Worship #3

O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!... O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 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. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!



Psalms 84:8-12, www.solascriptura.com



Father, we do believe You hear our prayers and that You look upon us. We do not fully grasp how you can see so many of us that constantly call upon You but we know You are omnipresent and that Your Spirit witnesses (declares Your presence) to us. We know that we are as the gentle breeze, directed by You (John 3:8), so when we feel the evidence of that breeze, help us to know it is in all probability one of the ways that You manifest Your presence.



We know You spoke from the clouds and said, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased." We know the Spirit descended from heaven "like a dove" upon Jesus and remained upon Him. You spoke to Moses through the burning bush. Father, help us not to doubt that You are present and that You intervene in our lives more than we know, sometimes sending angels, even when we are not aware of their presence.



Father, we would truly rather occupy the lowest office in heaven and to dwell with the wicked. What a wonderful song; a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. You are our sun and shield for eternity. Bless us this day, we pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Hope #1

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us...

Psalms 62:5-8, www.solascriptura.com

Father, as we look about and decide who it is we can depend upon and who it is we can trust, our hearts and mind turn to You. You are the unchanging, ever-present force in our lives. Our expectations and hopes are centered upon You, not upon transitional persons or images made by man.

You alone are our rock and our salvation. We look to You in times of trouble and we love it when You make our heart joyful with blessings beyond compare; eternal blessings!

We pour our heart out to You in hope and in praise. Help us today not to become depressed by the sin and pain all around us but to instead seek You and Your will for the lives of all the persons in the world. We love You in good times and in difficult times and we know Your eyes are constantly upon us. We pray in the Holy name of Jesus. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Temptation #2

Family Bible Study topic, www.solascriptura.com

I humbly declare that I out ran all of you!

We seem to have an inherent need to brag. We are so proud of our accomplishments that we can not wait to tell someone else how well we have done. Let's think about the nature of a child for a moment. Children thrive on praise, don't they? We sometimes, in our zeal to make them feel good about what they have done or who they are, overly praise them. We go "over the top" in our statements to them, generally because we truly love them and are truly proud, but we sometimes try too hard to lift up their spirits, even when they have not done as well as we and they had hoped to do.

This is a tendency that God knows we have and in the Scriptures He gives us some perspective on this matter. Listen: "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12 NKJV

We will never stop lifting up our children in praise. We must also try to teach them the importance of humility. When they do well, our praise should be consistent with reality. It is difficult enough to restrain our praise and especially difficult if the praise is intended to console them. Kids are smart. They do not want "false" praise. They do want your unconditional love, not based on their "winning" but based on your genuine support of their intentions.

We, as adults, still like praise. Everyone likes praise! Is this true? If so, what advice does the Apostle Paul offer us and what should we teach our children. Listen: "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Romans 12:3 NKJV: James, the brother of Jesus, makes a similar point: "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." James 3:16 NKJV Jesus said "…for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." John 12:43 NKJV

Solomon summed this point up by saying, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Then Solomon compares praising yourself with having eaten too much honey. "It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one's own glory is not glory." Solomon continues: "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." And finally, "Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself?" Proverbs 16:18-19, 25:27, 26:12 Ecclesiastes 7:16 NKJV

Then the prophet Isaiah says, "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15 NKJV

Do you see a time when you will ever stop praising those you love? Not likely, but given what you have just read, what are some biblical guidelines about offering praise? It is one thing to focus on how we should properly praise other people but another thing to see ourselves in the proper light before God. If God does not want us to be "proud of ourselves" then how can we react to praise from other men?

Core Christian Value: We seek praise from men and we offer praise to our children. Praise can distort God's hope for us. He tells us to come to Him with all humility and contrition, not wise in our own eyes.

Bruce Caldwell

Temptation #3

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. ... there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 2:18, 4:13-16

Jesus, all that we think, do and feel is before you. We do not face temptation alone nor do we sin in secret. Your experiences on earth are our experiences as well. You lift us up, as though we had never sinned, into the presence of the Father. Therefore, in Your righteousness, we can be bold in coming to the Father in prayer and boldly seek to serve Him, which is the essence of our purpose.

We are undeserving of your mercy and grace but for reasons known only to You, You seek us out, cleanse us and embolden us to be Your children. Your plan for our lives does exist.

Help us O' God to discover Your perfect will, this day and every moment of our lives. In Christ's Holy name and power, we pray. Amen

Bruce Caldwell

Temptation #4

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

2 Peter 2:4-9, www.solascriptura.com

"I know ..., my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness... 1 Chronicles 29:17

Father, you have made it clear that judgement awaits the souls that do not love You and obey You. You also have made it clear that in the midst of our being tested, you have pleasure in our uprightness; our obedience to Your Holy Word.

Teach us every day of your expectations and renew a right Spirit within us constantly. Help us bask in the assurance of Your love for Your children, bringing joy and peace to those around us. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Temptation #5

... let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13, Galatians 6:1, www.solascriptura.com

Father, You tell us that temptation will come to all of us. Jesus, we know you were tempted by Satan and that God allowed the test. We too will be tempted but you are there for us, giving us the strength that the Father gave you.

When we or a loved one fails, momentarily we pray, help us remember how you have forgiven each of us and that we must be prepared to forgive others. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.



Bruce Caldwell

Worship #1

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.



Psalms 34:1-5, www.solascriptura.com



Father, our natural response to your love is one of worship and praise. We will someday learn that the occasional joy of a perfect worship service here is but a hint of what we will experience when we are in Your presence in heaven.



We know that we do not have to be in church to praise You. Here the Psalmist reminds us that our worship of You can be continual, even in the midst of stressful times. When we turn to You in the middle of difficulties, our family and friends notice, and that serves as an encouragement to them.



We know that when we seek You, You hear us. Sometimes we lament because of our distress but is that because we are not leaning upon Your understanding and Your presence in our hearts? Teach us today that we truly never walk alone whether we are experiencing joy or challenges.



Our countenance is much improved, to the delight of our acquaintances, when we are not ashamed of you but to the contrary it is a testimony of Your presence. Bless us this day, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.



Bruce Caldwell

Worship #2

How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young-- even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You... Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.



Psalms 84:1-5, www.solascriptura.com



Father, since their is no tabernacle in heaven, we know this Psalm refers to the Millennium Temple where all nations will participate in an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The people will desire to celebrate in Your courts and worship will be exuberant. The wandering Sparrow and swallow will find comfort there and build nests for their young and Your altars will be in around the Temple, at rest, no longer seeking a home.



Worship there Father will be so spontaneous and blessed that the praise will ring to the heavens. We sometimes feel that true worship is surrounded by a quiet and pious circumstance, and it often is, but now we see a glimpse of what it will yet be.



Help us today to better see what is yet to come and teach us that our worship of You will be more and more glorious as time passes. We will celebrate victory as never before. Bless us this day, we pray, in Jesus' Holy name.

Bruce Caldwell