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Psalm 3

Psalm 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah
3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah

As I read this psalm, I recall the verses that recount the story of David and Absalom. I am not one that fills in the blanks so I will not try to determine the relationship that David had with his son Absalom. Absalom was David’s third son (2 Samuel 3:3) and the half-brother to Ammon who was David’s oldest son but whom also had raped Tamar Absalom’s sister. Read the story in 2 Samuel 13:1 – 19:43 to get a full account of the story that leads to this psalm. However, until you have one of your own children rebel against you to the point of wanting to destroy you and go against the truth; you can never fully understand how David felt here. David waited on the Lord. This is different from the approach that many take today. The belief that God takes care of those who take care of themselves is a belief that carries over to almost every aspect of our life. We are living in an age where we must make it happen, and when it does it must be God’s will; yet I believe we have really forgotten the art of waiting on the Lord. As you read these verses look at David’s response to the trial he is going through. He is trusting in God as his shield and the one that gives glory. He will rest and lie down because the Lord sustains him. He will not fear because from the Lord will comes deliverance. David knew how to trust God and that when we measure the battles, we fight in the fleeing moments of this life they are nothing compare to the victories we will have with him for eternality.

May your blessing be on your people reminds us to walk in the way of the Lord. Remember there is only one way and he is the way, the truth, and the life, so walk in this way and be bless.

Here we see David the father of Absalom running from his son. When studying David’s life, the main theme I have realized is his personal relationship with the Lord and how this relationship changed David. In I Kings 15:3-5 David’s character is described as having a heart that was wholly devoted to his God. The only blemish on David’s life was the case of Uriah the Hittite. David’s examples of how he lived his life reflects a man who was truly a man after God’s own heart. He was not a man who was searching for God, but a man who walked in the way of God who waited on God’s transforming power to make his heart like God’s heart. This is reflected in the way he handled himself at the death of his son Absalom. He wept. Joab and Israel could not understand this weeping, just as the world today cannot understand the love and patience of God as Peter writes about in II Peter 3:9. Just as the thought that David had in his heart as he walked in his chamber “O my son Absalom, my son Absalom! Would I have died instead of you.” is the same love God has for us his children. In fact, that is why Christ died on the cross for us. With his death and resurrection, he made a way to restore the broken relationship between God and man. So, when you study the psalms as well as all scripture wait on God to open up his Word to you. Then you will start to see God’s transforming work in your heart as he makes you into a child of God. Stop searching for God in our way and start walking and growing in his way by studying his Word and letting it speak to you. Let your walk be characterized as a man or women who is walking with the Lord and enjoying sweet communion with Him. Let your communion with Him be a candle that sheds light to those who are searching for God.

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Psalm 2

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
3 “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

This psalm is about the Lord. As you look at this psalm you will see a lot of purple that represents the Lord and a lot of green which represents those against the Lord. However, the only red which represents the saints is found only in the last sentence. We are blessed (reread psalm one) our refuge is in him. It is not by our acts but by his grace that we are blessed. Therefore, heed verse twelve kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way. Notice that way is singular. In Psalm 1:6 David writes but the way of the wicked will perishes, this is the way that the son destroys in verse twelve of this psalm. Kiss the son is an act of reverence. Your way then is simply put to this one question “what do you think of Christ?” Is he the way, the truth and the light in your life?

As I read Psalm two, I wonder what the Lord told the two disciples going to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32) about this portion of the scriptures. In Luke 24:32 “And they said one to another, was not our heart burning within us, while he spoke to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?” was a trip that one of my favorite Bible teachers stated as his dream trip. That short journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus was the best discourse on Old Testament theology that was ever delivered. Christ himself gives us the keys to understanding the scriptures in Luke 24:46,47 “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Simply put it is the gospel.

As I watch the news and listen to everyday discussions about the affairs of men, I see little refer being made to the King of Kings in either case. As I study the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters five through seven, I see the King of Kings presenting his kingdom and his principles to mankind. The theme of this psalm can be found in the first three verses. The people of this earth take their stand against God. Their goal is to break the chains that they state that God has placed upon them. These chains that the kings and the rulers want to break are simply the desire to set themselves up as gods so that men would worship them instead of God. As I study Isaiah fourteen verse twelve through seventeen, I realize that this was the same chains that Satan wanted to break. In Isaiah 14:12-17:

How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”

Just as Satan, these kings and rulers of the earth paid no heed to God’s law and disregard the honor due Him. However, God has set Christ up as King. As you study the gospels take a close look at the parables that Christ gave after his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The parables of the two sons, of the tenants, the wedding banquet, the ten virgins, and the talents all point to a returning Lord. As we approach each day are our eyes focused on the clouds and looking for the coming King or are we so focused on the daily activities around us and being part of this world that we have taken our eyes away from looking for the return of the coming King.

