Psalm 11:7 - “(T)he righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”

God is described by so many adjectives that it’s hard to remember all of them at the same time. Probably there isn’t just one (unless it be “perfect” - Matthew 5:48) that can encompass all the others. The adjective David uses in this psalm should especially draw our attention, because we are admonished to maintain the same quality. God is righteous (just, lawful, right, correct), and His face is toward those of His creation who are upright (straight, correct, right, straightforward, just, fitting, proper). The soul who is loved by God is honest in all his dealings, correct in his understanding and application of the Word, and a fitting example of the Christ, whose name he wears. Are your thinking, speech and conduct proper, as compared with the Bible? The Lord loves righteousness.

Psalm 12:6-7 - “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”

Neither time, distance, language, culture nor any other factor can or will change the word of God. He said what He meant in the first place, and He meant what He said for all people, times, places, races, cultures and languages. Some think that they are smart to argue that today we cannot “speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11) because we don’t know the original languages. God’s a bit smarter: He has preserved His word through translation into languages that His creation speak - and He will go on preserving it while the world stands. His word is pure: no man can improve upon it, and no force in creation can destroy it. Read it. Believe it. Live it. Preach it.

Psalm 12:8 - “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”

But who would exalt vile men? Well, vile men would. But who are vile men? That would be all those who do not fear the Lord (Psalm 15:4). As we commonly use the word “vile,” we think of those who may be described in the words of Genesis 6:5, “that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” We may think of one with an “evil look” in his eye and a scowl on his face, but God says that failure to honor Him is evil and vile; appearance may not tell the whole story. Psalm 12:8 is often quoted by religious people during political campaigns, and rightly so, but it is not limited to politics. A man exalted for his business acumen, who does not honor God, encourages corrupt marketers to increase. When one is exalted to a leadership position in the church who persuades by his own charm, rather than by God’s word, on every side there will be those who are led into, or attracted by, wickedness, and the whole church - and the community that is influenced by it - is lost to sin. Encourage and support only those who are able and willing “by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers ... whose mouths must be stopped” (Titus 1:9-11).

*Psalm 23:3 - "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

You have quoted that verse - and probably that entire psalm - as long as you can remember. Have you ever stopped to consider the significance of the second part of verse 3? We like to hear preaching of the benefits of being a Christian. We like to think that we are bound for what we consider the greatest benefit imaginable: eternal life in the perfect home of Heaven. But if we think that God saved us from sin so that we could benefit, we are seeing only half the picture - and the back half at that. It is because of who God is that men have the hope of Heaven, the peace of fellowship with Him. Moved by the Spirit of God to preach the truth of the matter, king David acknowledged that it was for the sake of the name of God that his sin was pardoned (Psalm 25:11). Asaph, by the same Spirit, wrote the same (Psalm 79:9). The purpose of Israel’s salvation from Egypt (a type of man’s salvation from Hell) was that the mighty power of God might be known (Psalm 106:8). James and Peter declared that the Gentiles were included in the blood of Christ for the name of God, and not for our own glory (Acts 15:14). The apostles of Jesus were given their position, message and power so that all nations could obey the faith of Christ for the exaltation of the name of God (Romans 1:5). Peace and hope are central to the benefit of being a Christian. Heaven’s perfect home forever is a hope that we must never lose. But When exalting God’s name governs your mind, words and deeds you will be standing with the man after His own heart, who wrote, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble” (Psalm 143:11).

Psalm 33:18-19 - “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

Faith in God has practical, real-time, every-day value. It is not a “pie in the sky by and by” wish and a prayer. Believing that religion is only for the future, and has no practical daily value, many have rejected the whole idea. Sadly, this is most often due to having listened to preachers who don’t know the Bible, and to the apostate’s not having read the Bible for himself. So-called “denominationalism” (but the Lord’s church is not denominated; they are all heresies) has been instrumental in the decline in interest in the Bible and respect for God. When so-called “believers” can’t agree on what they believe, non-believers are not motivated to listen to their conflicting messages, nor to follow in their ways. But those who read the word of God will find reason to believe it as it is written (Romans 10:17; I Thessalonians 2:13). Those who believe what their Creator has put in His Book are moved to turn from their sins (Matthew 21:32), and to confess Christ instead (Romans 10:10). All who believe and confess Christ as He is revealed in the Bible willingly give themselves to be baptized into Him (Romans 6:3-7). All who are in Christ find hope, confidence and purpose in life, and with that understanding comes strength to endure the crises of life (Matthew 11:28-30).

