Galatians 1:16-18 To reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen: immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me: but I went into Arabia and returned again to Damascus.  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days.

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread

During my daily walks I will sometime use these moments as a time to let the Lord speak to me.   To start this conversation, I will usually focus on a verse or a song to mediate on during his time. It is during these walks I would usually focus on the psalm I was studying for the next day devotional.  However, during the last few weeks I was looking at Paul’s life as a new focus for my studies.  It was during this time I came across Galatians 1:16-18.  In these verses I realized that God did not reveal Jesus to him during this time, but God reveal Jesus in him.  The importance of this truth revealed to me that it is not just knowing about Jesus, but it is letting Jesus into our life to become a part of us. 

It was during these three years that Paul learned from the scriptures, the Old Testament, that it was Jesus who was the promised seed of the Eve, the seed of David, the promised Messiah.  It was his day-by-day mediation on God’s word that reveal this truth to him.  So now as I study daily the scriptures may my new goal be for God to reveal his son in me so that my daily life will reflect Christ in me.

Psalm 9:1,2

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works.  I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Praising the Lord should be a daily activity for all believers.  The closer our daily walk is with Jesus the greater we will see how the Lord works in our life.  One of the characteristics of the Lord that was given to the angel of the church of Philadelphia in Revelations chapter three was that the Lord held the key of David.  With this key whatever door, the Lord open no man could shut, and whatever door the Lord closed not man could open.  To this church the Lord opened a door that no man could shut, because of its goods works, the keeping of his word, and not denying his name.  This church represents a church or individual that truly praises the Lord with their whole heart.

If praising the Lord is just a place that you go to on Sunday it becomes just an empty weekly ritual. Like the other church pictured in Revelation, the church of Laodicea is this type of worshiper which is characterize as neither hot nor cold.  Because of this lukewarmness God toss them away.  This was the church were Christ is picture as standing outside and knocking at the door of an individual’s heart waiting to be invited in.  This church was pictured as a church that did not have works pleasing God, but a church that was more incline to please the world around it.  This church was characterized as a church that was wretched, miserable, poor, naked, and blind.  It was a church where those that God loved he rebuke and chasten. It was a church that was in need of repentance. 

So, as we walk with the Lord on a daily basis do we see the Lord opening or closing the doors of opportunity before us.  In his book Amazing Grace by Kenneth W. Osbeck the author writes the following about the song Trust and Obey “Trust and Obey presents a balanced view of a believer’s trust in Chris’s redemptive work, and it speaks of the resulting desire to obey Him and to do His will in our daily life.  Then, and only then do we experience real peace and joy.”. So, are you praising the Lord daily or just during the Sunday morning worship service?  Are you living a life that experiences the open doors of opportunities like the church of Philadelphia or is the Lord knocking your heart’s door like the church of Laodicea waiting for you to open?

Psalm 8:3,4

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visits him? (KJV)

This is another psalm that we learn at an early age in our life.  This psalm speaks of a simple truth, the grandeur of God and the simplicity of man.  Then the ungodly try to consider the wonders of this universe the first step they must take is to put God in a box and limit his ability to speak the universe into creation.  However, as believers we must by faith understand that the universe was spoken into existence by God.  In Hebrews 11:3,6 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.  And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek him.”  (NAS)

When I consider thy heavens the work of thy hands do I really truly believe that God is the creator of this universe?  As I study Hebrews chapter eleven the great chapter on faith I must consider the importance of verse three and verse six.  One of the importance of characteristics of our faith is truly believing in God as the creator of the universe.  In other words, God spoke, and the universe came into existent.  Reading the creation story in Genesis chapter the reader will realize that each day of creation started with the phase “then God said”.  God spoke and then the universe came into existence.  So, an important step in the developmental growth of a believer’s faith is to believe in God as the creator of heaven and earth.  Without this belief in God as the creator it is impossible to please Him since we must believe that God is who he says He is.

Peter also links the promise coming of Jesus to the belief a person has about the creation.    In II Peter chapter three we are given the illustration of the conditions of the latter days.  The last days will be characterized by scoffers following after their own lust.  In their eyes they are right and have all the answers and take pride in all of the knowledge.  They mock those who look for the second coming of the Lord.  They look to the second coming of the Lord as a myth, just like the teaching of Noah’s flood found in Genesis chapters six and seven that destroy the ancient world as a myth.  To them the world continues to evolve just as it has since it was created.  To some of these scoffers the world could be millions or even a billion years old.   They believe in the teaching of uniformitarianism that believes the geological ages tell the story of the earth and discounts the belief that God spoke, and the heavens and the earth came into creation.

So as your answer the question in verse three “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained” is your answer God or evolution?  Does the story of the creation of the heavens and the earth found in Genesis form the basic foundation for your belief in creation?  However, the second question address in verse four “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visit him?” opens up the question how mankind fits into God’s universe.  How can a very, very small part of God’s creation (mankind) fully understands how this universe came into existence.  The answer is (we can’t), so when it comes to my understanding of creation, I must make my decision faith and not by the beliefs of those that reject God.   

Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.

7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.

8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows. (KJV)

This is another Psalm that David wrote during one of the times that he was facing opposition from his enemy. It is interesting as one studies David life how much of his struggles dealt with those close to him, such as Saul, his own family, and his own group of advisors. Yet as we look at the struggles we face in life, they are usually with the close circles of family, whose whom we work with, neighbors, or the groups that we associate with in our free time.

As I study this psalm today, I realize the importance of a King in my life. Aging is a process in which we see the world of an infant expand from a small family unit into the community around him and then deflate in the later years back to the small family unit or a close inner circle of friends. In this process, man moves from a secure environment to a world of uncertainty and then tries to move back to a secure environment in his later days on this earth. Security is the second level on Maslow’s Hierarchic Pyramid of Needs. It is this area that people seek to conquer once their Physiological needs are met. However, the Psalmist realizes that it is the good Shepherd that meets both our Physiological needs as well as our secure needs. This good shepherd person is also our King Christ Jesus.

As we study the gospels we are introduced to Christ. So, as I study this psalm today my prayer is simply to be more like Christ. My prayer is to abide in him. John writes these words to us in I John 3:6-8:

Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither knows him. My little children let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Yes, I know I need a King in my life and that King is Christ. He is the one I praise and the one to whom I will seek to fulfill my vows. The key to serving him is for me to put off the old nature and strive to put on his nature. This starts by striving to live a blameless (however not perfect) life.