Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel

I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows, those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah (Psalm 66:13-15, NRSV)

Maybe we don’t understand offering sacrifices of animals but we can all sacrifice something to or for God. We can make promises Just as God made promises to us.

How can we Show God that we trust His promises to us?

How can we show the world we trust God?

Do you trust God?

Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel

Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs; you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place. (Psalm 66:8-12, NRSV)

God has kept us among the living and has helped us not to lose our footing.

Through everything we have gone, the Lord has always been with us.

Through testing and trials, He has kept us.

He has tested us as silver is tried.

So He knows we are done when He sees His reflection in us.

Do you reflect God?

Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel

He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah (Psalm 66:6-7, NRSV)

God is able to do things we think are impossible.

Make dry land from a raging river.

God is always with His people and will do what He has to to keep them safe.

Our God is a great God and shows us His Iove in many and various ways.

Give Him praise for all He has done for you!

Praise for God’s Goodness to Isreal

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you. All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals. (Psalm 66:1-5, NRSV)

Sing to the Lord! Sing glory to His name.

God has done awesome things and is worthy of our praise.

God is awesome in all the things He has already done for us.

So we should sing our praises to Him in everything we do!

Come and See

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:35-51, NRSV)

There is so much to this passage.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

How do you know me?

You will see greater things.

But to me, the best line is in the opening of the text.

Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.”
Come and see. Jesus says to John’s disciples, “Come and see,” They want to know where He is staying and rather than answering the question He offers an invitation to them and to us all.

God wants us to come and see where He is and what He is doing.

Are you ready to come and see?

The Joy of Forgiveness

Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

(Psalm 32:10-11, NRSV)

Many are the torments of the wicked. I have to admit that if that is the case I must be pretty wicked right now. I feel like I am being tormented all around. But I fret not in these torments because I trust in the Lord and know He surrounds me with love.

He helps me be the person He created me to be. I know no matter what happens that the Lord is always with me. And my trust is in Him.

Where is your trust?

The Joy of Forgiveness

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.

(Psalm 32:8-9, NRSV)

The Lord will show you His ways and teach you how you should live. Listen to His good counsel and heed His teaching. For we are not like horses or mules who need a bit and griddle to follow directions. God has made us to discern His leading and to follow.

He will guide you and watch over you. Are you ready to heed His leading?

The Joy of Forgiveness

Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

(Psalm 32:6-7, NRSV)

When you are in need turn to God. God will be a shelter for you in the storm and the waters will not overcome you.

God will be a place for you to hide away from the world to get a respite from your worries. God will hold you in His hand and deliver you from your troubles.

The Joy of Forgiveness

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:5, NRSV)

When we come to God with all of the darkness that keeps our relationship from growing He doesn’t turn away from us and leave us yo die in our sins. God is faithful and just and already knows all of the blackness of your life. In fact God knows things about you you don’t even know a

God will listen and forgive. He will never leave you or forsake you.

The Joy of Forgiveness

While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

(Psalm 32:3-4, NRSV)

When we bottle up the wrong things we do, those sins that keep us from God we are worse off than confessing them.

Here the psalmist says while I was silent my body wasted away. The sins needing to be confessed festered and rotted away at him so it was destroying him. But when we release our wrongs they are taken by God and removed from us and we are freed.