Tag: God

The Weak and The Sick

Psalm 41 New International Version – UK

Psalm 41^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
²The Lord protects and preserves them –
    they are counted among the blessed in the land –
    he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
³The Lord sustains them on their sick-bed
    and restores them from their bed of illness.

⁴I said, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord;
    heal me, for I have sinned against you.’
⁵My enemies say of me in malice,
    ‘When will he die and his name perish?’
⁶When one of them comes to see me,
    he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
    then he goes out and spreads it around.

⁷All my enemies whisper together against me;
    they imagine the worst for me, saying,
⁸‘A vile disease has afflicted him;
    he will never get up from the place where he lies.’
⁹Even my close friend,
    someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
    has turned^[b] against me.

¹⁰But may you have mercy on me, Lord;
    raise me up, that I may repay them.
¹¹I know that you are pleased with me,
    for my enemy does not triumph over me.
¹²Because of my integrity you uphold me
    and set me in your presence for ever.

¹³Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

Healing the Brokenhearted

Psalm 147 New International Version

Psalm 147

¹Praise the Lord.^[a]

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
³He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
⁴He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
⁵Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
⁶The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.

⁸He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

To heal the broken heart he came,
To free the captive from his chain;
The blood he spilt when he was slain,
Brings guilty sinners home to God

The Beatitudes

Matthew 5 New International Version

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad,because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Chosen City

Isaiah 44 New International Version

Israel the Chosen

44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,
    Israel, whom I have chosen.
²This is what the Lord says—
    he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
    and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
    Jeshurun,^[a] whom I have chosen.
³For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
    like poplar trees by flowing streams.
⁵Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;
    others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
    and will take the name Israel. Image result for israel the chosen

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

There is no one like our God
There is no one like you, God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done

We believe, we believe in you, God

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
Greater things, still to be done here
Ooh

Following Wisdom

Proverbs 3 New International Version

¹⁹By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
²⁰by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

²¹My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
    preserve sound judgement and discretion;
²²they will be life for you,
    an ornament to grace your neck.
²³Then you will go on your way in safety,
    and your foot will not stumble.
²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵Have no fear of sudden disaster
    or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
²⁶for the Lord will be at your side
    and will keep your foot from being snared.

A Gracious God

2 Chronicles 30 New International Version

Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.²The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. ³They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.⁴The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly.⁵They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written. Image result for Gracious and compassionate God

⁶At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:

“People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. ⁷Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelite’s, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. ⁸Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. ⁹If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelite’s and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”

Here in verse nine we are being told that God is a compassionate and gracious God and he will not turn away from us as long as we believe in him.

Redemption

Psalm 49 New International Version

¹²People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^[d]
¹⁴They are like sheep and are destined to die;
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
    he will surely take me to himself.
¹⁶Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendour of their houses increases;
¹⁷for they will take nothing with them when they die,
    their splendour will not descend with them.
¹⁸Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
    and people praise you when you prosper—
¹⁹they will join those who have gone before them,
    who will never again see the light of life.

²⁰People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.

Wickedness

Psalm 5 New International Version

Psalm 5^[a]

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

¹Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.
²Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

³In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.
⁴For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people are not welcome.
⁵The arrogant cannot stand
    in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
⁶    you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
⁷But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    toward your holy temple.

⁸Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight before me.
⁹Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongues they tell lies.
¹⁰Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

¹²Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favour as with a shield.

The Light of the world

John 8 New International Version

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

¹²When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

¹³The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

¹⁴Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. ¹⁸I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

¹⁹Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” ²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Many of you who regularly read my blogs may recognise the above piece of scripture and the song below that is because i used them recently (although it was a different video last time). Another thing you may know about me if you regularly read my blogs is that I am a member of The Salvation Army and it was when I looked at the songbook this song jumped out at me. Every song in the songbook has a bible reference and that is highlighted in the reading above. What also amazed me and to be honest also surprised me a little was I found the song was amongst the carols

Learn how to forgive

Hosea 2 New International Version

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor[b] a door of hope.
There she will respond[c] as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;
you will no longer call me ‘my master.[d]’
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked.
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground.
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.
19 I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in[e] righteousness and justice,
in[f] love and compassion.
20 I will betroth you in[g] faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the Lord.

Could I forgive the person that stabbed/shot a member of my family? It’s a question you can’t really answer till your in that position. So all i’m going to say is it would be a tough one for me to answer. Could you forgive?