kree8ive_4_Christ

What does this psalm teach us about praise? Where should praise occur? With what should praise be conducted? Who should praise? What does this psalm make you feel like after reading it out loud? This psalm teaches that praise should be constant. If we cease to praise God, Jesus states in Luke 19:40 that even the rocks will cry out His name. That is a powerful thing to think about. Do I really want to leave it up to creation to praise God? Or do I want to take the time and effort to get close to my Creator and praise Him for all the good He has done in and for and to me? I would rather take time out of and throughout my day to praise God than be held accountable for my lack of acknowledgement. Praise, according to Psalm 150 should occur in His holy place, His sanctuary. Now, this could be taken both literally and metaphorically. We are to use our time in God’s house as a time of worship and praise. Thinking about or doing other things is not giving God the respect and honor that He is worthy of. For instance, the need to check an iPhone during a church worship song or set of songs does not show God that He is worthy of our time and effort. It is not attributing to Him any worth. This can also be taken figuratively. We could consider our bodies God’s sanctuary since 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we are to use ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our words, our lives to praise God. In doing such, we will be in a state of constant praise to God, which the ultimate goal, according to this psalm. We are to praise him with instruments. Again, I believe that this can be taken directly or indirectly. For those who are musically inclined, it is obvious that they are to use their talent to praise God and glorify Him with their gift(s). For those who are not gifted in music, it becomes necessary to turn oneself into an instrument of praise in order to line up with what we see throughout Scripture. No one is exempt because verse 6 declares that “everything that has breath” should praise the Lord. This psalm makes me feel so small. It praises God in all aspects and speaks to His power and greatness…and then there’s me. My best works, my best day, my best self can’t possibly come close to the wonders God can do without even trying.

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? I am attracted to verse 2. Dwelling together in unity brings so much abundance that it metaphorically drips off of us and literally emanates from us. That is a mind-blowing concept. Dwelling together in unity is difficult for a number of reasons, the main one being our selfish pride. All too often, we like to have our own way and do our own thing. We think our way is the best way, our opinion is the best opinion, and so on. It is nearly impossible to be unified when everyone—or the large majority—is thinking like this. It is the very opposite of what John wrote in John 3:30 (NKJV),”He must increase, but I must decrease.” If we don’t adopt this attitude, we will not be able to see others and situations the way Christ calls us to see them, rendering unity impossible. It really is an issue of selfish pride. Unity requires exactly what John described: WE must decrease our importance and our will and we must increase CHRIST’S will and make Him the center of our lives. Unity requires that each person puts his or her will aside and concentrates on the interests of others. Simply put, not so simply done. Reconciliation and unity are such high values in Christ’s teachings because they are a reflection of His work for us. Christ died that we might be reconciled with God and unified in spirit with the Holy Spirit. If we are to be Christ-like, we must adopt the same attitudes and give ourselves up that others might be reconciled and unified with us and with each other, but more importantly before God. This is an extension of what Christ has done for us; now we are commanded to do it for each other. Failure to act in this area is a failure to recognize what Christ has done to reconcile us before the Father and make us unified with the Holy Spirit. These topics are high on Jesus’ priority lists because He recognizes the importance of a unified Church but also because He knows it is a direct reflection of Himself in the eternal reconciliation. This is a way to hold a mirror to ourselves, so to speak. Am I recognizing what Christ did for me by working on reconciliation and unity with others?

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? In my family, I am one of the children, so I suppose I should use this Psalm, then, to instruct myself. This is like holding a mirror to myself to check if I am really living in a way that allows me to abide in God’s tabernacle, to stand on His holy hill. It sets the standards of what righteousness looks like in practicality, of what it means to be a real friend, of how to maintain moral integrity, and of how to honor God with money and material possessions. Verse 2 speaks about living righteously and speaking of God’s righteousness. The two must go hand in hand. I cannot just live righteously because that would be living for my own gain. I would easily become self-righteous. By the same token, I cannot just speak of God’s righteousness because, if I am not living righteously, the actions won’t match up to my professions and I will become a liar and a hypocrite. I must, then, make every effort to live righteously and seize every opportunity to turn the praise back to God—both in my own heart and publicly. Verse 3 explains what it means to be a good friend and neighbor. Neighbor, in this context, can be taken literally or figuratively. The terminology in that sense is not the important part. The important part is what constitutes a good friend or neighbor. We are not to backbite with our tongues. This would involve not talking back to a parent, spouse, or boss, but also not wreaking havoc with our words. If I hear something said about someone else, it is my responsibility to tell the person, not tell someone else and create more trouble. We are also commanded not to do evil to our neighbors. Notice that it says “not do evil.” We do not have to be best friends with everyone we come in contact with, but we are still to have their best interest in mind. I think it is along the same lines as putting others before ourselves because when we do something evil, we are thinking only of ourselves. So, on that concept, the absence of doing evil would require that we put ourselves last. Verse 4 shows us how to maintain moral integrity. We are to despise “a vile person.” This is especially hard in American culture. We like to praise vile people by giving them television shows, going to their concerts, putting them on front page news, or following them on Twitter. This is the very antithesis of Christ’s message. He calls us to come out of the world, to be different, to be counterculture. We are not, all too often. But this Psalm shows us a very simple way we can be: by despising these vile people our culture praises and strives to be like and focusing instead in on the commands and mission God has set before us (honoring and fearing the Lord). Verse 5 talks about money and material possessions—the things that seem to be the most important in American culture. Simply put, we are not to waste our money on frivolous things or be bribed, with money or anything else. This is simple, yet not so simple. We spend so much of our time thinking about money, directly or indirectly. And we often spend more time spending it, half the time on insignificant things or habits. I really think God’s heart aches when we do this. He has blessed us by providing for us and we don’t reciprocate the favor by returning unto Him what is already rightfully His. Instead we are bribed by our culture to have bigger things in exchange for a better life. God’s exchange doesn’t work like that. In fact, He promises that if we lose our lives for His sake, we will find them.

