Indescribable

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 29. Here is what I learned. 

Give to the Lord, O sons of the powerful. Give to the Lord shining-greatness and strength.  Give to the Lord the honor that belongs to Him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holy living. Psalm 29:1, 2 (NLV)

Yesterday, I studied Psalm 19, and that the Heavens are a testimony to the ultimate greatness of God. Psalm 29, focuses the attention to God Himself and the honor, glory, and praise due Him, because of His ultimate greatness. 

How do you describe an INDESCRIBABLE God? In Psalm 29, David uses a thunderstorm. A thunderstorm is powerful and mighty.

The thunder is not only poetically but instructively called "the voice of God," since it peals from on high; it surpasses all other sounds, it inspires awe, it is entirely independent of man. The Treasury of David

The psalmist here sets forth God's dominion in the kingdom of nature. In the thunder, and lightning, and storm, we may see and hear his glory. Let our hearts be thereby filled with great, and high, and honourable thoughts of God, in the holy adoring of whom, the power of godliness so much consists. O Lord our God, thou art very great! Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

As powerful as man thinks he is, he is no match for the power and majesty of the Almighty God. We need to humble ourselves before the Creator of all. He and He alone is worthy of our praise. He and He alone is our Redeemer. How would I describe an INDESCRIBABLE God? That’s something I’ll have to work on this year. 

But even if I can’t describe Him, I know that He loves me and that fact, creates a positive day!

The Ultimate Greatness!

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Fourth of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 19. Here's what Treasure I found today. 

Think about the Sun for a moment. Its diameter is about 860,000 miles. The sun weighs

4.4000000000000000000000000000000 pounds

— that is 4.4 followed by 30 zeros pounds! And yet it “hangs” in space!

The surface of the sun is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. And the Earth is about 93,000,000 miles from the sun.  Any closer and we would burn, any further away and we would freeze. God knows exactly where to “hang” the Sun and Earth. 

The heavens are telling of the greatness of God and the great open spaces above show the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1 (NLV) 

Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 (CEB)

Looking at the vastness of the sky, and knowing that we have yet to discover all that is in our Heavens, we are given a glimpse of the ultimate greatness of God. 

When I look at the Heavens and see the greatness of God, I realize that since God can create the Heavens with such detail, God can take care of me!  I don’t understand how the sun can “hang” in space, but I don’t need to understand all the details. The same is true in my life. I don’t need to understand how or why God does what He does, I am only to trust Him.  

“I don’t think the way you think.

The way you work isn’t the way I work.”

God’s Decree.

“For as the sky soars high above earth,

so the way I work surpasses the way you work,

and the way I think is beyond the way you think.

Just as rain and snow descend from the skies

and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,

Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,

producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,

So will the words that come out of my mouth

not come back empty-handed.

They’ll do the work I sent them to do,

they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

Isaiah 55:8-11 (MSG)

God is in control. God loves me. God knows exactly what is happening in my life, and He is very aware of each and every need I have. My responsibility is to trust God, and let Him work. Creating a positive day is easier when I take time to realize the ultimate greatness of God, and to do that, all I have to do is, look at the Heavens! 

Body Guard

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 16. Here is what I learned. 

Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have found refuge, and in You do I put my trust and hide myself. Psalm 16:1 (Amplified)

Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you. Psalm 16:1 (MSG)

The word for “protect” conveys that of a “body guard”. The job description of a body guard: The primary responsibility of bodyguards is assessing security threats and providing the necessary security measures. 

http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/7710/Bodyguard.html#ixzz2GvD6j0yY

God is the ultimate ‘body guard’ because of Who He is. The Word for “God” is “El” which means Mighty, Strong, Powerful.

Who better could provide protection and keep me safe, than the Almighty Powerful God? There is no one else who could even come close. 

Because of WHO God is, the Almighty Powerful God, I know that I am safe in Him. Nothing can separate me from the Love of God. 

The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us.[a] We can’t be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces  or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation. Romans 8:37-39 (GW)

God is my body guard, and because of Who He is, I can rest and relax knowing that I am safe in Him. That fact creates a very positive day! 

God Hears

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Second of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 4. Here's what Treasure I found today. 

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You have freed me from my troubles. Have pity on me, and hear my prayer! Psalm 4:1 (God’s Word)

Answer me when I call, O my God Who is right and good! You have made a way for me when I needed help. Be kind to me, and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 (New Life Version)

It’s a treasure to know that I can call upon God... who is righteous.

God of my righteousness - Whatever pardon, peace, holiness, or truth I possess, has come entirely from thyself. Thou art the God of my salvation, as thou art the God of my life. (Clark’s Commentary)

God is the deliverer from troubles. When feeling confined and need a way to escape, God will provide that way. And this is not based upon me or what I have done, rather based upon God’s righteousness.

