Christian Living: 5 Truths You Need to Know About Psalm 119

This post was originally posted here: 5 Truths to Know about Psalm 119

Psalm 119

Found in the center of God's Word, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible. Important themes, found throughout its 176 verses, focus on the Truth and necessity of God's Word and on His very character. Charles Spurgeon liked this Psalm so much, he was quoted as saying, “We might do well to commit it to memory.” But there are other deeper truths within this great chapter of the Bible that we may sometimes overlook. All too often, maybe simply because of its length, we read through it too quickly.

1. Psalm 119 is an Acrostic Poem

Psalm 119 is actually written as an acrostic poem. The verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of each of the Hebrew alphabet, such as “Aleph,” “Beth,” “Gimel,” and so on. This is only noticeable in looking back at the original text. There are 22 stanzas or sections, equal to 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with 8 verses each, and a total of 176 verses. 

2. The Author of Psalm 119 is Unknown

The author of this chapter is unknown but some have suggested it may have been Ezra the priest, written at the time that the temple had been rebuilt. Though the life of Ezra may not be the most well known in the Bible, he was extremely important and greatly used by God at a time in history when the Israelites desperately needed a faithful, strong leader. Ezra lived his days out of a deep, personal commitment to God, not simply seeking his own personal gain. He was given much responsibility to lead, sent by the King Artaxerxes, to set up a program of religious education for the people. His life proved faithful to study, follow, and teach God’s Word, and his godly example is still very relevant for our lives today. Others have suggested that Psalm 119 may have been written by David, or possibly Daniel. The author is certainly one who experienced great affliction in life, since persecution of those who hold fast to the Word of God is a theme carried throughout. 

3. Psalm 119 Emphasizes God's Word

Almost every verse mentions God’s Word in some way – it may be written as His “word,” “ways,” “statutes,” “decrees,” “law,” “precepts,” “commands,” or “promise” – but it’s in some way mentioned through most all of the verses. 

4. Psalm 119 is the Longest Chapter of the Bible

Just as Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible, two Psalms just before, Psalm 117, is the shortest chapter of all. There has been much discussion through history of whether Psalm 117 or 118 is the center chapter of the entire Bible. Some have said it’s divided as such: 594 chapters up to Psalm 117 and 594 chapters from Psalm 119 on, with chapter 118 being the center, and a total of 1189 chapters in the entire Bible. Those that hold to this also believe that Psalm 118:8 is the center verse of the Bible, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” Others have said that Psalm 117 seems to be the center point, with these 2 verses, “Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!”  Either way, it’s interesting to note that, depending on translation, 594 + 594 = 1188. It all points to the truth that God is a God of order and precision. This entire section of God’s Word is Sovereignly placed at a significant and pivotal point in the Bible and we would be wise to study it carefully.

5. Psalm 119 Focus on the Truth of God's Word

 

The overall message of Psalm 119 focuses on the truth of God’s Word.  It encourages us through every generation to stay close and focused on His Word no matter what swirls around us in this world. Living in the freedom and knowledge of God’s ways, obeying His law above all else, and keeping in step with His commandments is the only way to truly live wise, strong lives.

Psalm 119 reminds us that God's very character is reflected through His Word, He is Righteous, He is Faithful, He is Unchanging, He is True. The opening 2 verses remind us, that we are "blessed" as we walk in His Truth, and seek him with our whole heart.

God's Word is Alive

God’s Word is powerful, living, and active. It never changes, because He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His words are breathed straight from His heart to us, a love letter for life, not simply an old-fashioned, outdated book with no relevance for today. His Word is sharper than any two-edged sword.

7 popular verses from Psalm 119:

1.    “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Ps. 119:9

2.    “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Ps. 119:11

3.    “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Ps. 119:18

4.    “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Ps. 119:32

5.    “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Ps. 119:105

6.    “All your words are true, all your righteous laws are eternal.” Ps. 119:160

7.    “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Ps. 119:165

Source: Crosswalk.com

Christian Living: What to Do When the Devil Keeps Reminding You of Your Evil Past

Devil, I ain't my past!!

Note: This post also provides answers to “what to do when you feel discouraged because you feel inadequate (or you feel unworthy) to do something for yourself, for someone else or for God.”

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Some of us had nasty pasts before getting saved. Really nasty pasts. We did things that if confessed to the weak-minded, we may end up as trending headlines on gossip blogs or as fodder for prime time news for days on end. We literally used to dine with the devil Himself.

