Permissible But Not Profitable

1 Corinthians 6:12 ""Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything."

      Lord, I praise and thank You for inspiring Paul to write this because this discussion still goes on in Your church today. Legalism is as evil as Liberalism.  In Corinth some Christians must have felt that since You paid the price for their sins and they now had their "Hell Insurance" and their "Ticket to Heaven", that they could live as they wanted and engage in things that in the Old Testament were against the Law; or they were engaged in things that are not clearly addressed in Scripture.  Whatever the case; through Paul, You were correcting this type of errant thinking.  We are to avoid even the appearance of evil for the sake of the Gospel.
      A good examples for our time might be:

• No food is considered "unclean"- but eating nothing but sweets can kill the body- it is not unlawful but it is not beneficial.
• Exercise is good in moderation- but in excess can kill the body and become an addiction and idol-it is not unlawful but it is not beneficial.
• Hobbies certainly are not in themselves evil- but in excess can replace devotion to God and family- it is not unlawful but it is not beneficial.
• Sports can be healthy and fun- but they can become an idol in themselves taking away devotion to God and family-they are not unlawful but in excess are not beneficial.
• Computers and he Internet can be a blessing-but addiction to Social media, shopping, and the evil found there may not be illegal or addressed specifically in Scripture (Except Pornography and Gambling) -but it can become an idol and is certainly not beneficial.
• Shopping is not forbidden in Scripture and is necessary to buy food and clothing- but overspending and being mastered by  it is not unlawful but it is not beneficial..
• The Scripture does not directly address addiction to drugs including Nicotine, Caffeine, or the illicit and prescription type- but even the unsaved world knows the dangers of those addictions.
• Attaining knowledge certainly not forbidden, but attaining knowledge for knowledge sake is not unlawful but it is not beneficial.

      Paul states that he will not be mastered by anything.  I might be so bold interject "except the mercy, grace, and love of THE Master! "  Anything else that might master me I need to avoid.  Lord, I want You and ONLY YOU to master my mind, heart, and, life!

Judgment or Justification..Which Would I Choose?

1 Corinthians 6:9-10  "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. "

      Oh Lord,   If this is all Your Word said, then I would never inherit the kingdom and I would be doomed to Hell for all eternity!  I was sexually immoral, and greedy, and am sure I was a slanderer at some point too!
In our "all roads lead to Heaven so there is no such thing as sin that would cause eternal judgment" culture mindset, we are so deceived by the evil one.  This is very clear here though, and these offenders need to read this, know this, and tremble!  Then turn to You for forgiveness and restoration.

I praise You, Lord for  this verse:
1 Corinthians 9:11 "And that is what some of you were.  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."

      Dearest Lord,  How can I thank You enough for the words But and WERE here?   I love most of the But and But God statements in the Bible!  I love the ones that are placed in verses that speak of Your grace, power, and mercy!  Were it not for Your saving grace and merciful forgiveness to me, Lord, I would be deceived and so very lost.  I felt I was OK because I had been a church attender as a child.  In my heart of hearts I knew the difference between right and wrong, but had no clue really that the "wrong" would keep me from the Kingdom.  I figured I could do enough good things to outweigh my bad things and because You are a loving God, You would let me into the kingdom. I had not been taught that ALL of my best works were as filthy menstrual rags in Your sight and that Your salvation was a GIFT that I could never earn.
       Thank You for breaking my heart over my sin, forgiving me, and making me part of Your Kingdom!  It was and still is all You and I am still so undeserving!  Help me to walk worthy of Your calling, Lord!