At times, I don’t “feel” like I’ve been “delivered”.. what then? I think it goes to a change of attitude and understanding. Remember, this is about GOD and WHO HE IS. It’s about His plan and what He wants to accomplish. 

This makes me think of Joseph. He was put into a pit, sold into slavery by his brothers, endured false imprisonment for at LEAST 2 years... but all the while... God was with Him. God’s plan for Joseph was about providing for His people. 

Jacob’s sons [The patriarchs] became jealous of Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and ·saved [rescued; delivered] him from all his ·troubles [afflictions]. God gave Joseph ·wisdom to gain the favor of [favor and wisdom before] Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The king made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of ·all the people in his palace [his whole household]. Acts 7:9-10 (EXB)

The truth is that God, because of His grace and mercy, does hear my prayer for help. He is kind to me and will answer my prayer.....but in His ultimate loving way. And that truth is why, no matter my circumstance, I can enjoy a positive day!

God's Smile!

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The First of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 67. Here's what Treasure I found today.

Today as I read Psalm 67... I had to stop and learn more about verse 1. 

God, mark us with grace and blessing. Smile! Psalm 67:1 (MSG)

God be merciful and gracious to us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us and among us—Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Psalm 67:1 (Amplified)

First, the Psalmist realized the need for God to be merciful and gracious to us. We are sinners, and only because of God's mercy and love, does He forgive us of our sins. Today is the beginning of a New Year, what a great truth to begin the year with... God has forgiven me! 

The next request of the Psalmist is that God bless us. And He does in so many ways. Today, I woke up to a beautiful Sunrise. God displays His handiwork in the Heavens for us to enjoy. 

God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Psalm 19:1 (MSG)

Then lastly the Psalmist asks God to Smile! The Psalmist wants God's glory to reflect on him. As I go about today, I'd like to reflect God's smile with those whom I come in contact. This verse makes me think of the song by The Ball Brothers, "I Glimpse of Your Glory". 

Knowing that I'm forgiven, and that God is smiling upon me...that creates a positive day like no other! 

God's GPS

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you.

Psalm 119:15 (MSG) 

I will meditate on thy precepts,

And have respect unto thy ways.

Psalm 119:15 (ASV & KJV) 

Like the descriptive meaning of Psalm 119:15 from Gill's Exposition of the Bible: 

"I will meditate in thy precepts,.... In his own mind; revolve them in his thoughts; consider well the nature, excellency, usefulness, and importance of them, and the obligations he lay under to observe them. The Targum is, "I will speak of thy precepts;'' in conversation to others, and recommend them to them;

so the Arabic version: and have respect unto thy ways; or "look" (s) unto them; take heed unto them, and walk in them, and not wander from them; make them the rule of walk and conversation; as travelers look well to their ways, that they do not miss them, and go into wrong ways; they observe the directions that have been given them, and keep unto them; and so good men refer to the ways of the Lord, which the Scriptures point out unto them; see Jeremiah 6:16: “This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.’” 

As I read that this morning, what came to mind is my own personal "GPS" from God. However, the GPS only works as good as you pay attention to the directions. And God's GPS ALWAYS has the right directions, unlike some GPS/Map Aps from companies.

The overall idea of Psalm 119:15 is that first I realize the importance of God's Word in living day to day. Secondly, the goal is to "think about it, so that it has an effect on my life". God's Word should have an impact on my actions, attitude, and speech. And lastly, this doesn't "just happen" I have to make a conscious effort to ponder every morsel from God. 

Each day as I make an effort to "Create a positive day", I have to realize that can only be accomplished if I follow God's GPS. 

Ponder Every Morsel!

"I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you."

Ps 119:15 (MSG)

One thing about living with chronic pain is not sleeping well. I've learned not to be bothered by not sleeping, rather I have enjoyed "Treasure Hunting"! When I go "Treasure Hunting", I read through the Psalms looking for great treasures which I can think on throughout the day. 

As I was thinking about my "Treasure Hunting" I wondered what God could teach me from the Psalms throughout 2013. I picked 31 Psalms and will focus on a Psalm each day, repeating the same Psalms each month.

I created a book to keep track of what God teaches me. I call it my "I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you." Ps 119:15 (MSG) Book. 

Here is the page for the FIRST of each Month:

I'm excited to see what God will teach me as I focus on His Word. Looking forward to a year filled with God's blessings and care. I have no idea what God has planned for me in 2013, but I know that whatever it is, He will be there with me. My prayer for 2013 is that I get to know my God better and grow in His knowledge and grace. 

Creating a positive day is not about me and what makes me happy, rather it's about living a life that brings honor and glory to God. In order for me to do that, I must continue to learn about Him.