Maranatha Grace Church

Brothers and Sisters,

I am very happy to see that many of us are taking up this challenge very seriously. A lot of great things will come out of our dedication to read the word of God together on a daily basis. The Bible tells us that it is very powerful when we, as the local church with our friends, get together in unity to accomplish a noble task in the presence of the Lord.  From  the three Psalms that we have just read, the Lord told me not to forget, but to remember always with a heart of gratitude the mighty works of the Lord on our behalf at Maranatha Grace Church. I know without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is helping us. 

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 106:1)..

Psalm 104 - 106.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

The Bible tells us that ^" When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick" (Matthew 14:14). Why the church (you and I and every Christian) doesn't heal the people since Jesus gives us an explicit mandate to heal the sick, "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8). Could it be a lack of compassion? 

God healed in the past, and he also heals now. 

Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases, (Psalm 103:2-3)

Psalm 101 - 103.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Being joyful in the presence is not a suggestion but a command. In Philippians 4:4, the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"  The word of God clearly tells us that we have no choice but to rejoice in the Lord. 

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[b];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100)

Psalm 98 - 100.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Roman 10:17). We have no problem, all we need is faith in God; the question is how do we activate or develop the kind of faith which moves mountain? The answer is simple, "Strive to hear God's voice"  For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice (Psalm 95:7). Two people listen to the same scriptures reading, one hears God's voice, the other does not. Two people listening to the same worship song,  one hears God's voice, the other does not.  

Psalm 95 - 97.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

In almost every funeral services that I attend Psalm 90 is read. Why? Because it is the Psalm that pushes us to think about our own finitude. For a youngster, a birthday is a great celebration, he is rushing toward a future which seems so promising, but when the years start to accumulate the older person finds himself thinking not only about the future but also about the past that he has left behind. What a great Psalm to read at our own birthday, ^"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom"(Psalm 90:12). "Teach me Lord to number my days, that I may gain a heart of wisdom," this is a great birthday prayer.

Psalm 89 - 91.

May the Lord richly bless you. 

Brothers and Sisters,

There is a word in the readings for each one of us. We just have to open our heart to let the Lord speaks to us through his word illuminated by the Holy Spirit. We have to listen between the words. By example, are you looking for a home to live? ^" Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.(88:3). Can you believe within your heart that God who provides a home for the sparrow will provide a home for you? 

Psalm 84 - 88.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters, 

It always amazes me the miracle of speaking in tongues. One opens his mouth and the Holy Spirit fills it with words. Amazing!  But it is the Lord who said, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:10). Faith and obedience, that's the key. We need to open wide our mouths to request of the Lord whatever our heart desires. 

Psalm 81 - 83.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

Often time I use my my commute time to read the chapters that we are reading together, and I read a few more when time permits which is indeed rare. When it comes to the Bible I am a slow reader. So many ideas to absorb, so many truths to digest. Why do God's people fail? Because they don't remember.

 ⁹ The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;
¹⁰ they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.
¹¹ They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. (Psalm 78:9-11)

We must remember, or we must force ourselves to remember what God has done for us

Psalm 78 - 80.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters, 

⁶ No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves.
⁷ It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. (Psalm 75:6-7 NIV)

⁶ For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. ⁷ But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. (Pslam 75:6-7 KJV)

I understand these two verses in the context of James 4:6 "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." 

Psalm 75 - 77

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

Things  are never the way they seem to be. People are not blessed merely because they have material possessions. The Psalmist almost fell into temptation as he explained in Psalm 73 when he says, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant  when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(Psalm 73:2-3)"  Even Christians can fall into the temptation of getting angry and uncomfortable seeing the wicked prospers.  We must never forget that this world is not our final destination. We must stay focus, we can say with the Psalmist, 

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:24-25)

Psalm 71 - 74.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Father's Day!

Psalm 67 - 71.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
¹⁷ I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
¹⁹ but God has surely listened  and has heard my prayer.
²⁰ Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Psalm 66:16-20)

It used to be very difficult for me to pray aloud. I remember one time,  I stopped going to a prayer meeting because I was being asked to pray aloud in that prayer meeting. I see many brothers and sisters in our church struggling with the same issue, mostly the young people, it is painful for them to pray aloud. Why is it so difficult for some Christians to pray aloud. Does it matter if we pray aloud or not? 

We should know there is a difference between praying and meditate. The Psalmist did both; we could follow his example. He said, " I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue." He also added, If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." (66:17-18).  He was both praying and meditating. Even the Lord Jesus who had perfect communion with God the Father prayed aloud, that is how we get the record of his multiple prayers. 

Psalm 64 - 66.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

Psalms 61 - 63  that we have just read teach us how to pray in the midst of our problems. I doubt anyone of us will ever face the constant danger on his lfe that David had faced. Either as a fugitive or a king, David's life was in constant danger, and yet he knew how to mix his prayers and supplications with thanksgivings. We should all learn from David how to pray away our problems by praising and glorifying God with our lips in all circumstances. No worship leader should ever need to coax us to sing to the Lord, eagerly we should say like David:

³ Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (Psalm 63:3-5)

Psalm 61 - 63.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

Avec Dieu, nous ferons des exploits; Il écrasera nos ennemis. (Psalm 60:14)

Psalm 58 - 60.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Brothers and Sisters,

²² Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Psalm 55:22)

How does one cast his cares on the Lord? The Bible explains how to do that in 1 Philippians 4:6,  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Basically, we keep thinking about God not about our problems. Simple? But very difficult to do, however not impossible.  

Psalm 55 - 57.

May the Lord richly bless you!