More Than Bread

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If it wasn’t so stinking long, Psalm 119 would be the theme chapter of More Than Bread! Because it is a deep dive into an almost never ending feast of words about the Word. Psalm 119 is a love song to divine instruction, a heartfelt celebration of the psalmists deep devotion and unwavering commitment to the ways of God laid out in the word of God. The writer of Psalm 119 is captivated by the wisdom of God. He is hungry to hear the words of God. He lived in the midst of a people of the book! 

In this episode that is the question I will ask at the end. Are we a people of the book? Are you a person of the book? Or am I just a person with the book? 

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There’s so much in this psalm. 

• Giving thanks to God because He is good. 
• Taking refuge in God.
• The name of God and the right hand of God.

But more than any of it, I just can’t get past those four words, “His love endures forever.” Whose love endures forever? God’s love endures forever and nowhere do we see that more evident, nowhere is that more clearly proclaimed that it is in the face of Christ. Christ is the face of God. Christ is the only God we know, OT and NT, doesn’t matter. Christ is the face of God. And his love endures forever. And forever, even when we reject him. His fierce love endures.  Don't we need to be loved like that?

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If I had to give a title to this Psalm, if I had to hold out the theme that impacts me the most it would be the Psalmist’s vision of a high and humble God. High and humble. "Let the name of be blessed, the very name of the Lord is to be praised. He is exalted above all the nations, his glory surpasses the heights of heaven." And yet he stoops down. He bows low. He lifts up the poor from the dust. He humbles himself, comes down to our level. He reigns in majesty, but he also brings his heart close to the most vulnerable. He is our high and humble God and we are called to this same life of humility. I'm praying that this psalm will bring us low so that we can find life!

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As we dive into Psalm 107, I want you to imagine that you are in a gathering, perhaps church, perhaps a smaller group, and you are sharing stories,. At Calvary we call them God-stories, stories of God at work in and through us and all around us. Psalm 107 is a call for God-stories. In the first two verses, you will hear these words, "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. He love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Their stories like our stories are good and hard, a mixture of joy and struggle, desperation and redemption. But every story has a transition, it happens when someone cries out and God responds! What is your God-story? Who will you share it with this week?

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Psalm 103 is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving that celebrates the unfailing love and mercy of God. It invites us to saturate our souls in the goodness of God and pause for a few moments to remember his blessings…all the blessings he pours out on His people, His family.  As I read the Psalm, don’t miss how the Psalmist paints His picture of God, the attributes of God—His compassion, patience, and steadfast love. 

In the permanent record of his words, God has told us time and time again that he loves us... and he has used a variety of illustrations in the hopes that one of those stories would resonate with the deepest chords of your heart.  But every story, every illustration, every metaphor was simply a pre-view of the real deal...the cross.  The crossed changed everything, redefined love, set our eyes on the reality and depth of the love of God. Courageous, passionate, relentless, steadfast, never-ending, unfailing love. Isn't that a love that you need to know today?  

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Psalm 100 calls us to a deeper understanding of worship and gratitude. It reminds us that our relationship with God goes beyond religion, beyond rituals, tradition and where we meet on Sundays. Instead at the heart of this relationship with God is an invitation to come into His presence and experience the soul-satisfying goodness of God. But in this episode we will focus on vs1. This short 5 verse Psalm begins with an amazing invitation...amazing because of it's breadth. "All the earth, make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth." It is a short psalm with a huge audience! That's why I love it!

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Is God a god of grace or a God of justice? Or is He both? Psalm 94 is a passionate, travailing cry for justice in the face of oppression and wickedness. It resonates with the struggles so many encounter in a world filled with injustice. But perhaps even more importantly, Psalm 94 reminds us that we can turn to God; we can trust God as a source of hope and justice. I was most convicted by two questions the psalmist asks, "Who will rise up for us in this injustice?" and "Who will take a stand for me in this injustice?" 

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Psalm 90 is unique in that it's the only Psalm out of 150 that is attributed to Moses, not David, not the sons of Korah, but Moses. In some ways, I see this as a companion to Psalm 84, the focus of our last episode. They are tied by the concept of time. Remember in Psalm 84, there was this amazing assessment of time, that one day in the house of God, one day in his presence is worth a thousand anywhere else. One day with God is worth almost 3 years anywhere else. In Psalm 90 we find that a thousands years is like a day to God! It's like time gets all messed up in God's presence. But in the midst of that is the challenge to number our days so that we can live with wisdom. What does it mean to number our days, listen to the podcast and find out! 

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If I asked you to describe your best day ever, for me, what words would come from your mouth? I could tell you about some amazing family days, amazing days with my wife. I could tell you about some top ten ministry days, times when I have seen God at work in awesome ways. But for David in Psalm 84:10, one day in God's presence is worth 1000 of our best days anywhere else. David says, "I would trade a lifetime elsewhere for a month of days in your courts, O God." If that's true, no matter what you are going through right now... the best is yet to come!

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I wasn't going to do Psalm 78, but  when I read it, I couldn’t get away from it. Why? Because it's a charge, a challenge to care about the next generation. It’s a calling to pass our faith on to the next generation. And let's be honest, the church in America isn't  hitting the ball out of the park when it comes to that. Every generation is less connected to the church than the generation before. According to one study, there's about a 4% chance that a 10 yr old will end up a fully surrendered follower of Christ in their 20's. Psalm 78 is a challenge to invest in the next generation, and that matters deeply because they are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church today!