DIG for Wednesday the 24th of May…..we can bless Him and praise Him if we want to…..Psalm 145 v 2

I’m in the Psalms again today for my DIG, reading some of the wonderful and encouraging words from David.

Remember David did not have the best of times always, and he was also a troubled man on occasions.

However he went on to write some wonderfully encouraging words and great guidance for us in the Psalms.

Take the start of Psalm 145 for example.

David says he will bless the Lord forever and ever (Psalm 145 v 2), and in the same verse he talks of blessing the Lord every day.

Now I know David had some great days when it would be easy to bless the Lord (killing Goliath and then being made king maybe), but I also know he had some terrible days when you may imagine blessing the Lord would be hard (like when his family were kidnapped from Ziklag for example).

But David said do this every day and forever.

This means under all circumstances and in all situations.

Yes during the good times, but also during the bad and the hard.

But that’s very hard if not impossible you may be thinking.

But if David could do it (and then write about it) we can do it to.

We are in a better situation to worship and thank the Lord, as we are under a better covenant with better promises and we have the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

If David could bless the Lord at all time then we have no excuse, we can do it too!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can choose to bless you today, to worship your holy name and to thank you for all that you have done for me”.

Psalm 145 v 2…..Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever

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DIG for Tuesday the 23rd of May…..who can you call upon for help this morning…..Psalm 18 v 3

David was a man who knew he was in covenant with God, at the same time as a man who was quite often troubled.

He made mistakes (as we all do) however he was sure that whatever he had done he was still in relationship with the Lord.

In times of trouble he turned to the Lord, even when he had made mistakes.

He did not hide himself from the Lord thinking he was unworthy.

He encouraged himself in the Lord his God during the darkest days (1 Samuel 30 v 6).

He wrote about the Lord being his rock, his fortress and his deliverer (among other things) (Psalm 18 v 2).

He wrote about calling upon the name of the Lord for his salvation (Psalm 18 v 3).

My friends, we are no different from David this morning.

We have all made mistakes, we have all done things unworthy in comparison to the Lord, however God will not turn away from you.

He is there waiting for you to call upon His name.

He can, and will be your salvation this morning if you let Him.

Turn your eyes upon the Lord this morning and seek His help, guidance and council, and you will not be disappointed.

Do not think yourself unworthy, not matter what you have done or are doing.

The finished work of Jesus Christ was far more powerful that any of your sin and the way is now always open for you to boldly approach the Lord and enter into His presence.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer”.

Psalm 18 v 3…..I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies

DIG for Monday the 15th of August…..we should be consulting the Lord yet again…..1 Samuel 23 v 3

At church recently I’ve been looking at the life of David, seeing what we can take and use in our lives today.

What I‘ve found and taught on has not exactly been ‘rocket science’ though; the lessons to be honest have been pretty obvious.

Take this one from the start of 1 Samuel 23 for example.

When David was in trouble and had to make a decision he consulted the Lord.

He brought what he though he should do and asked the Lord for advice.

And once he checked and heard from the Lord he obeyed.

This is a lesson we all need to learn!

As I said it is not a deep theological lesson, it is a pretty obvious thing that we should all know.

The Word is not difficult; it is pretty simple to understand.

The other important point to take from this verse is that David was obviously going to the Lord again and again; the Word says ‘yet again’.

This implies he sought the advice of the Lord many, many times, and this is what we should mirror in our lives.

He knows best, we do not.

Take my advice and learn from the life of David; if you have a decision to make ask the Lord for his advice.

And then when you hear back do what He says!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you are interested in our lives and ready and willing to give us your advice”.

1 Samuel 23 v 4…..And David inquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah: for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand

 

DIG for Friday the 5th of August…..there is a lot we can learn from the Bible about how to live today…..1 Corinthians 10 v 11

This morning I’ve been reading over the account of Gideon as I prepare for a men’s meeting later.

We like to look at men in the Word and see what we can learn as men living in the 21^st century.

You may think but that is silly, the Bible was way back then and this is now, but we can learn so much from people in the Word and transfer onto our lives today.

