Not A Lost Cause…

I was sitting in a restaurant recently when a song came on overhead that said repeatedly:

“I’m a lost cause, damaged beyond repair,”.

It went on to talk about how life had shattered their hopes and dreams.

Listening to it made me so sad because that song is full of lies and all the people in the restaurant were hearing it.

 

How many of them had the idea planted in their head that they were broken and beyond help?

What about those that heard it but weren’t really listening….were they still affected by it?

How many were already feeling broken and further discouraged by those lyrics?

 

The truth is NO ONE, and I mean absolutely NO ONE! is a lost cause!

No one is beyond help.

God can and will help anyone who looks to Him, believing He will, and asks Him to.

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Category: Faith, God, Jesus, Life, Trust, Truth | LEAVE A COMMENT

Chronological Bible

There is a book called the Chronological Bible.

instead of being organized by book like a regular Bible is, it is organized in the order scholars believe events happened.

It is not just a rearrangement of which order the books are listed in the Bible.

Instead, parts of this book and then parts of that book are listed so the events line up the way they actually occurred.

 

Many people read the Bible this way to help them better understand the flow of events in Biblical history.

Reading the Bible like this can help us better understand what influenced certain events and why people did or said certain things.

This is helpful so that we understand what God was saying and trying to teach us instead of placing our own meaning to it.

 

It is also helpful to look up a passage we are currently studying and flip back a page or two and read.

This helps us better understand the context of the passage we are studying as well as helping us learn what happened at around the same time.

 

If you do not have a Chronological Bible I encourage you to get one.

They can be found at used bookstores, online, and sometimes at thrift stores.

 

There are also reading plans online that show you which order to read the different parts.

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Psalm 16:11

(Today’s post is the last post in a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

You have made known to me the path of life;

You will fill me with joy in Your presence, 

With eternal pleasures at Your right hand.  Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

 

Path – manner; way; well-traveled path; way of living

Life – age; living

Joy – glee; pleasure; mirth

Presence – face; in the face of; in front of

Eternal – continual; never ending; everlasting

Pleasures – pleasant; sweet; lovely; agreeable things

Right hand – literal right hand. Often used in the Old Testament as a symbol of God’s divine blessing, favor, protection

 

In his final verse, David wraps up Psalm 16 with a declaration of God’s goodness and praise for what He has done for him.

He acknowledges God has shown him which path he wants David’s life to take.

David says he knows God will fill him with joy when he comes into God’s presence, and that God will fill him with never-ending goodness because he trusts in Him.

David knows he has good things ahead for him, both in this life and in the life to come, simply because he trusts and walks with God.

 

God will do the same for us.

Because He loves us and wants good for us, God will show us the path of life He wants us to take.

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Psalm 16:9-10

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

My body also will rest secure,

10Because You will not abandon me to the grave,

nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.  Psalm 16:9-10 (NIV)

 

Heart – feelings, intent, will

Glad – cheered up, grateful, joyful

Tongue – language, speech

Rejoices – shows joy, feels joyful

Body – flesh, actual physical body

Rest – live, dwell, continue, settle down

Secure – safe, refuge, feel trust

Abandon – leave, forsake, leave behind, neglect

Grave – pit, place of no return

Holy One – pious, godly, good one (person)

Decay – destruction, decomposition, pit, grave

 

 

The verses Psalm 16:9-10 are connected to and follow up verse 8.

That verse says:

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.  – Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

 

In this verse, David is declaring he has put the Lord first in his life.

He is also declaring that God is walking with him.

Because of this he won’t be shaken – meaning he won’t be scared, unsteady, or uncertain.

He knows he can count on the Lord.

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Psalm 16:8

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.  – Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

 

Set – placed, put in that spot

Lord – Yahweh

Before – in front of; ahead of

Right hand – a symbol of God’s divine blessing, favor, protection

Shaken – fall, slip, slide; scared, unsteady, uncertain

 

In this verse, David says he puts God always before him.

He is telling us he keeps God first and foremost in his heart and mind, and in his life.

 

David knows God is walking with him through life (at his right hand).

