"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." (Psalm 34:10, NIV)
Have you ever been, "weak and 'hungry'," thinking you did not have what you were told you should have as a Follower of Jesus? Two issues here: 1. Always, "test the spirits." Not everything which is being peddled in Christendom is accurate Biblical Theology; beware too much unscrutinized Christian Television. 2. Looking at, "the things which are seen," may confirm faith, but does not produce nor sustain faith. A fundamental principle of the Kingdom is, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal," another version of, "Looking unto Jesus." Never forget this, and we will always walk victoriously in Jesus Christ.
It is always good to note the context of passages, especially the Psalms. Notice in Psalm 34 there is no complaining as in other Psalms. Yet the title of Psalm 34 in the NIV Bible is, "Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left." If ever one could find a "reason" not to confess the "good confession" of Psalm 34, one might think David had it. David was running for his life from Saul's endless, murderous intent, and had sought refuge among the enemies of Israel. He had done no wrong to Saul, only good, yet Saul would not be deterred from his commitment to kill David. If you read all of Psalm 34, you will see no vindictiveness, no doubt of God's faithfulness, no, "I give up." Now we know in other Psalms this was not always the case with David. But here nothing but, "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together."
So many have experienced time in their sojourn when everything seemed to be going wrong. Sometimes they either blame God, are confused/bewildered, or condemn themselves. At other times, in very similar circumstances, there is, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Now condemnation and spiritual confusion can ensue when one experiences such seeming contradictions. But a close reading of the Bible revels that more people than not experienced such "contradictions." Maybe they are not. Maybe the various, sometimes even conflicting responses to life are just those lapses in faith, attacks to which one surrenders. When that happens, "come back" with David's testimony of Psalm 34, "I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips....This poor man called, and the Lord hear him; He saved him out of all his troubles....The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all...."
Father, in Jesus' Name, "I will glory in [You]; let the afflicted hear and rejoice." Amen.
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Three articles on John Kerry's Follies and video of German Follower of Jesus confronting the lie of Islam: jhs58.blogspot.com
Have you ever been, "weak and 'hungry'," thinking you did not have what you were told you should have as a Follower of Jesus? Two issues here: 1. Always, "test the spirits." Not everything which is being peddled in Christendom is accurate Biblical Theology; beware too much unscrutinized Christian Television. 2. Looking at, "the things which are seen," may confirm faith, but does not produce nor sustain faith. A fundamental principle of the Kingdom is, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal," another version of, "Looking unto Jesus." Never forget this, and we will always walk victoriously in Jesus Christ.
It is always good to note the context of passages, especially the Psalms. Notice in Psalm 34 there is no complaining as in other Psalms. Yet the title of Psalm 34 in the NIV Bible is, "Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left." If ever one could find a "reason" not to confess the "good confession" of Psalm 34, one might think David had it. David was running for his life from Saul's endless, murderous intent, and had sought refuge among the enemies of Israel. He had done no wrong to Saul, only good, yet Saul would not be deterred from his commitment to kill David. If you read all of Psalm 34, you will see no vindictiveness, no doubt of God's faithfulness, no, "I give up." Now we know in other Psalms this was not always the case with David. But here nothing but, "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together."
So many have experienced time in their sojourn when everything seemed to be going wrong. Sometimes they either blame God, are confused/bewildered, or condemn themselves. At other times, in very similar circumstances, there is, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Now condemnation and spiritual confusion can ensue when one experiences such seeming contradictions. But a close reading of the Bible revels that more people than not experienced such "contradictions." Maybe they are not. Maybe the various, sometimes even conflicting responses to life are just those lapses in faith, attacks to which one surrenders. When that happens, "come back" with David's testimony of Psalm 34, "I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips....This poor man called, and the Lord hear him; He saved him out of all his troubles....The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all...."
Father, in Jesus' Name, "I will glory in [You]; let the afflicted hear and rejoice." Amen.
****************
Three articles on John Kerry's Follies and video of German Follower of Jesus confronting the lie of Islam: jhs58.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
