PSALMS ON TUESDAY

Sunday evening, I preached for Joel Byram at Open Door Baptist Church in Des Moines, WA.  Joel (Joey) was a teen boy I led to Christ a long time ago, and today he is a pastor with five children and one on the way.  Joel and Jennifer Byram are wonderful people and both were among our first teenagers at Grand View Baptist Church.  What a blessing! Today I'm in Psalms again and here is a though or two: 1) UNITY- Ps. 133:1 says: "Behold, How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"  Unity is precious and usually rare.  Unity does not come because of the same position, nor because all think alike or act alike.  Unity comes from the same direction.  If people are going in the same direction, they can be miles apart, and yet still have unity because they are headed in the same direction.  This is how a new convert can have unity with an aged soldier of the cross..  They both are going in the same direction.  If however a Christian starts headed in some strange direction, the unity is broken and dis harmony is caused.  The Bible warns us serverly about sowing discord among the brethern.  God hates it.  Let us be the ones who are the peace makers and provoke unity, not disharmony! 2) STAY THIRSTY- In Psalms 143:6, we see one of the great secrets of the Christian Life being and staying dynamic.  It is to stay thirsty.  This verse says: "my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land."  God want us to have a desire for Him.  A thirst to be with Him and to know Him, and to love Him.  A thirst to know His presence in our lives, to talk with Him, to walk with Him.  Are you thirsty this morning?  Try to be thirsty today and see what happens. 3) TRAPPED! - In Proverbs 1:17, it says: "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird."  The traps are set in vain if they can be seen.  This is why people get trapped so often... they are expecting to see the traps of life, but they cannot.  How do we avoid getting trapped then?  Well, here are a few ways: a. Avoid the traps the Bible warns you about. (though you still cannot see them, by faith, you must know they are there because the Bible says they are traps!) b. Avoid traps that others tell you are there.  Many have already fallen in the traps and by God's grace have gotten out of them, so listen when they tell you there are traps there! c. Walk carefully and prayerfully.  Prov. 5:6,7 tell us that God will direct our paths IF we look to Him and trust in Him and not our own understanding.  God sees all of life's traps and knows where we should step.  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD".  Don't be another Christian who gets trapped! Well, so much for today.  I ended up in Proverbs today and tomorrow we will see the wisdom God has for us in Proverbs.  Have a blessed day in the LORD!! Pastor Mike Mutchler