He knows that because of this He doesn’t have to feel unsteady or scared.

He knows he won’t stumble.

David can look to God for strength, courage, and comfort.

 

An important part of our faith walk is setting the Lord always before us.

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Psalm 16:7

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

I will praise the Lord. who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7 (NIV)

 

Praise – bless, kneel down to, boast about

Lord – Yahweh, God’s proper name

Counsels – advises

Heart – reins, control of self; seat of emotion and affection, innermost being

Instructs – teaches me what is right; educates me

 

In this verse, David is expressing his appreciation for the way God leads him and guides him in many different areas..

He is saying God is so good to him that even at night when he is sleeping, God is still working on his heart about things and helping him to know what is right.

 

David knew something very important.

He knew it’s not just during a dedicated prayer time that the Lord counsels us.

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Psalm 16:5-6

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup;

You have made my lot secure.

6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 (NIV)

 

Lord – Yahweh – God’s proper name

Assigned – set aside for one particular person or purpose

Portion – ration, serving, measurement

Cup – container used to hold something together

Lot – portion, position, path of life

Secure – keep, hold tight, make sure

Boundary – measuring line

Fallen – landed, ended up

Pleasant – agreeable, sweet, good

Inheritance – something received as a gifting, usually from one in line above you

 

In these verses David addresses God as Yahweh, which is God’s proper name.

He is not referring to any of God’s attributes or characteristics, he is talking directly to God.

David is acknowledging the Lord has chosen what his portion and lot in life will be.

He is also saying he realizes God has set the boundaries of his life and that they have fallen in a good way.

He is sure he will have a good life and future because of this.

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Psalm 16:3-4

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

As for the saints who are in the land,

They are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight;

4The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.  Psalm 16:3-4 (NIV)

 

Saints – holy ones; those who follow after God

Glorious – good, noble, honorable, excellent

Delight – desired, valuable thing, acceptable

Sorrows – pain, wounds, hardships, struggles

Libations – offerings, like an offering to a god

Take Up – accept, bear (the weight of), deal with, tolerate

Names – name, by implication honor, authority, character

 

In these two verses David is contrasting the two types of people.

Those who are holy and follow after God and those who don’t.

He says he delights in those who are holy and follow God but he wants nothing to do with those who chase after other gods.

 

David tells us the ones who follow after God are noble and honorable.

They are someone to value and accept.

 

David warns that those who run after other gods will see their sorrows increase because they aren’t following God.

Because God is not their God He won’t protect them from bad things that might happen nor from their own poor choices.

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Psalm 16:2

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

I say to the Lord,

“You are my Lord;

Apart from You I have no good thing.”  Psalm 16:2 (NIV)

 

Master – owner of a slave or servant; king or ruler over another. This title is given to someone who has absolute authority over another.

 

In this passage, the word Lord is used twice.

The first time it is translated from Yahweh, which is God’s proper name.

The second time it is translated from Adonai, which means Master.

By using these two different words, David is telling God that he recognizes that He (Yahweh) is his Master (Adonai).

He is declaring loyalty to God and recognizing God as ruler over him.

David knew serving God and allowing God to rule over him and his life is what would bring him true happiness.

He knew that allowing God to be his Master meant he could trust God to show him what to do and how to live his life in a way that was not only best for him in the long run, but was also honoring and pleasing to God.

 

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Psalm 16:1

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. Psalm 16:1 (NIV)

 

Safe – guarded, protected, attended to – in some Bible versions this word is translated Preserve

Refuge – flee to for protection, confide in, have hope in, have trust in, to hide away in – in some Bible versions this word is translated Trust

 

This verse is a request for protection.

David is asking God to protect him and declaring he trusts Him for that protection..

David tells God he is seeking refuge in Him.

 

To take refuge in God means we are clinging to Him.

We see Him as our shelter, a safe place to hide.

When we take refuge in God, we choose to trust Him and His love for us.

We flee to Him for protection, even when nothing is chasing us.

We make staying very close to Him part of our everyday life.

We are trusting Him to be a fortress we can safely stay in that will shield us from harm.

 

David also asks God to keep him safe.

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