PSALMS 83-92

Today is Saturday and it is a beautiful day for a Church Picnic, which is what we are having at 11:00am.  Last night I got to bed after 1:00am, because we picked up a potential school teacher for GVCA this fall.  She will spend the weekend with us and then head home on Monday.  Suzi Elnaggar is her name and she seems like a sweet young lady.  Here are some thoughts for today: 1) LOVING CHURCH-  I think I love Church until I read how David loved Church and then I want to love Church more!  In Psalms 84:2, 10  "My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God."  and verse10  "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."   He longs and faints for Church!  His heart and his flesh cry out to spend time with God in Church!  Wow.  LORD, please help me to love Church like you love Church.  2) SHEW ME A TOKEN FOR GOOD- Psalms 86:17, says:  "Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me."  This verse has meant so much to me in the last several years.  I have used it over and over.  David is asking for God's blessings so that those who oppose him will see the evident blessings of God upon his life and be ashamed for opposing him.  I don't have enemies like David did, but like anyone, I get critics from time to time and people who do leave Church because they are not enamored with me as they once were.  I was their favorite preacher and then I was ok, and then I was not very good.  And yet, I never changed.  Well, one day reading this verse helped me.  I prayed for God's "tokens for good".  I still do from time to time, and God comes through!  This month though we have been tight financially, God gave us a one time gift of over $35,000.00 and another one time gift of $7,200.00.  Wow!  That is a huge token for good.  Just when we needed it most, God comes through!  Praise His name!!  You too can ask Him for His "tokens for good" to be given you so that others can see His evident blessing upon your life, your family, your ministry, your job, etc.  Ask Him!! 3) DIVINE PROTECTION-  Psalms 91:7, & 10-13  "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. ;  10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  12  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.  13  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet."  I still remember to this day a story my pastor told at Church when I was a young boy about fighting in the Korean War, and having a friend of his shot in the chest.  He fell down, but wasn't dead.  After a while he noticed that he was only knocked down and out of breath.  He felt his chest only to realize the bullet had been stopped with his Army issued New Testament!  He opened it up to see the bullet inside of the New Testament, with it's point stopping on the verse in the Psalms behind the New Testament on Psalms 91:7 "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."  Wow!  Divine Protection!  I will never forget that story and how clearly it illustrates this verse.  Isn't God good to us?! 4) A GOOD THING- Psalms 92:1 says:  "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:"  It is a good thing!  We ought to be doing that good thing today.  Let us give God thanks, and let us sing His praises!!  May God bless you dear friend!  Pastor Mike Mutchler