That is why a lot of the Word has been written, to be an example for us today (1 Corinthians 10 v 11).

I don’t want to give too much away for the meeting later so let’s look at David as an example.

We can learn the value of preparation and of serving.

David prepared while working as a shepherd; he learned how to use a slingshot for example.

David served an apprenticeship after being anointed as king; he served under his father and under King Saul.

David’s exploits in killing Goliath came directly from his acts of service, by obeying his father and serving his brothers.

David knew the covenant he was living under; he knew his relationship with God and he Knew God was with him and on his side.

These are values that we all (not just men) can take into our lives today.

We should value service and preparation and we should know the covenant we are living under.

These are timeless values and principles and as important for us today as they were for David in the time that he lived.

Never let anyone tell you that Biblical principles are not for today!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word and thank you that it is as relevant today as it was when it was written”.

1 Corinthians 10 v 11…..Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come

DIG for Wednesday the 3rd of August…..you need to know what covenant you are living under…..Romans 6 v 14

While getting ready for the message this week I’ve been meditating on the importance of covenant to David.

In a lot of the Old Testament the process of circumcision is used as a picture for covenant relationship.

When David came to the camp of the army he asked about whom the Philistine giant was.

He said, “for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17 v 26)

What David was really saying was that this guy, whoever he is, is not in a covenant relation ship with God.

He was not circumcised; he was not covered by the covenant.

David however knew he was circumcised; he knew he was in a covenant relationship with God.

And David also knew the blessings and benefits that he was entitled to.

He knew the Lord would deliver him from the giant Philistine (1 Samuel 17 v 37).

We need to learn from this, we need to know that we are living under the New Covenant and we need to know the benefits and blessings that this brings us.

Knowing the covenant we live under twill always help us deal with issues and challenges (dare I say giants) that we will encounter in life.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that because of the finished work of Jesus we now live under the New Covenant”.

Romans 6 v 14…..For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace

DIG for Monday the 1st of August…..so, are you lazy or diligent…..2 Timothy 2 v 15

I am having a wonderful time in the Word at the moment studying for my Sunday messages on David.

The other exciting thing I am currently doing is preparing material and communications around our Bible School that we hope to open next year.

I love studying the Word but I also love helping others study for themselves.

The Lord has anointed teachers, preachers and pastors to study and share their revelations with the body of Christ (Ephesians 4 v 11).

However the Lord has also given all of us a brain, along with His Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can study for ourselves (2 Timothy 2 v 15).

It is not only up to other men to fill your mind with the Word of God, that is your responsibility.

To ‘study’ means to be diligent and earnest and to make effort.

It means to labour and study in the Word with attitude, with the attitude that we want to get all we can out of it.

I have to be honest here and say the other side of the coin is laziness!

What is your attitude to the Word of God?

Are you lazy or diligent?

I will leave you and the Holy Spirit to ponder that question.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word and thank you for the life-changing truths that are held within”.

2 Timothy 2 v 15…..Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

DIG for Sunday the 31st of July…..surely it is time we all started behaving ourselves wisely…..1 Samuel 18 v 14

When I was getting ready to preach this week I was struck by a phrase used to describe David.

This was a phrase used in 1 Samuel 18, when David is in his time of preparation before becoming king.

The Word says (three times) that he ‘behaved himself wisely’.

When we look at what these words mean we will see that this is great advice as to how we should behave also.

Have you ever thought, “Oh no, I did that without thinking?”

Have you ever said, “Why did I do that? I knew it was too much of a risk”.

If you have you did not behave yourself wisely.

This phrase means to be circumspect (averse to risk) and intelligent (understand and then choose).

David actually thought about every thing he di, he did not trust to instinct or take risks; he used his brain and worked things out before acting

That is such obvious but such good advice for us.

I know that I don’t do this all the time, but also realise it is about time that I did!

Use the brain that God gave you and don’t act without thinking.

This way of operating kept David safe and in the long run saw him being appointed into what he was anointed for.

Let’s pray we can say the same for each other!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you have a plan and purpose for everyone of us and thank you that we can think and act appropriately to get there”.