But thank God, we've been redeemed. We are not who we used to be anymore. We are changed. We are now sons and daughters of the Most High God:

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV)

But this does not hold back the devil from tormenting us. I am sure that Moses (from the Old Testament) and the apostle Paul (from the New Testament) fell victim to these games by the devil from time to time. The former was a murderer while the latter was a persecutor, an accuser and a tormentor of the church.

I always try to imagine of the conversations the devil used to probably create in Paul’s mind from time to time when Paul thought about receiving the crown of eternal glory from Christ Himself when he reaches Heaven. Yes people, this may be true because we have never really figured out what Paul’s “thorn” was (read 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 to get the whole story.)

Below is an imaginary clip from what the devil may have been lying to Paul about when he reaches Heaven:

[This scene is in Heaven and Paul the apostle, a dedicated servant of God, is smiling and just about to receive his crown when Stephen, the first martyr of the Early Church who is behind him pats him on the back]

Stephen: "Hello man! Do I know you from somewhere? I think I know you! [Ponderous pause] [While pointing and shaking his index finger, he continues...] Yes! You are one of those guys who falsely accused me and then ceremoniously watched me get stoned, right?"

Paul: “I’m sorry man. That was the old me. This is the new me. I am changed man. I even wrote about it in 2 Corinthians 5:17.”

Stephen: Just for the sake of knowing man, how did it feel Paul? How did it feel killing an innocent person?"

Paul: *Silence*

Awkward moments, those ones. (And that is why I am always inclined to call Paul “the apostle to Christian misfits/anomalies.”) The apostle Paul really knew something about being rejected because of your past. Read all his letters and you'll figure it out almost in each one of them that he lived with the reality of rejection because of his nasty past...

And many of us feel the same way almost all the time. There are these moments when we are feeling glorious and are celebrating doing something for God or for a fellow man and we are just rejoicing in who we have become; then the enemy, that tormentor of brethren, brings back the bad old memories and starts haunting our minds with thoughts of who we used to be. He then goes further and awakens us to the reality of how awkward it would be if we met the same people we wronged or the people who wronged us and we answered back with nasty revenge. He leaves us helpless and guilty, defenseless and self-accusing. He steals our joy and our peace and we are left empty, feeling hopeless, useless and even contemplating suicide.

There are two things we need to realize though at these moments of torment: that the battle the devil is trying to fight is;

(a)   Mostly in our minds and it can only be won in the mind. If we change the way we think about and view ourselves, there is nothing more he can do to us. 

(b)   Against our personalities: people with weak personalities will always fall vulnerable to the devil's tactics and attacks.

Below, I am listing two main weapons the enemy uses to torment us and how to deal with each:

1.    Weapon: people.

The devil uses self-righteous people to tell us that we are not worthy and that we are going to fail. They come to make us guilty of a past we have already dealt with - a past God has already forgiven us of. They come to pierce thorns in old wounds and to terrify us concerning the future. These people are always those who know you well from your past – a past you can’t undo. 

Solution:

a)    Keep quiet. Sometimes all that is required of us is to shut up. Say nothing. This is because the more we defend ourselves before self-righteous people, the worse it becomes. There are times to talk, but not to self-righteous people. You can’t correct a Pharisee. You can’t argue with self-righteous people. They are not going to change what they think about you and who you are right now. The best thing is to talk to God so that He may give you the grace to live with these people. Avoiding them won’t solve a thing, what you need is patience and tolerance; and these we can always get in good supply from God’s Spirit if we decide to tap from His power.

b)    Face them and tell them that you are not who you used to be. Tell them that it's true that you were that way in the past, but you are different now.

This point does not contradict the first one. It only applies in instances when the Spirit of God whispers to you: “Morris, tell them that who you are right now is not who you used to be in the past.”

c)    You cannot undo your past, so always pray to God to give you strength to live with its realities and consequences. Running away from our pasts is not possible, but learning to live with their consequences is a daily journey. And God is able to help us all the way through. Sometimes, these moments act as a good place to have intimacy with God rather than running away from Him. Remember that He is the only help you got when everyone else seems to be against you. Run to God, not away from Him. He holds nothing against you:

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:10-12, ESV)

God has nothing against you.

“Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Rom 8:33-35, ESV)

2.    Weapon: our minds.

As I mentioned earlier, the battle is in our minds and against our personalities. The enemy uses our minds to hit against us. What we allow our minds to think about who we are right now when the devil attacks is exactly who we become. If we think we are who we used to be, that is exactly what we will become... until we counter those thoughts with the Word of God. This means that we can wallow in self-pity for as long we allow it to happen. We are the only ones who hold the key to setting us free. God has already played His part by promising us quite a number of things and telling us exactly who He knows we have now become. It is up to us to believe what He says concerning us.

