One Verse at a Time

This episode looks at Psalm 5:5, “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.” We need to pray that God would help us to only boast in Christ, the cross, and in knowing him. We also pray for the eyes of God, who hates sinners because they are defined by their sin. We should love the sinner by hating them (at least what is defining them—the fact that they are not washed clean in the blood of Christ).

This episode looks at Psalm 5:4, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” We don’t pray to a God who is uninvested in the world. He is against evil! We pray confidently because of this truth. We also pray that he would not allow us to dwell with evil either.

This episode looks at Psalm 5:3, “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” It’s not a law to pray in the morning, but it might be a good principle to follow. We can present our case to God, and then we wait expectantly with eyes to watch him working.

This episode looks at Psalm 5:2, “Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.” We pray to our King and God. He is not far off or distant, so we can pray in hope because we know who we pray to, and he knows us.

This episode looks at Psalm 5:1, “Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.” We ask God to listen to our words and to give heed to the prayers of our heart. We do this because we have been brought into the throne room of God by the blood of Jesus.

This episode looks at Colossians 2:5, “For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.” Paul, though he is not with them in person, can rejoice at the work God is doing to give them a firm foundation of order in their faith. They are not just grasping at the latest everything in life for a foundation, but rather they are standing on the truth. We pray for God to give us the same firm foundation to stand on and the same firmness in our faith.

This episode looks at Colossians 2:4, “I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.” We look to Christ alone for wisdom, so we need God’s help to avoid and resist the other seemingly plausible arguments in the world.

This episode looks at Colossians 2:3, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” We look to Christ and Christ alone as wisdom. Where can we look to find wisdom? In him, and oh, what treasures we will find!

This episode looks at Colossians 2:2, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ”. We boast in our care for those we minister to not out of pride, but in order to encourage their hearts. We want unity in our places of ministry, and we want a group of people together pursuing the knowledge of Christ more and more each day.

This episode looks at Colossians 2:1, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face”. We need God’s help to have a deep affection for those in our charge. We pray for God to give us a place and people to serve, and that we would love them with as strong of a desire as Paul describes here.