Covenants aside, this psalm is still a great reminder to let God search our hearts. As followers of Jesus, we don’t want sin in our lives. Jesus is the path of life and we want that life flowing through us and in us. And we love Jesus! He clearly tells us if you love me, you’ll obey what I command (John 14:15). We don’t obey to earn his love, our obedience is the expression and result of our love for him. Sometimes it feels like there are two types of churches: those that talk about sin and God’s wrath way too much and those who don’t talk about it nearly enough. Psalm 7 is a good reminder that we need to talk about our sin and God’s wrath. We can’t fully experience the joy and depth of God’s mercy unless we realize we don’t deserve that mercy. We can only fully experience this joy if we know it is a gift, and what an elaborate gift it is!
Psalm 2 Devotional – When the evil kings rise up
We often forget when we read the Psalms that these were written in a real time and a real place. That real time and real place was God’s Old Testament people of Israel that he had made a covenant with (which you can read more about here). They were an earthly nation chosen by God to shine his light to the rest of the world. Within this relationship, an agreement was made (the Mosaic Covenant or “old covenant”) where Israel was to obey God’s commands and if they did, their nation would prosper. But if they worshiped other gods (which they did often!), they would be under God’s judgment and the nation would falter. Most of the years of Israel that the Old Testament spans is of the faltering variety, not the prospering variety. In fact, with the exception of a very brief window of time (David and Solomon’s reign), Israel got its rear end repeatedly kicked by the neighboring nations and the regional superpowers. It’s important to keep this context in mind when we read the Psalms, especially one like Psalm 2.
Ep. 35: Rory Noland on leading worship, experiencing God, and spiritual transformation
You can listen to Noah Filipiak’s “Behind the Curtain” Podcast interview with Rory Noland on the Podbean Player below or you can subscribe to all “Behind the Curtain” Ministry Podcast episodes on iTunes. (Podcast listening tip: use the podcasts app on your smartphone and listen while driving, doing chores, or working out) Noah Filipiak interviews […]
Turning Anxiety into Worship: Why I’m Thankful for My Depression
[Photo credit: EKG Technician Salary] I hate my depression. But I’m thankful for it. While not always related, anxiety and depression usually go hand in hand like onion breath and flatulence. I get anxious over the things I want to control but can’t, then get depressed whenever things feel out of control. There are a […]
5 Ways to Tell if Your Sports Fandom Needs to be Checked
So to start out, this is a hilarious video. If this describes you, or a loved one, it’s likely you should continue reading… This post has a tongue-in-cheek element to it, but as a recovering sports nut myself, it’s also meant to be taken seriously. Too often we can rationalize sinful or idolatrous behavior “because […]
Bible Verses that show Victoria & Joel Osteen are false teachers
(You can read my thoughts here on why what the Olsteen’s said is a false teaching) The Bible on false teachers: Romans 16:17-18 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not […]