The fullness of God reaches through time and connects to the heart of man. The only word we can use to describe this action, is love. God’s love endures forever.

A study from Psalm 100.

Throughout October we have discussed, on a weekly basis, the fall feasts of the Jewish calendar and their place in our Christian heritage. The culmination of these fall feasts is the Feast of Sukkot, an intense time of celebration. Jesus attends this feast in John 7:37-38 and makes a powerful claim about “living water”.

Why are these Psalms so special? They don’t really tell a story like the rest of the Bible, (Our God loves relating to us in story - 70% of the Bible is in narrative form.) but revealing the powerful emotions of those in the narrative, those in the story. They touch us deeply in our emotions, in our need… they put words to our hope with praise and thanksgiving to God, They also put words to our feelings of hopelessness and fear.

The Psalms have been the prayer book of Israel for the past 3,000 years and the prayer book of the church for the past 2,000 years. The Psalms explore every possible response we can have to problems, despair, fear, anger… every emotion known to man and they also reveal who God is and how we are to answer our situation. From the highest awe to the deepest love, from the darkest despair to icy anger Psalms is a powerful revelation of those who are being transparent and sincere in their expression of love and fear, strength and weakness, rejoicing and lamenting.

God is our Deliverer, our Good Shepherd, our Rock - unmovable, solid, and strong. Bless God for His love for us and His precious gift of life through His son - Jesus. Jesus is our JOY giver, our Peacemaker, our Savior. He not only conquered the grave, He conquered our grave. Because of the cross, the death, His burial, His resurrection, we find, we know and can be confident in God’s love for us. No matter how bad the problem, how big the challenge, how hard the walk… Jesus is our Savior, our King, our Deliverer.

Why are these Psalms so special? They don’t really tell a story like the rest of the Bible, (Our God loves relating to us in story - 70% of the Bible is in narrative form.) but revealing the powerful emotions of those in the narrative, those in the story. They touch us deeply in our emotions, in our need… they put words to our hope with praise and thanksgiving to God, They also put words to our feelings of hopelessness and fear. They meet us in times of crisis and fill us with the testimony of those who have been where we are, feeling what we feel…and from those who find love and comfort in God. They touch our deep emotional need and fill us with life.

In Joshua 1:8 God tells Joshua to 'meditate' on His word day and night. The Hebrew word used here is 'Hagah'. Our western idea of meditation, as quite inward reflection, greatly misses the flavor of Hagah. This Hebrew word may also be translated as 'growl' (see Isa. 31:4). Hagah is described as the sound a lion makes before digging into its prey. God has told Joshua to feed on His word with the same passion as a hungry lion feasting on a fresh kill. Are we reading God's word just to complete a to-do list, or are we truly feeding on His text? Let's Hagah the word together!

We're wrapping up our 4 week study on God's redeeming work in our life, with the last message: Living a Compelled Life. What does the transformation look like when we go from readers of the Word to doers of the Word? A life compelled by Christ reveals itself in several ways: putting down our old ways, life changes that last, a desire for good works, relationships with God and people and sharing this good news.

We continue our study in 2 Corinthians 5 by looking at how our lives are changed by the love of Christ. A redeemed life will grow in God's purposes, become passionate for His ways, will pray for a deeper understanding of His word and how we live our lives by it, will be ready at all times to join in God's mission and spur one another on to good works.