feel exposed and often demonstrate their immaturity in graphic ways.

3)      The Church is no longer about me

Growing up is what health is all about in the local church and the core of spiritual growth is becoming “others-centered” and setting aside our own personal agenda.

4)      God can no longer be distant

In a sick church, God needs not be close, or even present, if we are to read Jesus’ words in Revelation 2-3 accurately. All that changes when we seek the health and life of Jesus in our midst!

5)      Life’s purpose is no longer a theory

Singing a few songs and giving a few bucks in the offering was all right when I just had to say I believed. Now, I need to discover why I am alive and present and what my part in God’s bigger plan is … and that takes some honest soul searching and practical changing.

In other words, when things begin to change from sick to healthy in our church, change reveals a lot about what we thought was true, but was just a façade. We need to be prepared for that.

Those are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours! Please comment below.

Posted in christian life, Church Health, Leadership Blog, Multi-ethnic / Urban | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Psalms: Gritty Expressions of Agony and Woe! (Book 3)

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: thespiritualcoach.com

Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.

Psalms: Gritty Expressions of Agony and Woe! (Book 3)

We have said that Psalms are, in reality, the words to the praise and worship songs of the long ago nation of Israel. Imagine these lyrics as the power point slides or the song sheets handed out to those who come to sing praise to God each weekend.

As we move into the third volume or book of Psalms, we get into some deep and dark waters. The lives of the psalmists reflect troublesome and despairing times. Remembering that we are reading the lyrics to these worship songs, we are to feel the message in a way that allows us to relate and communicate with God from our soul and not just with our mind. We have said the following about this volume:

Book 3 – Psalms 73-89 take us into the dark recesses of real life and the injustice so many of God’s people face on a daily basis. In these gritty expressions of agony and woe, men like Asaph and the sons of Korah reveal the pain and hope one must express when life grows grim and hopeless.

Reading these song lyrics reminds us …

  • The wicked appear to have everything going for them, until we step into the worship center and realize their eternal end as Psalm 73 encourages us to do.
  • Oppression happens to the righteous from the enemies of God and it often feels as if God has forgotten his people until we remember that our hope and help comes only from God, who is the Judge of all the earth, which is Asaph’s contention in Psalms 74-75.
  • People who love God often have to live with the consequences of other’s sin, just as Asaph explains in Psalm 78, feeling the failures of past generations in the present.
  • In those times of horrific distress, the pleas of God’s people for restoration are often resisted by the simple need for repentance among the current generation who are following the ways of their predecessors, as Asaph outlines in Psalms 80-81.
  • Blessing comes from corporate worship, as the sons of Korah tell us in Psalm 84, which many may feel is unnecessary for they misunderstand that our faith is about the public expression of God’s wonderful glory and grace, love and faithfulness.
  • Despondency is not a foreign emotion to the God-follower who finds themselves in a small minority of the population or in a struggling worship community that is laughed at and derided daily for “out-dated” beliefs, as Heman the Ezahite cries out about in Psalm 88.
  • Sorrowing over the blessings lost as described in God’s Word and the present reality’s hardships can take a deep toll on one’s faith, which needs a fresh infusion of God’s presence and response, grace and glory according to Ethan the Ezrahite in Psalm 89.

Slogging through the despair and distress of this volume of songs – these dirges of God’s people – causes us to understand: Our failures today impact our children in multiplied ways we cannot begin to comprehend. Our legacy of faith will be found in the exponential fruit of our lives lived – either passionately with and for God or apathetically against him. Those who enjoy that fruit will be our children and grandchildren.

It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.

For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.

======

Host a Reaching Your Community In Your Generation Seminar!

The world around us changes approximately every 18 months! Such change brings great challenges to our mission. Eagles In Leadership has designed a weekend to help you energize your congregation or organization to fulfill the Great Commission in your community. You can bring this weekend to your church or organization!

The weekend revolves around four key messages:

  • Help! My Community Is Changing!
  • What’s Your Dream for Your Church? (And How Do You Reach It?)
  • Healthy Churches Grow!
  • Reaching Your Community In Your Generation! (It’s All About the Mission!)

You can learn more here.


