Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Sometimes we think and do things that are not pleasing to God, but as of yet, they do not displease us. Psalm 139 has a fix for that: Search me. Know me. See if there are any grievous ways.  Now WHY would I want to undergo such uncomfortable examination? Because there is something BETTER.  Listen 7 minutes to find out what it is.  https://youtu.be/8g_K2kOYB7E

The value with which you hold  the thoughts of God can be gauged by the vigor of the behaviors you have towards them. Your esteem of the thoughts of God are betrayed by your interest in the efforts you display for them.   God calls us toward having a curiosity for His thoughts. How are you doing in pursuing this treasure? Listen 7 minutes.  https://youtu.be/MkdLADXEkwU

The greatest witness to me of the existence of God, is the existence of ME.  One thing we surely cannot forget is that I did not make myself. One thing we surely cannot fail to notice is that I am wonderfully made. What if it were really true that God formed my parts and gave me life.  If so, this changes everything.  Join me for 7 minutes to see where all your parts came from.  https://youtu.be/0...

How do people respond to the intimacy of an all-knowing God? Well, they squirm and run if Psalm 139 is any indication. And how effective is the hiding? Totally ineffective. After using every trick in the book of darkness, speed and distance, we find a little tap on our shoulder of God saying, "I'm right here to lead and/or to hold." Squirm a bit with me for 7 minutes:  https://youtu...

If you really knew, that your ENTIRE past has been known by God, how might you respond? If you really could know, that every future step, future thought,is already known…what response does that elicit?           Is there a comfort in being accompanied? Reassurance that I am not hidden? Or are you a little terrified? The one thing you are definitely not is HIDDEN.  You are seen. Join me in psalm 13...

Have you ever hoped for bad things to happen to the bad people in your life?  If you write a song about that sentiment, it is called an imprecatory psalm. Fortunately, we have some New Testament light to shed on this sentiment. You may be familiar with how Jesus wishes us to treat our enemies: Love them, pray for them, and bless them. We do vengeance so very poorly.  We'd best leave the venge...

What will I do as I am wallowing in the righteous consequences of my own decisions? How can I SING at a time like this? When I am in a soup of unpleasantness, that I caused, what am I going to do now? Well, Israel is in it as we find them in Psalm 137. Let's watch them respond to the disciplining of God.  Subscribe please. I'd love to hear your comment: https://youtu.be/WY3DBKFggm8

Psalm 149 is about Praise and a Punch; Singing and Swords. We best be ready for both. Somehow the people whom He has saved from judgment are to be a part of His judgment process. That is why I hope someday to see you on the other side,  with a song in your mouth and a sword in your hand.  Subscribe on this day to be ready: https://youtu.be/BWRDHKgHGc0

Do you ever wonder what makes God happy? Psalm 149 flat out tells us. It is humbling to find out what, or more specifically WHO gives Him this pleasure. Like a grandparent for his grandchildren, the Lord has an enthusiastic, disproportional, and maybe even unbalanced regard for HIS PEOPLE.  He tells us we are His chosen portion, the apple of His eye, and that He takes pleasure in us. Join me for l...

We are supposed to be praising the attributes of God.  But WHERE exactly does He request these songs to be emanating from?  What is the LOCATION of our praise?  He calls for praise from the "assembly of the godly." Join me for 7 minutes to see if I can do that from my kitchen table on a sleepy Sunday morning.  https://youtu.be/Rj6sxPInfGQ

With his last spiritual quarter, David makes one last phone call to the Lord.  What does he ask for?  We will be flies on the wall as we listen and admire to David's request.  We too might follow his lead or we might not.  "One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after..." Perhaps we will seek the same thing that he did. Listen 7 minutes and find out.  Subscribe in case...

As we meet this day, many of you will have some significant troubles.  I am so very glad to have you explore this beautiful Psalm with me. We are not the first humans to have very serious troubles.  David is the king of trouble. He is the king of calling for help.   Watch what David does as he find himself in trouble.  Perhaps we can make psalm 27 a call to our real help.  https://youtu.be/ZqgE_tW...

The spiritual life is a lot like attaching oneself to a SHADOW.  Oh, but what a shadow it is.  It is the Shadow of the Almighty. Where should you put "your stake in the ground?" In the Shadow of the Almighty.  The psalm says to dwell there, tarry there, spend some time there and abide there. Answer the call with me for 7 minutes to be within SHADOW-DISTANCE.  this podcast audio isn'...

