Good morning,

The Psalms help us understand how to worship God. This week we will look at Psalms 101 (Preparation for worship), 100 (Worship through service), 99 (Worship through exaltation), and 98 (Worship through song).

Each of these Psalms build on each other.

Worship through service Psalm 100

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Once our hearts are cleansed from sin, we are now ready to serve the Lord. It is God’s desire that we serve Him with gladness. Not out of compulsion, but love.

Our service should be motivated by the fact that He created us, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture, and that He sent His Son Jesus to pay the sin debt we could not pay with His precious, perfect blood.

Now that we are cleansed from sin, serving the Lord, then we will be able to “…exalt…” Him. Psalm 99 will explain how.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

The Psalms help us understand how to worship God. This week we will look at Psalms 101 (Preparation for worship), 100 (Worship through service), 99 (Worship through exaltation), and 98 (Worship through song).

Each of these Psalms build on each other.

Preparation for worship Psalm 101

“I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.² I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.³ I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.⁴ A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.⁵ Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.⁶ Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.⁷ He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.⁸ I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.”

Worshiping the Lord requires a pure heart. A lifestyle of following after God. Obeying His word. When we sin, and we will, we repent of our sin, thank God that He has forgiven us, and move on.

God knows our hearts. He knows when our worship is sincere and when it’s not. So we need to keep short accounts with God. No unconfessed sin. No wickedness.

When our hearts are prepared, then we can serve the Lord. Psalm 100 will explain how.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Sin is dealt with, thanks has been given, now what’s next?

Psalm 91 tells us that we should dwell “…in the secret place of the Most High…”

This is a place of refuge, deliverance, and protection. God is protecting us from enemies, pestilence, plague, and wild beasts.

Watch what God does for those who will trust completely in Him. This should be a comfort for every believer.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.² I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.³ Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. ⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;⁶ Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.⁷ A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.⁸ Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.⁹ Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;¹⁰ There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.¹³ Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.¹⁴ Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”

God has our best interests at heart. All He requires of us is to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Stay close to God through prayer, obedience to His word, praise, and thanksgiving.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.¹⁷ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:15-17)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Psalm 94 spoke about wickedness and how God deals with it.

After God has dealt with the wicked, we should “…give thanks unto the Lord,…”

Psalm 92 tells us of God’s goodness. This should cause us to rejoice and be thankful.

Does it? Do we really comprehend all that God has done for us? We are absolutely nothing without God’s intervention on our behalf. Had God not sent Jesus to pay our sin debt, we would be lost and headed for eternity in hell. Step back for a moment and think of all the ways God has impacted your life. Then thank God and rejoice.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:² To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,³ Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.⁴ For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.⁵ O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.⁶ A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. ⁷ When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:⁸ But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.⁹ For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.¹⁰ But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.¹¹ Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.¹² The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.¹³ Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.¹⁴ They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;¹⁵ To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

There is nothing better in this world or the world to come than God. This should cause us to worship and praise the Lord.

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Today we have special speaker.

Don Lang is the western region representative for Audio Scripture Ministries. He will be sharing his testimony, telling us about Audio Scripture Ministries, and challenging us to serve.

The website for Audio Scripture Ministries is:

www.asmtoday.org

We are never too old to serve the Lord. Look at is Moses. He was 80 years old when he led the Israelites out of Egypt. He was the leader for another 40 years.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

God is our defense and rock when the wicked one comes against us. When we are in need, God already knows and is ready to help.

Spoiler alert! The wicked DO NOT win! Psalm 94:12-23 tells us how God works on our behalf. Look specifically for actions God takes.

We are never alone. God is always with us, protecting us from the wickedness of this world.

However, we must want God’s protection. Unfortunately, many believers fail to obey God or ask for His protection. Then they open themselves up to the attacks of Satan and his demons.

“Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;¹³ That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.¹⁴ For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.¹⁵ But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?¹⁷ Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.¹⁸ When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.¹⁹ In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.²⁰ Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?²¹ They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.²² But the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.²³ And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.”

Rest in the Lord. Allow Him to guide and direct. Remember that God never leaves or abandons us. He has mercy, comfort, and love for each of His children.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

The Psalmist asks the question, “Lord, how long shall the wicked triumph?”

People today ask the very same question. Psalm 94:1-11 tells us about the works of the wicked. The wicked believe either that there is no God or that God does not see what they are doing. God does see and knows the hearts of wicked men.

“O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.² Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.³ Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?⁴ How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?⁵ They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.⁶ They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.⁷ Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.⁸ Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?⁹ He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?¹⁰ He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? ¹¹ The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.”

God sees the wickedness in our world. He has a plan and is in the process of executing His plan. Sometimes we can not understand what God is doing. Rest assured that God is in control.

Tomorrow we will see God’s response to the Psalmist’s question.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

David gives us the correct response to dealing with our enemies.

We are to bring it to God in prayer. We are to pray continually. We must acknowledge that God is in control. We trust that God can and will take care of our enemies.

Psalm 55:16-23 concludes David’s prayer to God.

“As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.¹⁷ Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.¹⁸ He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.¹⁹ God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.²⁰ He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.²¹ The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.²² Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.²³ But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.”

David’s focus is on God. He prays to Him, trusts in Him, and believes that He will take care of his enemies.

That is exactly what we are supposed to be doing. It is not our mission in life to get back at our enemies. We are not to settle the score. We are to pray and allow God to take care of the situation. He will!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

David continues his prayer to God. He prays against his enemies. He requests God to destroy their tongues, death upon them, and for them to go to hell.

He explains that his enemies are wicked, deceitful, and hate. These enemies were not from without, but from within. His friends. That makes it even worse.

Psalm 55:8-15 states:

“I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. ⁹ Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.¹⁰ Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.¹¹ Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.¹² For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:¹³ But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.¹⁴ We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.¹⁵ Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.”

David was distraught because his friends turned their backs on him. Christians have had this happen to them. We may invest our lives in someone’s life, see them grow strong in the Lord, and they turn their backs on us. A brother or sister in Christ may say things that are not true about us.

It grieves us.

Tomorrow we will see how to deal with our enemies.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Today we begin the study of 1 Peter.

The Introduction and notes for 1 Peter 1:1-2:10 are attached.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Download (1-Peter-1-2.10-DD.docx, DOCX, 16KB)

Download (Introduction-to-1-Peter.docx, DOCX, 16KB)