Tag: Psalm

A “Last Look” at Psalm 37 (verses 37-40)

Psalm 37:37-40 (NIV), “37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. 38 But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked 38 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.”

Thank you for reading with me through Psalm 37!!

Well, we’ve reached the end of our journey through Psalm 37!!! Do you feel inspired by God’s constant reminders that He will take good care of His children? I hope so! I also hope you have been encouraged to keep on living for Jesus and choosing to do what is right, even in the face of adversity.

In these final verses of Psalm 37, God’s relentless love and concern for mankind continues to resonate. He is still calling out to those with unrepentant hearts. Sinners who refuse to repent and turn from their wicked ways, will be destroyed and have no future. On the other hand God’s righteous ones, who have repented and given their lives to Jesus Christ, will be saved from evil and enjoy a future of peace. He promises to protect His children in times of trouble.

I’m asking God to renew our strength so that we will not become weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9). We need power from His Holy Spirit to keep pursuing His divine purpose for our lives. We need His “keen vision” to see life from His eternal perspective. Whatever you do, don’t give up the fight! I’m praying for you.

Perhaps you have been reading these Psalm 37 posts, and you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe you are now beginning to think about your life more deeply. Maybe you are wondering what God has in store for you if you will trust Him. I invite you to ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and to ask Jesus to come into you life and be your Savior and Lord. Jesus paid the price on Calvary so that you can be delivered from sin and shame. He wants to spend eternity with you in heaven. Will you trust Him to make you a new creation and make all things new?

2 Corinthians 5:17(KJV), “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

This is probably the most familiar verse in Psalm 37…

Psalm 37:4(NKJV),”Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Hold this promise close to your heart and trust the Lord to love and care for you in ways you have yet to even imagine.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV), “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

Keep smiling & Keep shining for JESUS.

A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 32-36)

Psalm 37:32-36 (NIV),” 32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; 33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial. 34 hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it. 35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, 36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.”

Do you see the wicked continue to prosper and then sometimes feel as if your walk with the Lord is in vain? Well guess what? You’re not alone. Many Christians, including myself, have at times been bombarded with doubtful questions. It helps to remember that God’s system is completely different from the one in the world. He operates with spiritual eternal things in mind, whereas the world focuses on natural temporal things.

Satan, the god of this world, wants us to become so infatuated with worldly things that we forget about the things of God. As a matter of fact, He wants people to doubt the very existence of God. That way, people will live a life of self indulgence, which ultimately leads to emptiness and self destruction. What a tragedy!

People of the world work to build an earthly empire. However God calls us Christians not to store up treasures on Earth, but to instead store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Our lives here on Earth are very short compared to our lives in eternity with Jesus. God is asking us to focus on what matters most, and that is storing up treasures in heaven, our eternal home.

Psalm 27:13 (NIV),”I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

God wants us to enjoy our lives and see His goodness here on Earth, called the land of the living. He wants us to be successful in our endeavors. His idea of success may sometimes differ from the worlds. Therefore we should pray for God’s guidance as we make decisions pertaining to our earthly lives. He created each of us with a specific purpose in mind. Following our God given purpose will ensure that we will make a difference now on Earth, while also contributing to His eternal plan in heaven. He wants to be involved in every detail of our lives. Nothing about us or our lives is insignificant to the Lord.

God continuously tells us the wicked will be destroyed but the righteous will be exalted. So let us confidently put our hope in the Lord, as we diligently follow His plan for our lives.

A Look at Psalm 37(verses 29-31)

Psalm 37:29-31(NIV),”29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. 31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.

How do we gain wisdom? We ask God for it. As we go through life, we are faced with many choices, but in order to choose what is best, we need wisdom.

James 1:5(NIV), “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

When we walk in godly wisdom, we can see beyond the surface. We can look deeper into our lives and the lives of others. Having wisdom allows us to understand that we can’t just always live for the moment, because a single moment can change our tomorrows rather it be for better or for worse.

Proverbs 4:6-7 (NLT),”Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.“

Being a man or woman of wisdom means we care about people and how our words and actions impact them. Wise people are not self seeking. They build others up instead of tearing them down. Wise people do not live by their feelings. They choose to live by the Word of God and be guided by The Holy Spirit. Wise people do not seek the pleasures of the world. They seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

1 Kings 3:9-12 (NLT),”Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies I will give you what you asked for!“

Ask God for wisdom, and He will freely give it to you.

A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 25-28)

Psalm 37:25-28(NIV)

25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. 27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed the offspring of the wicked will perish.

God has promised to never forsake His children. He’s always near, even when we go through moments or days where we feel we can’t sense His presence. We may ask, “Has God forgotten me?” Or we may wonder, “Is God aware of the suffering I’m going through?” The questions we ask are the beginning of getting the answers we seek. Jesus says, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

When God knows we are seeking to know Him better, He will honor our efforts by revealing Himself to us. As we try to understand how he is working in our lives, He won’t always tell us everything we want to know, but He will tell us exactly what He knows we need to know.

When you feel God has forgotten you, I encourage you to look up, because the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). We can be reminded of His faithfulness and sovereignty through the divine order of His creation. When you feel discouraged, look within to His Spirit that lives inside of you, because greater is He who lives in you than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4). He will replenish you with the strength you need to keep serving Him wholeheartedly.