Psalm 60:6 - “God hath spoken in his holiness.”

That Jesus Christ is the single message of the Bible has been called “the Golden Thread of the Bible.” In the Old Testament the message was, “Someone is coming” (eg. Isaiah 9:6). In the New Testament the message is, “Someone has come”(eg. John 1:45). Throughout the Bible are assurances that “Someone is coming again (eg. Acts 1:11).” When Satan tempted man in the Garden, God told him that Satan would one day be permanently punished for his efforts (Genesis 3:15). That promise was a prophecy of Jesus’ victory over Satan’s power, death (Hebrews 2:14-15). When Moses delivered to Israel the Law that God had given, he added that Someone was coming later who would supercede that Law (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). That “Someone” was Jesus (Matthew 17:1-5). The prophets gave a multitude of details of the life of that coming Someone. Compare the prophecy of Isaiah 53 with the report of Mark 15, which describes the fulfillment 700 years later. The preaching that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies was supported by miracles from God (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4; John 3:2). That preaching was to the intent “that you might believe” and be saved from sin (John 20:30-31; Acts 2:37-40). With the proof of Jesus’ identity and the admonition to obey Him came also the preaching of His coming again for judgment (Acts 17:30-31). “God has spoken” from the beginning of time because He cares about man. Are you listening?

Psalm 90:2 - “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Before the mountains existed - before even the earth was formed - God already existed in His perfect state. He didn’t come into being, He already is. He didn’t grow into deity, He already is. The word translated “everlasting” means generally “time out of mind.” In other words, in a “time” before time can be thought of – before time began – God already existed as He exists today. And he shall go on being just as He is even to “time out of mind” (i.e. after time is no more known). In practical usage we just say that God is “eternal,” but “eternal” has a meaning almost too great for man’s finite mind to grasp. God is worthy of our every thought and service. One day every eye shall see Him, and every knee shall bow before Him. “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:23). “For it is written, ‘As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God’” (Romans 14:11). Don’t you think that you should make that day a happy event in your case, by beginning today to please Him? It begins by believing that Jesus is God’s eternal, begotten (His only begotten) Son (John 8:24). Then turn from the way of sin (Luke 13:3), confess your faith in Him (Acts 8:37; John 20:31) and be baptized into Him (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16).

Psalm 99:7 - “He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.”

How many times have you read verses like this and gone right on reading without pause? If such sentences are brought to our attention, we might respond, “Well, yeah. So what?” Here’s the so what: God spoke, they acknowledged His words and their authority, and they both believed and obeyed what He had said. How many times have you heard, “Oh, I know what the verse says, but....”? How about yourself? Do you know that the word of God instructs you to meet with the other Christians regularly for teaching and worship - and then choose to be elsewhere when the saints meet? Do you know that God’s word admonishes you to love every soul, and yet you don’t get along peaceably with one or two in the church? Do you know that God has spoken that your duty to Him is to tell others of His grace, and yet you haven’t evangelized your neighborhood? We have no “cloudy pillar” before us daily, but we have “a great cloud of witnesses” who have “kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he have them.” The message is, if they can do it, we can do it - and if we don’t, their example will be witness against us in the judgment day.

Psalm 100:5 - “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Few will deny that the Lord is good. Almost all are thankful that His mercy is everlasting. Why then do so many in our generation ignore - and even deny - that his truth endures to all generations? There is not a single word in all of scripture that instructs, authorizes, or even suggests that men ought to redefine the church for a modern generation. They would change the method of worship, the organization of the church, the work of the body of Christ, and even the details of the Lord’s return, which no man can know save God Himself (except in what He has already prophesied). It is dishonest and disgraceful handling of words (let alone God-breathed words!) that looks at a sentence like Psalm 100, verse 5 and denies the earthly constancy of God’s truth while proclaiming His goodness and claiming His mercy. If the Bible does not mean today what it meant in the lifetime of Jesus and His apostles, then God is not good, and there is no mercy. God’s truth will end when God’s mercy ends.