I was asked the other day if God ever laughs. Here in verse four of this Psalm, as well as Psalm 37:13 and Psalm 59:8 I have found the answer. God laughs at the wicked. In these three Psalms the issue that God laughs at is the stand the wicked have taken against God and his anointed One. He laughs that they believe that they can rebel against God and free themselves from his ways. God looks down from heaven and views this as foolishness. His advice is simply “serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling”. So be warned “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you will be destroyed in your way”.

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Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

As I start my quest of detailing my philosophy of life to my children over the next one hundred and fifty days, I will explore each of the one hundred and fifty Psalms and will focus on these four universal questions:

1. Does God exists?

2. Who am I?

3. Is there a correct way to live?

4. How can we live together?

Psalm one is a great stating point since all four of the questions are addressed. Does God exist? It is interesting that the very first verse of the Bible states “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In this Psalm God is the law giver, he is the judge, and the protector of the righteous. So, the very first Statement I must make in writing about my philosophy on life is the fact (the foundation) of my belief statement is that God is the creator of both heaven and earth.

The second question is what or who am I? If God is the creator of the world than does that means man is a creation? In this Psalm man is described as either walking with the wicked or meditating on the law of the Lord (the path of the righteous). It is interesting that this Psalm gives us a way to walk. Our walk or way seems to determine what or who we are. So, what is man? A creature created by God who has the gift of choose. The law of God was simple to Adam and Eve as Eve stated it the serpent: “And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” However, the counsel of the wicked changes God’s words: “And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.” And as the story goes in Genesis chapter three, we realized that this was the fall of man. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons.” (ASV) As Paul writes in Roman five verses 17 through 19: For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ.  So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life.  For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous. (ASV) So with first decision to disobey God by Adam the sinful nature was passed upon all mankind.

There with this sinful nature being a part of all mankind is there a correct way to live and if so, how can we live together? His Psalm address this path as the law of the Lord. But it not a law to know but to be mediated upon. Live is very complicated. And because of the sinful nature that exist in everyone we must follow David’s advice of mediating on God’s law both day and night.

As I was growing up one of the pictures that was in many Christian homes was an old man praying for his meal with a Bible next to him. Growing up I witness my grandparents finishing the evening by reading the Bible before bedtime. It is amazing how busy our lives have become that the simple pleasures of hiding God’s Word in our heart has lost it importance, The truth I want to leave my children is the importance of hiding God’s Word in your heart and mediating on it all day long. Life is not easy. However, I start the day out knowing to answers of two of the four major questions. Yes, God exist and is in control, and yes, I know I am a sinner saved by grace. The other two questions can only be answered daily by mediating on God’s Word. For it is the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that helps my sinful nature grow closer to God.

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The one who sees me

Genesis 16:13

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (NIV)
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees me”; for she said, “Have I even seen Him here and lived after He saw me?” (NASB )
And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? (KJV)

As I study the Bible I use three Bibles, King James Version, New International Version, and the New American Standard Bible. As I was reading these verses this morning about Hagar after fled from Sarai into the wilderness, I decided to see if I had notes about this verse in my other Bibles. As I read this verse I noticed that they had the same reading for the name she gave God, but a different reading for Hagar’s reason for using this name.

Her name was for God (Yahweh or Jehovah) was El Roi (God Who Sees). She had witness the faith of Abram and knew of his devotion to his God. She had slept slept with him and was carrying his first-born child. She had been a servant to his wife and now had the role of giving him his desire of a son. However, Sarai was still her master, the one that controlled her life. So she was still a servant that was bearing her master’s husband a child and not the wife of Abram. All we know is that Sarai mistreated her causing her to flee. This sets up her meeting with the angel of the LORD.

In Genesis 16:8-12 it reads “And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” (KJV) In these verses the angel of the LORD gives Hagar a new assurance of her new role in Abram’s and Sarai’s life, and also a glimpse of her son’s life future. She now knows that the God that Abram serves also sees her.

However the meaning of the second half of verse thirteen is difficult to understand. The NIV reads “I have now seen the One who sees me.”, the NASB reads “Have I even seen Him here and lived after He saw me?”, and the KJV reads “Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” The NIV ends with a period and treats it as a statement and the NASB and KJV ends with a question mark and treats it as am amazing fact. As I read the NIV verse it makes me think that Hagar now has seen the God who sees her and realizes God as real as Abram does. However, in the other two versions it makes me realize that Hagar can’t believe she is still living after seeing God. Abram look to God as someone he could speak to face to face. Abraham plead for sparing Sodom from destruction is a good example of his relationship with God. Hagar on the other hand only had a fear of God. I believe she could not perceive that God would be involved in a person’s life. This belief can be seen in her life many years later when Sarah sent Hagar and Ishmael away from Abraham. In the desert as she was probably going back home toward Egypt she ran out of water. Believing her fifteen year or older son would die she cried for him. However, God appeared again unto her and again assured her of her son’s future.