A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 20-24) We’re at the halfway mark!

Psalm 37:20-24 (NIV), “20 But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22 Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. 23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Wow! We’re halfway through Psalm 37! Thanks for reading it with me. I hope you’re enjoying the journey. It’s been exciting sharing it with you. Like I mentioned in the beginning, it’s my favorite Psalm. I’ve read it many times. But this is my first time, taking time to write about what God is showing me as I read it.

Throughout Psalm 37, the fate of the wicked is constantly being compared to the fate of the righteous. Bottom line is that you’re blessed or you’re cursed. You’ll live or you’ll die. We know that sin when full grown leads to death (James 1:15). But Jesus Christ is Life (John 14:6).

The wicked borrow and do not repay, in other words, they steal. However, the righteous give generously. As the saying goes, “We are blessed to be a blessing.” Our wells will never run dry because our Source is Jesus Christ. As long as we stay connected to Him, the True Vine, we will produce good fruit (John 15:1-4).

Our God knows we are human. That’s why He said we will at times stumble, but He also said He will not let us fall. An occasional stumble keeps us humble. It keeps us aware of our need for Jesus. As the old hymn says, “Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” Unfortunately we are naturally prone to go in the direction of the world, but by living supernaturally through Christ, we can stay on the life giving path that He has personally prepared for us.

Corinthians 12:7(NIV), “…Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

I, like many people, have often wondered what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. God chose not to take it from him so that He would not be tempted to become conceited and full of pride. Can you think of struggles that you have had that kept you humble and caused you to grow in Christ? It’s through our weaknesses that we learn our true strength is found in Him (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Never forget, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:19)!! Anything He instructs us to do, He will equip us to do. Is there something that God is instructing you to do, but fear keeps holding you back? Trust God to make your steps firm as He promised. Then boldly move forward in Him, one day at a time!

Feel free to comment if you have any additional thoughts to add or any insight to share on what God is teaching you.

A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 12-15)

Psalm 37:12-15 (NIV), “12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.”

Have you ever had times where all you can do is laugh? You can clearly see the wicked schemes of the enemy and all you can do is just shake your head and laugh. I always find it humorous to know that God laughs at the wicked. Psalm 37 definitely has no shortage of warnings to the wicked. The pending destruction for those who choose to persist in evil and not repent, is reinforced over and over again.

Before I moved to the complex where I am currently living, I had a landlord that was very unfair and was often being used by the enemy. It was a year of foolish schemes. I could tell many stories, but I think out of all the stunts she tried to pull, the worst of all was when she tried to say she never got the last month of rent from me. If you ever move to South Florida and decide to rent from a private landlord, be prepared to pay three months of rent upfront (first and last month, plus the security deposit, which is equal to one month of rent).When move out time came, she tried to say I never gave her the last month of rent. Thank God I had ALL my receipts!

I guess the second runner up would have to be when my daughter and I had no A/C for two weeks in August as hot as South Florida is. She blamed it on the WiFi I had installed by the cable company, even though she told me it was okay to have it installed. She said the WiFi was too much for the apartment. Not to mention the A/C had stopped working a couple of times prior to the WiFi install, but she would always go to the fuse box and make it work again. This time the fuse box trick would not work, so she blamed me. Coming in at third place is the time she called me at 5:00am to ask me when I would pay the rent, even though it wasn’t due for another week.

That twelve months with her was a real circus! I could go on and on but I’ll stop here. I think you get the picture. I was so relieved and thankful to get out of her apartment before she could find a stupid reason to keep my security deposit.

She had many wicked schemes, but by God’s grace I still found strength to pray for her, and pray against the evil one that was using her. Many of my family members were praying for me and her during that difficult year. God heard our prayers and answered. I feel like her sword pierced her own heart, because my daughter and I were covered under the blood of Jesus. Everything she tried ultimately failed.

God laughs at the enemy’s foolishness and sometimes we His children just gotta laugh too. I wasn’t laughing much at the time, but it makes me laugh now looking back.

Remember this: The battles that come our way have already been won by The One who never fails us.

A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 8-9)

Psalm 37:8-9 (NIV), “8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”

It’s pretty easy to see that the world we live in has become a very angry place. Many people are extremely unhappy and feel very empty inside. They are attempting to fill the void in their hearts in ways that are only creating more emptiness.

Anger usually happens when we feel that we have been cheated out of something in life. Rather we caused the misfortune in our lives ourselves, or rather someone else did it to us, we feel hurt. Constantly living in this pain called anger can lead to evil. When we are angry it can cause us to say and do things that bring harm to others. That’s why God tells us to refrain from anger and turn away from wrath. It’s natural to get angry in certain situations, but it’s how we handle that anger that determines our destiny. We have to learn how to give our angry feelings to the Lord, so that it doesn’t destroy our lives or our relationships.

We don’t have to fight anger alone. God has given us options that will keep us out of trouble. Prayer, meditating on scripture, exercising, talking to someone you trust, journaling, or spending time doing your favorite hobby, can help release anger. It also helps greatly to remember what God says about you. His opinion of you is what matters most. We are priceless to Him, no matter what others may think. The inheritance we have in Him is greater than anything we could ever achieve on our own. When we hope in Him we will never be put to shame (Psalm 25:3)

Keep Reading: A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 10-11)