Psalm 116:2 - “Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”

Doesn’t it seem inconsistent to you that a person who lives every day without a thought of God will call upon God to save him from some trouble that comes upon him? Why shouldn’t God answer, “Who are you”? Why shouldn’t God answer, “I’m busy with those who have been serving me all along”? It is certain that He will refuse to bless such a person in the judgment day (Matthew 7:21-23). The man who lives for self, but calls upon God in time of trouble, behaves as if God were man’s servant. Many think of God as the perfect valet, always ready to serve his master (man) in any request. The psalmist vowed to serve God because he knew that God listens to “the prayer of a righteous man” (James 5:16). The prayer of the disobedient is more than inconsistent: it’s hypocritical and dishonest. One who had lived a long life in confident denial that “there is a God in Heaven” (Daniel 2:28), was heard to pray on his death-bed, “Oh God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul.” Many like him have come to the end of days praying that they have been wrong all through life, and that the God Whom they are about to meet is merciful enough to accept them anyway. If there is a loving God (there is, but just to meet the doubter on his turf for a moment), wouldn’t you rather have Him greet you with “Enter into the joy of your Lord” than with “Depart into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:31-46)?

Psalm 119:1 - "The undefiled in the way ... walk in the law of the Lord.”

They are undefiled because they so walk, but why do they so walk? They answer, “I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me” (30). They “have longed after thy precepts” (40), therefore, “I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (45). They are constant: “I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law” (55), and they are determined: “I have said that I would keep thy words” (57). Such people can pray, “Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight” (77). They never forget: “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction” (92), therefore they always remember, “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (97). There is good reason that “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (111); “Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them” (129). Are you among those who pray, “I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight” (174)?

Psalm 119:6-8 - “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.”

Do you know all of God’s commandments? Have you read the whole Bible? Do you read it regularly? No one can say that he has respect to all God’s commandments if he does not even know what they are, and none can know what God commands are who has not read the whole Bible. There are few, if any, who can read the Bible once and remember all that God has commanded for our faith and practice on earth today. But if we don’t have respect to all God’s commandments we are in shame. If we have not learned all His righteous judgments we cannot praise Him with uprightness of heart. If we do not keep His statutes we have no assurance that He will not forsake us utterly. Resolve now to be a daily Bible reader, and to have respect to all that you read. What good reason is there not to do so? How can we approach God and say, “I didn’t think it was necessary to read your commandments, righteous judgments and statutes”?

Psalm 119:9-11 - “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

The word “sin” here is translated from “chata’,” whose meaning is “to miss the way, to go wrong.” The way to avoid missing the right way to live, and going the wrong way is to seal the word of God in your heart (your conscience). That done, it will always guide you in the right way in every decision, word and action. Then it’s a matter of disciplining yourself to actually do what you have learned is the right way. But none of that is possible if you don’t begin by reading the word of God, and making it the foundation of your knowledge and commitment. Are you a daily Bible reader?

Psalm 119:18 - “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

People who do not read the Bible regularly and often have no idea what they are missing. I heard as a youngster that someone had written of “the unfolding drama of the Bible.” When I began to read the Bible with purpose as a young adult I understood the sentiment. Skeptics reject the Bible as being filled with “thou shalt not”s, so they have never read for themselves, and go on speaking of things which they know not. I challenge every soul who scorns the Bible to read it through to prove your point - and I urge every soul who says he loves the Bible to read it again as if he has never read it before. You will both find things there that you have never imagined (I’ve read it cover to cover at least once each year for 33 years, and I find something new every time). Do you want to be amazed? Do you want to be awe-struck at beauty, power and goodness? Read the Bible. Make the reading the most important part of every day. If you haven’t done so, you cannot imagine how it will change your life for the better. May God bless you in the reading.

