Psalms 5:11-12 (5:12-13)

But let all who hope in You be glad;
They will greatly rejoice forever,
For You will dwell in them;
And all who love Your name will boast in You.
For You will bless the righteous;
O Lord, You crowned us with the shield of Your goodwill.

Encouraging Words

What is one of the core characteristics of a follower of Christ? Hope! We place our hope in Christ and the work that He has done for us, and we are glad in that hope. We rejoice in Him because He dwells in us. In that hope we love him and boast in Him alone. He blesses us, crowns us, and shields us with His good will. Glory be to God!

Luke 12:48b

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Personal Challenge

God’s economy, how He does things and measures things, is much different than the economy of this world. It is very important for us to recognize that if He chooses us to be blessed, there comes with that blessing the expectation that we will use it for His glory and not our gain. If riches, then sharing with those in need. If power or authority, then humility to apply it His way. His blessings bestowed upon us are to be shared in order to build to His kingdom. Glory be to God!

Psalms 5:3 (5:4)

In the morning You shall hear my voice;
In the morning I will stand before You,
And I will watch.

Personal Challenge

What an awesome way to start a day. Calling out to God knowing that He will hear our voice. Standing before Him and watching for Him to reveal Himself in our day. Is this our personal challenge each day? Do we carve out this time to start our day, calling out and watching for Him? It is truly worth the effort to make this a daily practice. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 12:35-36

Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.

Personal Challenge

Anticipation. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? The answer really depends on what it is that we are anticipating. When Jesus was here, He kept telling us that He would be leaving us and that He world return to take us home with Him to heaven. That is the anticipation that these verses are referring to. We are to live every moment in anticipation that Jesus my return any time. We need to be ready for Him so that we can go with him. Are you ready? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 4:8 (4:9)

I will both sleep and rest in peace,
For You alone, O Lord, cause me to dwell in hope.

Encouraging Words

For those of us who try to walk in the ways of our Lord, we experience His peace and rest. It is not until we are in those very precarious and even dangerous situations that we really understand and experience the depth of his protection over us and that ability to sleep soundly under His wings of love and protection. Glory be to God!

Luke 12:34

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Personal Challenge

What is important to us? What is it that we persistently think about or talk to others about? Is it our occupation? Our stuff that we have collected along our journey of life? Our wealth? Our health? These are all earthly treasures and can disappear in an instant. Do we think about our God? What we can do for him? The family and friends that He has blessed us with? These are the things of heaven and where our heart should be focused. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 4:1

You heard me when I called, O God of my righteousness.
You strengthened my heart when I was in distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

Encouraging Words

I love the Psalms. Reading through them you can see that the psalmist had a deep and passionate relationship with God. We can all have this kind of relationship with Him, a relationship where we know that we can cry out to Him and He hears us. We can only do this by spending time with Him, trusting Him, walking with Him as Adam and Eve did in the garden, talking to Him, and listening for His response. God will strengthen us in times of distress and always have mercy on us. Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 12:32-33

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.

Encouraging Words

Our God loves us beyond all human measure. He desires to pour out His good, His love, His abundance upon us. What does He expect of us in return for this? He wants us to let go of all the worldly things that come between us and Him. It is only by letting go of these things that we will be freed up to embrace the treasures in heaven that He has in store for us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 3:9

Salvation is of the Lord,
And Your blessing is upon Your people.

Encouraging Words

God takes care of His people. Even when we wander away from Him, He still loves us and takes care of us. We must always remember that when we do wander away from him that there will be consequences for doing that and we will have to live through those consequences. Even so, God loves us and will always bless us as His people. Glory be to God!