1 Samuel 18 v 14…..And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him

DIG for Wednesday the 13th of July…..seek the Lord at all times, including your successes…..Psalm 30 v 6

At times of stress, grief and pain we are more inclined to seek the Lord and trust in Him.

In our successes and good times we may have less emphasis on seeking Him and looking to Him for direction.

This is basic human nature I think and it is also very dangerous.

In the good times we can lean on our own strength and own understanding, instead of on the Lord’s.

This is when we could be in danger of falling or “being moved”.

David wrote that he said in his prosperity (in the good times) he would not be moved (Psalm 30 v 6).

We know from the Word though that it was during a period of “good times” that He succumbed to the temptation of another woman, and that this led to murder.

During the hard times of struggle and fighting and hardship David never lost his focus on the Lord and he was never “moved” as he was when looking upon Bathsheba from the comfort of his palace.

When we think we have made a success of our walk with the Lord, when we rest upon our laurels, then is when we are in severe danger.

Whatever stage of your walk this morning, be it a struggle or be it prosperous, never take your focus away from the Lord and never lean upon your own strengths and understanding.

Look to the example of David, learn from his experience; trust

The Lord in the hard times but do not take your eyes off Him in the good.

Speak this out today…..:Thank you Lord that you never leave us nor forsake us, thank you that you are here with me in the good times and the bad”.

Psalm 30 v 6…..And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved

DIG for Tuesday the 12th of July…..we are also in a covenant relationship with God…..Romans 6 v 15

At our men’s Bible study last night we were discussing the life of David, looking at how as men we could use him as an example.

David was an incredible man, a man of great power yet a man with his difficulties, a man said to be after God’s own heart (Acts 13 v 22).

What really impacted me was that David knew God loved him and would provide for him even knowing what he had done and what he was capable of.

He knew he was a murderer and adulterer yet he could write some of the most beautiful Psalms, such as Psalm 23.

He knew God would provide for him, would look after him, and would lead him to safety even after all the bad that he had done.

David knew he was in a covenant relationship with God and that this was not dependent upon his performance.

This is important!

The same is true for us today; we are in a covenant relationship (the New Covenant) with God and this is not dependent upon our performance.

We are forgiven and reconciled to God because of the performance of Jesus and because of this every man can, as a gift of grace through faith, be saved and made righteous.

Living under the New Covenant (under grace and not law) is not a license to sin; it is a license from sin.

Realising that God loves you and sent His Son for you makes you run from sin not run to sin.

However when we fall, like David, it is reassuring to know that this will not affect our covenant relationship with God.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I live under the New Covenant, under grace, and thank you for your forgiveness and reconciliation”.

Romans 6 v 15…..What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid

DIG for Wednesday the 22nd of June…..we are under the New Covenant, yet we should still read the Old Testament…..1 Corinthians 10 v 11

As a New Covenant believer I spend a lot of time in post-cross Scripture, however I have learned (mainly from my wife Nanette) that there are very useful lessons to be learned from the Old Testament.

Yes, the epistles are where we learn about our identity in Christ, about what we are and have been made as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

However the whole Bible was written for us to learn from; this is what Paul says in his first epistle to the Corinthians.

The examples we read in the Old Testament are there for us to learn from (1 Corinthians 10 v 6 and 11).

And the good news is we can even learn about New Covenant truths from the Old Testament through type and shadows.

For example when we read about David, Jonathan and Mephibosheth we are given a picture of God, Jesus and us.

We can see that because of the covenant God (David) made with Jesus (Jonathan), we as believers (Mephibosheth) are blessed and live in God’s abundance.

I would suggest that you take time out and read the account of David bringing Mephibosheth into this home and to his table (2 Samuel 9 v 1 to 13), and see that this is talking about the abundance of God that is there waiting for you already.

Types and shadows are common throughout the whole of the Old Testament, indeed everything there is a picture, type or shadow of Jesus and His finished work.

We have a wealth of information that we can learn from in the Old Testament.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can read the whole of the Bible and learn about Jesus and His finished work”.

1 Corinthians 10 v 11…..Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come