The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God

Ps. 139:1---Lord, You have searched me and known me.
Ps. 139:7---Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? (HCSB)


 Omnipotent----Omnipresent----Omniscient
 Three strange-looking words that describe our Almighty God. Webster's Dictionary defines these  words like this:

 Omnipotent: having unlimited or absolute power or authority
 Omnipresent: being present or in existence everywhere at once
 Omniscient: knowing everything

 It's hard for us with our limited understanding to comprehend the total implications of what  these words tell us of the character and attributes of God. I mean just think about it. God has  unlimited power and authority; He is present everywhere at the same time, and He knows  everything there is to know. It's hard to fathom! How can someone know everything and be  everywhere at once? I don't know, but God does---it's easy for Him---it's just the way He is.

 In my Holman Christian Standard Bible the heading under Psalm 139 reads "The All-Knowing,  Ever-Present God." So the psalm is mainly speaking of God's omniscience and His omnipresence,  but it also implies and testifies to His omnipotence. Let's face it-- if God is all-knowing and ever-  present, then He has got to be a supreme being of the utmost power.

 Let's see what Psalm 139 teaches us regarding God's omniscience and omnipresence:
 vs.1: God knows us and searches our hearts.
 vs. 2: He knows what we do and when we do it. He knows what we're thinking.
 vs. 3: He knows where we go. He is aware of all our ways.
 vs. 4: He knows what we want to say before we say it.
 vs. 5: He encircles us and places His hand on us.
 vs. 7-12: We can't hide from His Spirit or His presence.
 vs. 13-16a: He created us and knew us before birth.
 vs. 16b: He planned all our days before our life began.
 vs. 17-18: His thoughts are great and vast. 


 Wow! God knew us and had our life planned out before we were even born. (v.16) He formed us  and knit us together in our mother's womb. (v.13) That sort of takes the whole idea that the Pro-  Choice movement likes to push on us, (that the fetus is just a lifeless clump of cells), and blows  it right out of the water. God created us and He knows us. He sees what we do and where we go.  (v.2-3) He even knows what we say and think! (v.2 & 4) It kind of reminds me of the old Christmas  song by Gillespie and Coots, "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town". If you recall, the lyrics in the song  say--"He sees you when you're sleeping--He knows when you're awake--He knows if you've been  bad or good so be good for goodness sake." ---The difference here being that we know God is  areal person. He does see us. Even when we try to distance ourselves from God and hide in the  darkness, He is there and He sees. (v.11-12, 16) We can't hide from God. Wherever we run to in  our attempt to flee, God is there waiting for us.

 When I was a teenager I wrote a song based on Psalm 139. It was entitled "You Will See". The  main idea of the lyrics was that no matter what we do or where we go, God sees. And He  cares. He's not an omnipotent God who's just watching and waiting for us to mess up so He can  zap us with a lightning bolt like the Zeus of Greek mythology. Oh, He is a just God, and the evil  will reap what they sow. (Prov. 22:8, Gal. 6:7) But He watches over us with love as a loving  father leading His children. He wants us to follow Him so that He can take care of us and keep us  from harm.

 I'd like to end this blog entry with the prayer which closes Psalm 139. I hope that you'll pray this  prayer as you read the words:


 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any  offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. (Ps. 139:23-24)(HCSB)

A Godly Person Described

Lord, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain? 
(Ps. 15:1)(HCSB)

This short psalm goes on to answer these two questions by briefly describing a godly person through how they live their life. By what they do and by what they don't do. I strive each and every day to be a godly man and to live my life accordingly. Sometimes I fall short of the mark, but through the power of the Holy Spirit I'm endeavoring to become more like Jesus.

Psalm 4:3 states that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself. He has set us apart so that we will live differently than the ungodly world around  us, seeking to honor God by pursuing godliness in all we do.

 What kind of life should we live?
 2 Peter 3:11--You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and  speed its coming. (NIV)
 Is godliness worth it?1 Timothy 4:8--For physical training is of some value, but godliness has  value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (NIV)
 Do I have anything to gain?I Timothy 6:6--But godliness with contentment is great gain. (NIV)

 What should I pursue in my life?1 Timothy 6:11--But you, man of God, flee from all this, and  pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (NIV)

 Let's take a look back at Psalm 15 to see some practical examples of how we can pursue  godliness. According to verses 2-5, the godly person is one who:

• v.2>lives honestly, practices righteousness and acknowledges the truth in his heart
• v.3>does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor
• v.4>who despises the one rejected by the Lord, but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his word whatever the cost
• v.5>who does not lend his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent

 Verse 5 then closes the Psalm with a promise to us: If we do all these things, we will never be  moved! 
 So let's take this picture of a godly person that King David has painted for us here in Psalm 15 and  put it to good use as a guideline for godly living in our pursuit of godliness!

