Isaiah 18:1-23:18 It is easy to misunderstand the Old Testament as God's focus on Israel to the neglect of the nations. Though much of the attention of the Hebrews Scriptures is on God working through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, God's heart has always been for the whole world. His desire was for Israel to be a light for the nations that would draw them into a relationship with hi...  Read More

Psalm 136, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 The last five of the psalms (Psalms 146-150) all begin and end with the phrase "Praise the Lord." It could not be clearer what we are supposed to do. We are called to praise God. These psalms answer several questions about praising God. If we ask the question when we should praise God, the answer is always (Psalm 146:2). We are to begin praising God now and conti...  Read More

Psalm 128, 129, 130, 132, 134, 135 Today is part 2 of the psalms of ascent (if you did not read yesterday, I encourage you to read through all the psalms of ascent (Psalms 120-134 today). As people journeyed dozens or hundreds of miles up towards Jerusalem, they would have continuously repeated these psalms. Repetition is the key to learning. When the people came to Psalm 128, it was a reminder th...  Read More

Psalm 120, 121, 123, 125, 126 Psalms 120-134 are psalms of ascent. They were psalms which were repeated and sung by pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem for various feasts. As you read through these psalms, consider what they were meant to teach those traveling to Jerusalem, and in turn us. Psalm 120 pictures God as the judge of wickedness and evil in the world. Psalms 121 and 125 teach us God is watch...  Read More

Psalm 119 If you have read the Bible everyday so far this year, congratulations, and, even if you have not, good work reading today! Psalm 119 provides a great summary of what you have been reading. God's Scriptures are described in this psalm as: the law of the Lord, his statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, his word, promise, and word of truth. In the Bible we encounter several different genres...  Read More

Psalm 115, 116, 117, 118 The commands we repeat are important. There are many things I have told my children again and again because I want them to remember. As parents to their kids, so God is to us. When he repeats something, we should pay attention to it. In Psalm 115 we are commanded multiple times to "trust in the Lord." Then Psalms 115-117 all end with the phrase, "Praise the Lord." Then in ...  Read More

Psalm 107, 111, 112, 113, 114 What have you praised and celebrated in the last few days? It is hard for us not to praise and commend, the only question is what we are praising.The psalms are a beautiful place to remind ourselves of why God alone is ultimately worthy of our praise. Psalm 107 begins by reminding us that God is worthy of praise because "his love endures forever." No matter how beauti...  Read More

Psalm 105-106 We are all missionaries. Every one of us is proclaiming the greatness of something and encouraging others to participate in that. It may be a restaurant we ate at recently, it may be a movie or book, or it may be God, but we are all continuously sharing what we enjoy with others. Psalm 105 commands us to “make known among the nations what he has done” (to be a missionary/a disciple w...  Read More

Psalm 98, 99, 100, 102, 104 "Mom," "Dad" seem to be two continual refrains from the mouths of my kids. It might be absurdly early in the morning or after they have been put to bed, but these words constantly flow from their mouths. Many psalms want us to learn a similar continual call for God our Father. Psalms 98 and 100 are calls to God from a place of joy. It is easy to envision smiles on the f...  Read More

Psalm 92-97 What do you picture when you think of God? This view will impact the way you live, so it is important that we have the right view of him. Thankfully the Scriptures and especially the psalms give us several pictures of God. Psalm 92 presents him as a rock. The one upon whom our lives are to be built. Psalms 93 and 97 present him as the eternal king of the universe. Psalm 94 presents him...  Read More

Psalm 1-2, 10, 33, 71, 91 Due to our fallen nature, we have a natural bent towards throwing off authority. If you doubt this, be sensitive to your emotions the next time you are asked to do something you do not want to do. Or watch a kid throw a tantrum when they are asked to perform a small task they dislike. Or consider the founding of our country, which we celebrated a couple days ago, and our ...  Read More

Psalm 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87 Some people find the music to be their favorite part of the church service. They love expressing themselves and praising God, while others may find the music to be an almost unnecessary interruption prior to the sermon. Regardless of your attitude, praise should be something we all cultivate in our lives. We need to consistently praise God, because he is worthy of it. ...  Read More