Psalm 119:33 - “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.”

How much is two plus two? Who was the first president of the United States? What is your birthday? And people say that they can’t remember the Bible. Why do we “know by heart” all the words of favorite songs? Isn’t it because we paid attention to them when we heard them, and repeated them until they were learned? My granddaughter was walking through the house last night singing a pretty song I hadn’t heard. When I asked where she learned that, she said that it was in a currently popular movie. Why don’t we walk through the house quoting scripture? The Bible is always at hand; are we letting the Lord teach us? Did you keep His statutes in everything you did yesterday? The psalmist was committed to do what he knew. Are you? Read it, learn it, do it. That’s why God gave it.

Psalm 119:49-52 - “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law. I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.”

The law had been written half a millennium before, but those who pleased God still hoped in it and were comforted by it. They were “quickened” by it; they found in it renewed life and reason for living. Though they were mocked for trusting in the ancient word, yet they did not turn from it even in a small degree. Don’t be ashamed to say with the psalmist, “I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD,” for in such remembering you will find the comfort you seek.

Psalm 119:89 - “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”

“For ever” is translated from a Hebrew word defined as “perpetual; eternal.” The word translated “settled” is defined as “established; made to stand.” We might justifiably read the verse as, “Eternally, O Lord, your word is made to stand.” Even without reference to the Hebrew language it is clear that God has said what He meant, and meant what He said - and He isn’t going to change it. When we say that a matter is “settled” all debate on it has ended. No more argument is permitted. Verse 152 in the same psalm makes it clear that the same is true of God’s word: “Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.” Those who argue for a new rule in our new day are arguing for rejecting the eternally-settled word of God. Rejecting God’s word is rejecting God. Oh, people will say, “I love God, but I don’t accept that part of the Bible as law for today,” but can that be? Compare this: “I love your company, boss, and I want to work here until I retire, but I don’t like your rules; I’d rather do the job my way.” How long would you keep that job? So, how long can you keep the favor of God while rejecting His word?

Psalm 119:97 - “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”

If it is true that, “as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (and it is true, because that’s a quote from scripture - Proverbs 23:7), then what are you? What do you think about? What occupies your mind throughout the day? If it is not God and His word, don’t you think (God does) that just maybe that’s the reason for the trouble that catches up with you? Read a few verses further: “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word” Psa. 119:101). The word, or the evil way: which will it be for you today?

Psalm 119:113 - “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.”

What occupies your mind in the course of a day? How much of it is vanity? How much of it is the law of God? What do you truly love? Man’s life is sustained in the word of God (v. 116; Mat. 4:4), safety is in the word (117). Oh, not safety of the flesh and possessions, for nothing can prevent the destruction and decay of both, but safety of man himself. Every one of us will live on long after the flesh and the whole world are no more. The only question is, where shall we live? Thus the psalmist concludes, “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments” (120).

*Psalm 119:136 - "Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law."

Psalm 119 is about the Bible: the origin, nature and authority of it, and the attitude toward it - of believers, of unbelievers and of God Himself. When the penmen looked at the people of the world, he was “grieved, because they kept not thy word” (verse 158). When you and I consider the lost condition of the multitudes among whom we live, our reaction can take one of three courses. We can [1] ignore the situation as something we cannot change, [2] judge them guilty of ignoring their Maker and His love, [3] fear for their souls, and try to teach them eternal truth. Probably most of us take the first course. Sadly, some take the second. Our God-inspired example is the third course. The apostle Paul had “great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:1-3). When he thought of those who had set themselves as enemies of Christ and opponents of the gospel, he wept (Philippians 3:18). What makes you weep? Personal injury and loss? The suffering of a loved one? These things should bring upon us throes of compassion, but the Christian’s love should be broader than to include only those of his own company. “God so loved that He gave...” “...the love of Christ constraineth us.” How will the lost be saved if the saved don’t care?

Psalm 119:139 - “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.”

“Eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something; fervor” is how Webster defines “zeal,” and lists “passion” as a synonym. What emotion stirs you when you think of those who have forgotten God’s words? From the actions and conversations of many it would seem that the prevailing emotion (if any) is apathy. Why was the psalmist consumed by zeal at the thought of his enemies forgetting the words? The psalm in which this verse is included suggests that it was due to his own great love for the word. When people speak evil of something you love - your family, favorite sports team or school, your hobbies or habits, perhaps your car/truck and its manufacturer - how do you react? Conversations before and after church assemblies are more often on football, hunting/fishing and Ford vs. Chevy than on the word of God, how to live it and where we can teach it. About what are you passionate? Does that glorify God and fulfill your obligation to Him Who saved you?

Psalm 119:140 - “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.”

It has been said (and often so of Americans) that a man generally does what he loves to do. Think of how they talk bout their grandchildren: on bumper stickers, refrigerator doors, jewelry, pocket photo albums, Facebook and cell phones. How many spend more time than they really “need” to at hunting, fishing or shopping? Oh, sure, we do much that we don’t especially love: go to work, clean the house, pay taxes. But isn’t assembling with the church often in this latter list? We come in late and/or leave early because there are other things we’d rather be doing with the time. How about reading the Bible daily at home... on purpose... with a plan... because we love it? We complain about things that don’t work, people who aren’t what we think they should be, and phone calls when we’re busy doing something we don’t want interrupted. But God’s word DOES work, it is what it SHOULD be, and it will never be interrupted. It is pure. Isn’t that a good reason to love it? Why do you love the people and activities that occupy your thinking and time? Hasn’t that grown from experience over time? Have you ever thought that the preacher was maybe just a bit over the top with his talking about the Bible? Maybe if you read it as much as he has you’d see that it is something to love. And if God commended the psalmist for that attitude, what of those who don’t love His word?

Psalm 119:141 - “I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.”

Despised by others, looked down on as of small importance and unworthy of attention, yet the writer did not forget the word of God. People can be cruel judges and executioners of the hearts and actions of their neighbors. Some even seem to do nothing but find fault and condemn. They are wrong to do so. It’s a sin. But the psalmist knew himself, and he knew God, such that he did not let the cruelty of the self-righteous around him control his thoughts, words and actions. Paul set himself as an example to the churches in Galatia: “For do I know persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). The “small and despised” can never turn the judge from his haughtiness, for as soon as one concession is made another “fault” will be “found.” Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and let Him take care of the rest. But before we leave the psalm let us consider whether we may be the judge. All Christians are admonished to, “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3). There is not enough of that in the church today.

Psalm 119:142 - Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

Why do some speak and behave as if the Bible is not an authoritative guide for faith and practice today? Why do some even teach that it is not? One or both of two answers must be the case: either they do not read, or they do not believe, what God has said on the matter - or both: they don’t read it because they decided not to believe it before the question of reading it ever arose. Jesus sent the apostles into all the world to preach the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15). He said people’s response to the preaching would determine their eternity (verse 16). “The gospel” they were to preach was not merely a brief portion of the Bible (such as the New Testament, the epistles, the gospels or the words in red), for Paul (who in a full circuit “preached the gospel of Christ” - Rom. 15:19) said that he had gone preaching “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Every word of scripture is profitable “that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (II Tim. 3:17, ASV). Those who don’t read the whole Bible - and those who don’t believe it and live it - are not complete. They are not furnished completely unto every good work. Are you furnished completely? What about those who are teaching you? Let’s get all God’s children on a plan to read all of God’s word. And then let’s read it again, and again...

Psalm 119:143 - “Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.”

It is common among men that, when troubles mount, we turn to self-pity, to questioning why we should be so especially cursed, and even to anger. The psalmist here, by the inspiration of God (II Peter 1:21), sets a standard for proper thinking, recovery from the trouble, and stability in faith. The trouble - whatever it was - came upon him, and caused him anguish. The trouble was so significant, and the anguish so persistent, that he says that they had “taken hold” on him. Usually when we are “caught in the grip” of some calamity we find it difficult to think of anything else but the trouble at hand. The example of the God-guided psalmist should encourage us to separate our current distress from the eternal constancy of God’s word and God’s love. But the “delights” with which he considered God’s word did not crop up in his anguish; he had learned that adoration of scripture long before. We don’t wait until the storm rises before building the house; we build it and make it our familiar abode before we need to depend on it for survival. Is God’s word your delight?

