Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; 10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
It was John and Charles Wesley who first penned the question, “How goes it with your soul?”
Spiritual self-examination on a regular basis for the Christian is a good thing, as we so easily find ourselves drifting away from the Lord.
How would you describe your relationship with God today? Are you close to Him or is there some kind of spiritual disconnect? Christians are saved, but God can seem so far away at times.
One of the things we do at a Communion service is to take time to reflect on our relationship with Jesus, as well as our fellowship with Him. Here we are reminded of what He did for us on the Cross of Calvary, but it’s not only at the Table where we need to ask ourselves if we are growing in our knowledge of Him and in our love for Him.
What we need to remember is that our relationship with God through Christ is sealed by His blood. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ.” This relationship has a value that cannot be overstated, because it enables sinners to be reconciled to a Holy God, and that alone should motivate us to a deeper relationship with Him.
There is a huge difference between knowing about a person and actually knowing that person. We know a lot about God from His creation. We can even be saved and still be limited in our relationship with God and our knowledge of Him. But like all relationships, we have to build our relationship with God, because it will not come naturally. It takes a conscious decision of the will to want to be closer to Him than we are.
God loves us. The Bible is very clear on that, and He desires to have a close relationship with His children. When we stray away from Him, He will often chastise us to bring us back into a proper relationship with Him.
King David’s passion was for God. He wrote in verse 1, “my soul thirsts for you.” Acts 13:22 tells us, “He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’”
A. W. Tozer in his book, The Pursuit of God, wrote: “Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him, the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking. Complacency is a deadly foe to all spiritual growth.”
What is your passion?
Everyone is passionate for someone or something, and that passion drives them to devote their time, talent, and energy to their passion. Now, there is nothing wrong with being passionate about things like hobbies or showing great enthusiasm and passion for our careers. God is the one who gave us those passions and the skills to do the hobby in the first place. There is a famous line from the movie Chariots of Fire by Eric Liddell: “When I run I feel His pleasure.” There is some debate as to whether he actually said that, but the principle is good. Use your passion to bring glory to God, and you’ve got your priorities right. The problem comes when we have a greater passion for those things rather than for God. He must be first in our lives. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
When someone receives recognition for their accomplishments without giving God the praise, they are trying to steal God's glory. He will not share His glory with anyone.
Those who pursue God will enjoy closeness with Him and will get to know Him in a greater way. We cannot neglect our relationship with God and grow spiritually. We will miss the riches of His presence in our daily communion with Him.
David wrote, “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.” And he longed to see it again. Moses, just after God gave him the Ten Commandments, said to the Lord, “Now show me your glory.”
The Apostle Paul’s prayer was that he would “know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”
As the world becomes darker and darker, we should be seeking even harder for the glory of God. The cry from a heart longing for God to reveal His power and glory again in the church and in the world is our only hope.
Those who are passionate for God like David was, will experience His love and grace in new ways, and that in turn will help to grow our relationship even more. In verse 6 David says, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” The KJV says, “I will meditate on Thee.”
The person who is building a deeper relationship and fellowship with God will meditate on the Lord throughout their daily lives, and not just for an hour a week when it’s time to “do church.”
Instead, those who pursue the Lord’s minds are filled with the thoughts and the will of God.
The joys of this world, as intense and as amazing as they can be, do not last. Everything around us, all we have and all we see, including our closest friends and family – all of these things will come to an end eventually. The only thing that really matters is our relationship with God, made possible by His Son Jesus.
CS Lewis wrote, “This world has many amusements, but it has few pleasures. Pleasure is God's invention. Satan has never been able to manufacture a single genuine lasting pleasure. We are driven back to God for the true enjoyment of life.”
This is what David meant when he wrote in verse 7, “You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”
Sin can and does have a devastating effect on our relationship with God. And until such time as we deal with our sin, we will remain alienated from God. This is why it is such good news to know that we can deal with our sin, by turning to Christ and putting our faith in the saving power of His blood. Confession and repentance through Jesus is our way back to God.
Holy Communion is a reminder of God's love for us. It is a reminder of the reason He died on the cross for us. It is also a reminder of how we can turn back to Him when we have sinned. Our passion for God will determine the priority we give Him in our lives.
We need to decide for ourselves though, just how seriously we’re prepared to take our relationship with Him.
