Author: David Short

DWELLING WITH GOD

Psalms 83:2-3 LXX (84:1-2)

How beloved are Your dwellings, O Lord of hosts.
My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh greatly rejoice in the living God.

Encouraging Words

One of the errors that has creeped into the modern church is that we will dwell with God when we die and transition into eternity. Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of God is here amongst us now. Why is this important. If we believe that we are dwelling with God now then our behavior will reflect that. We will live to glorify and honor Him in everything that we say and do. Glory be to God!

STAYING CLOSE

Psalms 72:26-27 LXX (73:26-27)

My heart and my flesh fail,
O God of my heart; and God is my portion forever.
For behold, those who keep themselves far away from You shall perish;
You destroy away from You all who act unfaithfully.

Personal Challenge

Part of our nature is to wander. Maybe it is a desire to learn by exploring our world. The challenge today is that there are so many distractions that can pull us away from our walk with our Lord. This always leads us to times in our lives where we feel as if we will perish. Our Lord is always there to pull us back into His presence and to lead us on our journey to theosis. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy!

COUNSEL AND GLORY

Psalms 72:24 LXX (73:24)

With Your counsel You guide me,
And with glory You take hold of me.

Personal Challenge

A critical thing for all of us to do in our lives is to surround ourselves with people that will give us wise counsel. They cannot be people that will affirm our every thought or action They cannot applaude our every move, whether successful or seriously destructive. Wise counsel will correct us when we are choosing the wrong path. This helps both us and those in our lives. God is our ultimate wise counsel, if we will listen to /him. His glory will hold us through our lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia

FROM BIRTH

Psalms 70:6 LXX (71:5)

By You I have been supported from birth;
From my mother’s womb You have been my protector;
My song shall be always of You.

Encouraging Words

God loves us, His created children, so much that He is with us from within our mother’s womb and through birth. He remains with us throughout our entire life desiring that we submit to Him and choose to walk in His ways. Through all of this He still allows us our free will to choose or reject Him. However we choose does not diminish His love for us. Praise be to God!

OUR FOUNDATION

Psalms 70:1-3 LXX (71:1-3)

By David; of the sons of Jonadab and the first ones taken captive.
O God, in You I hope; may I never be put to shame.
Deliver me in Your righteousness, and set me free;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a God for protection
And a strong place for salvation,
For You are my foundation and my refuge.

Personal Challenge

Everything in life is built upon something. If I am to build a physical structure such as a house or a gazebo, then I must start with a firm foundation. If I am starting a career or changing my path,I need a foundation to start with. Everything starts with a firm and sound base to be built upon· As followers of Christ we choose Jesus to be the foundation for every espect of our life. This is how He becomes our refuge, our salvation, our protection, and our deliverance. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

FOLLOWING CLOSE

Psalms 62:9 LXX (63:8)

My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand takes hold of me.

Personal Challenge

There are so many today that claim to be Christians but the evidence, or fruit, in their lives is missing. There is an ancient Jewish proverb that goes something like, “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi”. In those days, the disciples of a rabbi, or teacher, would follow him through the countryside listening to his teachings. They would follow very close so that they could hear every word that he uttered. Since the roads were dirt and therefore dusty, the dust kicked up would be all over those disciples. A true follower of Christ will be doing His works, His teachings, and producing Christ-like fruit. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on my the sinner!

MERCY

Psalms 62:4 LXX (63:3)

Because Your mercy is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.

Personal Challenge

In our modern world, do we really understand what mercy is? Sometimes having so many comforts in our lives deaden us to the great power of mercy. Mercy is typically not something that we deserve or can earn, but something that is freely given to us by another. The more extreme the need for mercy, the more it is appreciated. God’s mercy is better than life itself for it is the source of a true and full life That is why our lips do praise God for His mercy. Glory be to God!

WHAT, OR WHO, DO WE THIRST FOR?

Psalms 62:2 LXX (63:1)

O God, my God, I rise early to be with You;
My soul thirsts for You.
How often my flesh thirsts for You
In a desolate, impassable, and waterless land.

Personal Challenge

David, the Psalmist, was called out by God as a man after His own heart. David was still just a man, and even a sinful man, however, when confronted with his sin, he repented and fled to God. This verse tells us a lot about David and his relationship with God. He rose early to to spend time with God. He thirsted and hungered for God. He viewed the world around him as desolate, impassable,
and waterless without his God. Do we long for God this way? If not, then we can expect desolation, impassability, and dry barren times. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

HOPE

Psalms 61:9 LXX (62:8)

Hope in Him, all you congregation of people;
Pour out your hearts before Him;
God is our helper.
(Pause)

Personal Challenge

It can be so difficult to have hope when the world around us is falling apart. That is always the case when we put our hope in the things, or people, of this world. When we put our hope in God, who is constantly consistent, then He will carry us through whatever chaos befalls us. Glory be to God!