As we study the scriptures, we must realize that God has given this Book as a guide for walking in the way. We read that at the end of Abraham’s life that both Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham. There must have been some type of relationship between the two brothers for this to take place. Isaac was seventy-five at this time, and Ishmael was eighty-eight. So, after seventy-five years of Hagar and Ishmael being send away Abraham must have been in the picture of Ishmael’s life.

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But it is written

Genesis 3:4 “You will not surely die” the serpent said to the woman.

As I was reading these words this morning, the realization of how much the ways of the serpent has worked it way into the culture of man is amazing. Here in Genesis chapter three we see the beginning of the way of the wicked, sinners, and mockers unfold. The first step is to deny and question the Word of the Lord. As a believer today the Bible and the truth it embraces is being totally denied by our society. And yet even the wicked, sinners, and mockers fight among themselves. The serpent made the fruit look good for food and was pleasing to the eyes. So too does the wicked try to make their claims to follow them look to us.

So how do we know truth? First, we must hide God’s Word in our heart. Second, we must meditate on it day and night. Third, we must not walk, stand, or sit with the wicked, sinners, or mockers. This is not an easy task for today’s believers. We were given the illustration as a guide on how to address issues like the one that Eve and then Adam faced in the garden. We are confronted daily to express our opinions on multiple topics in which we truly give the answer “but it is written”. This is how Jesus answered Satan in the wilderness during his temptations in Matthew chapter four. So, remember use the Word of God as your answer and lean not on your own reasoning. It might look good and be pleasing to the eyes, heart and mind, but is it right from the sight of God’s Word.

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Fear and Dismay

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belonged to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. (I Samuel 17:1-11 KJV)

Goliath the champion of the Philistine took his stand against the Israelites with a challenge to take on any man from Saul’s army. It is interesting that Goliath referred the armies of Israel as “ye servants to Saul”. Saul has probably been the King of Israel for twenty years or more at this time. Samuel the judge that served Israel for forty years before Saul went to Ramah after anointing David. We know from I Samuel 16:2 that he feared Saul after Saul forceful ask Samuel to worship God with him. This was after Saul’s failure of following the Lord’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. and the announcement from Samuel that God would take the kingdom of Israel from Saul. With Samuel out of the picture the nation of Israel was no longer referred to as the servants of God but ye servants of Saul.

Verse eleven portrays the conditions in Israel at this time as being in dismayed and greatly afraid. Saul was probably between the age of forty-five to fifty years old at this time. It is interesting that Saul could not find a man in his army to face Goliath. As we look at these eleven verses, we see an enemy that was defeated several years before now leaving the nation of Israel in dismay and afraid. This is what happens when a nation turns away from the way of God. Not only was Israel afraid of the threat from the army of the Philistines they were afraid of one man, the Philistine’s champion.

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Opening doors

I Samuel 16:19-22

Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.

The Lord opens the door for David to continue his training as the future King of Israel. Like Moses, David needed the solitude of being alone tending the sheep to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Paul’s also needed this quiet time to grow in the knowledge of understanding God’s way. Soon after his conversion on the road to Damascus Paul had to flee for his life to Arabia. It was only after three years later did he return to Jerusalem (Galatians chapter one). So as we look at this new stage of David’s life we must realize that he entered it with a firm foundation of knowing God’s way. This quiet time of studying God’s Word is a must in a believer’s life.

In these verses David comes into Saul’s court and soon becomes his armourbearer. We see God opening the door for David. David reflects his belief in Psalms 139 on how much he saw God’s hand as always present in his life. David’s early studies of the scriptures of seeing the hand of God’s presence in a person’s life could have been the story of Joseph’s life. Here in these verses from I Samuel 16 we see God opening the doors for the God’s chosen king of Israel, a man after God’s our heart.

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The theocracy rejected

I Kings 15:5 presents David as a man after God’s own heart.

As I have attempted several times in my life to start a study of David’s life I have always been drawn back to I Kings 15:5: “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” (KJV) These words speak volumes on how God viewed David’s heart and his life. In verse three of this chapter it is said of David as having a perfect heart with the Lord his God. The Hebrew meaning implies not sinless perfection, but a single-minded sincerity to God’s Word.

So as I study David’s life from the almost one thousand references to him in the scriptures this verse will be my starting point. David’s heart was the human reflection of God’s heart to mankind. Even through his life on this earth was over three thousand years ago the words that David penned in the Psalms alone brings comfort to millions everyday. The words written by David are still being used by God every day on this earth. Therefore as I study David’s life it will be in light of how David’s words and actions reveals to me how to be more of a man after God’s own heart.

