Psalm 55

7 I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness.

The power of branding is amazing. Even though it was back in the 70′s, can you still fill in this blank?

“Calgon, ______ __ _____!”

If you are over 50, of course you can. Or if you listen to music from Mariah Carey (“Shake it Off”) to hip hop artist David Banner from Crooked Lettaz (“Grey Skies”).

Who doesn’t feel like just getting away from it all? God. He sticks with us, after all.

Pray for an openness to God’s companionship.

Psalm 54

5 May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them.

God promises to vindicate his people. Actually, in the end God will always do exactly what is right for everyone. This is why Jesus can make the radical claim for Christians not to take vengeance. It isn’t because someone else doesn’t deserve God’s discipline. It is because we are free to focus on our future, not get caught up in the injustices of our past.

Pray for God to deliver you from past injustices.

Psalm 53

No one does good, not a single one!

God is comparing our actions to those of Jesus here. No human on human power is ever going to be close to measure up. It is time we stop comparing ourselves. Those who are holy are those who are close to the Father. If you are close to the Father, you don’t have to let everyone know. They can see this for themselves.

Pray for any desire for comparisons you make to go away.

Psalm 52

You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.

Evil is purposely living outside of God’s ways. Lying to gain advantage is a sign of this. So, to be honest about when you stray from God’s ways and admitting that to him? That’s repentance.

What would unrepentant sin be? Purposely living outside of God’s ways and lying about it to myself. What is the result of this way of life? I could become the kind of person who cannot want God. Don’t need him in my life.

Pray for honesty before God always.

Psalm 51

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

According to this psalm, God gives all people a conscience that draws them to him. Conscience is a non-physical reality. Some would say that consciousness and thought and being themselves all come from the physical- DNA, genetics, brain circuitry and such.

Sorry, if that were the case, why would I trust your teaching on this topic if you are pre-wired to say it anyway? The only thing you could do is force me to believe it. Whoever holds the power has the truth? Don’t think so.

What are examples of moral behavior that is similar cross-culturally and across the ages?

Psalm 50

22 “Time’s up for playing fast and loose with me. I’m ready to pass sentence, and there’s no help in sight!” (The Message)

I really enjoy The Message translation of the Bible, by Eugene Peterson. It gives such a new perspective to the Word of God. Except when Peterson wimps out. Come on, Eugene, it’s just a metaphor.*

(*Psalm 50:22 in NIV reads, “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue.”)

Have you ever sensed the strong discipline of God? When?

Psalm 49

17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.

The old joke about a hearse pulling a U- haul trailer. “Who said, ‘You can’t take it with you?’”

Who knew it was from the Bible?

Pray for generosity with your riches. (if you don’t think you are rich, ask a villager in Malawi)

Psalm 48

We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves—

A common theme in the Bible is to experience something; not just hear about it. This is why feeling God at work in me is such a wonderful sensation. I don’t base my confidence in this, but I do relish it. Now that I mention it, if I were to feel nothing when I kiss my wife, I would worry big time about our connection. Why would I expect less with God? Maybe feelings are important after all. Praise God, hallelujah!

Pray that God touch you emotionally this week.

The new DVD series will be shipped to me on August 11. I will be using filmbaby.com and will link there for sales. Once they have my product, you will be able to order through a toll-free number or directly from their website. I will also have promo highlight clips you can preview directly on my site, as well as a downloadable promo clip you can use to promote any education or small group use of this series.

Everything is set for use of this series in your fall programming. Thank you for your patience.

Psalm 47

1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

If you think the Bible is the Word of God then you do what it says in the context of what it is saying. Psalm 47 is a worship setting. I quoted the King James Version just to make sure this was old school. How come my grandma never told me to clap my hands and shout in worship? She loved the Bible. She read it all the time. I just don’t remember her reading this to me.

Praise God, hallelujah! I am making up for lost time!

Find a time today to shout to God with a voice of triumph.