Solution:

a)    Bring the fight back to him (the devil). Ask him, "So what?" Tell him: "I am new now. I am changed. My past is all forgotten in the eyes of the One who redeemed me. I am neither condemnable by you nor by your agents." (Romans 8:1.) Remind him of who God is to you, what He has done to your life and where you are headed in Him. Use Scripture and the armor of God to overcome him.

b)    Remind yourself who you are right now in Christ:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39, ESV)

c)    Renew your thinking: start thinking about yourself the way God thinks about you (by commanding your thoughts through His Word) and not through what people, the devil or even yourself think you are. Rise up every day when the enemy and his agents attack you and command your mind to believe what God says about you and not what you or people think you are. The apostle Paul, who I know knew exactly what it means to be tormented in the mind says this about thinking:  

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8, ESV).

I hope this will be helpful in overcoming the accuser of brethren the next time he comes knocking at your doorstep.

Bonface Morris.

Musings On Worship Pt. 1: What Is It All About?

Worship: What is it all about?

There has been quite a number of discussions on worship at my church during our mid-week prayer meetings. In the spirit of humility, I would say that the ideas I have received from various people in our congregation have inspired this post and several others that will follow.

As the leader of a growing worship team, I am joining the conversation to give a few views on worship, praise and, probably, devotion.

In this first blog, I’ll address the things I think we do wrong to put our focus on when we worship and why I think we get it wrong. It may not the best approach to use as the first part of a discussion/talk on worship, but, anyway, who cares? (Oh, you care, right?) I’ll try my best to speak with the perspective of a lead singer where necessary and with the perspective of a normal Christian in some places.

Here are some of the things that we always seem to worry about but we shouldn’t:

1. We are worried that worship is about us.

Here is an example of how this issue eats us up:

Did I sing well? Were the people pleased? Did they sing along? Was my voice good? I think I need to be drinking more water before worship… And the left side of the congregation were just staring at me… Why were they not dancing or singing along? I think the other leader in our worship set led better than I did... I am letting this team down... I am a bad worship leader… My voice is not so good: it is shaky and bad and with a poor vocal range, and less ornamental… not just as smooth as so-and-so’s voice…

And it goes on and on.

The above concerns may be true and good (and they should be addressed because they affect the quality of music and the morale of the team), but they are not central to determining whether the objectives in every worship session have been met by the person leading worship. 

Some of the objectives that should always be met in a worship session are;

(a)  To aspire to lead people in worship while under the guidance and the influence of the Holy Spirit.

What we mean by this is this: we should ensure that we are not, in the moment when we are holding that microphone and leading people before God, depending entirely on ourselves but on the strength, wisdom and power of God through the Holy Spirit. Yes, we have skills, but we should depend on the Holy Spirit to use those skills to bless His people and to glorify Himself through us.

(b)  To ensure that no one is left behind as we lead worship. I wrote about this in this post from 2013: Do Not Come Alone!

(c)  To ensure that God is central when we lead the congregation (or even ourselves) in worship: that the music, the sound(s), the voices and everything in the worship service is being done to glorify God; that we are decreasing as servants as He increases as our/the Master. 

Worship is not about how good we can sing/lead, or how well-known we are, or how our team flows and blends well. It is about God. The person leading worship, the worship team and the congregation are just subtitles to the whole story. They are pixels in the big picture. The big picture is God Himself.

Note: Lead yourself first into God, and everything else will simply fall into its rightful place.

2. We are worried and we therefore think that worship is about the congregation we are leading.

We always tend to think that people’s (or the congregation’s) satisfaction with the music we are making qualifies to be called “a great worship experience”. Let me remind us this: people think all sorts of things about all sorts of things all the time. Come on, they (I hear they are evangelicals) even think Donald Trump will make a great president.

The quality and flow of music are a good thing during worship because they ensure order and direction but that is not entirely what worship is all about. Worship in not only about having “an experience” but about holistically experiencing Christ. Those are two different things. The first one is superficial/shallow while the second one is deep and eternal.

It is better we sit around and sing one "boring" song that will enable us holistically experience Christ than sing strings of songs that are but noise to His ears.

Sometimes - and these times are many – I feel like telling some members of the congregation that they should not expect the worship leader to "read their lives" and “sing that song that exactly suits their situation” on a given Sunday. That can’t happen. It should not happen. Worship is not about them; worship is about God.

3. We are worried that our church’s locality and how modern it is in both the music style and the instruments used affect worship.

Musical instruments, whether good, modern, archaic or bad, don’t worship God. Being in a mega church somewhere in a big city does not guarantee us a place before the beautiful Throne of God whenever we lift our voices and hearts to Him in worship.

