CathyLovesJesus

Both taming the tongue and caring for the poor premote us to become ACTIVE Christians, doers of the Word, not hearers only. I believe also, taming of the tongue will break our self-will, and caring for the poor will keep us humble. They are both attributes which we must ACTIVELY pursue, not merely "hear."

We are fooled because we get "comfortable" when we feel we "know" God's Word. The 'god' of this world has blinded us into thinking we are righteous when God clearly tells us: "no there's NONE righteous, no not ONE." The nature of self-deception, I believe is PRIDE. We think we are "good," despite God telling us NONE of us are. We all have egos and it is a difficult truth to know that we are NOT good. Also, I would add, hypocrasy is the root of self deception. That's what Jesus said in the 23rd chapter of Matthew...

The promise found in James 1:5 is if any of us lack wisdom, we're to ask God who will give it to us. However, the condition upon which we must claim this verse is to ask Him in faith believing He will give us the knowledge we seek. If we do not ask Him in faith, we will not receive anything from Him. Trials I believe help us to receive this wisdom by teaching us to rely SOLELY on God out of pure faith to see us through. As we endure trials, our faith will grow. Trials are not fun, but it is a process by which we must go through to a)develop reliance upon Him, b)strengthen and grow our faith, and c)mature us so that we learn to come to Him first NO MATTER WHAT!!

David was able to come boldly to the throne of God and ask for His help because David was sure of his relationship with Him. As for God's grace and mercy, we should expect nothing less than David did as we know, the Bible teaches, that God does NOT change. In good times and in bad times, Our God is a God of love and compassion, who showers us with His love and mercy, goodness, kindness, and grace. Always. We know this because we know that's the character of God... and we know His character NEVER changes. David understood that clearly.

We should worship the Lord for His greatness and for all that He has done for us and to us. We should worship Him for who He is... our best friend and the one who fills our hearts and souls... in good times and in bad times... both on the mountain top and in the valley... I believe the warning is included in this psalm because we are to remember how easy it is to deceive ourselves... we're being told to worship NOT just for outward appearances but for TRUE and HONEST feelings which stem from a loving close relationship with Our Lord! I believe this fits with the psalm as it shines a light in our paths, it shows us that we must be sincere in our worship, that we must offer our praises followed by obedience... this psalm teaches us to NOT do as our forefathers have done ... and remained in the desert for 40years!

This psalm teaches that we should give praise to God for all that He has done, and is for us, and to us. We should praise Him in His holy sanctuary and heaven with our voices and our instruments, the harp, the flute, the cymbals, the pipes. We should also praise Him FROM our hearts! Everyone who is living should praise Him.. "everyone who has breath" This psalm makes me feel like getting alone and quiet with God to give Him thanks for all that He is and continues to be in my life, to thank Him for His wondrous works and majesty. To share my heart and soul with Him!

Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? The descriptiveness about this poem attracts me. It has me meditating on what the psalmist was thinking, and how I might be able to apply it to my life. There's a calm, tranquil, peacefulness in imagining the application of this in my life. I find the understanding of this psalm makes it very temptingly and excitingly doable! I believe dwelling together in unity can be difficult because each of us have our own set of thoughts, and along with them, our priorities in life, our own perspectives. We are all different, and different things appeal to each of us in a varying degree. Because we are different, it can sometimes be difficult for us to see things from the same POV. To dwell in unity, I believe I must be able to totally love my neighbor as I love myself. Because I have a prideful nature with this fleshly body, that oftentimes can be difficult to follow as Paul taught: "the things I DON'T want to do I find myself doing, and the things I DO want to do I find myself NOT doing" (paraphrased). Unity also requires, I believe, that we live a totally surrendered life and allow Jesus to live in and thru us so that we might love others the way only our Lord can... with His whole heart. I believe reconciliation and unity have such a high value in Jesus' teachings because He knew how easy it would be for us to go astray if we did not have others to lean upon, thus the importance of unity. . . "forsake not the asssembling together..." Reconciliation, I believe was important in Jesus' teachings because He wanted us to learn to forgive others so that our hearts would NOT become hardened, our soul filled with bitterness, and hatred, as a result of the pride in our life. .. all of which (bitterness, hatred and pride) are forms of bondage. Jesus came to set the captives... *US* ... FREE!! Praise the Lord!

