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Perspective Is Everything

God Is Always At Work, Fulfilling His Purposes

Perspective is everything. From an earthly point of view, we bounce between problems and promises! But from heaven’s perspective, God is faithfully fulfilling his purposes. Hallelujah! God is always at work!

Read: Psalm 105 // Focus: Psalm 105:43-45

“He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD!” — Psalm 105:43-45

From this side of heaven, it seems as though the believer is either in the sweet spot of God’s grace or the hot seat of challenging circumstances. Life seems to bounce between the two.

Has that been true for you—figuratively speaking, you’re either a just step ahead of the poor house or you’ve got one foot in the Promised Land? Throughout my life, I have drifted from one to the other, sometimes on a daily basis, but mostly it has been seasonal. Of course, I prefer the sweet spot—who wouldn’t!

That’s the human perspective—we either get a burden to bear or a blessing to enjoy. This psalm speaks of both: Joseph under the oppressive yoke of the Egyptians (Psalm 105:17-18), or Joseph in the driver’s seat of Pharaoh’s court. (Psalm 105:20-21) The same was true for the nation of Israel: they suffered the indignity of slavery in Egypt for 400 years (Psalm 105:23) but later were delivered to the Promised land where they enjoyed the blessings for which others had labored. (Psalm 105:43-44)

But what we see as either burdens to bear or blessings to enjoy, God sees from the perspective of purpose. At times, God gives us a problem; at other times, God releases his provision—but at all times, God is fulfilling his purposes in us, for us, and through us.

That is the far better perspective—that is the true picture from the perspective of heaven.

What a better way to go through life—whether we are enduring a season of burden or enjoying a season of blessing. When God allows us to endure a problem, his purpose is that through it, we would live with an attitude of gratitude and call attention to his glorious deeds.

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. (Psalm 105:1-2)

When he has brought us into the sweet spot of his favor, he does so that we might be energized and enabled to bring praise to his name through our obedience.

He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy … that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. (Psalm 105:43, 45)

Perspective is everything. From an earthly point of view, we bounce between problems and promises! But from heaven’s perspective, God is faithfully fulfilling his purposes.

Now let’s see—earth or heaven? I’m thinking heaven is the better way to go!

Making Life Work: If you are going through a personal storm, know this: God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good—his promise, not mine! So as you call out to him, make sure you say, “God, use this to shape me!”

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Storms Happen

But There Is One Who Is Bigger Than The Storm!

There is nothing quite like the unleashed power of nature to remind you of how small, insignificant and truly powerless you are. Same is true for a personal storm—an unbelievably huge financial crisis, an untreatable physical ailment, an unrelenting relational disaster, an unyielding emotional trauma. Storms happen—but so does God!

Read: Psalm 104 // Focus: Psalm 104:7-9, 31-32

“You spoke, and at the sound of your shout the water collected into its vast ocean beds, and mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. And then you set a boundary for the seas so that they would never again cover the earth …  Praise God forever! How he must rejoice in all his work! The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains burst into flame at his touch.” — Psalm 104:7-9, 31-32

There is nothing quite as unnerving as the fury of nature. I’ve never been in a massive earthquake, but minor ones are enough to make me shake in my boots. I’ve never been in a hurricane, but I’ve been on the outskirts of a tornado, and the aftermath of even such a localized storm blew me away. I’ve never seen hailstones the size of a softball, but I’ve gotten caught in a storm that pinged me with golf ball sized hail, and I’ll tell you, it was fierce enough to send chills up and down my spine.

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Soul Music

Count Your Blessings—It'll Do Your Soul Good

What makes your soul sing? Whatever it is, that’s your “soul music!” For King David, it was the innumerable blessings of belonging to God. Try doing what David did: count your many blessings and offer them in a prayer of gratitude to God. Do that and I will guarantee that it will do your soul good!

Read: Psalm 103 // Focus: Psalm 103:2

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” — Psalm 103:2

I love this psalm—it’s one of my favorites. For most people who love the Book of Psalms, this one is right up there with the Psalm 23, the Shepherd’s Psalm. I suspect it has made your Top Ten, too!

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Make An Example Out Of Me

Squeeze Blessing Out Of A Really Bad Day

When you are going through a really difficult season, no matter what its source, simply appealing to God to use you as a example of his grace and mercy for future generations is a great way to squeeze blessing out of what is otherwise a really bad day. Go ahead, ask him to make an example out of you!

Read: Psalm 102 // Focus: Psalm 102:18

Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD. — Psalm 102:8

The writer of this psalm is in a bad way—a very bad way. In fact, the title says the author was a man who had been severely “afflicted”. We don’t know the man’s name, nor do we know the specific nature of his affliction, but we do know the depth of his despair since, to a greater or lesser degree, we have all been there at some point in our lives.

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Intentional Blamelessness

Action Steps For A Pure Life

How serious are you about purity? Of course, being blameless before God starts with him. Through Christ’s death you are alive unto righteousness. But here’s the deal: You now have to walk in Christ’s righteousness. That’s right, YOU! You have to walk in it. Nobody can do that for you—not even God. He will help you, but you need to get intentionally blameless!

Read: Psalm 101 // Focus: Psalm 101:2

“I will be careful to lead a blameless life—when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.” –Psalm 101:2

As Jack Nicholson famously said to Tom Cruise in the movie,  A Few Good Men, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”, I would said to you, you’re not ready for it either! You’re not tough enough! Sorry, but I’m just being real! My guess is, you’re just not up to it!

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Pre-flight Checklist for Worship

Experiencing Worship At A Higher Level

Most of us wait until we are comfortably situated in the sanctuary, the lights are dimmed and the worship leader gives the downbeat before we begin to worship. That’s too late! That’s a recipe for a less-than-satisfying experience of the greatest activity to which we are called: worshipping in the presence of Almighty God. True worship begins long before we get to church.

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 100 // Focus: Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

The psalmist is speaking of what you do before you get to church. He is talking about how you enter the sanctuary. He is thinking of pre-worship—how you ready your heart in anticipation of meeting the God of all creation as you gather with his people in corporate praise. He is describing your preparation for worship.

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Approaching The Unapproachable

Confident In His Holy Presence

What a thought: God is unapproachable in holiness, yet you have been invited through Jesus to confidently approach his throne of grace where you can hear his voice, experience his power, receive his forgiveness, pour out your heart—and be heard! What other god is like your God!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 99 // Focus: Psalm 99:6

Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them.

Over the course of several palms, the writer has been extolling the majesty and holiness of God—which makes him separate, distinct and higher than other beings. He alone is God—high and exalted, pure in righteousness and justice, beautiful in his majesty and unapproachable in his holiness. The only possible response anyone, either high and low, has in his presence is to tremble before his throne.

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