      

The Wicked Will Not Inherit the Kingdom

1 Corinthians 6:9a "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?"

      Lord, this statement is very forthright and clear. There can be no misunderstanding, no loophole to climb through.  You are the holy triune God over all and are completely holy and righteous.  You have commanded us to be holy as You are holy.  You have also told us that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness.  If we are true Family members, we are crucified with You and it is no longer we who live, but You live within us.  Wickedness and holiness cannot abide in the same place with compatibility.  Darkness must flee in the even the tiniest light of a small match.  Lord, how much more does the light of the living Light of the World, whose glory will one day make all artificial and natural light unnecessary because Your glory will light our kingdom! 
      We are called to be light in our homes, in our public life, in our schools, and in our churches.  Oh Lord, awaken and purge Your church by saving those "wicked ones" or removing them; thwarting the plans of Your enemy to destroy us and our witness to the world!

Let God Handle Wrongs Done to You

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 "Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers."

      Lord, This is a sad commentary for back then and is also a sad commentary for our day as well.  The fact is that we are prideful and have an entitlement mindset in our society and it permeates the Family as well.   We think...I don't deserve to be treated this way!  In some cases we do.  In other cases not...but whichever the case, You have told us to be forgiving, gracious, and merciful to the offender.  They will have to answer to You for their sin, we must answer to You for our response to their sin.  You are the ultimate judge.
      If we would first think of what our reaction or response will do to Your name and to Your church, we probably would do as You have commanded.  Shamefully speaking, we are more apt to react in a sinful way. 
      Oh Lord!  Keep me from presumptuous sin.  Help me to be immediately willing to suffer wrong graciously and be forgiving instead of bitter and spiteful.  Help me to always remember that "Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord, I will repay." and then leave the matter with You.

Some Things That Happen in Church Should Stay in Church!

1 Corinthians 6:3-6  "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!  I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?  But instead, one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of unbelievers!"

     Lord, I forgot that we do judge the angels as Your Saints!  So how much more should we be able to judge the things of life?  You give wisdom and authority...what more would we need but lovingkindness, mercy, grace and Your justice?
      I praise You today for who You are!  You would still be God even if You did not create time and the universes and all that is in them!  You still would be God if You never created the sun, moon, planets, and man...the jewel of Your creation formed in Your image; let alone love us with the phenominal loveingkindness You show us.
      God!  All powerful, ALL knowing, ALL loving, ALL truth, ALL mercy, ALL grace, ALL righteousness, ALL forgiving and forbearing, All goodness,  NEVER ending, and NEVER changing God!
      So, if You are all these things and more, Lord, why is it so hard for us humans...Your kids...to trust You with the little things of life.  Paul says here that even the Christian who is of little account (meaning not great in wealth, honor, prestige, or power) has all he needs to judge wrong in the church as long as he is faithful.  Why would we go before a pagan court of unbelievers with our issues?
      Lord, I know there had to be more than one man in the Corinthian church who should have been able to make judgments between believers.  This was a sizable church at the time.  It is amazing how we humans can put off the uncomfortable responsibilities You give us and rationalize them away.  I know I have been given the responsibility as an older woman and believer to address modesty both at church in the choir and at work.  I don't like to have to the one who does that, but You have commanded it, so I do it.
      Oh, Lord, if only we Family members would live our lives as You have commanded us:
Love your neighbor as yourselves
Do to others as you would have them do to you
Do not envy or covet
Be content with such as we have, and be grateful
If we are reviled, revile not again
Do not return evil with evil, but return evil with good
Blessed are the peacemakers
Don't let the sun go down on your anger
Love one another as I have loved you
Forgive one another and do not let the seed of bitterness grow giving Satan a foot hold
Love selflessly
Extend grace and mercy
If you have something against a brother, go to him in private and work out the difference.
Only if he will not repent do we go to him again with witnesses, and if he still does not repent, he is to be put out of the church for his good and for the good of the church.
      Only then will the church shine like a light and beacon in this dark and perverted world.  If we live and act like the unbelieving world, how will any one be able to tell us by our love one for another?

Thankfulness or Complaining...Yikes!

Philippians 2: 14-15 "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." NLT
2:14-16 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. " NIV
The NKJV uses the words, "complaining and disputing" and the KJV uses, "murmurings and disputings".