Understanding the events that happen with the rule of Saul before David was anointed by Samuel to become King (I Samuel 16:12,13) will not only add an extra understanding to David’s life, but will also give insight on the way God works in the daily affairs of a nation. Samuel anointed Saul king because the people of Israel wanted to be like other nations. This was over Samuel’s objectives which was displeasing to him, but he took it to the Lord in prayer. The Lord’s answer to Samuel was to hearken to the voice of the people of Israel and give them a king, because they have rejected Me and did not want God to reign over them. So as part of my study of the life of David I will include the reign of Saul. The reign of Saul is a reflection of rejecting God’s way and the making self the most important issue in one’s life and career. The reign of Saul can serve as an example of a nation under God, but not conducting itself as a nation living in God’s way.

The theocracy rejected

I Samuel 8:9 “Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.” (KJV) The decision of having a king over the nation of Israel so that they could be like the other nations would cost them their children, land, and they themselves would become his servants. And then Samuel warned them that when they would cry out to the Lord in that day, He would not answer them. However, the people refused to listen to Samuel’s voice. They wanted a king like all the other nations who would judge them and go before them to fight their battles. This was the setting for the selection of Saul.

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Examples

In Revelations 3:7b John writes this message to the church of Philadelphia “He who is holy who is true who has the keys of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens say this”. (KJV) Before I go any farther I need to let the readers understand that I believe that God opens and closes doors daily in the life of the believer. I have witnessed that in my life as well as others close to me. Yes we must go through the open doors, but when God closes a door it stays closed. As we study David’s life we need to understand how God directed his paths. God as the potter and David as the clay. The events that lead up to making David king of Israel were are planned by God. So let start the process of looking at the doors that the Lord opened up for David, as well as some doors that were closed to him.

David’s family had a very rich and interesting background. In Matthew 1:5,6 “And Salmon beget Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king” (KJV) we have David’s genealogy. David’s genealogy is found in several other places in the Bible, but this one is special since it also list his grandmother and his great grandmother. Both of these women were great women of faith, and yet the ways they came into the lives of Salmon and Boaz was amazing. The door of opportunity was opened for Rahab when the two spies for Israel stayed at her house in Jericho. This account recorded in Judges 2:1-24 gives us a full account of her faith. She could had turned the spies over to the king of Jericho, but instead protected them. She did this because she believed in their Lord, and asked for kindness to be shown to her family. As we see God rewarded her faith by becoming one of the five women in the genealogy of Christ.

The same can be said about his grandmother Ruth who could have been alive at the time of David’s birth. The story of her faith and her decision to chose to travel with her mother-in-law Naomi back to Judah is recorded in the book of Ruth. As we read the story of how Ruth meet Boaz we can see how God opens doors of opportunities to those who have faith in the Lord . As we study the Bible God has given us books such as Ruth, Esther, and Job to show to us how God works in an individual life and reward that individual for their great faith in God.

David had a rich history of men and women of faith in his family. As we read the Psalms, we realize that David’s faith in God was something he acquired at an early age. So as the door opens for David’s journey into the courts of king Saul we must reflect on how God set the stage early in his life by giving him such a rich heritage of faithful parents, and grandparents. The faith that Rahab and Ruth were great examples of faith in which David must have heard and possibly even seen early in to his life. So as we look to these great individuals that God has given us as example of faith; we as parents and grandparents should strive to be good examples of faith to our children and grandchildren. This is the greatest gift in life we could give them, so we must strive so that we can be a faithful witness to them.

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Perfect Peace

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7).

In difficult times may the people around me see the real purpose of walking in the way of God. Here in Philippians Paul gives the Philippians the true meaning of living in God’s way and the gift of the peace of God which passeth all understanding. This is the type of peace that enables all who processes it to weather all the storms of life that comes their way. This peace is easy to achieve and yet seems so difficult for others Christians to achieve in their lives.

Why is this peace so difficult to achieve? Could it be that the human heart does not like passing over the controls of their life to any one including God. Paul knew from his own life how important it was to turn the controls of life over to God. For it was on his way to Damascus to rid the synagogues of the people following this new way that Paul came face to face with Christ. Yes, Paul thought he was doing this task God’s way, and yet he had no peace about it. When Christ confront him, Paul heard these words “I am Jesus whom you persecute it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”. How many times do we go about our religious ways and yet leave out Christ? Check your heart and mind. Do we have the peace of God that passes all understanding in both our hearts and minds?

This Damascus Road experience was an important day in Paul’s life. It was the day he learned that the controls of his life had to be turned over to Christ. From this point on the direction of Paul’s life changed. This happens when Christ takes over our life. Let the Spirit of God use the Word of God to guide your life and give you the peace that passes all understanding today. As the great hymn of the faith states “Just trust and obey for there no other way to be happy in Jesus then to trust and obey”.