If Psalm 91 is true, it offers one of the sweetest promises of the whole Bible: "I will be with you in trouble." That is the Lord talking. Where do I sign up for this great assurance? The rest of Ps.91 tells us how:  Dwell in the shelter of the Most High (Be found nearby) Abide in the shadow of the Almighty( be within shadow-distance) Hold fast to Him in love (be FOND) Know His name (be...

Are all around you terrors, wickedness, fowlers, pestilence, arrows, and destruction? Then you are in the right place. Psalm 91 is where you can go to dwell in the shelter of the Most High and Abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  May I recommend being so close to Him that His shadow falls upon you?  Join me for 7 minutes to attach us to that very shadow.  https://youtu.be/TJaNBez9Cbs

Psalm 25 is about active, engaged and trust-filled WAITING. It is not passive. It is a trusting in our God who quite frankly has earned it by His faithfulness.  We trust Him because of His proven trustworthiness. He calls us to friendship with Him. He asks for our regular familiarity and even fondness toward Him.  This also is not without His previous demonstration of His friendship toward us.   T...

It is an audacious thought, but God invites us to be His friend. Typically, friendship involves FAMILIARITY and FONDNESS. I'd argue that God has already proven that He knows you well, and that He's so crazy about you that He exchanged something of great value for your rescue. The weak link in the friendship relationship is probably us.  We might lack a bit in the FAMILIARITY of God by be...

There is a wonderful book that I often recommend:How to avoid marry a JERK.  by John van Epp. The idea is to use the dating period to get a current and past track record of data, and not discount red flags and turn them into pink flags. Do a hard target investigation into the character of your dating partner, so as to reliably predict the future with them. Ferret out whether they are a JERK, or th...

Ps25 is about WAITING correctly before the Lord. That is only the half of it. The other half is the WHEN part. It is the waiting faithfully and expectantly when times are particularly difficult.  Anybody can wax poetical during the easy times.  This part of the Bible asks something of you.  It is even a heroic ask: Will you WAIT BEFORE THE LORD? Wait before Him, right after you listen for 7 minute...

Are you smarter than the gate of a city? Psalm 24 certainly hopes so.  For it is there that we see the doors and the gates of a city doing the right thing. They are recognizing correctly, responding appropriately, receiving enthusiastically, and reverencing soberly.  Yes the gates are doing the right thing. The doors are doing something. Watch just 7 minutes to find out if you are smarter than a d...

Here's a trick question: Could you stand in the presence of God?  The short answer is no . Our lot has the stain of sin that would be incongruous in the presence of the pure Holiness of God. Yet , He makes a way for the unholy, to be with the Holy. He makes a way for us to be with Him. Ultimately, for those going to heaven, He'll make us perfectly holy forever.  Meantime, how can we join...

Join me in a wonderful thunderstorm for the conclusion of Psalm 22.  He has done it.  It is finished.  The big victory has been won. Nothing is left to be proven.  The principle work of God is finished on the cross.   The rescue operation that started on page 3 of the Bible has been achieved. Psalm 22 forcasts it definitively 1000 years before its accomplishment. Amazing. He's done it.  It is...

David writes pretty specifically about a person whose hands and feet are pierced and is dehydrated, dislocated, and exhausted.  Sounds like a crucifixion in every way.   Here's the kicker: Crucifixion wasn't invented when he wrote this psalm in about 1000BC.  He didn't know about crucifixion. Nobody did for another 480 years until the Persians invented it.  We see here a specific pr...

To read Ps. 22 is to join Jesus on the Cross.   There are many descriptions of this unfortunate death embedded in Ps. 22. Of note today, even the bad guys around the cross tell us that Ps. 22 is about Jesus.  It is in Ps 22 we find Jesus entrusting, conversing, and recalling His relationship with the Father. Join me there for 7 minutes.  https://youtu.be/HWyvR9JcaMc

WHEN a psalm is quoted helps us understand its original intent and purpose. Of note, Ps. 22 is quoted twice when Jesus was slowly being suffocated on the cross.  We'd probably benefit by giving it our attention. If you were near death, what psalm would you quote? Is the "why have you forsaken me" psalm actually about forsaking? Probably not. Stay with me on this one... https://youtu...