Ps 97-99

 8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
         Let the hills be joyful together
          9 before the LORD,
         For He is coming to judge the earth.
         With righteousness He shall judge the world,
         And the peoples with equity

Judgement is so often associated in our minds with punishment, rather than justice and restoration: God's judgement is meant to bring joy.
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Psalms 94-96

1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—
         O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
         Render punishment to the proud.
 3 LORD, how long will the wicked,
         How long will the wicked triumph?
         
 4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
         All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.


The Psalmist wrote about people, but to us it has been revealed that we fight not against flesh and blodd, but against spiritual wickedness. Demons speak and undermine the people of God. They us our flesh, they use our friends, they use the world system, but when we struggle we should remember these prayers of psalm 94:


18 If I say, "My foot slips,"
         Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.
 19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
         Your comforts delight my soul.
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1 Thes 3

4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.

Paul: did he lack faith? Did he pray the wrong prayers? Was he listening to the devil? No. Trouble is part of the package.
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Ps 91-93

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
         Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.


Dwells? Lives, rests? Stays? Inhabits? It implies remaining connected to God. How? By accepting the reality of Christ's gift: He will never leave us.
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1 Thes 2

20 For you are our glory and joy.

How much do I enjoy people?
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Psalms 88-90

12 So teach us to number our days,
         That we may gain a heart of wisdom.


I am only here for a little while.
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1 Thessalonians 1

10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

There is a wrath to come.
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Psalms 85-87

17 Show me a sign for good,
         That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
         Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.


A small victory can be a big sign.
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Col 4

2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Earnest and vigilant: pretty strong words for pursuing prayer. Earnest and vigilant.
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Col 3

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Follow peace inside, wherever it leads outside.
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Psalms 82-84

      5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
         Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.


Have I determined that today is a day to spend with Him?


11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
         The LORD will give grace and glory;
         No good thing will He withhold
         From those who walk uprightly


Do I expect grace AND glory?

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Col 2

10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Complete in Jesus.
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Psalms 79-81

19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
         Cause Your face to shine,
         And we shall be saved!


When we see Him we'll be like Him.
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Ps 76-78

Angels food.
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Colossians 1

29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Faith leads to passion. Passion leads to activity.
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Psalms 73-75

16 When I thought how to understand this,
         It was too painful for me—
 17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
         Then I understood their end.

His presence brings His perspective.


9 We do not see our signs;
         There is no longer any prophet;
         Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
 10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach?


Prophecy is necessary to determine our response to crisis and produce hope.
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Phil

6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit,[b] as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth

The preaching of the gospel is about fruit, not seed!
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Psalms 70-72

4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
         And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
         "Let God be magnified!"

The Happiest place is where he is everything and we forget ourselves in the Glory of who He is: "Let God be magnified!"
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Psalms 67-69

5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
         Let all the peoples praise You.
 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase;
         God, our own God, shall bless us.


Praise affects the earth.
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Philippians 4

1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

People are our reward, our crown, so we should invest our all in serving them.
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Psalm 64-66

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
         Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.


Fear kills.
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Philippians 3

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead

Success in the Christian walk depends on forgetting our frail attempts and looking ahead to His glorious vision.
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Psalms

11 God has spoken once,
         Twice I have heard this:
         That power belongs to God.
 12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
         For You render to each one according to his work.


I am comforted by the knowledge that power belongs to God, but uncertain at the definition of mercy. I assumed that mercy meant we don't get what our works deserve.
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Psalms 58-60

12 Through God we will do valiantly,
         For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.


Courage comes from confidence in our Resource.
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Philippians 2

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

You can predict which marriages will fail by one single marker in the conversation: contempt. If the couple commonly speak down to one another, even if it is light-hearted, then the relationship may well falter. Submitting to one another, and considering one another to be more valuable is glue to any relationship.
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Psalms 55-57

9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
         For I have seen violence and strife in the city

A divided city cannot stand.
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Philippians 1

28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation,[d] and that from God.

Not being afraid of our enemies can be evidence we are saved.
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Psalms 52-54

⁴ Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

God looks out for those who look out for me: WOOHOO!!

Ephesians 6

⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

dO GOOD AND GET THE GOODS WOOHOO!

Psalms 49-51

 21 These things you have done, and I kept silent;
         You thought that I was altogether like you;
         But I will rebuke you,
         And set them in order before your eyes.


How often do I assume that silence is agreement?
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Ephesians 5

31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."[e] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.


I am one flesh with Jesus. Wow.
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Psalms 46-48

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
         God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.


Hold!
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Eph 4

18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

This is very interesting: if my heart is open to God, I will acrue understanding that will lead to experience of the life of God; but if my heart is closed, no knowledge will persuade me.
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Psalms 43-45

  And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.


Some things we only learn through activity.
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Eph 3

21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

This passage starts by talking bout the family of God, continues on about ALL the saints and finishes here with Christ being glorified in the church: its not all about me really is it?
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Psalm 40-42

6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
         My ears You have opened.
         Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
 7 Then I said, "Behold, I come;
         In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
         And Your law is within my heart."


Better to listen than do some big thing. Learning the word trains our ears
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Ephesians 2

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Made to do the stuff!

Psalms 37-39

¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.


The disinterested are the best caretakers?