Psalm 113 - 143: A free and full life

- Giving back:  A psalmist wrote, "What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me?"

• "Lift high the cup of salvation--a toast to God"
• "I'll pray in the name of God"
• "I'll complete what I promised God I'd do"...AND
• "I'll do it together with his people" (Psalm 116:9-11)

- Small but mighty.  Loved Psalm 117. It was only 5 lines!
- "A free and full life" -- it only comes from living God's way, but I want it (Psalm 118:21-25).
- The race:  "I'll run the course you lay out for me if you'll just show me how" (Psalm 119:32)
- Workin' your fingers to the bone?  "God enjoys giving reset to those he loves" (Psalm 127:1-2)
- The blessing:  "Children are God's best gift" (Psalm 127:3). Thank you, God, for two of them.
- My goal:  "My life a prayer" (Psalm 130:3)
- You are precious:  We are God's "prized possession" (Psalm 135:4). The Psalmist describes Israel this way, but through Christ we are adopted into God's family and we can enjoy the promises he made to his beloved people of Israel.
- Remember this next time you pray:  "Angels listen as I sing my thanks" (Psalm 138:1-3).
- Why David was a man after God's heart:  "I only have eyes for you," David wrote to God (Psalm 141:8). Pure and simple, David was in love with God.


Elena's verse of the day:  "You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path" (Psalm 143:10).

Psalm 89 - 112: Mud people & Mountain biking

Reading through the Psalms this quickly is like a mountain bike ride. We sweated through the hard hill climb over the rocks and ditches in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. Now we're on the downhill portion--it's exhilarating and like going to some crazy turbo-filled multi-day worship service. Loving it!
- Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:  Have you ever had a day like this? Psalm 102 has this title in the Message version: "A Prayer of One Whose Life is falling to Pieces, and Who Lets God Know Just How Bad It Is."
- Mud people:  God as a parent:  "As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keep in mind that we're made of mud" (Psalm 103:6-18). I don't know if you've ever read anything by Tosca Lee, but she's a historical novelist and her books are amazing. Her novel Demon: A Memoir, is the story of Clayton, "an editor who has just been hired to author a memoir for Lucian, a demon with an extraordinary story to share. The fallen angel chronicles a life of heavenly bliss and rebellion, human creation and salvation, and God's relentless pursuit of mankind" (from the Amazon.com description). Lucian calls humans "mud people." Her book came to mind when I read this passage in Psalm 103 today. (Note: She has another great book about Eve called Havah, and she's at work on a book about Judas. Can't wait for that one!)
- The secret to a good life:  "The Good Life begins in the fear of God" (Psalm 111).

Elena's verse of the day:  "With all my heart I praise the Lord, and with all I am I praise his holy name! I will never forget how kind he has been" (Psalm 103:1-2).

Job 6 - 27: Is it okay to question God?

Out of order:  Job was a wealthy desert sheikh who lived during the times of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Not sure why the book of Job appears in this spot, when chronologically it belongs further back. Same with Esther--which belongs before Ezra & Nehemiah chronologically. I'll see if I can find an answer to this.)

Testing, testing:  Job underwent two divine tests: 1) His possessions, wealth, and children were taken away from him. 2) His health was destroyed. Everyone pretty much abandoned him, even his own servants who found him disgusting (he had weeping boils from head to toe). However, several friends came to visit. At first they seem sympathetic, but before long they accuse him of everything under the sun and even begin to mock him.
Questioning God:  Job decides to lay everything out on the table before God (Job 7). He makes several requests of God and begins to ask him questions (Job 14). I can relate to Job. Can you? Do you ever wonder these things or make these requests to God? Job was honest, painfully honest.

• Lay off the afflictions...they are too much for me.
• Address me directly. I need answers! 
• What are my sins (that you would punish me so)?
• If we humans die, will we live again? Will there be a Resurrection? 
• Why do the wicked prosper? Why do good people suffer? (Job 21)

Elena's verse of the day:  "You, the source of my life, showered me with kindness and watched over me. You have not explained all of your mysteries" (Job 10:12-13).

Deuteronomy 2 - 14: Rules to live by, holy destruction, and God's cherished personal treasure (You!)

- The God who listens:  "What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us?" (Deuteronomy 4:7-8). God knows your name, he loves you, and he hears you.
- Rules to live by:  Practical guidelines from chapter 4 of Deuteronomy, in a sermon given by Moses to the people:

• Stay alert
• Keep close watch over yourselves
• Don't forget anything of what you've seen
• Don't let your heart wander off
• Stay vigilant as long as you live
• Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren

- Holy destruction:  what seems like brutality to us, as God instructed the Israelites to wipe out towns and clans, was actually God getting rid of vile and wicked nations. His actions were justice for their wicked behavior. One of the most vile things they did was burn their children in idol worship. God abhorred this.
- God the gardener:  God personally tended Israel, the Promised Land. "He's the Gardener" (Deut 11:10-12). The gardeners I know are gentle but firm as they tend their plants. They study their garden and know it intimately. They protect it and guard it from anything that would want to damage it. They water and feed it. They prune it. And they look forward to the harvest. Is it any surprise that God hated the vile things going on in his personal garden? And why he wanted to uproot the people doing those things and replace them with his own chosen people?
- You are chosen:  "God chose you out of all the people on earth as his cherished personal treasure" (Deut 14:1-2). Moses said this to the people of Israel, but this verse is for us, too. Through the redemptive work of Christ, we are grafted into the tribe of Israel, adopted as part of God's chosen people. So the promises to Israel are promises to us, as well. Hold that verse close--you are chosen as God's cherished personal treasure.

Elena's verse of the day:  "Be very careful not to forget things you have seen God do...keep reminding yourselves and tell your children and grandchildren" (Deuteronomy 4:9).