     Singing His Praises!
     Joey C.

How Can We Know if God is Pleased with our Worship?

 
When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing  meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot  bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have  become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. (Isaiah 1:12-14)(NIV)

 Do we want our worship to be pleasing to God? If so, then we need to ask ourselves every so often a few  questions. Is our worship about us, about what we want, about what we can get out of it or about what we  are giving? Or is it truly about God, about what He wants, about what He has done for us and about giving  Him the praise that He's worthy of?

 The article below is taken from the NIV Quest Study Bible and I hope it will give you some new insight  into  what worship should and shouldn't be:

 The temple in Isaiah's day had ample space around the altar of burnt offering for one to observe another's  spirituality. Even the presiding priests might be impressed by the sacrifice of a large, costly animal.

 Prophets such as Isaiah were aghast at such showy displays of worship. At times, God swiftly punished  prideful, self-centered worship. For example, when King Uzziah tried to offer incense in the temple and lost  his temper when priests tried to stop him (Israel was not to have priest-kings like its idolatrous neighbors),  God afflicted him with leprosy.

 True worship isn't showy. It does not call attention to or glorify the worshiper; it honors only God. It is not a  mindless formality, either. It is an affair of the heart, characterized by the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Jn.  14:6), fervent prayer (Jms. 5:16) and open-hearted reading of God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God shows he is  pleased with such worship by being present with us.

A Prayer for Love of God

Lord, give us hearts never to forget your love; but to remain there whatever we do, whether we sleep or wake, live or die, or rise again to the life that is to come. For your love is eternal life and everlasting rest; for this is life eternal to know you and your infinite goodness. O let its flame never be quenched in our hearts; let it grow and brighten, till our whole souls are glowing and shining with its light and warmth.

--Johann Arndt

Praise to a Compassionate God

Hallelujah! My soul, praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord all my life;

 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. (Psalm 146:1-2)(HCSB) 
Compassionate. Could that word be used to accurately describe you or the way you act towards others? What does it really mean anyway? My  dictionary defines "compassionate" as: having or displaying compassion. So, what's compassion?  "Compassion" is defined as: sympathetic concern for the suffering of another, together with the  inclination to give aid or support or to show mercy. I'm not sure that I could truthfully say that  I'm always very compassionate. In fact, I'll just be honest and admit that I know I'm not as  compassionate as I should be most of the time. But I do know one person who is: God. And He is  actually three Persons in One: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit---all of whom are loving  and compassionate. 

You know, Psalm 146 gives us some examples of God's compassion, but the Bible records evidence of His great compassion towards us throughout the Old and New Testament. We can see it demonstrated time and again in Jesus' ministry in the gospel accounts. He was constantly reaching out to those around Him with compassion, touching and healing those who were shunned and outcasts, loving children who were considered bothersome by others, showing true concern for "sinners" who were ridiculed by the religious elite, cleansing lepers who were defiled in the eyes of society, caring for the poor and the hungry who many simply ignored. Even in the midst of some of the greatest miracles recorded in the Bible, it's clear that Jesus' compassionate heart is what compelled Him to do the impossible. In Matt. 9:35-36 we read, "Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like a sheep without a shepherd." (HCSB) So it's clear that Jesus ministered to the needy out of love and with great compassion. Let's take a quick look back at Psalm 146:6-9 and see some of the ways that our Lord is merciful and compassionate. 

• vs.6--He remains faithful
• vs.7--He executes justice for the exploited, He gives food to the hungry, He frees prisoners
• vs.8--He opens the eyes of the blind, He raises up those who are oppressed, He loves the righteous
• vs.9--He protects foreigners, He helps orphans and widows, He frustrates the ways of the wicked

Here are some other scriptures to note which proclaim God's great compassion: Ex. 22:27, 33:19, Dt. 4:31, 32:36, Neh. 9:17,19, Ps. 51:1, 103:8, 145:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Rm. 9:15, James 5:11 And one of my favorites, revealing God as our loving, Heavenly Father, is Psalm 103:13--"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." (HCSB) 
With a merciful God like ours, who is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love" (Joel 2:13), it's easy to echo the psalmist and say: I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. (Psalm 146:2)(HCSB)