The prophet Isaiah once wrote and said,

​“For Sheol does not thank You; death does not praise You; those who go down to the pit do not hope for Your faithfulness.” (Isa 38:18, ESV),

He understood one thing about worship: lifeless things don’t know how to give worship to a living God. Heis God to the living, not to the dead. God may cause stones, hills, tress etc. to act in awe of Him and give Him praise yes, but not out of their own will. Only living beings can give praise out of their our will; and only man can give thanks and worship God in spirit and in truth. And that is the kind of worship God is looking for, isn't it?

Therefore, as worship leaders, we should stop complaining about poor sound quality, shoddy musical instruments, faulty microphones and dead keyboards because these things are not the ones worshipping God; no, we are the ones that worship Him. Instead, as we pray that we may have better musical instruments, we should put our focus on the One receiving worship and if that worship deserves Him.

I know of tiny instrument-less churches that experience Christ in their worship services more and better than what happens in most mega/big churches. The reason is simple: they are putting their focus where it should be when they come to worship: they are fixing their eyes on Jesus, and putting their hope in the One who sits upon the Throne in Heaven. That is what worship is all about!

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In this regard, we realize that we are mostly never worried that worship is about God. This should worry us. It should be our main concern whenever we gather to worship: that worship is not about us, but about God.

It is about us approaching His throne with awe and reverence and fear and trembling and honor and.... worship. It is about Him leading us through the whole process because we know not how to do it on our own. It is about our hearts meeting with His own heart in a union that is rare. It is the meeting place between Heaven and earth. It is about Him meeting His people when they gather to worship Him. It is about our voices rising up to His throne to give Him the honor that He deserves. Worship’s most central place is God Himself, because without Him, there can never be us and there can never be meaning in what we are giving to Him (what we would call worship) and there can never be hearts that acknowledge His Name.

So, worship leader, the next time you are holding that microphone and are preparing to lead God’s people to Him, remember that IT IS ALL ABOUT GOD. Not about your voice, not about your abilities, not about your team, not about the congregation, but it is all about God.

  

Cc.     1. Matt Redman – Heart of Worship.

2. (1Corinthians 10:31, ESV) “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Bonface Morris.

Talking Point: The Ideal Man Crisis

So I was thinking this morning, “What can I post this Monday?”

Weird enough, I sat down and while browsing through my movie folders, I stumbled upon some movie which I previewed to see if it’ll interest me. It is some kind-of black people soap opera. Some overdone romantic tale. It’s called Black Coffee.

It got me thinking about a blog I had started writing in October last year - this blog. I looked it up in my notes, and I was like, “Yeees! After this movie, I think I just got a good angle of approaching and finishing up on that post.”

So here is that post. And, yes, go watch that emotional movie with your girl. I know you are asking, “So Morris is watching soaps now?” And I’m reiterating, “Yes, for my bae’s sake.” (Alright, you can still find some not so good quality version here on YouTube and I guess, that’ll keep you occupied.)

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Photo of a black man. Source: Pinterest

The question I am tempted to bypass but I just can’t do for the sake of this post is this:

“Ladies, what is your ideal man? What is that kind of man you dream of having or “making”? Do you have a picture of him in your mind? Do you see him when you pray to the Lord for a man? What. is. you. ideal. man?”

The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (8^th Edition) defines “ideal” as “something perfect or something most suitable”; which then translates to us saying (for the sake of this post) that there is a most suitable man for every lady in this world.

This post seeks to openly talk about how ladies figure out who is and who is not the ideal man for them and the influence of society on this choice. It derives from the primary truth that every single lady on this earth has a picture of who can be or cannot be her ideal man. It is funny that every lady has a man in mind that is very different from every other lady and this is allowed. Personal preferences are alright, but as we’ll come to see it, there are fundamentals to this type of idealism.

To begin with, here are some pointers on how I think a lady should construct the ideal man idea in her mind. She should first ask herself the following important questions:

1. What do I really admire about or in a man?

What is that thing about such a man that keeps me glued to wanting to know more about him or to want him for myself? What is that mystery in him that brings out the best in him?

2. What does God want me to really admire about (and/or in) His ideal man for me?
3. What do the people I respect really admire in an ideal man?

Note: If you don’t admire something about a man, your interest and support for him is likely to disappear really fast.

After figuring out the answers to the above questions, a lady should then figure out for themselves what the answers to the following set of questions are;

1. What do I admire in a man that brings out the best in him?

Is it his strength? Passion? Commitment? Leadership potential? Protectiveness? Power? Wealth? A free spirit? Self-drive? Confidence? Is it him being responsible and committed? Reliable? His artistry? His intelligence? His vision and ambitions?