      O Lord, I have failed to follow this command!  I ask your forgiveness.  Every time I think I have this one licked, dead, and buried, it rears its ugly head in my life again.
They gave me a new computer at work and I complained because it had a system on it I was not used to and I could not find things I needed to help the students.
      I had problems with my computer later and complained again.  I don't mean that I just called the help desk to see if it could be fixed...I complained about it aloud with my co-workers and then to my husband at home.  They fixed it and I still complained because it was not what I was used to anymore.  I murmured because I did not have the time to train our new employee as I thought I should.
      I have complained about the weather, I have complained about chiggers and spiders, about limbs, branches, and twigs in the yard, and about a broken lawnmower. 
      O Lord, I know that a whole generation of Israelites lost their lives because of their griping and complaining instead of having a grateful heart.  I do not deserve anything less.  I thank You for Your undeserved gift  of grace, mercy, and forgiveness!
      I have failed to be thankful that I have a job in a great place to work with wonderful people, about having a second lawnmower to mow the yard with, about having shelter from the heat, rain, cold, and wind.  I have failed to thank You for the folks who are so willing to help me with my computer.  I have thanked them, but not You!  You gave me a great new employee who is as sharp as any I have ever trained and who basically trained herself!  THANK YOU!
Lord, You are so very good to me, and I am SO undeserving.  Help me, Lord!  I do want to be a light to the dark world and an encouragement to other Christians.  I can be neither with an ungrateful spirit. 

We, the Saints, will Rule and Judge the World

1 Corinthians 6:2 "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?"
Daniel 7: 18, 22 "But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever.'"
Luke 22: 29-30 "And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,
so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Revelation 2:26 "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--"
Revelation 20:4 "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

      Lord, I must confess that for years, I have not given this much thought .   You have given Your Family an awesome (scarey but wonderful) responsibility and privilege.  I realize that ONLY by Your indwelling Spirit do we have the wisdom and power to do any of this.  In ourselves there might be favoritism and misguided loyalties.
      If we have the Spirit now, we in the church...especially the church leaders whom You have appointed, should be able to settle trivial disputes within the Family.  Lord, how we need revival!  Awaken Your church, Lord, to do what You have called us to do and to be!

Family Business Must Stay in the Family

1 Corinthians 6:1 "When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers." NLT
"If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?" NIV

      Dearest Lord and Savior, from the time of Abraham and Moses we see that You have set up systems for Your people to judge Your people. When You came to us in bodily form, You charged the leadership in the church to judge within the brethren.  Sadly, in our day most church leaders are not willing to settle disputes or deal with sinful behavior within the church so believers end up in civil courts.  The unbelieving world looks on and says, "They are no different than we are.  Why would we want to be like them?" 
      One of my dear pastors once said that if his wife or one of his children did something wrong, we would never hear about it from him.  He refused to "air his dirty laundry out for everyone to see".  They would deal with it within the family.  What sage advice that was!   Wives and husbands would not bad-mouth each other to others and parents would never complain about their children to anyone outside their immediate family.  Would any of us want our sins to be displayed out for others to see?  Of course not!  The Golden Rule still applies!  Oh, that our families within the churches would do the same.
      Oh, Lord!  I know I cannot be responsible for anyone else's actions.  But today I pray for our Christian families and the greater Family.  I pray that neither my actions, nor the actions of other Family members would be the reason for an unbeliever to turn away from You.  Lord, please give the Church leaders wisdom and courage to deal with issues within the church and to judge rightly and lovingly so we might be a bright light in this very dark world.

