- araratchurch
- Jun 8, 2022
- 2 min read
“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!””
Psalms 70:4 NKJV
There is a 13 year old boy who has become famous for the photos he takes with a smartphone. The photos show beautiful classic cars in a variety of interesting settings. But here’s the thing, the cars are actually models. He uses a technique called forced perspective to make the cars appear to be actual size. It’s amazing to look at his work and then see what he was actually using. The optical illusion accomplished through the forced perspective technique uses the distance between objects, and their relative sizes, to achieve the desired effect or illusion (make something look larger, smaller, nearer, or farther than they actually are).
We’ve all seen those photos people take on vacation, making it look like they’re holding the Eiffel Tower or kissing the Sphinx; again, forced perspective. The same type of technique can also be used to fool the eye into thinking that some dangerous feat is being accomplished such as standing out on the edge of a very high cliff.
Anybody who is conscious of their size, already knows about the affect positioning has on perspective, and definitely will not be standing closest to the camera in a photo.
Now, think about it. Don’t we do the same thing with our thoughts, our focus, in terms of what seems big or small in our life? For a Christian, nothing should ever seem to be bigger than God. Given, most Christians would say they believe God is bigger and stronger than anything else. But, if you are consumed with worry over your situation, them somehow or another, in your heart and your mind, your situation has gotten between God and your “camera.” If I view my problems through the word of God, I can clearly see that His word is true and my problems are not a catastrophe. If I am looking at God through my problems, then I make God small, way off somewhere, as my problems loom big and threateningly in my face.
In our portion from Psalms today we see David talking about magnifying the Lord. This statement comes within the context of a prayer where he is asking the Lord to deliver him. But no matter how bad his problems ever got, he always seemed to make sure that God was in front of his problems.
“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”
Psalms 16:8
If your difficulties are seeming to be bigger than God, it’s time for a perspective shift. Put God back in the forefront of your thinking and let the problems recede into the background where they belong!
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
We must magnify the Lord in our lives.
- araratchurch
- Jun 7, 2022
- 3 min read
“I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children; Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”
Psalms 69:8-9 NKJV
I’ve always been intrigued by the things for which people develop great zeal. We’ve all seen the avid sports fans who will sit bare-chested in freezing weather, painted with the colors of their team, routing on their side as if their very lives depended on it! I know of college football team rivalries where the opposing team enthusiasts literally hate each other and are willing to fight over their allegiance.
Some people are zealous over their hobbies, spending every free moment—and a lot of money—to that end.
Some people have “wonder lust.” They are always traveling, even spending their time at home thinking about and planning their next trip.
I know this next statement is going to sound judgmental; but it really is not meant that way. Rather, it is expressing how I personally feel. I think a lot—if not most—of our zeal is misplaced. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have interests, enjoyment, entertainment, etc.; there’s a place for that kind of thing. But to have the level of passion some people have for things that really are meaningless (in terms of the Kingdom of God), seems like a distortion.
I believe that if we love the Lord the way we should, we will have nothing in our lives over which we are more zealous than His Kingdom and His righteousness.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Titus 2:11-14 NKJV
Considering what the Lord has done for us, how can we be nonchalant about His house and His work? How can we not be zealous concerning His return?
In our portion from Psalms today we see David expressing his zeal for the house of the Lord and how that zeal had alienated him from others. Now, he’s not so much referencing zeal for a building per se, but what the building represents: the presence of God, the rule of God, the work of His Kingdom. Interestingly, as in many other statements of David, this proved to be a prophetic statement, expressing the zeal Jesus would show for His Father’s house:
“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.””
John 2:13-17 NKJV
No, it’s not wrong to have passion over different things in our lives; but there is something off when our zeal for other things outweighs our zeal for the concerns of our Lord.
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
Our greatest zeal should be for the work of the Kingdom.
- araratchurch
- Jun 6, 2022
- 2 min read
“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”
Psalms 68:4-6 NKJV
As a child I learned this prayer to say before meals:
“God is great; God is good;
Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are fed;
Give us Lord our daily bread.
Amen”
It’s a short, simple, prayer; but it has powerful truth we all would do well to appreciate. To me, the most powerful statement is said first: “God is great; God is good.” Yes, our God is an awesome God; but what good would awesomeness be, if it weren’t accompanied by goodness? Thankfully, that will never be an issue for us as God’s greatness, is inextricably connected to His goodness. Sadly, the greatness and goodness combination is not that common among mere mortals.
I watched with astonishment as I recently saw some of the speaker’s statements from the most recent gathering of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Now, don’t let that name fool you. You have only to listen to a small cross section of their deliberations to see that their goal is a New World Order that—oh, by the way—they will determine and rule. Honestly, they don’t even try to hide their intentions anymore. They speak of ordinary people as some sort of “other” who needs to be directed by “greater” minds: theirs. I heard one woman smugly saying that we need to “rethink” or “redefine” human rights. You know the ones: free speech, autonomy, yes, probably religion, anything that would stand between these folks and world domination. She says this is needed because we are “misusing” our rights; and it’s dangerous. Now, frankly, I would say that our freedoms ARE being misused, it’s obvious, but not “misused” according to the way they think! You see, their concept of freedoms being “misused” is when anyone expresses opinions different from their own. That would basically include anyone who disagreed with their climate agenda, their health agenda, and basically, their Godless reset of humanity. Indeed, their agenda is ultimately evil in terms of its application.
It really is amazing to see the level of arrogance these people demonstrate. You can clearly see that they are very rich, and yes, powerful, but THEY ARE NOT GOOD!
Our portion from Psalms today is taken from a Psalm said to have been written for the moving of the Ark of the Covenant from the House of Obed-Edom, to a tent David had erected for it in the Holy City. David extols the greatness of God while also describing the Lord’s goodness. Now, that’s what I call the complete package: He is great AND He is good, and those two attributes work in perfect harmony to make our Lord the only One Who can and will do the ultimate reset!
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
God is great AND God is good!