This short psalm seems to reaffirm what we already know: the righteous will succeed and the wicked will perish. Why do we need to be reminded of this? From an emotional standpoint, what lines in this psalm stand out to you? Why do you think you like them? We need to be reminded because society has changed what is right and what is wrong and how those actions are rewarded. Watching television or reading the latest Twitter trends can give anyone a misconstrued notion of what it is to be righteous. Often, we think that trying to live righteous is enough. It is not enough. We must actually do it and we must do it according to God’s standards. This is what reaps rewards and not the kinds of rewards that the world deems appropriate, but the kind of rewards that can only come from God. We must also remember that the rewards for the righteous can be Earthly but they are also eternal. The wicked may be successful in this life but they will not succeed or be rewarded in Heaven. We need to be reminded because we can tend to think of things in the immediate sense. If I see a “wicked” person with riches or a good family or any other kind of reward while I am struggling to succeed in the same area, I may be tempted to think that he is succeeding over me. If I think in the eternal, this kind of thought pattern is easy to change. Verse four has always stuck out to me. The ungodly are like chaff that the wind drives away. The wicked are so insubstantial to this world and to the fulfillment of God’s will that they are blown away, figuratively. They are also blown away metaphorically by the things of this world, like money, success, and material gain. The righteous, on the other hand, are so firmly rooted in Christ that, even in the hardest of times, they remain an essential, active, faithful part of God’s plan.

Why is recognition that God loves you the basis of all faith? What does this realization bring about in your life? Recognizing that God loves us beyond all else gauges our response to everything else in the Bible and everything else in life. If I don’t recognize God’s love for me, I cannot possibly accept it. If I don’t accept it, I cannot have the benefits or responsibilities or promises of it. Basically, I would be living my life in a constant state of despair and loneliness without the possibility of finding even a glimmer of hope or a sight of Salvation. This makes me realize how blessed I am to have God call me a friend. I know that He loves me in spite of myself. I can run and He still loves me. I can doubt and He still remains. On the flip side of this, then, the realization compels me. If God can love me and remain in and with me through all my struggles, sins, and doubts, then I should be—and am—compelled to act and testify on His behalf. This means living a life of total surrender: surrender of my mind, will, emotions, life, future…surrender of everything I hold dear, of the things I have yet to see, and of the things I assume to be mine. When I realize that someone loves me the way God loves me, surrender is my only choice, my only answer.

What is the psalmist feeling during this spiritual struggle? How does he combat his spiritual depression? Have you ever felt this way? How did you reach out to God at this time? The psalmist is in a depression. He feels weak physically and cast-off spiritually. He hungers, thirsts, and aches for God but can’t seem to find him anywhere. His oppressors are taunting him, trying to get him to question the presence/existence of God. “Where is your God?” they ask. This reinforces the way the psalmist already feels—that God is distant from him. He combats his depression by positive self-talk, seen in verse 5. Here, the psalmist is reflecting on what God has already done, which forces him to hope in God, regardless of circumstances. When trouble refuses to cease, he reinforces this self-talk in verse 11. Here, he remembers that he will be able to rejoice in God once again, likely after all of this is over. In verses 6-7, the psalmist forces himself to remember God. In verse 6, he writes “Therefore, I will remember You from the land of Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.” He is reminiscing on where God has been with him so that he can convince himself that God is still with him now. He also combats his depression by singing and praying to God constantly. This keeps his mind and heart in check, gives him the right perspective. It takes the focus off of his circumstances and puts it back on the one who has the power to change those circumstances. About 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with bipolar, so I have definitely felt what the psalmist feels throughout this pair of psalms. I can remember being on my knees before God (at work) telling Him that, even though He seemed distant and like He had left me alone, I would never give up on Him. I was in a psychotic state at the time, but the concept holds true. When it seems like God is out of reach, the best way to connect with Him is to seek Him. The best way to seek Him in times like this is to praise and pray to Him. This is not easy to do. Sometimes I might only be able to mutter a sentence or two, but God hears the heart behind the muttering and draws ever closer.

