Thou Lord art good

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 6; Ephesians 3; Ezekiel 36; Psalm 86

Psalms 86:5, 15 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

David in this prayer extols the attributes of God. As he makes supplication to the Lord, he speaks of many of the characteristics of God’s unchanging character. We can be blessed greatly by meditating on the attributes of our loving God.

Good – David says that God is good. God is inherently good and everything he does is good. Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Ready to forgive – Think of how difficult it is to forgive someone who has wronged you. The Bible says that God is READY to forgive all the time.

Plenteous in mercy unto all that call on him – God has an abundance of mercy for all who call upon him. He is waiting to show mercy to those who will call. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Full of compassion – Compassion is gut-level empathy for those who are suffering. Matthew 9:36 But when he [Jesus] saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Gracious – To be gracious is to be giving. God is a gift giver. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Longsuffering – God is patient with us in our ignorance and rebellion. He is willing to give us time to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Plenteous in mercy and truth – God is overflowing in mercy and he is truth! John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

These are just a few of the incredible attributes of our God! He has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ. He invites us to come and pray to him and enjoy a relationship with him. We can know:

Psalms 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

In Christ,

Rody

You hath he quickened

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 4 & 5; Ephesians 2; Ezekiel 35; Psalm 85

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

You used to be controlled by Satan! That is what Paul is telling the Ephesian believers. Their lives were under the influence of the prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit that is working in all the children of disobedience. The wicked spirit of Satan is working right alongside the course of the world to lead people down the broad way that leads to destruction. He does this by stirring up the desires of our sinful flesh to tempt us to disobey God. The end result of this diabolical work is that by nature, we are the children of wrath…or used to be before we met Jesus.

Now the world will tell you that you are not dead and sinful in your fleshly desires. The world will say that people are basically good and sometimes do some bad things. But the Bible says otherwise – it says that people are dead and doomed. Our trespasses and sins condemn us in God’s sight and we deserve his judgment.

Do you have this kind of past / present testimony? Can you say there was a time when you were deceived by Satan, drugged by the world and driven by the flesh? But God in Christ reached down and gave you life when you were walking in death? The Ephesian believers were quickened. That means to give life. God did it when they heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and believed on him. Do you have that kind of testimony? You need one because this is a Christian's story. Even if you were saved when you were a young child, you were dead and God made you alive. Do you have the new life of Jesus?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

When Christ gives you new life, you become a new creature. The quickening of God is life giving and life changing. Praise God for his quickening!

In Christ,

Rody

His power to us-ward

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 3; Ephesians 1; Ezekiel 34; Psalms 83 & 84

Ephesians 1:19-20 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places…

Paul was praying for the Ephesian believers and we have his prayer as a portion of the inspired Bible. From a prison cell, he wrote this letter and he tells the followers of Jesus what he was praying for them. He wanted them to know their new identity in Christ. He first explained what had happened to them when they trusted in Jesus and then he prayed that God would enlighten the eyes of their understanding so the spiritual reality of who they now were would become evident to them.

Paul wanted the believers to know the mighty power of God working toward them. This mighty power was the same power that the Father worked in the Lord Jesus Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him on the right hand of the Father! Just think of it! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead God is working in you! The same Father who resurrected the dead body of our Lord Jesus is your Father!

Have you ever thought about what God wants you to do and then felt as if you could never do it? For instance here are a few things:

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

These commandments would be impossible for us on our own. But the Bible says the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is working to us-ward! That means God is working in us and through us for his glory and purpose!

How do we realize this power? First, we must know who we are in Christ. Then, we must pray and ask God to work through us!

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

He is able to do more than we ask or even think! We serve an Almighty God who is alive in us!

In Christ,

Rody