June 25 - Evening
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord."
- Psalms 138:1-5 (ESV)
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord."
- Psalms 138:1-5 (ESV)
The Whole World Will Know
A singer begins Psalm 138 confessing his faith in God and his thanksgiving for God’s help. The psalmist, possibly David (see postscript), or a Levitical psalmist (see reference to the “temple”), acknowledges the Lord before all the other “gods” and bows towards the Lord’s presence in the Jerusalem temple to express his thanksgiving. The psalmist is not seeking God for an answer to prayer, but is seeking God to thank him for the answer he has already received.
In verse 138:3 the psalmist expresses his gratitude for God hearing and responding to him the day the request was made. The Great God of Israel is honored for:
- His kindness
- His steadfastness
- His truth
- His revealed Word
Epanorthosis (Gr) - Correction (Eng) – the Greek word epanorthosis is found in inscriptions concerning repairing a statue, rebuilding a city and restoring a sanctuary. In the papyri documents epanorthosis refers to making corrections to a writing error in the document.
Epanorthosis means both to make a “correction” and to have the characteristics
of “correctness.” Paul uses epanorthosis in 2 Timothy 3:16 when he says that
“All Scripture…is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Today, I will thank God for His greatness, His kindness and His faithfulness!
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Wisdom and insight
Church
Grow in Faith
Nation
Gun control issues
World
India
Panoramic view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
Watch Galyn and Toni's panoramic video of Jerusalem below:
Watch Galyn and Toni's panoramic video of Jerusalem below:
Someone to Quote
(After hearing of the fall of Constantinople in 1453...)
"Of the two lights of Christendom, one has been extinguished."
- Aeneas Silvius (1405-1464) who became Pope Pius II
"Of the two lights of Christendom, one has been extinguished."
- Aeneas Silvius (1405-1464) who became Pope Pius II
Something to Ponder
Exposing the Refuge of Lies
"Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place." - Isaiah 28:17
Universalism?... No, Mark 16:16
Free Thought?... No, Isaiah 55:7-8
Didn't Know there was God? No, Roman 1:20-21
General Mercy of God? No, 2 Thes. 1:8-9
Each Find Their Own Way? No, John 14:6
General Morality? No, Hebrews 11:6
Your Best is Good Enough? No, Rom. 3:19-20
General Belief in God? No, John 3:36
Just Have a Good Heart? No, John 3:5
"Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place." - Isaiah 28:17
Universalism?... No, Mark 16:16
Free Thought?... No, Isaiah 55:7-8
Didn't Know there was God? No, Roman 1:20-21
General Mercy of God? No, 2 Thes. 1:8-9
Each Find Their Own Way? No, John 14:6
General Morality? No, Hebrews 11:6
Your Best is Good Enough? No, Rom. 3:19-20
General Belief in God? No, John 3:36
Just Have a Good Heart? No, John 3:5
Here’s a Fact
In Acts 14:6-13 the people of Lystra claim that Barnabas and Paul are Zeus and Hermes after Paul heals one of their men. In 1909 several inscriptions and a temple were uncovered that clearly identify Zeus and Hermes as the two main gods of Lystra. The pagan theology of the people of Lystra expected Zeus and Hermes to return at some point in the future. This clearly explains the people of Lystra’s response to the ministry and miracle of Paul and Barnabas.
(More 1, 2, 3)
Proverb
"If you find honey, eat just enough - too much of it, and you will vomit."
- Proverbs 25:16
- Proverbs 25:16
Coach’s Corner
Life is made of time, attitude, relationships and opportunities.
Habakkuk 1
New International Version (NIV)
1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2
How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
3
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s Answer
5
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
6
I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.
7
They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.
8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9
they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.
10
They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.
11
Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12
Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
13
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
14
You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15
The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.
16
Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.
17
Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?
New International Version (NIV)
1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2
How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
3
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s Answer
5
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
6
I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.
7
They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.
8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9
they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.
10
They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.
11
Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12
Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
13
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
14
You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15
The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.
16
Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.
17
Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?
Genesis 3
New International Version (NIV)
The Fall
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18
It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
New International Version (NIV)
The Fall
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18
It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.