What does it mean that David desires to "dwell in the house of the Lord"? What does it mean to "seek his face"? How does David provide hope at the end of this Psalm? To dwell in the house of the Lord is to be in the Lord’s presence. He desires to remain in God’s presence for “all the days” of his life. This is the key to understanding the remainder of the verse and the one to follow. David is saying that, by staying in God’s presence, he finds that he able to understand and see God’s beauty. Being in God’s presence has, therefore, changed his heart and his perspective so that he able to see God’s beauty and glory in his everyday life. He also finds solace in God’s continual presence. In verse 5, he writes that God hides him in the secret place of His tabernacle. When David—and the rest of us—remain in God’s presence daily, we can find relief from struggles and comfort for our pain and a hiding place from our enemies (both natural and supernatural). To seek God’s face means to desire one-on-one time with the Creator. This is more than just remaining in His presence. This is ********, passionate alone time with God in which we can pour out our hearts to God and, in return, listen to what He is speaking into our lives. In verse 8, David writes as though seek God’s face is a commandment for all Christians. He writes that God literally told David—and us—to seek His face. This is not the selfish demand of a dictator but the plea of a Creator who desires only to spend intimate time with His creation. As a result of dwelling in God’s presence and spending intimate time with him, David (and the rest of us) can have the protection of God. David writes in verse 10 that when even his father and mother forsook him, God was able and willing to take care of him. That protection is a result of David’s obedience in and desire to spend time with God and remain in His presence. If we want those kinds of rewards, we must do as David did. David provides hope in the midst of his struggles by pointing himself and us back to God. He urges Christians to wait on God. If we are of good courage (have enough faith and strength to wait for God’s timing and provision), God will strengthen our hearts. This is key because the heart is really where all of this takes place. By waiting on God and remaining in His presence and seeking His face daily, we are already in the process of strengthening our hearts through obedience to God. When we act in obedience to God, He steps in and honors that and really fuels the strengthening process. It is both an act of God and an act of obedience on our part that will strengthen our hearts. This is the hope that David speaks of.

In what way does the wonder of creation in the psalm seem to affect the psalmist? In his concluding prayer in verses 23-24, what does he ask God to do? The Psalmist is affected by God's creation so much that it forces him to look inward. What I mean is that David reflected on himself as a part of God's overall creation. We were handcrafted by God; just as He perfectly designed the every single aspect of the universe, so did He perfectly design us in our entirety. This forced David, and should force us, to look at our place in the universe, seek God for our purpose in His world. David, upon realizing his incompleteness and smallness in comparison with all of God's creation, begs God to search his heart. This is a prayer of surrender and a plea of grace. David realizes that he has--that we have--fallen short of what God requires of us. He asks God for mercy, to not give up on him, to still be willing to check his heart and find the rest of the wicked ways within him--within us. He cries out to God to know his anxieties (this is big because our anxieties are often the source of a lot of sin) and then closes with a humble request to God -- to be lead in the way everlasting.

Verses 1 to 6 seem very different from verses 7 to 13, but there is a common thread that relates the first part to the second part. What is it? In what way does the psalmist seem to bask in God's Word? Have you ever felt that way? How does the psalmist's wonder in creation seem to affect him in this psalm? In the classic prayer of verse 14, what is David asking God to do? The common thread is David being in awe of God’s communication. In verses 1-6, David reflects on how God speaks to us through His creation. Then, in verses 7-13, David writes on the power and significance of God speaking to us through His word. David seems to really take in God’s word in this Psalm. He is “basking” in it by marveling at its greatness. It has the power to make weak the wise, make right the sinner, make humble the proud. David must have reflected on his own life in contrast with what God’s word does. I would do the same. For instance, in verse 7 (in NKJV) reads, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Was David allowing the word of God to bring Him into full fellowship? Am I allowing God to bring me into full fellowship with God? This kind of thinking could and should continue through the rest of that passage (verses 7-13). David’s reflection on God’s word and creation force him to think on the glory of God in contrast with his own failures. This, then, causes David to evaluate the condition of the human heart. When he realizes how far his (and mankind’s, in general) heart is from the standards God set, he has no choice but to metaphorically, and possibly literally, fall on his face before God to seek forgiveness. David takes it even one step further, though, and asks for God to continually seek his heart and reveal any hidden or blatant sins that he may correct them and repair his relationship with God. In verse 14, David sums up the entire Psalm praying that his inner and outer life will be pleasing unto God on which his life is anchored.

What does this psalm teach about God? What does it teach about human beings? What does it teach us about Christ? What does it teach about our responsibilities? This Psalm teaches that God's splendor and reputation covers the entire universe. It shows the strength of God and the promises that are fulfilled by clinging to His Word. There is victory in His name for His children. We see evidence of that in verse 2. The Psalm teaches that God values humans as His most prized creation. God wants to include us in His plan. One of our responsibilities is to surrender to that plan by surrendering to Christ and laying down our lives daily. This Psalm teaches that Christ was sent because a "boundless" God cares for us so deeply. Another one of our responsibilities is to praise God daily in thanks for what He's given us. We also have a responsibility to, then, share the love that God has with others. We have been given power over all other creation and it is, therefore, our responsibility to take care of it to the best of our ability.