2. What do I admire in a man that brings out the God in him?

Is it his Godliness? His prayer life? His knowledge of Scripture? His devotion and dedication to God? His surrender to God? His service to God? His service to other people?

3. What do I admire in a man that brings out the best in me?

Is it care? Tenderness? Support? Security? Godliness? Manliness? Affection? A forgiving spirit? Generosity? Patience? Do you admire the fact that he makes you want to care about him? His wisdom and guidance? His emotional presence? His love?

4. What do I admire in a man that brings out the best in others?

Is it friendliness? Responsiveness? His caring spirit? A forgiving spirit? Gentleness/kindness? His leadership skills? Is he inspirational? Does he always see the best in others? Is he social? Easy to be with?

An ideal man is assessed by how he relates with himself, how he relates with God, how he relates with you as the lady, and how he relates with others. You see, I haven’t talked about whether he is black or white or tall or short or employed or unemployed or famous or not or handicapped or whatever… because such attributes only influence one party in the full equation of his influence: these tiny attributes only influence you. They don’t influence other people or God or himself. Not much.

The questions above answer things about a man’s spiritual life, his character, his social life and his ability to love and care for others. This is what constitutes a man. And these attributes are infused in boys before they grow into men. A man is a product of his boyhood. (Yes, my dad indirectly taught me that.)

Quote: A man is a product of his boyhood.

After looking at the above pointers, it may be true that there truly is an ideal man crisis, but it is not final that there is an ideal man crisis. It may be that the lack thereof of ideal men is just a generational trend created by selfish ladies who want too much from men, and especially things that these men cannot offer; or it may be that the men in this generation are really lacking in things to be admired for. It is a funny equation that can only be balanced correctly in a man’s boyhood.

I have had lady friends who stick in relationships because their “ideal man” meets their most basic need: affection. The man is stupid, his is violent, he is a spendthrift, he is ungodly but the lady says as long as he is affectionate, she ain’t going nowhere. That makes me wonder: why would a lady tolerate a disrespectful, uncaring, violent, ungodly and unfaithful man? Is this her ideal man, is he the only man in the world, or has she altogether given up on the idea of ideal men?

Or it may also be true that men have changed and this has caused this level of unbearable tolerance in women. We are no longer what our fathers used to be. It is like our fathers were born ideal; but for most of us in this generation, we need to be made ideal. Who is failing? Whose responsibility is it to create ideal men? We cannot be our fathers. There should be no competition, ladies. You should understand this as a fact. But this also is not an excuse for irresponsible and uncaring behavior from our side. No. We need to unlearn these bad habits and step up into true manhood.

Alright, but women have changed too. Our ladies aren’t exactly what our mothers used to be. Let’s stop looking only at one side of the coin. As far much as ladies would want to complain about there being no ideal/good men left, there are also so few ideal women.

Just to try and answer the question of, exactly whose responsibility is it to create ideal men, this is how I see it:

Right through boyhood, fathers shape what kind of men grow up today, and mothers shape what kind of ladies we have in our society right from the days when they are still girls. Fathers shape how their daughters will look at love and affection in the men they meet in the future (how they’ll choose their ideal men); while mothers shape how their boys will treat other ladies in the future (how they’ll choose their ideal woman.).

The society also plays a role in determining how both men and women will be treated whether at infancy, in their childhood or in adulthood: when the girl child is empowered and the boy child is left out, the society will always end up upside down, men will be seen as an excuse and not a necessity and the girl-child will want to call all men stupid, disfigured and visionless. On the other hand, when the boy child is empowered and the girl child is neglected, the society will always grow into an arena for slavery where men think women are objects of service and pleasure.

See?

It is not only the responsibility of young men to become men, but it also weighs in on society and how it sees the boy child. It is not only the responsibility of the girl-child to become confident in herself, but society also has a place in determining exactly how our ladies turn out. We (young people) are responsible for our own actions once we know the difference between right and wrong. Let’s just say that this argument goes back and forth. Everyone is responsible for everyone, and everyone is responsible for everything. Our society and our parents are responsible for how we come out, but we are equally responsible for how we choose to take over the world and how we treat and trust the people we meet.

Who is to strike the balance then so that we can find as many ideal men as there are ideal women in our society? All of us are responsible: parents, our communities/the society, ladies and young men. All of us are responsible if we can ever achieve as many ideal men as there are women and to clear out any kind of ideal-ness crisis.

Bonface Morris.