Moody Grad

I sang Psalm 100. "Make a joyful noise to the Lord all ye lands. Serve the lord with gladness. Come before His presence with thanksgiving in your heart. Serve the Lord with gladness." I want to serve the Lord gladly in everything that I do.

"The stone the builders rejected" refers to the religious leaders who rejected Jesus' deity. In truth, though, He is the cornerstone of our faith and came to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Upon Him, we can build our spiritual houses of hope and abundant life. I believe verses 25-27 talk about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Just as the people of that day shouted "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," we can join in celebrating that He has come, He is here with us as our intercessor, and He is coming again to take us back to live with Him forever. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

The predominant emotion is joy. This psalm makes me feel wanted, loved, and cared for by God. He says that "we are his," "his people," and "the sheep of his pasture." These are reasons to praise Him. In verse 5, we see that we must praise Him because of His goodness, everlasting love, and his faithfulness. I love the worshipful commands that tell us to "shout for joy," "worship the Lord with gladness," sing "joyful songs," "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise," "give thanks," and "praise his name." He created me and cares for me. Like Jeremiah 29:11 says: He has a "purpose" and a "plan" for me. How can I do anything but praise Him? Hallelujah!

If we ask God to forgive us and wash away our sins, He gives us a "pure heart" that desires after the things of God once again. A pure heart and and an undivided heart are similar. They both desire to serve God, and God alone. God purifies the heart. It begins when I cry out to Him for forgiveness and cleansing. He comes to me and washes me "whiter than the snow" and strikes the sin out of His books. Finally, He gives me a "pure heart" that seeks total devotion to Him. "Lord, give me a pure and undivided heart that I may seek after the good things of You only. I desire to serve You at all times. Amen."

I don't believe that David is minimizing his sin. Instead, he realizes that only God can judge him or cleanse him from his sins. When he mentions his sinfulness before birth, he is blaming Original Sin. Because Adam and Eve sinned, all people are born sinners. We cannot experience freedom from this sin until we confess our sins before God and accept His forgiveness and spiritual renewal. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "For it is by grace, you have been saved. It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

Self-deceit and sin work together slowly to eat away at our strength and our spirits. It piles on guilt to enslave us in our sin. When I confess my sin, the guilt rolls away and I have nothing to hide. As the song says, "I am free to run and live for you" in a place where my sin and my guilt can no longer reach me. I know that I want to resist the truth about myself sometimes, because I do not want to expose the guilt and wounds of my sins to others or to God. It seems easier to live with the pain than be vulnerable and open to possible misunderstanding. For me, I need to see the miraculous work Christ does to free others to see that I must do the same thing to experience the same freedom. Then, God promises, "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." (Ps. 32:8)

1 The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." 2 The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7 He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head. I meditated on Psalm 110 today. David prophesied that the Son of David has come to bring justice. Currently, he waits for the Father to release Him to avenge His wrath. The King of Kings will come with the vigor of a young boy. He will fulfill his mission as an everlasting priest. In majesty, He will lay his enemies to waste. Nothing will stop Him. A life-giving stream will renew his spirit. I am so thankful to know that Christ will overthrow his enemies in the end. Sometimes, it seems like evil is winning in this world. But, no, my God is a God of justice and He will make all things right in the last days. Praise His holy name!

He was mocked, conspired against, and in thirst. Like the words of Psalm 22, Jesus sweat drops of blood and his garments were divided by gamblers. And yes, I do believe Jesus understood that these verses referred to himself. He was well-versed in the Torah and understood the prophecies about Him. I believe the Spirit inspired David to write these words to prepare God's people for the coming Messiah and to show God's desire to rescue them from their sins. Because God delivers His people, they should turn to Him and praise His name forever.

Jesus was feeling the anguish of the sins of mankind that separate us from God. I think that he was trying to show us how totally our sins remove us from God. I believe that He was feeling our pain just as much as He was feeling His own pain and anguish. God answered His plea by raising Him from the dead as an example of the new life God wishes to give us when we ask Him.

The anointed one would be conspired against. Other nations and peoples would seek to bring Him to ruin. But the Father exalted Him and gave Him dominion over the earth to rule with justice. I believe apostles believed these verses referred to Jesus because no one else has ever ruled the whole earth. Also, Jesus was beaten and crucified just as the king in this passage was mocked and possibly beaten and battered. In the end, it is importance to submit to Jesus while there is still time because He comes to judge and all his enemies will be destroyed on that fateful day.

I continued working on memorizing Psalm 61. I had started memorizing it, but stopped. I still want to cry out to Him, to run to His refuge, and praise Him as I fulfil my vows to Him daily. In addition, I listened to and meditated on Shane and Shane's song on Psalm 145. The truths of the Word become embedded in my heart through music. "The Lord is gracious, slow to anger, rich in mercy, and good to all." I continue to appreciate how these exercises help me to apply what I have learned in the past week and let me think about the Psalms as a whole.

They needed to know, just as we need to know today, that God is love and that He can be trusted. Faith hinges on those two things. In the New Testament, these characteristics are described as compassion, mercy, love, etc. In Matthew 18:33 Jesus said, "Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?" II Corinthians 1:3 talks about God as the "father of compassion." He is still loving and trustworthy today.

I am drawn to God's faithfulness and His nearness. He will complete what He promises to do in me and He's always there when I cry out to Him. It is important that everything praises Him because without Him we would be lost. His faithfulness, love, mercy, justice, and all other characteristics are without comparison. I want to praise Him again today through music, singing, praying, and living a righteous life with God-glorifying words, actions, and thoughts.

I prayed Psalm 124. It is good to recognize God as the King of glory and the creator of all things. I needed the reminder that only the pure in heart will stand in His presence and receive His blessing. Great is the King of Israel, the King of Glory!

The Lord is the rightful King because he created the whole earth and set it into motion. The King is so pure and righteous that He is above reproach. He worships the Lord only. The Lord blesses Him and declares Him worthy. He is a great warrior whose presence commands glory and honor. This psalm tells me that the King is worthy of all my praise. Because He created the earth and sustains it through His holiness, only He is worthy of my praise. Praise and glory be unto the King eternal!

When the Israelites looked back on the joy of deliverance, they believed that God would work in their favor once again. Like the wadi and sowing and reaping, God often takes us through difficult times and times of sorrow so that we will praise Him when he restores us. I am reminded that my recent times of sorrow and loss are likely to result in great reward and joy. I have had difficulty in school and in my health and every time God has blessed me in ways that I could never have imagined. I can praise God for the wonderful blessings that have come out of grief and anguish.

I know that I can get so consumed by my problems that I forget to praise. It is the last thing I think of doing. However, praise lifts up my soul. My faith is strengthened and renewed. I can face another day knowing that His love is great. I can choose joy and be motivated by His faithfulness to me. My God will not forget me. He knew me even before I was placed in my mother's womb!

I prayed Psalm 31. My soul was encouraged to remember that I can put my trust and hope in the Lord. He will protect and preserve me. His love is so great and I can rest, quiet my soul, in the Almighty.