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Healthy Church Attitudes

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: southsidenazarene.ca

Yesterday we spoke of four common attitudes in the sick church. However, we also said that healthy churches grow, according to the New Testament:

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, ESV)

In other words, healthy churches grow because the people who make up those churches are growing. What does this look like, practically?

Healthy churches exhibit certain attitudes

  • The people are Humble

Healthy people serve others and the community they live in. In other words, they refuse to be the center of their universe. Paul says that they do the “work of the ministry.” In a healthy, growing church, you will always see a large percentage of the people serving. (In a sick church about 10% of the people serve the remaining 90%.)

  • The people are Evangelistic

When someone begins to understand the amazing gift of grace that Jesus has given them, they have to tell their friends about it. Those words of God’s love are received well because the healthy Christ-follower is already serving their neighbors and friend, coworkers and fellow students – the people they are sharing Christ with. (Again, in a sick church, evangelism is either the pastor’s job or for those with the gift of evangelism.)

  • The people are Adaptable

Things change. The healthy church moves on because the mission is more important than the method. People’s lives are more important than the traditions and tools of the past. In their adaptation, the baptistery finds use often. People are reached for Christ on a regular basis. This opens new avenues for the demonstration of the love and leadership of Jesus.

  • The people are Loving

People care in the healthy church. They are not superficial or just friendly with one another. When someone new comes along, they welcome and genuinely are interested in them. They connect. When a need arises, they simply meet it, or involve their small group to take care of it. They don’t need to get the pastoral staff involved because they ARE the church!

  • The people are Transparent

Beyond the superficiality of a quick “Hello” as we pass by, these people grow deep together, doing life together through small groups, in mission and in community outreach. They spend enough time together to see past the veneer and look into the real heart of one another. Foibles and failures show up, are dealt with and loved through in the healthy church.

  • The people are Helpful

You will seldom hear of a project or need that wasn’t met in the healthy church. Why? Because healthy people serve and give – generosity is their signature trademark. Whether it is a comment heard on the patio on the weekend or a need shared in small group, God’s people rise to the occasion and care for it quickly because they are family, and that’s what family does.

  • The people are Yielded

Agendas don’t find their way to the community of faith in a healthy church unless it is the agenda of Jesus. These people understand that just like Jesus, they are not here to be served, but to serve and give their lives as ransom for others. (See Matthew 20.20-28) This affords them the lifestyle of putting others first on a consistent and powerful basis.

This is the church of health, and it grows! Healthy churches grow because every member is a minister.

Those are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours! Please comment below.

Posted in Church Health, Leadership Blog, Multi-ethnic / Urban | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sick Church Attitudes

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

According to the New Testament, when a church is healthy is grows.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, ESV)

So, when a church doesn’t grow, it may be sick. Consider the church that resides in a metropolis of several hundred thousand. All around it are people dying without Jesus and, as we are told all the time, the average church in America is under 100.

Having consulted in churches for decades, I have noted 4 key attitudes in a church that hasn’t grown in years …

Sick churches exhibit certain attitudes

  • The people are Selfish

This is the church that refuses to change anything so that others may be attracted. While I agree that the message and the Bible should NEVER change, the methods can and should when they are no longer effective. (A great place to change is to imitate the actions of Jesus while he was on earth.)

  • The people are Ingrown

We are told that after just a few years of knowing Christ, the average American Christ-follower knows less that 7 unsaved friends. This withdrawal and abandonment of the community is the reason for a lack of growth. (Again, consider Jesus who was so often “out and about” the communities of the Galilee.)

  • The people are Critical

The redundant refrain from people outside the church is, “Why are Christians so judgmental?” Perhaps we have forgotten Jesus’ striking pronouncement: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ” (John 3:17, ESV)

  • The people are Kill-joys

So many churches believe that “joy” is a synonym for “sin.” Yet the fruit of the Spirit start with “love, JOY,” etc. (Galatians 5). The church that is sick doesn’t like little kids running in the worship facility; complains when the facility is dirty because of use, and laments the “good old days” when children “knew their place” and “didn’t speak until spoken to.” They would rather have the order of the tomb than the raucous noise of the crowd.

There is a better way, and we will discuss it tomorrow.