Q2. (Psalm 15) The Wisdom Psalms are meant to instruct us. How would you use this psalm in your family to instruct your children? What topics of right living does it cover? I have no children, but I find this psalm can be used in my family as I strive to live a Godly life. I pray it will enable me to teach those around me by example, and it will be one they will desire to learn and make a part of their life. This pslam covers topics which... if I obey it, will prevent me from living a life of bondage by teaching me to live a life of freedom in the areas of: gossip, immorality, moral integrity, fairness to my neighbors, knowing and not being ashamed of my allegience to Christ, and finally,... learning to live a life free of GREED. If I practice each of these ideals, I can learn to become more and more Christ-like in my heart, thoughts, character, conversation and finally, in my deeds, or actions.

I think we need to be reminded of this on a daily basis because each day we face conflicts and trials from both Christians and Non-Christians. I like verse 6. I think it helps to keep a clear perspective when I find myself in a challenging situation.

Knowing that God has showered me with His enormous love, creates an unbreakable bond with Him. I feel assured, and accepted. And, because I feel assured, loved, and accepted, I love Him in return. I know my Father will never let me down because He has promised that. And I believe every single promise He has made to me. With love and trust in my Father, I find faith in Him comes very easily to me. The realization of the enormity of His love for me brings about in my life a faith that is unshakable, and a confidence that, like David, can lift my soul from the lowest valley to the highest mountain peak! No matter what is going on in my life, or where I'm at... in the desert, on the mountain peak, or in the valley, I know my Father is right there with me, gently guiding me through the challenging times in my life which stretch and increase my faith in Him. Praise God for ALL He does!! Thank you for putting this online course together, I am SO enjoying it!!!

Q1. (Psalm 27) What does it mean that David desires to "dwell in the house of the Lord"? David's desire to "dwell in the house of the Lord" means that he wants emulate the Lord by his conversation, conduct, and character. I have never thought of this as meaning something more than a "physical" aspect,(dwelling: to live there) but it has become very real to me that David is not talking about "dwelling" in a physical sense, he is talking about wanting and desiring to have a Christ-like "mental outlook" so that hean can become closer to Him. David is seeking true intimacy with Christ. What does it mean to "seek his face"? . To seek His face is to ask for His holy guidance and direction in our life. In every aspect of making a decision, we must rely on God's ways and His mind, might, strength and power... Proverbs 3:5,6 How does David provide hope at the end of the pslam? David provides hope by telling us to WAIT upon the Lord. David knows the Lord's ways are the BEST way, and he is desperately (he mentioned this twice is one passage!)encouraging us to wait upon Lord... not to run ahead of His timing and do things our way.

I'm not quite sure what the first half of the Psalm was and how it relates to the second half, other than to say that David says "You know my rising up, and my thoughts before I speak the words (paraphrased). However, in the second half of the Psalm, David makes a request that I have done many, many times and on a pretty near daily basis: to ask the Lord to search his/my heart, to see if there is any wicked way about him/me."... adding: "create in me Lord a PURE heart.." I have done this many times, and oftentimes it is painful when the Lord DOES honor that request (to show me my faults so I can repent of them). But through it all I know it is a "cleansing process" by which I am to grow when I respond correctly. I pray always that I will respond correctly, knowing that the helmet of salvation will protect my thinking, and the breastplate of righteousness is my protection against acting out of what I "feel," as opposed to what I know from God's Holy Word. God is good to us... ALWAYS! Even in some of the most upsetting situations, I can see His goodness!!

HI! My name is Cathy, and as my screen name suggests, I LOVE Jesus! I am totally amazed each day when I recognize His hand in various and many blessings of my life! I also see Him in other parts of my life; trials, challenges, and often painful moments, but I know that ANYTHING He has to teach me is for MY benefit - I have to tell you I don't always "immediately" think this first, but I know I WILL because it is according to His Will. And I know God will grant us whatever we ask for when it is according to His Will.. "if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if He hears us, then we know we have the requests which we have asked of Him." I need to work at developing Sustaining Faith, but I know I am getting there because I no longer think as negatively as I once did, however; I have a long way to go yet!! But I can say, though I'm not what I WANT to be, THANK GOD, I'm no longer what I USED TO BE!!! God has made a remarkable change in my life and turned my outlook on things in life where I now am seeking reasons for troubles.. and am now starting to remember to come to Him when I need to talk... I know whatever I experience in any given day is to strengthen, develop, and expand my faith and reliance on Him.. and if that's what He thinks is best for me, hey... it's OK with me! I am excited that I have found this online tutorial, and am looking forward to growing into a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. I suppose that's all for now. Just wanted to drop in and say "hello, looking forward to chatting with you all very soon." Love, Cathy