A similar situation was taking place when Psalm 94 was written: God’s people were being afflicted by the wicked, and they watched how they apparently got away with it!

“O Lord God, You to whom vengeance belongs, O God, You to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth [in judgment]! 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Give to the proud a fitting compensation. 3 O Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked rejoice in triumph?” (94:1-3)

The psalmist continues expressing his inner feelings unto the Lord, until he realizes that God is Omniscient and Sovereign, nothing ever escapes from His Sight and Control!

"He who made the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?10 He who instructs the nations, Does He not rebuke and punish, He who teaches man knowledge?11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath (vain, empty, futile).”  (89:9-11)

Yes He knows not only our thoughts but the motives of our hearts, and it would be best that instead of us –His children- judging and asking for vengeance, pray for the lost and that the evildoers would come to their senses, remembering that:

^" even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).” (Ephesians 2:5)

And so many of us are still a work in process: we still fail and fall!

^"Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to temptation, being overconfident and self-righteous], take care that he does not fall [into sin and condemnation].” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

But as the Psalmist writes, we as His beloved children are:

¹² Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, And whom You teach from Your law, ¹³That You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly.¹⁴ For the Lord will not abandon His people, Nor will He abandon His inheritance.” (89:12-14)

Yes, He will not forsake us. He will not abandon us. Justice is coming! We must continue to trust Him, and follow Him!

“The wicked may be the upper spokes of the wheel just now, but they will be the lower spokes before long. Truth may be in the mire today, but she shall be upon them tomorrow. The revolutions of the wheels of providence produce strange changes. Wait; work; watch; for the Lord will set things right in his own good time.” (C.H. Spurgeon on verse 89:15)

Let us pray along with the psalmist:

Thank you heavenly Father for your amazing promises for us! We want to remain humble when you discipline and instruct us when our foot slips. Thank you for Your compassion and lovingkindness that will hold me up.  May we continue to abide in Your Word, and be willing to witness to the lost and hopeless! May you grant us the power to remain calm and find peace in the days of adversity, always realizing that You are our High Tower and Defense: the Rock of our Refuge! Thank you for reminding us that you will never abandon us nor forsake us in no matter the circumstances that surround us! In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!

Blessings,

Mari

 Today’s Scripture is Psalm 82 & 1 Peter2:13-17

Good morning, Beloved!

In this psalm, “God takes his place in the divine council” (82:1). I had to wonder just who He is addressing here. Jesus, in John 10:34, refers to this psalm to explain how strange it is for the Jews of His day to find it incredible that he could claim not to be one of the “gods” but to be the Lord God himself. Here, in John chapter 10, Jesus says that He "called them gods to whom the word of God came.” Therefore, it is believed that these “gods” are religious leaders, rulers, and divinely appointed officials.

God is calling them to justice: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (82:2) I immediately thought of this passage in James as I read verse 2, 

"For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?" (James 2:2-6)

If we're honest, most, if not all of us, have shown some sort of favoritism over time. I think of our country's passion with actors and musical artists who entertain us, yet our military, police and firefighters, who work to protect us never have to worry about the paparazzi, though we know God word tells us, He never shows favoritism and is now calling us out. 

I'm thankful God doesn't show favoritism and is always looking out for the "little guy", aren't you? In fact, I tried researching all the verses in the Bible that refer to taking care of the poor, widows, orphans and refugees and I easily found over one hundred. Here's just a few examples,

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14-17)

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? (1 John 3:17)

It is imperative that we as well as our religious leaders use the "talents" we've been given to care for our brothers and not show special favors for ourselves or others. We should defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy and deliver them from the hand of the wicked. (82:3-4)

It is easy for those in leadership situations to think of the interests of the powerful, for if they were to become upset, they could damage the organization as a whole. But the role of a servant leader should be to look after the interests of all and speak up for those who have no voice.

Jesus modeled this so perfectly for us throughout the gospels. It's clear this is huge in our Father's heart and I know He will help us to love all and help those in need. 

Pause & Reflect:

Can you think of a time when someone favored another over you, or a loved one for the wrong reasons?

Would you ask God to show you today what He wants you to do to help?

Ask Him to show you any area where you have shown, or are showing favoritism?

Let's Pray:

O Father, I am so thankful You clearly don't show favoritism, for You love all and look on the hearts of men and not their outward appearances. We long to be more like You in this area. Please give us a heart that loves deeply and compassionately. Please reveal to us any areas where we have failed in this area. Help us to forgive and build up our brothers, for this is Your will for Your people. Amen

Blessings, 

Sue

Nahum was written to reveal the angry side of God as He rails against Assyria (2:13; 3:5) and speaks of Assyria’s destruction. You see, many years before, The Lord had sent a reluctant prophet named Jonah to preach to Nineveh, and during that time the people repented, and the city was spared.

But now, Nahum comes to demonstrate that with God, there are few things worse than repenting of repentance. Since the days of Jonah, Nineveh and the whole nation of Assyria have turned away from God and back to the ways of their forefathers. And to make matters worse Assyria then chooses to attack Israel, and God is determined to punish them.

Do you know someone who at one time repented of their sins and chose to follow after Jesus, only to have turned back to their old ways after a time? Does that same person(s) tend to now attack, ridicule or demise the things of God and His people? The message of Nahum is truly a warning for them and a sweet reminder to His people.

Unfortunately, I know more than one who had at one time professed to be a believer, but have now turned their back on Christ and His ways; preferring their old ways once more, and their defection always seems to raise the question in me of whether they are simply a wayward Christian at the moment, or had they never truly believed. Either way, they will find out one day that the Lord never lets sin go unpunished.

Nahum begins by reminding us that, “The Lord is slow to anger", but He is also just,

Your Lord is very jealous of your love, O believer. Did he choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose another. Did he buy you with his own blood? He cannot endure that you should think that you are your own, or that you belong to this world. He loved you with such a love that he would not stop in heaven without you; he would sooner die than you should perish, and he cannot endure that anything should stand between your heart’s love and himself. He is very jealous of your trust. He will not permit you to trust in an arm of flesh. He cannot bear that you should hew out broken cisterns, when the overflowing fountain is always free to you.
When we lean upon him, he is glad, but when we transfer our dependence to another, when we rely upon our own wisdom, or the wisdom of a friend—worst of all, when we trust in any works of our own, he is displeased, and will chasten us that he may bring us to himself.
He is also very jealous of our company. There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. To abide in him only, this is true love; but to commune with the world, to find sufficient solace in our carnal comforts, to prefer even the society of our fellow Christians to secret intercourse with him, this is grievous to our jealous Lord. – Charles H. Spurgeon  

But this jealousy The Lord has for us should also be a comfort to us, for He loves us so much that we can be certain that He will not allow us to suffer harm, but will protect us from all our enemies.
Assyria had turned away from God and now were threatening to harm His people, and The Lord, El Quana was not about to allow it!

The message of Nahum should bring His children comfort, but a stern warning to the one who has spurned His love for something they believe to be better, for there will be a day coming when the Lord declares, "Enough!"

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Do you yearn to experience more of the love of Jesus in your life this fall? Come join our New Testament study with an eclectic group of women from around the world!

Together we'll read through the entire New Testament and grow to love our Lord & Savior even more! Trust in Him, and begin an adventure that will transform your life and maybe others as well!
Begins August 31st! on Women in the Word.