Purge the Evil From Among You

1 Corinthians 5:12-13 "It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, "You must remove the evil person from among you."
References Deuteronomy "You must purge the evil among you."
For idol worship-17:7
For giving false testimony 19:19
For fornication and adultery 22:21, 24
For kidnapping to enslave a brother Israelite 24:7

      Lord, Your churches to be the light of the world.  A church who judges the unbeliever does not show Your love.  The church that allows blatant,open sin that is described in Scripture cannot be a light in the darkness, but allows darkness to diminish its light.  The church becomes indistinguishable from the world and is ineffective.  That person's sin becomes the sin of the church as a whole.
      We must never use this passage as an excuse to put folks out of the church we just don't like or do so  in a vengeful way; but need to discipline the offender so they do not infect the church as a whole and cripple its effectiveness in the community.
      Dearest Lord, may I walk worthy of Your calling so as never to be a stumbling block or even a bit of darkness in Your church.  Convict me, Lord, of unconfessed sin so that I may confess and repent.  I love You, Lord!

Treatment is Different Between Believers and Unbelievers

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 "When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.  But I wasn't talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don't even eat with such people." NLT

      Lord, there should be a stark difference between the church in the world as far as behavior is concerned.  You did not hide in a church when You were here, but went out among the lost and shared Your love with them.  You were chided for it by the religious leaders. 
      Paul and You are saying here that within the church none of these things should be tolerated.  In some of our "churches" today there are gay couples who have been "married" by gay or lesbian "pastors".  There are those who worship money and power, who are drunkards on every day but Sunday and who are dishonest and swindle others in business.
      You are saying to Your church, clean up your act and household if you want to win the world to Me.  My Bride must be holy as I am holy.  if someone claims to be Christian and yet does not obey Me, put them out and do not even associate with them.  Lord, give the leadership in Your churches the boldness to obey you in this way.

The Bread of Sincerity and Truth

1 Corinthians 5: 7b-8  "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth"

Lord,  I have made some recipes in my time that turned out terrible because I added the wrong ingredient or the wrong measurements. If I want to have a dish turn out right I must pay attention and follow the recipe very closely.  I believe You are instructing the church in much the same way.
In the Passover Festival, the Jews made "Matzo", a bread without yeast.  Since you are our Passover Lamb, and everyday is our festival, our lives should be without sin so we can celebrate it aright.  If I harbor malice and bitterness, it will infect those around me like yeast does in bread dough.  I want my life to flow sincerity and truth into the lives of others.

A Not So Funny Story About Yeast

1 Corinthians 5 :6-7a  NIV "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are."

      Lord, all through the books of Exodus and Leviticus You instructed Israel about times they were to make and eat bread without yeast.  Yeast was used as a symbol of sin. A tiny bit can make a small bit of bread dough rise very large, too much can cause a real problem.
      My twin sister Chris and I found this to be very true!  She decided she would like to have homemade root bear for her wedding reception.  She and I found a recipe and gathered many glass gallon jugs...yes, this was a time when we didn't have much plastic anything. :o)  The recipe called for a cake of yeast to be put in each jug.  We did not know that a cake is 1/4 if a bar of yeast.  Mom had always had bars of yeast at the house so we didn't know there was anything different.  We added a bar of yeast to each jug.  We laid the bottles on their sides and stacked them up out on the front porch under a blanket to "cure".  She got married on August 3rd, so it was hot outside.  One night just before the wedding, we were all in the house eating supper when we heard an explosion and the sound of shattering glass coming from the porch.  Then it sounded like a war out there.  We went running out to see what was happening and there was shattered glass and sticky syrupy root beer and lots of shattered glass all over the porch!  The quadruple amount of yeast we used was far more than the jugs could handle.  It was only then that my mom, who was not home when we made the batch, asked us how we made it and instructed us to the truth.  We had bees on our porch for a very long time even after we washed the wooden floor many times.
     Lord, a tiny bit of sin not taken out of my life can explode just like those bottles affecting everyone and everything around me.  Paul is using an analogy with these Corinthians they would well understand.
The NLT put is this way:   "Your boasting about this is terrible. Don't you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old "yeast" by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are."
      Paul is telling them they are no longer like the world as they are a new creation.  They need to rid the church of this sinful man, to stop boasting about the fact that they embraced him and his sin, and make it like a fresh batch without the sin that infects and will destroy the whole church.
      Lord, convict me early and often of my sin so I might repent and confess and not infect those around me.  I never want to be the cause of others sin, and certainly never want to be the cause of the death of Your church in any location!