*Psalm 119:171 - "My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.”

According to the Online Bible the admonition “praise ye the Lord” occurs 24 times in the Bible (eg. Psalm 106:1). Multitudes think that’s foolishness. Many ask, “Why?,” often not seeing in their lives any reason to do so. Some are convinced that they are so overwhelmed with sadness or sin that they simply cannot find the heart to praise God. Their question is more likely, “How?” How can one praise God when evil is all around us, and seemingly increasing every day? How can we praise God when unusual weather patterns disrupt communities, and bring death and destruction? Perhaps you have noticed that those who question the existence, or the mercy and benevolence, of God are people who seldom, if ever, read the Bible - and if they do read from it occasionally have never read all of it. Did you ever set up a new machine, tool or electronic device, start to push the buttons, and then wonder why it won’t do what you want it to do? Then that patient spouse, or helpful buddy, says, “Did you read the instructions?” We know on, off, play, stop, up, down; what’s the problem? It should work the way it seems to me that it should work. But this one isn’t what you’ve been taught to expect: read the instructions. Your lips shall utter praise when you know the word of God. Don’t reject God before you have read every word He has spoken (Hebrews 1:1-3). Be a daily Bible reader, and learn to praise Him.

Psalm 119:175 - “Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee.”

You didn’t give yourself life. The decision wasn’t yours where to be born, what color would be your hair and eyes, or how tall you would grow to be. You had nothing to say about who should be your start in life with personal care and education. None of these things are relevant in the least to God’s worthiness to be praised. Nor are most of the circumstances of your current state in life. Do you have good health, satisfying employment, a steady income? Is your family seemingly at war with itself, and is every plan you make defeated by mechanical or electronic failure? Is the weather comforting, or frustrating? What difference does any of this make in your relationship with God? If you can think, you can praise God. All-conference athlete, or flat on your back and paralyzed from the neck down, you can praise God. Able to give away a million dollars a year, or begging bread, you can praise God. One day in the not too-distant future you are going to face the Judge of your eternity. In that meeting none of the circumstances that define your existence today will matter in the slightest degree. The only thing that will matter is whether you have praised God by your faith and service regardless of your circumstances. Let your commitment be, “If I live, I will praise God.”

Psalm 123:2 - “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”

I suppose that telling (speaking) is the most common form of teaching, but surely all of us have learned that most often the most effective method of teaching is showing (demonstrating). God has illustrated for us the attention that we should rightly give Him. Do you pay more attention to people than you do to God? Compare with the devotion you give to God the thought and time you invest in pleasing an employer, co-worker, educator, neighbor, spouse, or even total strangers. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness...”

*Psalm 133:1 - “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Was it good that God chose a man to stand before Him to make sacrifice for the sins of a nation? Was it good that God commanded the blessing of eternal life? Surely no peace-loving, Heaven-seeking soul could deny either. But those are the analogies by which the Holy Spirit commends unity among brethren. Unity is not a complicated subject. It takes only three verses (two sentences in the King James Version) for the Spirit to commend and admonish our unity. Our dwelling together in unity is as good and pleasant as the thought that God anointed Aaron from head to toe, so that a single man might approach God to atone for a nation’s sins. Unity among brethren is as pleasant as the realization that God met with His people in Jerusalem and “commanded” the blessing of life evermore (it’s not a dream, but is as certain and firm as the law of God). Would you say to Heaven, “No, thanks, I’d rather live in Hell forever”? Of course not! Would it be just fine if God had never revealed a plan by which we could have sin removed, and approach Him? God forbid! Then why would any among us, realizing that we are made brothers by individually obeying the word of God, threaten that good and pleasant unity by departing from that obedience to God? If I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and you do the same, we’ll have unity. That’s good, and that’s pleasant.