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; 10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
It was John and Charles Wesley who first penned the question, “How goes it with your soul?”
Spiritual self-examination on a regular basis for the Christian is a good thing, as we so easily find ourselves drifting away from the Lord.
How would you describe your relationship with God today? Are you close to Him or is there some kind of spiritual disconnect? Christians are saved, but God can seem so far away at times.
One of the things we do at a Communion service is to take time to reflect on our relationship with Jesus, as well as our fellowship with Him. Here we are reminded of what He did for us on the Cross of Calvary, but it’s not only at the Table where we need to ask ourselves if we are growing in our knowledge of Him and in our love for Him.
What we need to remember is that our relationship with God through Christ is sealed by His blood. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ.” This relationship has a value that cannot be overstated, because it enables sinners to be reconciled to a Holy God, and that alone should motivate us to a deeper relationship with Him.
There is a huge difference between knowing about a person and actually knowing that person. We know a lot about God from His creation. We can even be saved and still be limited in our relationship with God and our knowledge of Him. But like all relationships, we have to build our relationship with God, because it will not come naturally. It takes a conscious decision of the will to want to be closer to Him than we are.
God loves us. The Bible is very clear on that, and He desires to have a close relationship with His children. When we stray away from Him, He will often chastise us to bring us back into a proper relationship with Him.
King David’s passion was for God. He wrote in verse 1, “my soul thirsts for you.” Acts 13:22 tells us, “He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’”
A. W. Tozer in his book, The Pursuit of God, wrote: “Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him, the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking. Complacency is a deadly foe to all spiritual growth.”
What is your passion?
Everyone is passionate for someone or something, and that passion drives them to devote their time, talent, and energy to their passion. Now, there is nothing wrong with being passionate about things like hobbies or showing great enthusiasm and passion for our careers. God is the one who gave us those passions and the skills to do the hobby in the first place. There is a famous line from the movie Chariots of Fire by Eric Liddell: “When I run I feel His pleasure.” There is some debate as to whether he actually said that, but the principle is good. Use your passion to bring glory to God, and you’ve got your priorities right. The problem comes when we have a greater passion for those things rather than for God. He must be first in our lives. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
When someone receives recognition for their accomplishments without giving God the praise, they are trying to steal God's glory. He will not share His glory with anyone.
Those who pursue God will enjoy closeness with Him and will get to know Him in a greater way. We cannot neglect our relationship with God and grow spiritually. We will miss the riches of His presence in our daily communion with Him.
David wrote, “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.” And he longed to see it again. Moses, just after God gave him the Ten Commandments, said to the Lord, “Now show me your glory.”
The Apostle Paul’s prayer was that he would “know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”
As the world becomes darker and darker, we should be seeking even harder for the glory of God. The cry from a heart longing for God to reveal His power and glory again in the church and in the world is our only hope.
Those who are passionate for God like David was, will experience His love and grace in new ways, and that in turn will help to grow our relationship even more. In verse 6 David says, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” The KJV says, “I will meditate on Thee.”
The person who is building a deeper relationship and fellowship with God will meditate on the Lord throughout their daily lives, and not just for an hour a week when it’s time to “do church.”
Instead, those who pursue the Lord’s minds are filled with the thoughts and the will of God.
The joys of this world, as intense and as amazing as they can be, do not last. Everything around us, all we have and all we see, including our closest friends and family – all of these things will come to an end eventually. The only thing that really matters is our relationship with God, made possible by His Son Jesus.
CS Lewis wrote, “This world has many amusements, but it has few pleasures. Pleasure is God's invention. Satan has never been able to manufacture a single genuine lasting pleasure. We are driven back to God for the true enjoyment of life.”
This is what David meant when he wrote in verse 7, “You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”
Sin can and does have a devastating effect on our relationship with God. And until such time as we deal with our sin, we will remain alienated from God. This is why it is such good news to know that we can deal with our sin, by turning to Christ and putting our faith in the saving power of His blood. Confession and repentance through Jesus is our way back to God.
Holy Communion is a reminder of God's love for us. It is a reminder of the reason He died on the cross for us. It is also a reminder of how we can turn back to Him when we have sinned. Our passion for God will determine the priority we give Him in our lives.
We need to decide for ourselves though, just how seriously we’re prepared to take our relationship with Him.