"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HAVING A BLESSED LIFE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HAVING A BLESSED LIFE"

Psalm 34:12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?
Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions, and a prayer:

In these three verses the Lord gives us simple but profound and powerful truths that lead to a happy or blessed life.

1. Who does not want to have a blessed life?
Psalm 34:12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?

The question is asked, "Who is the man who desires life, etc, etc?
The answer is "everyone"
Have you ever met anyone that would say no to this question?
Most every human being wants to enjoy life and have blessed and happy life.
The blessed life is described as "many days" and "that he may see good"

2. Here are the ways of living that lead to a blessed life.
Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

The Lord tells us here what not to have in our lives, and what to have in our lives.

First of all, if we want to be blessed, than we are to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking deceit.
So, it starts with our speech.
And, our speech is connected with our heart.
What is in our heart will come out of our mouths.
We need to put off the old ways of living.

Secondly, we are to depart from evil. Leave it, run away from it, have nothing to do with it.

Thirdly, we are to do good, or live in the way that is pleasing to the Lord and in keeping with His will.

Finally, we are to seek peace and pursue it.
That would be peace with God, and peace with man.
To live at peace, not unrest and trouble.
We can do this by Loving God and Loving one another.

Questions:

1. Are you seeking to have a blessed life?

2. Do you know that the way to a blessed life is found right in these few short verses?

3. Will you place your faith in God and ask Him to help you, giving you strength, grace and wisdom to walk in His ways?

A prayer:

Father we appreciate the fact that while life itself can be complicated, Your Word and Your ways are not. You lay Your will out for us in plain and easy to understand terms. It's Your good pleasure to give us the kingdom, and to bless our lives. It's up to us to trust You and respond to Your Word. Help us in both of those actions Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE SCOFFER, THE WISE AND THE WICKED"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE SCOFFER, THE WISE AND THE WICKED"

Proverbs 21:11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
Proverbs 21:12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions, statements, and a prayer:

Proverbs has been given to us as God's book of wisdom. In it we learn how to walk through life, learning how to have wisdom, and avoid being foolish. These 31 chapters are chock full of practical teaching for us about life. Today's passages deal with three kinds of people.
The scoffer, the wise person, and the wicked person.

1. Scoffer's wind up being punished, but the simple is made wise
Scoffers are mockers. They talk arrogantly, they boast, they deride. A scoffer is an inflated person, it means to show oneself as a mocker. To deride, and to scorn.
The Bible says this type of person will be punished. They will experience punishment for being scoffers, that's just what happens to them.
And, when they are punished one benefit is that "the simple is made wise"
Sometimes it takes someone being punished for a simple man to to truly learn.
Proverbs 19:29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools.

2. But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
On the other hand, this person, the wise person can be instructed, and in his being instructed he receives knowledge.
In other words he learns from instruction.
The scoffer is punished.
The wise man is instructed.
Proverbs 3:35 The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools.
Proverbs 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall.

3. The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.
This verse is telling us that God who is righteous know what is taking place in the homes of the wicked.
Nothing is hidden from His eyes.
And, eventually God will bring disaster upon the wicked.
Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

Some questions/statements:

1. Isn't it true that we make our own choices and we also reap the consequences of those choices?

2. And, isn't it true that God is calling out to us everyday to allow Him to lead and guide us in His ways?

3. What a blessing to know that we can make choices that yield blessed results and consequences in our lives.

4. Men may think they can hide their sins from God and get away with their wicked deeds, but that's not true.

5. God does not punish men immediately, and this leads man to think that he is getting away with his sins.

6. One day, God will make all things right, it will be in His time and His way.

7. A wise man once told me comforting words. "God, Time, and Truth. Rest in these my friend"

A prayer:

Father, You have given us 31 entire chapters with extreme detail of how to live our lives day by day with Your wisdom. And, by following Your ways, we can avoid so much trouble that we could otherwise bring upon ourselves. Thank You for forgiving us of our sins. And, we pray that You lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. And, help us Lord to learn Your wisdom from what we see going on around us day by day. In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE BLESSINGS FOR THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE BLESSINGS FOR THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD"

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,
Psalm 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
Psalm 33:21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Psalm 33:22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

Some introductory thoughts, explanations, application, and some questions:

As with most Psalm's, this was written by none other than a man we will meet in heaven on day. A man after God's own heart, a man who was a shepherd boy chosen by God to be the king of Israel. There are some wonderful and encouraging truths about the blessings that come into the lives of those who wait on the Lord. Throughout the Psalm, David is contrasting the futility of trusting in man rather than God. May God bless this truth to our souls.

1. God's eye is upon those who fear Him, and on those who hope in His mercy.
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,

Here we are told who God's eye is upon. It's upon those who respect Him, and upon those who hope in His mercy, or hope in Jesus Christ who is the mercy of God.
He is our heavenly father, and we are his beloved children.
How He loves us.
He keeps His eye upon us because of that love and our relationship to Him.
He is looking at you this very moment.

