Category: Psalms

  • The Lord sings over you

    A crow "singing"
    Singing crow

    I love to sing. The truth is, though, that I am one of those people who couldn’t carry a tune in the metaphorical bucket. I’m like the crow cawing amongst the songbirds.

    My singing voice was once compared to a bear in work boots walking in a gravel pit. I’m not sure exactly what that would sound like, but I know it wasn’t a compliment.

    At “the cowboy church,” the band and I had an agreement. They wouldn’t preach, and I wouldn’t sing up front.

    Yet, we are called to rejoice, to sing the Lord’s praises.

    Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Psalm 98:1-2 NIV

    Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Psalm 98:4 NIV

    I’m okay with my lack of musical ability because I know God gifts each of us in different ways. He’s gifted me in writing, teaching, and preaching (forgive me if that sounds boastful; it’s not meant to be; all the glory belongs to Him.)

    I sing frequently when I’m by myself. I sing when I’m in a large crowd of people who are also singing. Ask me to lead in singing, and I panic. I can and have done it and will do it again whenever I need to, but it feels strange. 

    When it happens, I remember the Psalm 98 verses and stand on it.

    In contrast, I have friends who have simply delightful voices. They can sing virtually anything and make it pleasing to my ear. I love to hear them sing praises to the Lord.

    I have other gifted friends with strong, beautiful voices and the ability to play virtually any instrument they put their hands on. I, however, have a hard time playing the radio.

    The body of Christ has many incredibly gifted musicians and singers. Whatever genre of music suits your personal taste, there are people who can use that genre to praise the Lord in incredible ways.

    As wonderful as their songs may be, there is a song that is even more beautiful. We find out about it in an obscure little verse hiding in the works of one of the minor prophets.

    The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. Zephaniah 3:17-18 NIV

    Imagine that. The Lord God Himself, Jehovah-Elohim, rejoices in singing over you and me. What beautiful music it must be when He sings. His voice is powerful enough to speak the world into existence, and the sound of his rejoicing and singing must be joyful beyond measure.

    If you ever doubted God’s love for you, reread those verses. He not only sings, but He rejoices over YOU by singing. You are a blessing to God. He sings with joy because of you.

    Until next time, I pray you get a glimpse of how much He truly loves you.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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  • The World Changed on Reformation Day

    Happy Reformation Day. 

    On this day, five hundred and seven years ago, one of the most transformational events in history occurred. A then obscure, devout Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, Attached what would come to be known as the “Ninety-Five Theses” to the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany.

    At that time, the Roman Catholic church was in the practice of selling indulgences.

    The church believed that a believer ascended into heaven only after an appropriate amount of time was spent in Purgatory, facing cleansing and punishment for sin. To reduce this suffering, the church sold indulgences, reducing the time spent there. A living person could also purchase reduced time or skip Purgatory through a guaranteed mass performed at their future funeral.

    These indulgences were a huge money-raiser for the church, and Luther was concerned that such practices did not match up with what the Scriptures taught. He compiled a list of 95 theological issues for debate and attached them to the church’s door. That was the equivalent of posting the challenge on social media today.

    This act would eventually lead to him being declared a heretic, sentenced to death, and eventually to the formation of the “Lutheran” church. The Reformation was underway.

    Around the same time, other believers also questioned various doctrines taught by the church, and a move was made to reform the church’s teachings. Not all 

    The Reformers did not agree on every issue; in fact, there was great diversity and even animosity between them.

    This clumsy, diverse movement led to the establishment of what would be called the protesting or Protestant Church in all of its diversity. Although numerous “pre-reformers” were working to recover the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the work of Jesus Christ, this October date is generally considered the start of the Reformation.

    Many of the reformers were martyred  or spent their lives hiding as “heretics.”

    Why should we care?

    As Protestants, we trace our lineage not to the reformers but to the teachings of Christ himself. The true doctrine of “by faith alone” was recovered by not invented by the reformers. It was always foundational to the bible but has become lost in church bureaucracy and tradition. Still, these men and women paid a high price for the truth. Their sacrifice is worth remembering.

    The truth is, as the Scriptures declare,

    But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

    For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

    Are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ. Jesus Romans 3:24

    Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrew 11:1

    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God   Ephesians 2:8

    Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Psalm 3:8

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

    We don’t merit redemption. We can’t earn it, and we can’t buy it. It is a gift of love and mercy. 

    Praise God for the salvation he freely offers.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

    Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

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