Tag: His Love endures forever
God is good!
Scripture reading for April 23rd: 2nd Chronicles 1-5
Two great truths about God were voiced in the simple song that was sung when the priests and Solomon moved the Ark of the Covenant into the completed temple. The first is that God is good! God is good in all his ways and character. His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. (Psalm 23:6) He is good to His creation in providing all creatures food and drink to sustain them. He shows mercy in sending rain and bringing forth crops and food for all, no matter how they might treat Him! God is good in His character as well. He is pure and holy and righteous in every way. (Revelation 15:3-4) His perfection and holiness causes the hosts of heaven to adore Him, crying: “Holy, Holy, Holy!” ( Revelation 4:8) Ultimately all nations will come and worship Him for his goodness, justice and truth!
The second truth declared by those who moved the Ark into the Temple was that God’s love endures forever. “God is love.” (1st John 4:16) His nature is good because He is love that is eternal. (Psalm 90:2) He pours out His love on those He has made in His image and likeness! “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) is one of the most quoted verses of the Bible. God’s love moved Him to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to seek out lost men and save them. (Luke 19:10) His love heals the sick, cleanses the defiled, and restores broken lives! His love never fails!
Try singing this simple song today as you go through your day. Thank Him for all the ways that God is good to you! Tell Him that you love Him today and appreciate his eternal love! As you do, remember that as a Christ-follower you now bear His presence and glory as a living stone in his temple! You join Solomon and the hosts of heaven as they worship eternally! “He (God) is good; His love endures forever.” (2nd Chronicles 5:13)
This is the Day!
Scripture reading for June 26th: Psalms 111-118
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1) This messianic psalm begins with thanksgiving to the Lord for his goodness and enduring love. This is a recurring theme of many of the psalms. God’s people know His great goodness and love for us. We are thankful that God has favored us and we speak out loud of our gratefulness. Israel speaks it out, the house of Aaron speaks it out and finally all who fear the Lord speak out, thanking God for his great love!
The next section of this psalm speaks of a great crisis where the psalmist cries out in anguish to the Lord. He was surrounded by nations and enemies that attacked like a swarm of bees. (Psalm 118:10-12) The psalmist was confident that the Lord would be his refuge and even become his “salvation”! The Lord’s “right hand” is extolled as doing mighty things to deliver this man. He is confident he will live and not die and proclaim what the Lord has done! (Psalm 118:15-18) God had chastened him severely, but not given him over to death!
This psalm was the last one in the Great “Hillel”–a series of worship psalms used for the passover celebration. It was probably sung by Jesus and the disciples as they left the upper room for the Garden of Gethsemane. We also know that verses 26 and 27 were quoted by the crowd in Matthew 21:9 as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. They recognized Jesus by shouting “hosanna”–which means “Lord save us”. They waved palm branches and welcomed him. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the House of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and He has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.” (Psalm 118:26-27)
Jesus later quoted Psalm 118:22-23 as He taught in the temple. “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” Jesus was the capstone of the new Temple. The Jews would reject Him as Messiah, but the Lord placed His seal on Jesus through resurrection! As Jesus went to the cross, He cried out to the Lord and by faith knew that this was the day that the Lord had made!