Those are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours! Please comment below.

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Psalms: Understanding Hebrew Poetry!

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: web.cn.edu

Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.

Psalms: Understanding Hebrew Poetry!

We continue to move deeper into the books of Psalms, noting as we do that Hebrew poetry is much different from what we may be familiar with.  Understanding the mechanics and methods of such poetry helps us gain more of the “hidden” meaning behind the words. Hebrew poetry uses three key mechanisms to convey the emotion of the message:

  • Parallelism

Think of parallelism like railroad tracks. No train can deliver its cargo without both tracks. Likewise, the message in Hebrew poetry cannot be delivered of one of the tracks of the meaning are missed. Essentially, the second line in such poetry deepens, expands or explains the meaning of the first line. In Hebrew poetry, you will find two main types of parallelism …

1. Synonymous Parallelism

When the second line means the same thing as the first (albeit with further illustration, explanation or definition), you have synonymous parallelism. An example of such parallelism is …

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

(Psalm 27:1, ESV)

In our example the Lord is referred to as, “my light and my salvation” in the first line. The second line deepens the reason for this reality when it says, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life.” In other words, the Lord is the stronghold of David’s life, a place of great security. There, in that stronghold, David says is his salvation, which is the light of his life.

Thus, being secure in the Lord and safe in the light of God’s presence he can say twice, “whom shall I fear?” “… of whom shall I be afraid?” Fear flees when we realize that in God’s presence there is nothing that can separate you from that love and protection.


2. Antithetic Parallelism

Antithetic parallelism reverses the meaning and gives you the opposite meaning of the first line in the second. The classic example of this is Psalm 1.

Thesis:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Antithesis:

“… but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Thesis:

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Antithesis:

“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

Thesis:

“… for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

Antithesis:

“… but the way of the wicked will perish. ” (Psalm 1:1–6, ESV)

Understanding this powerful method of expression can bring deeper understanding as one slows down and seeks to glean all they can from the lines of these songs. Like those of us who sing our favorite songs over and over, deeper meaning and applications come with time as our experiences change and model those expressed in these songs of praise and worship. (Hint: since these are Hebrew methods of literary expression, you can find them in other Bible passages written by God’s people, including the New Testament!)

A second devise used by the psalmists is the …

  • Strophe

“A strophe is a logical unit determined by either the subject matter or structure of the poem (Bullock, 2008, 41).” Think stanza in a song from today. In most of the psalms you will not find a clear cue for the change of stanzas or strophes apart from the content itself. The differences in emphasis inside the psalm are usually enough to break the song into stanzas.

As David expresses the wonders of God’s Word in Psalm 19, we find two strophes, or stanzas. The first, Psalm 19:1-6, express how we can see God’s glory in the works of his hands in creation. Then he moves to the glories of God from the words of God in the second strophe in Psalm 19:7-14.

  • Chiastic Structure

One of the more complicated mechanisms found in Hebrew writing in general and its poetry in specific is the chiastic structure of the passage. Chiasm “comes from the Greek word chiazein, meaning to place crosswise or in the shape of the Greek letter chi (c).

Using Psalm 8 as an example, Dr. Robert L. Alden cites the following to explain chiasm:

A Benediction (v.1)

B God’s rule (vv. 2-3)

C Human meanness (v. 4)

C’ Human greatness (v. 5)

B’ Humanity’s rule (vv. 6-8)

A’ Benediction (v.9) (Bullock, 2008, 43).

As we contemplate the complexity of the psalms themselves, we begin to see this truth: God designed these timeless messages to help us put words to our pain, pressures and problems. He wanted us to be able to extol his greatness, steadfast love and constant intervention. Psalms are a gift to help us express our hearts and souls to a God who loves us and never forsakes us in the midst of an assembly of his like-minded children.

Source: Bullock, C. H.. (2008). Encountering The Book Of Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.

For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.

======

Host a Reaching Your Community In Your Generation Seminar!

The world around us changes approximately every 18 months! Such change brings great challenges to our mission. Eagles In Leadership has designed a weekend to help you energize your congregation or organization to fulfill the Great Commission in your community. You can bring this weekend to your church or organization!