2. God delivers his people from death, and keeps them alive in times of famine.
Psalm 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.

Here we have two promises from God.
He delivers His people from death.
And, He keeps them alive during times of famine.

God cannot lie, so we know these promises are true, and can be believed with all of our hearts.
We will never be separated from Him, and He will never be separated from us.
He will always deliver us, and He will always provide for us even in the most difficult of times.

3. God's people can wait on the LORD, because He is our help and our shield.
Psalm 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

This verse now speaks of what we ought to do.
And, it tells us why we ought to do them.

God's people wait on Him, or believe Him, trust Him, expect Him to do as He has promised.
The reason we can wait on Him, is because He is our help and our shield.
How wonderful to see that God really takes care of His people, helping them, and shielding them.
We could never do these things for ourselves, that's why God wants us to trust Him, He can do them.

4. God's people shall rejoice in Him, because they have trusted in His Holy name.
Psalm 33:21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.

This is speaking of what we will do.
In fact we already do it.
But one day we shall do it like never before.
That time is when we get to heaven.
My how we will praise Him.

5. God's people can pray for His mercy to be upon them, as they hope in Him.
Psalm 33:22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

This is a prayer.
It's a prayer that is conditional.

The prayer is for His mercy.
The condition is "just as we hope in You"

God's mercy means we do not receive what we deserve.
And, as we hope in God, or actively believe Him, we find ourselves experiencing the richness of His mercy.

Some questions:

1. Isn't it a blessing to realize that right at this very moment, God is looking at you through eyes of love and mercy?

2. And isn't it a tremendous promise that He has and will deliver our souls from death. We are no longer separated from Him.

3. Do you know that God invites you to wait on Him, because He wants to help you and be your shield?

4. Try for a moment to think about how you will praise God when we first see Him face to face?

5. And isn't it great to know we can pray for His mercy and that we can hope in Him?

A prayer:

Father, Your Psalms are such a blessing to us. They lift us up, they comfort us, they instruct us, they bless us more than we can imagine. Thank You for giving us 150 of them. We believe that more people read the Psalms than any other book in the Bible. Lord the Psalms are one of our most favorite books in the Bible. They never cease to encourage us. And, may You help us Lord to be those that pass on Your encouragement to others. We love You.
In Jesus name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS BY OUR LORD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS BY OUR LORD"

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Psalm 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
Psalm 32:4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions and a prayer:

This Psalm is called a Psalm of contemplation by King David. It's what he wrote after he had finally acknowledged his sins of adultery, lying, and murder. He speaks of the blessing of forgiveness, and the horridness of walking in unconfessed sin for well over a year, about 1 1/2 years to be exact.

1. God's blessing comes to His people through forgiveness.
Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Blessed means, "Oh how happy". And that's what happens when God forgives our sins. Happiness comes back into our lives.
God forgives, God covers our sins, God removes our sins. And, God does not hold us accountable any longer for them.
And when a man or women confesses their sins to God, they are also no longer being deceitful. And that is a blessing in and of itself.

2. God's blessing is absent from our lives until our sins are confessed to Him.
Psalm 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
Psalm 32:4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

When David did not confess his sins, it affected as described in the two verses directly above.
His bones grew old, he was groaning all day long on the inside.
God's hand was heavy upon David.
David's vitality was turned to the drought of summer.

3. God is sure to forgive anyone who will take responsibility for their sin, and that is something to really think about.
Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Finally, David confessed his sins. God used a friend, a prophet named Nathan to confront David, and David took full responsibility for his sins.
He was no longer hiding it from God.
He agreed with God, that he had sinned.
And, here's the blessing, God forgave him of all of his sin.

Questions:

1. Have you had David's experience of walking in unconfessed sin?

2. I would imagine there is not a christian alive who cannot relate to these realities.

3. Have you experienced the blessing of God's forgiveness?

4. Do you know that God loves you and will forgive you today if you come to Him?

A prayer:

Father thank You for this tremendous testimony of Your grace and mercy. We are all sinners who need Your forgiveness from time to time. Thank You for never turning us away, and always being ready to restore us.
We pray for ourselves where this is applicable and for friends or family who need forgiveness today.
Please come them in Your mercy, grace and love. In Jesus name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN DEALING WITH ENEMIES"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN DEALING WITH ENEMIES"

Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
Nehemiah 6:9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Some explanatory thoughts, applications, questions and a prayer:

As Nehemiah was doing the work of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, the enemies of Israel were consistently attacking him, and one of their primary ways of attack was through lies. Lies meant to discourage and intimidate Nehemiah.
In this case a letter ( one of many ) had been sent to Nehemiah making suggestions to him, that would have led him away from the work that God had put his hands to. These two verses represent Nehemiah's response and they give us some principles and truths to bear in mind when dealing with our own enemies.

