Month: November 2023

Psalm 65:8 – Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
you inspire shouts of joy.

⁹ You take care of the earth and water it,
making it rich and fertile.
The river of God has plenty of water;
it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,
for you have ordered it so.
¹⁰ You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
and bless its abundant crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
¹² The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.
¹³ The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
They all shout and sing for joy! (NLT)

At first glance, this passage simply appears to be a nice psalm of thanksgiving for the blessings of God that come through nature: the rains, the harvest; the healthy livestock.  This psalm does, indeed, give thanks to God for these blessings, but I believe that we should take a deeper look and make a spiritual application. 

Verse nine affirms that God takes care of the earth.  When we give thanks for God’s care over the earth, let us remember the words of Jesus: “Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.” (Matthew 6:28-30 NLT) God does take care of the earth, and God will certainly take care of us!  God provides for the earth, and God’s provisions (both physical and spiritual) are offered for all.

Consider something else we find in verse nine: “The river of God has plenty of water”.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus often uses this imagery of water.  Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John: “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:14).  “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35).

The River of God has plenty of water! No one needs to be left thirsting.  Today, let us drink deeply from God’s River.  Let us also share with others the joy of this life giving gift. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 105:1 – Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
² Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
³ Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
⁴ Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
⁵ Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
⁶ you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷ He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
⁸ He always stands by his covenant—
the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
⁹ This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
¹¹ “I will give you the land of Canaan
as your special possession.” (NLT)

Every year, towards the latter part of November, churches all across America plan for a ‘Thanksgiving’ Service.  I find this rather interesting.  I’m not debating whether or not we should plan something special for a national holiday, I just find it interesting that Christians don’t look at every worship service as a service of thanksgiving.  We should not attend worship services to get something out of the service.  If we ‘get’ something from the service, that’s a blessings from God!  However, we should be going to worship services to give thanks and praise to God for what God has already done for us. 

This passage of Scripture gives us a good picture of worship – and of life for a Christian.  This psalm begins by telling us to give thanks and proclaim.  This is a picture of a life lived worshiping God.  Verse two tells us to sing and to tell.  Worshipping God and telling others of God go hand in hand.  In fact, telling others of the greatness of God is worship! 

Where do we find the strength to live a life of worship?  We find the answer in verses four and five: “Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.  Remember the wonders he has performed.”  How often is God on our minds?  To live a life of worship, we should continually seek after God.  Seeking after God includes remembering what God has already done for us.  In verses eight through eleven, the psalmist remembers the things that God had done for him and his people.  The psalmist knew nothing of Jesus, but we know God’s full story!  We should remember daily what God has done for us through Jesus. 

When we remember what God has done for us, it brings us around full circle – we are ready to worship and tell others!  This is why Psalm 105 ends the way it does: Praise the Lord! (Verse 45). 

Today, let us praise the Lord, remembering what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.  Let us be ready to give thanks and proclaim.

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 16:1 – One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

² He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; ³ red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! ⁴ Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away. (NLT)

In today’s passage the Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus asking for a miraculous sign.  Let’s take a moment to consider who these people were, for these two groups were often at odds with one another.

In the days of Jesus, the Pharisees were a dominant group among the Jews.  A careful reading of the Gospels shows that Jesus included many Pharisees among his friends.  Like Jesus, the Pharisees believed in a life after death.  Unlike Jesus, many of the Pharisees had lost a spiritual connection with God.  The Pharisees kept the outward regulations of the Jewish rituals, but many had forgotten the spiritual application of those rituals.   

The Sadducees, while perhaps fewer in number, represented the more well connected and ruling class of Jews in that time.  Like Jesus, the Sadducees believed that we should serve God out of love and reverence.  Unlike Jesus, they did not believe in a life after death, and they believed that any reward from God came in this life (which, by the way, was easier for the rich Sadducees to believe in than it was for the multitude of poor and starving Jews).  

What makes this passage interesting is that both groups come to Jesus, and ultimately members from both groups sought to rid Judaism of Jesus.  Why would these two groups, who were often at odds with one another, come together to confront Jesus?  Both groups wanted a miraculous sign.  They wanted such a sign for the proof of Jesus’ authority. I believe that we often look for a sign from God in an effort to – at least on some level of our consciousness – assert God’s authority in our own lives.

I do believe in signs!  I believe that God gives us signs often, if not daily.  However, I believe that ultimately we must base our faith in the authority of Jesus on the sign that he promised to the Pharisees and Sadducees – the sign of Jonah.  We all know that Jonah spent three days in the belly of the ‘great fish’.  Essentially, Jonah was dead to the world for three days.  Likewise, Jesus was dead to the world for three days, and then rose from the dead.  

There are many reasons why I believe Jesus is who Jesus says he is, but ultimately I believe in the most miraculous sign ever given – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  When we worship Jesus, and when we celebrate what Jesus has done for us (paying for our sins, and preparing a place for us in heaven), we need to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.  Yes, even as we prepare for Thanksgiving, we must celebrate Easter!

Today, let us praise God, and perhaps even sing a Great Easter Hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”.  Christ is Risen this day, and every day! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 101:1 – I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.
² I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
³ I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
⁴ I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
⁵ I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.

⁶ I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
⁷ I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
⁸ My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the Lord from their grip. (NLT) 

Praising and worshiping God is a central theme in many of the Psalms – and it is certainly the theme of this Psalm.  Psalm 101 begins with the psalmist’s claim that he will sing and praise God, then he launches into a list of behaviors, things he will do and things he will not do.  Now, some people would claim that this isn’t really about worship, but I disagree!

Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:1 – I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (NLT) The Word of God tells us that the way to truly worship God is by the way that we live!  The psalmist knew this many centuries before Paul. 

Speaking through the prophet Amos, God spoke these words to the people of God during a very low point of their history: Amos 5:21 – “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. ²² Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. ²³ away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (NIV) What God desired from the people was a life that reflected the character of God.  God desires the same from us today.

Today, let us live out our worship.  Let us praise God in word and in action.