The weekend revolves around four key messages:

  • Help! My Community Is Changing!
  • What’s Your Dream for Your Church? (And How Do You Reach It?)
  • Healthy Churches Grow!
  • Reaching Your Community In Your Generation! (It’s All About the Mission!)

You can learn more here.

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What Is Jesus’ Dream for Your Church?

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork credit: sundayschoolleader.com

As a leader, you know what its like to want to see God move in a powerful way through your community. Many times we ask the wrong questions and fail to work with God towards his dream for our church.

So, what is Jesus’ dream for your church? We know what it is, because he told us before his return to Heaven. Here’s what he said …

Jesus came and told his disciples,

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone in the authority of [my] name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

“And be sure of this: I am with you always,

even to the end of the age.”[1]

In other words,

  • Jesus’ dream is to bring every person in our world into a personal, intimate, surrendered relationship with Himself.
  • That means, Jesus’ dream for your church is to bring every person in your world into a personal, intimate, surrendered relationship with Himself.

Are you working with Jesus on his dream? Or, are you working on your dream and asking Jesus to work with you?

That’s my thought for the day. I would love to hear yours! Please comment below.

[1] Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16: 15; Luke 24.47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8 combined by the author.

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Psalms: Intense Personal Intimacy With God! (Book 2)

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: houseoftitus.wordpress.com

Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.

Psalms: Intense Personal Intimacy With God!

By now, if you are reading along on our reading schedule, you have sensed the amazing intimacy David and the other writers have with God. They take everything to God – joys and heartaches, triumphs and tragedies, friends and fiends.

As we step into book 2, we remember the focus of this section of the worship manual for Israel:

Book 2 – Psalms 42-72 include a mixture of several authors including David, Asaph and even Solomon. As the reader journeys along with Israel we gain a deeper appreciation for the intense personal intimacy the psalm writer feels with God. Truly one can share everything with God through a range of emotions and feel that the Great Creator is listening and somehow suffering with His child.

As you delve deeper into the ethos of the people of God, we hope you will see that it is alright to bring it all to God – every raw emotion, every deep pain, every bleeding wound to your soul and body are all ingredients for your ongoing friendship with God. As you read Book 2, consider some of these examples:

  • Consider how you could emulate the longings of the lambasted as the sons of Korah reach out to God in Psalm 42.
  • Contemplate how you could imitate the abundance of the overwhelmed the sons of Korah seek to express the glories of Messiah in Psalm 45.
  • Weigh how you would express the shame and failure of your evil and wickedness as David attempts to gain forgiveness from God in Psalm 51.
  • Work out how you would relate the pain and torture from the hatred and terrors from your enemies as David expresses his trust in God in Psalm 55.
  • Imagine how you would verbalize the passionate pursuit of God as David gives voice to his joy and thirst for God in Psalm 63.
  • Envision how you would give voice to the watch care and compassion of an unfailing Lord of love as David seeks to capture His majesty in Psalm 68.
  • Conceive of how you would frame the desperateness of your situation when attacked without cause as David pleads with God in Psalm 69.
  • Reckon how you would proceed in the presence of the King of Glory as you enter His unreserved presence as Solomon does in Psalm 72.

In reading these psalms slowly, we come to a huge reality: God cares and longs for us to enter His presence no matter our condition and emotion. As we do, He longs for us to be honest, forthright and even raw when in that condition, for He is a Father who cares and longs to love and care for us as we are, not as we might pretend to be!

It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.

For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.

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Evidences A Person Really Cares

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Photo Credit: lagrange.edu

Recently I have considering the question: “What drew 100s and 1000s of people to Jesus type of holiness?” It’s a question from Alan and Deb Hirsch’s book, Untamed! As I continue to think about the question, I have come to the following list of “evidences that  a person really cares for you.” This is what I believe drew so many people to Jesus. Here’s my list:

  • The other person thinks of you when you are not in contact.
  • The other person empathizes with you when you’re in pain.
  • The other person comforts you when you’re miserable.
  • The other person supports you when you’re in need.
  • The other person confronts you when you’re in error.
  • The other person defends you when you are attacked.

That’s my list. I would love to hear yours!

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