July 8th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Psalm 98-100, 102, 104

I LOVE the imagery in Psalm 104. Creation is just so incredible to me - it's unfathomable really. There's an excellent sermon by John Piper on this psalm called The Pleasure of God in His Creation.

V 31 declares that God rejoices in His creation and Piper points out that He rejoices in His creation for several reasons..... because His creation is an expression of His glory, His creation praises Him, it reveals His incomparable wisdom and power, and His creation points us beyond creation itself and to the Creator.

God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us always to look at his creation and say: If the work of his hands is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself!!

These are but the backside of his glory seen through a glass darkly. What will it be to see the Creator himself! Not his works! Not even a billion galaxies will satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul's end. (John Piper)

Psalm 100 is another one of my favourite psalms. John Piper's message Education for Exultation is a great sermon on this passage.

He shows how this psalm reflects the truth that our head knowledge and heart expression are inextricably linked. Praise that is not rooted in knowledge is empty and gives Him no glory or honour. Knowledge that does not result in praise, fails.

What knowledge do we need? Why are we to praise Him? Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture...For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:3&5

Verse 3 stresses the authority and the power of God: he is God, he is the Creator, he owns us. Verse 5 underlines why all this authority and power is good news. He's good. He's loving. He's faithful. And all this lasts forever.

If they rejoiced and thanked and praised and blessed the Lord for his goodness and love and faithfulness in those days, how much more should we today after knowing the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 105-106