I’m not sure exactly what the Psalmist was referring to, but for me it has plenty of application to my old age. Every morning I get up reeking with arthritis pain, and it takes me a while to get going. And I also find that every little thing I do is more worrisome. These pains and problems tend to drive me more to God in prayer and in the word. I seek Him more now than ever before. So, I conclude with the Palmist that affliction is good for me; it keeps me in line with Him, seeking His will.
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
I don’t always think of my prayer as pleasing God. But if we are His children and our prayers are genuine and with love, He will be pleased, and our prayers will be as incense to Him. Let that be our prayer and our motivation to pray.
And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8).
Just before Jesus ascended to heaven He told His disciples that as soon as He arrived He would send the Holy Spirit back to them. Then He said, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (Jn. 16:8-11).
What does this all mean? Well, let’s break it down. Since Jesus has left, we know that the Holy Spirit has come. And by this passage we know that He is now working to convict (or to convince) the people of this world of three things: of sin, righteousness, and of judgment.
SIN
He works to convict them of sin, Jesus said, “Because they do not believe in…
After reading about how some who are, and have been, in political office, and have used their position to make millions, and I have to work hard for every dollar I make, I wonder, because of the way I feel, if I am guilty of the sin of envy?
So many are living the billionaire lifestyle, not by working but by using people—people that they were supposed to be serving. They are not business people or entrepreneurs; they are scam artists and they know how to work the system.
So anyway, after reading about all this, I think I may feel a little envious. I mean I don’t really want to do what they do, or be like them; but maybe just make more money and make it easier. I try to be content and be honest at my work and treat people fairly and not worry about what others do, but at times its hard. My work has always been hard—like work. And I know no other way to make money. But there are some, like politicians who seem to know how to rake in the cash so quickly and effortlessly. And well, I don’t think it’s right—especially if they are using people and stealing from people. That’s definitely wrong.
So, I’m gonna really work on not being envious of people, especially the wicked, as it says in Psalm 37.
Psalm 37:1-11
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass,
And fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land,
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
There are several ways the Holy Spirit has been described in scripture. Here are five descriptions:
As Wind
On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came suddenly as a “rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2-4). This wind—the Holy Spirit—filled the whole house where believers were gathered together for prayer; and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Thus we see that the Holy Spirit, just like the wind, is invisible, mighty, and awesome. And even though we may be unaware of it, He still is moving all over the world. He rushes in to fill and empower every heart that is prepared by prayer. I believe He makes His presence especially powerful to those who gather together in one accord.
As Water
In John 4:13-15 and in John 7:37-39 we see that Jesus offers living water to all who thirst. This living water in fact was and is the Holy…
There are so many different ways the Holy Spirit helps us to pray. Here are eight ways:
1. He brings to us the Spirit of the Father. Since the Holy Spirit has the same Spirit of the Father, and since He resides in us, He will convey to us that Spirit, which will help us in prayer.
Andrew Murray views this Sprit of the Father as a gift given to us by the Father in order that we (His children) may reproduce all the things He brings to us by His Spirit. He says,
The best gift a good and wise earthly father can bestow on a child is his own spirit. This is the object of a father in education—to reproduce in his child his own disposition and character. If the child is to know and understand his father, if he is to enter into all…
God has such great things in store for you. He wants to give you all of His power through His spirit. He wants to give you that power to do His great work. Here are four ways to get that power:
1. Pray that Christ would be Lord in your Life. When you pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you, pray also for the Lordship of Christ.For unless Christ is Lord in your life, the Holy Spirit can do no work there. He is not even welcome there. So pray that God would help you to make Him Lord, that He would give you the humble submissive spirit of a son—a son that would welcome His Son as Lord, and His Spirit to take control.
2. Believe and obey God. After you have prayed for the Holy Spirit to come in and fill you and for…
As a husband or wife have a role and function in their marriage, in much the same way the Holy Spirit has a special role and function in the Godhead.In connection with the Holy Spirit’s role, I think it is essential, first of all, to understand that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. In John 15:26 Jesus explains the Holy Spirit as one who proceeds from the Father. And I think the Holy Spirit also proceeds from the Son since the Father and the Son are one. This word “proceed” means to flow from. That does not mean that He came from the Father and the Son as to originate from them or to be generated from them; but rather, proceed means that He eternally flows from the Father and the Son as to extend or to advance their life and purpose. Also…
He is holy. He is holy simply because He is God. He is the holy spirit of God and we call Him Holy Spirit. Thus, being God, we know that He is holy. As 1 John 1:5 indicates, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
We also see in His name that…
He is spirit. Being spirit He is never visible and we can not touch Him. But He does communicate and commune with us, from His spirit to ours, as we attempt to live in His spirit. The more we put away the deeds of the flesh and walk in the Spirit, the more we will be able to commune with Him and sense in our spirit and in our mind (which I believe has a connection to the spirit) that He is present…