1. One thing about God's enemies is that they tell lies.
Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

Many accusations were being leveled against Nehemiah. Nehemiah knew they were not true. And Nehemiah came right out and said so. Neh 6:8b “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
God's enemies are liars plain and simple.
They are led by a liar Satan who is the father of lies.
Satan cannot tell the truth, and thus he tells lies.
God is true, His Son is the truth, and the truth can be found in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Bible.

2. The lies of God's enemies are not only not true, but they are invented in their own hearts.
Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

Please notice what is said about the origin of the lies. "But you invent them in your own heart"
Lies are not facts, they are made up statements that are not true.
The lies originate in the hearts of God's enemies.

God does not invent anything.
He does not invent truth.
He is truth.
And He tells us the truth in the Bible.

3. The lies of God's enemies are designed to make God's people afraid, and to discourage them from doing the work at hand.
Nehemiah 6:9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

The enemy wants to stop you dead in your tracks in your relationship and service to God.
He does not want the work of God to take place in your life, or in the life of the general body of Christ through you.
Make no mistake about it, you play an important role in the body, as you serve the body you are helping to make it strong in love.

Satan likes to lie and through his lies to discourage God's people and make them afraid.
When you feel afraid, don't be afraid to admit it to God and ask Him to help you.

When You feel discouraged, tell the Lord about it, and ask Him to fill you with courage and He will.
And you will then be fearless and courageous in your walk, witness, and work for the Lord.

4. A good way to deal with the lies of the enemy is simply to pray as Nehemiah did, and ask the Lord to make you strong.
Nehemiah 6:9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

The enemies ways can become very complicated.
But God's prescription for us is very simple.
Pray.
That's what Nehemiah did, he prayed.

His prayer was simple.
It was directed towards God.
And, he asked God for one thing.
He asked God to "strengthen my hands"

You and I can do the same thing, and God will do the same thing, He will give you the strength you need to serve Him.

Some questions:

1. Do you have enemies who are bothering you at this time?

2. Are you busy doing the work of God at this time.?

3. Can you see how the enemy would like to make you afraid and discouraged?

4. Don't believe the enemies lies not even for a moment.

5. Will you do what Nehemiad did? He prayed. Will you pray and ask God for strength.

A prayer:

Father what a great little true story this is about Nehemiah. Thank You for giving it to us. It's so helpful to see how You helped Your people to deal with fear and discouragement. We pray for ourselves if we are afraid and we are discouraged that You would give us strength. And, we pray for the members of our own particular church body who may be being attacked, and ask that You would help them as well. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD"

Psalm 31:23 Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.
Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions and a prayer:

This Psalm was written by King David, it's a Psalm of lament. It's a Psalm where David first speaks to God in addressing his physical distress and danger. He asks the Lord to deliver him and to silence his enemies. He goes on to praise the Lord for delivering his own people. And encourages the Godly to love the Lord and be strong.

1. God's people ( His saints ) are encouraged to love God.
Psalm 31:23 Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!

What a great bit of direction for us. To love the LORD. The word love here means friend, to like, it speaks of loving. And is used in the sense of our now having a God given appetite for God.

In fact to love God is the greatest commandment. The second is like the first, where we are to love our neighbors.
So, we are exhorted to love God. Jesus described loving God as including our obedience to Him.
This helps us to understand loving God. In part it means to obey Him, to hold Him in high regard.

The word saints means, those who have been set apart to God for His exclusive use and pleasure.

2. God is the one who preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.
Psalm 31:23 Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.

Here's how this reads in the NLT
Psalm 31:23b For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant.

We have this promise from the LORD to protect us, and He will also have vengeance on those who are proud and arrogant.

3. God's people are to be of good courage, and are promised that God will strengthen the hearts of all who trust in Him.
Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

Here we are exhorted to be of good courage. Or to be strong and to take courage. We find our strength in God as we look to Him, and we can rise up and away from discouragement, and take the courage that comes from God.

Here is what the Lord said to Joshua as he was assuming the role of leading Israel and about to go into the promised land and fight the enemies of God. And what Joshua told the people towards the end of his life.

Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
Joshua 23:6 “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,

The other thing we are told here, is that God will strengthen the hearts of those who put their trust in Him.
We are weak in and of ourselves. But God is strong in and of Himself. He is generous and loving, and wants to gives us the strength that we need.

2Co 12:9* 2nd Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul had learned that when he was weak, then God could make him strong.
The same applies to all of us who trust God. He will make us strong as we look to Him.

Questions:

1. Are you in a fog today spiritually?

2. Did you know that God regards you as a saint? He has set you apart for Himself.

3. Are you worried about making it all the way through whatever you are going through today?

4. Can you see in these verses that God promises to preserve the faithful ( the believers )

5. If you are discouraged God can replace it with courage, will You ask Him to give you courage now?

6. If you are experiencing weakness, you are in the right position for God's strength to fill you.

A prayer:

Father we can so identify with these expressions of David's. Though he was a king, he was a normal human being like we are.
Thank You for giving us these verses that help us to regain perspective and give us clear direction on what to do with ourselves. Help us O LORD to take Your Words to heart. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia