Are You Asking, “Why, Lord, Why?”

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19

Habakkuk expressed his frustration and dismay at the way things were going in his beloved nation. Truly, it was God’s nation, for He had called the Hebrews to Himself centuries ago.

Yet here is the conclusion Habakkuk comes to: “I will joy in the God of my salvation. God the Lord is my strength.” Here’s where we must arrive: “The Lord is my strength. He will make my feet like hinds’ feet. He will make me to walk upon my high places.”

Habakkuk began by asking, “Why? Why, Lord, why?” God never did answer why. He just said, “I’m going reveal Who: It is I. I am your strength. I will make you like a sure-footed gazelle, and you can live on your high places.”

If you’re saved, if you know the Lord, it doesn’t matter if gasoline goes to $5 a gallon or if Wall Street hits bottom. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, it doesn’t matter if they take away your fine house. The Bible says: “You can rejoice in the Lord your God!” Remember God’s greatness. Rejoice in God’s goodness. Rely on God’s grace.   (LWF)

Notes from Psalm 125

This short psalm may be summed up in those words of the prophet (Isaiah 3:10,11),
"Say you to the righteous, It shall be well with him. Woe to the wicked, it shall be will with him." Thus are life and death, the blessing and the curse, set before us often in the psalms, as well as in the law and the prophets.

I. It is certainly well with the people of God for,
             1. They have the promises of a good God that they shall be fixed (Psalm 125:1),
                  and safe (Psalm 125:2),
                  and not always under the hatches, Psalm 125:3.
             2. They have the prayers of a good man, which shall be heard for them, Psalm 125:4.

II. It is certainly ill with the wicked, and particularly with the apostates, Psalm 125:5.

Some of the Jewish rabbies are of opinion that it has reference to the days of the Messiah however, we that are members of the gospel-church may certainly, in singing this psalm, take comfort of these promises, and the more so if we stand in awe of the threatening.
(MHC)

Notes from Psalm 124

David penned this psalm (we suppose) upon occasion of some great deliverance which God wrought for him and his people from some very threatening danger, which was likely to have involved them all in ruin, whether by foreign invasion, or intestine insurrection, is not certain whatever it was he seems to have been himself much affected, and very desirous to affect others, with the goodness of God, in making a way for them to escape. To him he is careful to give all the glory, and takes none to himself as conquerors usually do.

 I. He here magnifies the greatness of the danger they were in, and of the ruin they were at the brink of, Psalm 124:1-5.
 II. He gives God the glory of their escape, compared with ver. 1,2.
III. He takes encouragement thence to trust in God, Psalm 124:8.

 In singing this psalm, besides the application of it to any particular deliverance wrought for us and our people, in our days and the days of our fathers, we may have in our thoughts the great work of our redemption by Jesus Christ, by which we were rescued from the powers of darkness.

Notes from Psalm 123

This psalm was penned at a time then the church of God was brought low and trampled upon; some think it was when the Jews were captives in Babylon, though that was not the only time that they were insulted over by the proud. The psalmist begins as if he spoke for himself only (v. 1), but presently speaks in the name of the church. Here is,

I. Their expectation of mercy from God (v. 1, 2).
II. Their plea for mercy with God, (v. 3, 4).

In singing it we must have our eye up to God's favour with a holy concern, and then an eye down to men's reproach with a holy contempt.

(MHC)

Six Ways to Work on Your Integrity

Integrity demands that every area of your life be treated with the same intensity. You have the same commitment to excellence in your marriage as you do in your career. You have the same commitment to excellence in ministry as you do in your parenting.

Let me give you six ways you can work this week to become a person of integrity. You become a person of integrity by:

1. Keeping your promises.

People of integrity keep their word. If they say they’ll do it, they do it. If they say they’ll be there, they show up. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:14, “People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain” (GNT).

2. Paying your bills.

You may not think this is a big deal, but it’s a big deal to God. Do you spend more money than you make? That is a lack of integrity. Do you get yourself in debt for things that you can’t pay off? That is a lack of integrity. Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrow and never pay back” (GNT).




3. Refusing to gossip.

God is looking for men and women of integrity who know how to keep a secret and not pass it around on social media. Don’t talk about people behind their back. Don’t even listen to that stuff because a “gossip can’t be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13 The Message).

4. Faithfully tithing.

Wherever you put your money first is what’s most important to you. Malachi 3:8, 10 says, “Is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings . . . Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple . . . Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things” (GNT).

5. Doing your best at work.

The Bible says in Colossians 3:23, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (NLT). If you’re a believer, your real boss is God, and whether or not anybody else sees your work, God does.

6. Being real with others.

A person of integrity doesn’t act one way in church and another way at work and another way on the golf course. “We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open” (2 Corinthians 4:2 The Message).


-By Pastor Rick Warren

Psalm 17:15 & 1John 3:2

Psalm 17:15 contains every element of 1 John 3:2:

Supreme satisfaction:

1 Jn.-It has not yet been revealed … but
Ps.-I shall be satisfied

A great transformation:

1 Jn.-We shall be like Him
Ps.-I shall awake in Your likeness

An enlarged vision:

1 Jn.-We shall see Him as He is
Ps.-I will see your face.



  Psalm 17:15 KJV
As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.


1 John 3:2 KJV

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

(BBC)

Why God allows His saints to suffer ?

From the Bible, we get light on some of the reasons why God allows His saints to suffer:

1. Sometimes it is a result of unjudged sin in the life (1 Cor. 11:32).
2. It is a means by which God develops spiritual graces, such as patience, longsuffering, humility (Rom. 5:3, 4; John 15:2).
3. It purges dross or impurities from the believer’s life so that the Lord can see His image reflected more perfectly (Isa. 1:25).
4. It enables the child of God to comfort others with the same type of comfort with which God comforted him or her (2 Cor. 1:4).
5. It enables the saint to share in the non-atoning sufferings of the Savior and thus to be more grateful to Him (Phil. 3:10).
6. It is an object lesson to beings in heaven and on earth (2 Thess. 1:4-6). It shows them that God can be loved for Himself alone, and not just because of the favors He bestows.
7. It is an assurance of sonship since God only chastens those whom He loves (Heb. 12:7-11).
8. It causes saints to trust in God alone and not in their own strength (2 Cor. 1:9).
9. It keeps God’s people close to Himself (Ps. 119:67).
10. It is a pledge of future glory (Rom. 8:17, 18).
11. God never allows us to be tempted above what we are able to bear (1 Cor. 10:13).




“You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (Jas. 5:11b).
(BBC)