WORD up!

Well, we’ve looked at all of Psalm 15 as well as many other passages. Where do you see yourself, now? Have you made any progress? Have you grown in leaps and bounds? Review Psalm 15. Eulogy Every life must end – even a blameless life. The last thing we leave behind (besides our family and friends) is the epitaph on our gravestone and our obituary. So, at the risk of sounding morbid, I issue a final challenge to you that I pray will open your eyes and inspire you. Take a few minutes to write out what you want your epitaph or obituary to say. Or, if you’re feeling really creative, write out how you would like a friend or family member to eulogize you. Then pray that God will help you live up to what you’ve written. Release Your Burdens It can be scary to be on your own at first. You may not have any idea where to go from here. I urge you to continue spending time with God. Don’t allow yourself to be tempted to give the time you’ve been devoting to Him over the last few weeks to some othe...

Oh, my. The things we do for cold, hard cash! We compromise our values and beliefs. We tolerate bad behavior and foul language. We stress ourselves and abuse our bodies and forsake our families. We turn our backs on our dreams thinking that the American Dream’s emphasis on possessions will make us truly happy. WRONG!!! What have you compromised this week? Will you continue to compromise? Very INTERESTing I can think of a couple of times when I loaned money and never got paid back! But, no, I’ve never charged usury – also known as “interest” – on a loan. However, I can think of a few times when my heart was in the wrong place that I wanted to injure someone who hurt me “with interest.” Look up the scriptures below to learn what God’s Word says about this. (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:35-37, Deut 23:20, Prov 28:8) As followers of Christ, we should be exceptionally generous. All we have belongs to Him, and His Word teaches that we should care for each other. The scriptures above mention ou...

Today’s world doesn’t lend itself to the behavior spoken of in Psalm 15:4. We do what is considered politically correct. We are silenced in the name of tolerance. Jesus wasn’t cruel when He spoke the truth to the people He encountered. He genuinely loved them. He didn’t belittle them based on their sin to make Himself feel better. He knew who He was. It’s time we realize who we are: We are princes and princesses. My Father is the King of the Universe! What does your Daddy do? If you’re reading this, I would venture to say He is the great I Am! Loathe, Despise and Hate Are we really supposed to hate anything as Christians? I was plagued by this question a few years ago. I struggled with some very serious “hate” issues. One of the women in my Bible study group suggested I do a word study on “hate”. I did the same with the word “despised.” I found 50 verses that contained the word. Here are a few of them. Look up these verses and note the context of each use of the word “despised.” Rememb...

Backbiteth Not! Verse 3 in the KJV actually says “who backbiteth not.” I love that. You absolutely cannot sugar-coat that one. Sadly, I confess that I have been a master slanderer. I’ve struggled for years to break the hold that this generational sin has had upon my life. Jesus never bad-mouthed anybody. Once again, I wish I could make that claim. The good news is that I can ask forgiveness and repent of my bad behavior when God makes me aware of it and get another chance. And since I am aware of my vulnerability in this area, I can bathe myself with prayer over it and avoid situations where the temptation to participate in such things arises. To be blunt, slander is a vicious lie! When was the last time you slandered someone? When were you last the victim of slander? How did it feel to be on each side of this sin? Would you like to know what else the Bible says about slander? Take a look at John 8:44. Whoa! This is a habit worth changing. When I am face-to-face with God, I want to hea...

It’s all about purity. Pure actions, pure speech, pure thoughts. We cannot achieve this purity on our own. Let’s ask God for His assistance. Being pure may not be popular, but it is the right thing to do. But how do we determine what is righteous behavior? Jiminy Cricket sang about letting your conscience be your guide. I believe that “still, small voice” is the Holy Spirit, and that He will actively guide you through life. I also know that it’s possible to ignore His voice even when He’s shouting at you full volume from the inside! This is especially true when you’ve been hurt and you’re angry. Our natural response is to counter-attack, but we must reach for God, instead. So, how can we protect ourselves? I suggest creating an action plan to test every decision against the Word of God. If we’re in the routine of ignoring the counsel of the Spirit, we must establish a habit of returning our focus to God in all circumstances. This will keep our thoughts in the proper place...

Take a moment to pray before we begin. Ask God to help you absorb His desire to be with you like a thirsty sponge today. Ask to grow in relationship with Him. Ask Him to teach you, today, and to mold and change your heart. A well-known phrase says, “home is where the heart is.” This is not far from the truth. You can always tell what is important to someone by how they assign priorities in their life. What is important to you? Would others who observe your behavior agree with that? Now let’s examine what is important to God. Read Mark 12:28-31. Jesus told the teachers of the law what the most important commandment is. Do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? That’s a lot of loving! Maybe it’s easier to love your neighbor as yourself? I think not. Love isn’t supposed to be easy, it’s a mark of godly character. It is evidence of God’s presence in your life. In fact, love is the first fruit of the Spirit quality named in Galatians 5:22-23. These nine t...

Before we begin, take a moment to pray. Ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon you as you study today. Ask God to clear your heart and mind of anything unworthy of Him and to fill that space with His love and wisdom and discernment. I believe that the Lord led you to this study for a reason. Does the idea of living a blameless life appeal to you? Does this type of life even seem possible? Read Psalm 119:1. I pray that this verse is an encouragement to you and that you’re ready to get started. So, let’s dive right in. First of all, we’ll set the scene. According to The Complete Word Study Old Testament, King David wrote Psalm 15 on the occasion of moving the ark of the covenant to Mount Zion. This story is recorded for us in 2 Samuel 6:12-19. Take a few minutes to read this passage and get a better idea of what King David may have been thinking and feeling when he penned this psalm. Here are a few of my thoughts: Sacrificing the bulls and calves were acts of worship. ...