Sanctified by the Cross

Psalm 18:1-6   1  I love you, O LORD, my strength.  2  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  3  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.  4  The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;  5  the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.  6  In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.  All of us know the feeling of being in deep, dark, trouble.  It is part of the human experience.  Whether it is our sin finally catching up to us, our circumstances overwhelming us, being pursued physically or emotionally by an adversary, physical danger confronting us, or just the need to be rescued from any kind of danger whatsoev...

Psalm 103:1-5   1  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,  3  who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,  4  who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,  5  who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  Psalm 103 is one of my favorite Psalms. Read it all the way through if you haven't lately. The reason this Psalm is in my top 5 at least (if it is appropriate to rank Psalms, the jury is still out) is that it never ceases to remind me of God's graciousness to me.  Every time I read it, I am convicted and encouraged at the same time. Encouraged at just how much God in his steadfast love is for me (especially as shown in Christ). But also convicted, in light of how much he is for me, at how little I show that I am for Him. At how few times ...

Psalm 107:1-2 1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble. Think of how many interactions you have had with your friends. Those honest heart to heart conversations where they or you have heard of an injustice done to the other. Wrong has been done and the next phrase that comes out is, "You should say something!" Or "You should do something." Whether it be the need to commiserate, comfort or just to see the truth come out, it is natural to have it rise up within you, "something needs to be said, something needs to be done, something should happen in light of what has happened."   In many of our conversations with friends however, our sin and flesh can hijack the conversation at that point. It can blind us to the fact that there is more than just our side of the story. It can make us blind to God's will and desire in the situati...