Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.
--Psalm 136:25-26 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 12, 2013 of Psalm 136:16-26; Luke 13:1-21; Nehemiah 5-7:3.
Our anonymous psalmist punctuates the 136th Psalm with a repeating refrain attesting to God's steadfast love and faithfulness. He opens with a call to praise the Lord because of His mighty works in nature, then moves to the grace He showed the people of Israel throughout their history, and closes by again calling upon us to praise our God. And each and every verse bears the common chorus explaining why we should do so: "for His mercy endures forever".
This psalm brings to mind a kind of liturgy practiced in many churches today, often referred to as congregational response or responsive reading. In this, the pastor intones one line and the congregation in unison responds with the next. The pastor speaks another line and the people read the next. And so on until the liturgy passage is finished. The 136th Psalm could easily be used for this purpose, with the pastor opening with "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!", and the congregation answering "For His mercy endures forever." But this psalm may be a tad long for this exercise, and the people may too soon get bored saying the same thing over and over, and so completely miss the point God and our psalmist are trying to impart. Even though they keep saying the same words, they may easily miss the message that the Lord's mercy indeed lasts forever and knows no end.
Today's focus verses encourage us to give thanks to God for, among the many other reasons, His provision of what we and all His creatures need to sustain our lives. The obvious aspect of giving "food to all flesh" is that God makes available all that we need to physically nourish our bodies, the food we eat. As believers, we understand that all things come from God, in one way or another. We may plant the seed and work the field, but He provides the soil, the water, the sun, and even the seed in the first place, as well as the health, strength, and endurance to do the work. God gives us everything we need to eat and live.
But there is another "food" each of us needs, and which the Lord also gives. We need our daily bread, our staff of life, our living water. We need God's word and we need God's Word. When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread", we are not only asking for what sustains our body but also for what sustains our soul. We need God's Word, we need Jesus, and we need His Holy Spirit living in us. And the great thing is that God provides all of this for us, each and every day, if we only believe. Why? Because His mercy endures forever. Amen.
O God of heaven, we give You thanks for You are good and Your love and mercy endure forever! You are eternally faithful to us even when we turn from You, Your tender mercy endures even our misguided ways. Thank You for Your countless blessings, O Lord! In the glorious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus we pray. Amen.
This psalm brings to mind a kind of liturgy practiced in many churches today, often referred to as congregational response or responsive reading. In this, the pastor intones one line and the congregation in unison responds with the next. The pastor speaks another line and the people read the next. And so on until the liturgy passage is finished. The 136th Psalm could easily be used for this purpose, with the pastor opening with "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!", and the congregation answering "For His mercy endures forever." But this psalm may be a tad long for this exercise, and the people may too soon get bored saying the same thing over and over, and so completely miss the point God and our psalmist are trying to impart. Even though they keep saying the same words, they may easily miss the message that the Lord's mercy indeed lasts forever and knows no end.
Today's focus verses encourage us to give thanks to God for, among the many other reasons, His provision of what we and all His creatures need to sustain our lives. The obvious aspect of giving "food to all flesh" is that God makes available all that we need to physically nourish our bodies, the food we eat. As believers, we understand that all things come from God, in one way or another. We may plant the seed and work the field, but He provides the soil, the water, the sun, and even the seed in the first place, as well as the health, strength, and endurance to do the work. God gives us everything we need to eat and live.
But there is another "food" each of us needs, and which the Lord also gives. We need our daily bread, our staff of life, our living water. We need God's word and we need God's Word. When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread", we are not only asking for what sustains our body but also for what sustains our soul. We need God's Word, we need Jesus, and we need His Holy Spirit living in us. And the great thing is that God provides all of this for us, each and every day, if we only believe. Why? Because His mercy endures forever. Amen.
O God of heaven, we give You thanks for You are good and Your love and mercy endure forever! You are eternally faithful to us even when we turn from You, Your tender mercy endures even our misguided ways. Thank You for Your countless blessings, O Lord! In the glorious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus we pray. Amen.
1 comment:
EXPERTS AT SETTING ASIDE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD!
The Pharisees and scribes were experts at keeping man-made traditions.
Mark 7:1-9 ......9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to hold to the tradition of men."
Do religious men today set aside God's commandments in order to keep the traditions in their creed books, catechisms, and man-made statements of faith?
Men say obedience to God is not essential to salvation because we are saved by grace alone.
Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
Where is the Scripture that says we are saved by grace alone, therefore, obedience is not required for salvation?
Men say water baptism is not essential for the forgiveness of sins.
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Where is the Scripture that says water baptism is not for the forgiveness of sins? There is none.
Men say the purpose of water baptism is simply an act of obedience and an example of faith given for others. Where is the Scriptures that state these doctrines? It is only found in the writings of men. God did not say it.
Men say water baptism plays no part in salvation.
1 Peter 3:21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you---not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience---through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Where is the Scripture that says water baptism does not save you?
Men say that mankind is saved by faith only. Where is the Scripture that say men are saved by faith only?
Jesus said men shall be saved if they believe and are baptized. Men say that you are saved without being baptized in water.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Where is the Scripture that states men should be baptized because thy have already been saved?
EXPERTS AT SETTING ASIDE GOD'S COMMANDMENTS!
(All Scripture from: NEW AMERICAN STAND BIBLE)
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