Saved on the Day the Lord Returns

1 Corinthians 5:5 "hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature  may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord" NIV

      Lord, I must admit that this sounds very harsh.  I have a note beside this verse from a sermon I heard long ago: When a believing sinner dies, the sin nature dies with him.  So death would deliver this man from his sin and he would still not lose his salvation, but his sin would no longer infect the church. 
     The New Living Translation put it this way:
"Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed  and he himself  will be saved on the day the Lord  returns." 
      Either way, this man's well being and the well being of the church are both of utmost importance.  This is not a vengeful act, as it is seen by the outside world, but a very loving act. 
      Oh Lord, as a mom I have had to in love deliver some harsh discipline to my children when they were young.  It was not meant to be a hateful abusive act, but was meant to correct harmful behavior that would be a detriment not only to them, but to our family unit or the others around them.  Giving or receiving discipline is never fun, nor it intended to be.  But again, it is like surgery or very bitter medicine that cures the diseased part of the body so the whole body can live and be healthy.  The healing process can be very painful indeed, but the outcome can be wonderful!

His Faithful Promises are My Armor and Protection

Psalm 91:3-6,9-16,   "For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation."

      Lord, You are very great and greatly to be praised!   Thank You for Angel's protection and Your lovingkindnesses toward us.  We do not deserve any of it.  The human heart is sick and desperately wicked, who can know it?  All of our righteous works are like filthy rags.
      There is a condition to all of these blessings though.  You tell me, "If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter",  You will do these things for those who love me, those who trust in my name."
      If my relationship with you is nonexistent, my love for You is lukewarm, I am willfully sinful and unrepentant,and I do not fully trust in You; then these promises do not hold true for me. You tell me that Your faithful promises are my armor in this spiritual battle I am in and that no evil will conquer me.  
      You will cover you with Your feathers. You will shelter me with Your wings.  If a baby chick slips out from under Mom's feathers in a storm he is in grave danger.  I read a story of a bad fire on a farm.  When it was out, the farmer went to check damages and kicked aside a charred hen.  Under her dead body were several live chicks totally unharmed!  What a picture for me, Lord!
      I will go into the fray again today as I do everyday I live on this sin-cursed earth.  Lord, You are my shield and my buckler, my strength, protector, deliverer,guide, and wisdom.  Show me clearly the enemy's plan of attack go I might hide behind You and let You fight the battle.  Help me to remember I am but dust and it is You who are my all in all and the battle surely us Yours! 
      I thank You and praise You for my so great salvation and all it means to me each and every day.  Cover my mouth when I would speak in anger and frustration and give me grace to give grace and mercy to others.  Change my heart, Lord to be Your heart, not mine. 

He Alone is My Refuge and I Trust Him

Psalm 91 1-2 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him."

      Lord, a shelter is a place of protection; a place out of the storm, a deep bunker to go into in a time of war; it protects from the elements or the attack of the enemy like a castle or fort.
      If one is in the shadow of something, they are harder for the enemy to see, and are protected from the harsh sun of mid day.  The bigger the object that casts the shadow the more protection it gives.If I am outside on a 95-105 degree day, I would choose the shadow of a mighty oak over the shadow of a boxwood bush.  Better yet, a cool deep cave might be even better!
      Lord, on a very hot day in a war, I would want to be in the shadow of a huge mountain in a deep bunker or cave.  But I am in a war...a spiritual war that rages daily so I need protection and shelter for my soul.  You, O Lord, are both for me.  You are my shelter and I abide in Your shadow.  I am like a three year old, who is faced with a bunch of bullies, cowering behind my daddy who is well over six feet tall and a weight lifter weighing in at almost 400 pounds!  If he is for me, who can stand against me?
      But, I must dwell in that shadow if I want to be protected.  If I get cocky and come out from behind Dad to face the bullies and just expect him to back me up... he will, as all good dads will, let me take a few lumps to teach me humility and the need to remain in His protection and then step in to save me from death.  I have to remember the battle is the Lord's!
      Thank You, Abba, for your loving protection and Your BIG shadow.  Keep me humble, please, Lord, lest I forget.

