threefour

 

Psalm 34

(A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.)

1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
    that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
    his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
    he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
    He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
    not one of them is broken!

21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
    No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

threethree

 

Psalm 33

1 Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
    it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
    make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song of praise to him;
    play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
4 For the word of the Lord holds true,
    and we can trust everything he does.
5 He loves whatever is just and good;
    the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.

6 The Lord merely spoke,
    and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
    and all the stars were born.
7 He assigned the sea its boundaries
    and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,
    and let everyone stand in awe of him.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
    It appeared at his command.

10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
    and thwarts all their schemes.
11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
    his intentions can never be shaken.

12 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
    whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

13 The Lord looks down from heaven
    and sees the whole human race.
14 From his throne he observes
    all who live on the earth.
15 He made their hearts,
    so he understands everything they do.
16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
    nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
    for all its strength, it cannot save you.

18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
    those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 He rescues them from death
    and keeps them alive in times of famine.

20 We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
    for our hope is in you alone.

similarities?

 Who & what does this description remind you of?

This is Paul writing to his adopted son, Timothy, in his last letter to Timothy...

2 Timothy 3 

1 You should know this, Timothy, 

that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 

2 For people will love only themselves 

and their money. 

They will be boastful and proud, 

scoffing at God, 

disobedient to their parents, 

and ungrateful. 

They will consider nothing sacred. 

3 They will be unloving 

and unforgiving; 

they will slander others 

and have no self-control. 

They will be cruel 

and hate what is good. 

4 They will betray their friends, 

be reckless, 

be puffed up with pride, 

and love pleasure 

rather than God. 

5 They will act religious, 

but they will reject the power that could make them godly. 

Stay away from people like that!

hmmmmmmmm...

instructions

 This is Paul writing to his adopted son, Timothy, in Paul's second & last letter to his beloved son...

2 Timothy 2

20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, 

and some are made of wood and clay. 

The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, 

and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 

21 If you keep yourself pure, 

you will be a special utensil for honorable use. 

Your life will be clean, 

and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. 

Instead, pursue righteous living, 

faithfulness, 

love, 

and peace. 

Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

the plan

 2 Timothy 1 

9 For God saved us 

and called us to live a holy life. 

He did this, 

not because we deserved it, 

but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time;

to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 

10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. 

He broke the power of death 

and illuminated the way to life and immortality 

through the Good News.

a word for the rich

 Maybe we should take Paul's advice & share these 2 verses with any rich people we know?

btw, most of the world considers all Americans to be rich...

1 Timothy 6

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud 

and not to trust in their money, 

which is so unreliable. 

Their trust should be in God, 

who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 

18 Tell them to use their money to do good. 

They should be rich in good works 

and generous to those in need, 

always being ready to share with others. 

19 By doing this 

they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future 

so that they may experience true life.

faith as...

 Luke 18

15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. 

But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him.

16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, 

“Let the children come to me. 

Don’t stop them! 

For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 

17 I tell you the truth, 

anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”