Rumination

Continuing our study of Psalm 22, we are reminded by Jesus' example of the importance of memorizing scripture. However, it is important that along with memorizing the Bible, we allow God to help us understand what we are memorizing. Being equipped with His Word does little good if we do not understand how it applies to our life circumstances. The Pharisees had the whole Bible memorized, yet failed to understand how those verses referenced by Jesus related to what was happening right before their eyes. In today's episode, we will discuss what it means for us to truly memorize and internalize the Word of God and how such a discipline helps our walk with God.

When Jesus was on the cross, He cried out to God, saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This was something that confused me as a child. Why would Jesus think that God had abandoned Him? Of course, we know that when Jesus took on the sins of the world, God couldn't bear to look at His own Son. But there was a greater reason for Jesus' crying out in this way. Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, and this is a powerful reminder to us of the importance of looking to scripture to be reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness. Scripture is Gods testimony of Himself, and we would be wise to study it for the sake of knowing God more deeply.

We don't associate laws with revival or commandments with rejoicing, but that is exactly what the psalmist writes about in this passage of scripture! Our values dictate our perception of obedience to God's laws, but our values, as humans, are almost always wrong. We over-value the things of the world and under-value the things of God, which causes us to respond differently to God's Word. In today's episode, we will take a look at how we can change our perception of God's laws and work to change our paradigm for valuing things in our lives.

As of the publishing of this episode, Anchor has made some changes to the monthly listener support options available for me to make use of. Previously, the only option was to ask you, the listener, to consider giving any amount of money to the channel to support its growth. Now, however, there is a subscription option available that allows me to make some content only available by paying that subscription amount. We will continue to have two short-form devotional episodes every week that will not require a subscription, but we will also start offering two episodes a month that are longer, with more in-depth content, including some guests to discuss scripture, Christian world-views, and current event topics with. If you would like to support the channel by subscribing to those episodes, I would greatly appreciate it! However, if you would like a way to support the channel in general, get in touch with me via Twitter @AdamJr12, and I can help you with a way to support the channel. I appreciate your listening, as well as any other support you choose to give!

None of us has a perfect track record in our pursuit of righteousness and fellowship with God, but we can look back on our life and see that God has always kept our feet from slipping. Even when we stumble, He has continued to provide for us, whether that means helping us learn a hard lesson or moving us into a place of greater blessing. In today's episode, we look at how David experienced this in his life, and we apply that wisdom to our own lives.

So long as we live in a broken world, we will struggle with a broken understanding of what is good, godly, and desirable. We will fall into things that we thought would satisfy us, but actually only multiply our sorrows. In this episode, we look at the psalmist's dichotomy between finding fulfillment in the world and finding fulfillment in God.

The world is full of wicked people, as well as people who are suffering oppression and persecution. It is important for us, especially those of us who have freedom from persecution, to be mindful of the struggles of the Body of Christ around the world. The Lord's Word is perfectly pure, and He keeps His Word. He keeps His promises to us, no matter what is happening in the world around us. We have the testimony of the Bible to strengthen our faith, as well as the testimony of everyone throughout the world that is suffering yet trusting God. Their faithfulness is a testimony to us to also continue to be faithful. In today's episode, we are reminded of these truths and challenged in our perspective of the faithfulness of God to His people.

The psalms are filled with beautiful imagery and emotion not only to capture our attention but also to help us gain a greater understanding of the principles within the poetry. In this picture, the psalmist gives us an idea of what it looks like to be rooted and growing in the Lord, along with the reverse understanding of what it looks like when we are failing to walk in the righteous way. In today's episode, we will closely examine the details of what the psalmist is describing so that we can have a better standard against which to judge ourselves in our sanctification.

To be passive is to be unrighteous. For many people passivity is the norm, the most comfortable way of living. Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to become more like Christ if we allow ourselves to be passive. We cannot make ourselves more like Christ by our own effort, but we can choose to set ourselves apart from the wickedness of the world so that God is free to work in us to make us more like Him. In this chapter of Psalms, especially in these first two verses, the psalmist gives a clear picture of what it looks like to be set apart and to continually make a decision to walk with Christ rather than walk with the world.

We have been given the earth and all of creation as our home while we live within time, but we are not very good at stewarding it well. I believe that we fail to steward creation well because we diminish the significance of creation in light of eternity. God has given us time and creation, and even though time is the smallest portion of our eternal lives, we have a responsibility to take care of the things that we do have here within time. This message may frustrate some who feel that we should be more focused on "more spiritual" things, but stewardship of God's creation is an important part of leading people to Christ and helping them in their walk with God.

Writing, journaling, note-taking; however you call it, writing is a crucial spiritual discipline, and so many Christians fail to practice it. We hear sermons, read scriptures, and listen to podcasts, yet never write what we are learning, what questions we have, and where we are struggling to grow. Throughout scriptures, we can see commands and prompts to write down the wisdom and experiences we are gaining in our walk with God, and all of scripture is an example set for us for this spiritual discipline. If you do not take notes during church or during your personal Bible study, you are limiting your ability to grow, as well as your ability to help others grow. Today's episode is a challenge and an encouragement, as always, and I hope that it is a help to you in your spiritual maturity.