More Praises!

I love You, Lord!
Psalm 104 "Let all that I am praise the LORD. O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.
You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains.

They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth— wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength.

The trees of the LORD are well cared for— the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.

You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set.  You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening.

O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.  Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea. They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied.  But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath,  life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the LORD continue forever! The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made!  The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains smoke at his touch. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever. Let all that I am praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" NLT

Precious Lord and Creator/Sustainer of  all this is, was, or will be,  I too join David in praising You for Your goodness to us and to all You created.  You did not create and then leave things to run themselves as some think.  You  provide food and water for your creation until, in loving discipline, You cause a famine or floods  in the land to bring Your people back to You.  I will praise You as long as I have breath!

Time for PRAISING!

Precious Lord,
      I am taking a break from Corinthians for a couple of days to just praise You, my great and mighty compassionate and merciful Lord and Heavenly Father.  I can get so caught up in the daily "stuff" of life and then start to feel empty and detached.  I have to take a break and just recall who You are and praise You for it, then praise You for all You have done.
So, Lord today and tomorrow are PRAISE DAYS!

Let's start with Psalm 103:
"A psalm of David. Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me."

In here I  find 14  things that You do for me.  I am taking David's "He" and will replace it with "You" and his "us" and replacing it with "me".:

1. You forgive all my sins (How can I ever praise You enough for that?)
2. You heal all my diseases (You have for me and will ultimately heal me in heaven if not here on earth.)
3. You redeem me from death  (How can I ever praise You enough for that?)
4. You crown me with love and tender mercies.  (How can I ever praise You enough for that?  I don't deserve it!)
5. You fill my life with good things. (How can I ever praise You enough for that?  I see the lives of so many who are suffering without You.)
6. (You cause) My youth is renewed like the eagle's!  (How can I ever praise You enough for that?  For my age, I am strong and healthy.)
7. The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. (Thank You that I am never alone with an accuser.) You revealed Your character to Moses and Your deeds to the people of Israel. 
8. The LORD is compassionate and merciful  (How can I ever praise You enough for that? I don't deserve it.)
9. You are slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love (How can I ever praise You enough for that? Lord, I can be quick with my anger and hate it that I am...but You are not!) 
10. You will not constantly accuse me (Thank You, Lord!)
11. Nor remain angry forever.  (Thank You, Lord!)
12. You do not punish me for all my sins (How can I ever praise You enough for that?  If You did, I would surely be dead and roasting in the Devil's hell long ago!)
13. You do not deal harshly with me, as I deserve.  (Hallelujah!  Your mercy and grace are so amazing!)
14. You have removed my sins as far from me as the east is from the west.  (Thank You, Lord!)

Now, Lord, David tells me why You deal with me in such a way:

• For Your unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. (I will never grasp this entirely...You are SO not like us!)
• The LORD is like a father to me, His child, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.  (My Abba!  My Daddy!)
• For You know how weak I am; You remember I am only dust.  (Like a father with a toddler!)
• My days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, I bloom and die. (You cause me to bloom, even if it for a short time)
• The wind blows, and I am gone— as though I had never been here.  (But will live forever with YOU!)
• But the love of the LORD remains forever with me because I fear him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!  (So true!  Thank You, Lord that my children walk with You and they are bringing their children up in the fear of the Lord)
• The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.  (Lord I am thankfully not in charge, nor will ever be heal accountable for being so!)

 I praise You today!:

Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.
Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!
Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the LORD.