The glow of a new expectant mother. The tender moment of holding your child for the first time. The pride you feel as you show off the pictures to anyone who will look. And then your kid hits the "terrible two's". You survive that only to have adolescence hit, which is like the "terrible two's" on steroids. And you feel awful for thinking it, but at some point, you look at your spouse and say, "Why again did we have kids?"

My wife and I have six kids. Four of them are adult age, which means we like them again. Our last two are eleven and fourteen. We've uttered that question a time or two over the years. And of course, we wouldn't do it over if we could. We love having a large family and the good has outweighed those exasperating moments over the years.

It's in those moments, when your son throws the baseball through the neighbors window, when your toddler draws their "artwork" on your newly painted walls, when things are growing out of their disgusting messy bedrooms, you remember... they are just kids. It's not an excuse for poor behavior, but you remember kids are going to be kids. And so we respond with firm but loving guidance.

In Psalm 106, the psalmist recounts the different ways the nation of Israel rebelled against God as He was leading them out of Egypt to the Promise Land. Verse 43 sums it up well: "Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity."

At first glance, it seems like a depressing psalm. Until you read the next two verses: "Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love."

Aren't you thankful the Heavenly Father didn't think, "Why again did I have 'kids'?" God was faithful in His covenant with Israel, and He's faithful in His new covenant with those who place their faith in Christ. Because of His steadfast love (v. 45), He remembers His commitment to His kids. Aren't you a thankful for a father like that?

In what ways have you been struggling to be faithful to the Father?

How can Psalm 106:43-45 be a source of encouragement? Any other verses that encourage you?

Prayer for the day: "Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your steadfast love. Thank you for not giving up on me. Reveal to me the areas I need to confess. Help me soak in the immensity of your love today. In Jesus' name, amen."

I recently heard a true story that is a reminder of the value of keeping a promise. In the early 1950s, Robert was drafted by the Army to fight in Korea. His younger brother Junie enlisted in order to keep watch over his brother. Junie had but one request of his big brother – that he take care of his collection of comic books should anything happen to him in battle.

Junie had amassed a collection of more than 5,000 comic books. Robert knew how important those books were to his brother so he promised to take care of them. Not long after Robert had made that promise, Junie was killed in action.

When Robert returned home from war, he made good on his promise. With great care and caution, he boxed up his brother’s comic books and placed them in an attic for safe storage. And there they sat, undisturbed, for over fifty years.

From time to time Robert would open the boxes and look at the comic books as he thought about his brother. Little did he know that these comic books had become a rare and valuable set of books. The comic books were recently valued at over $10 million dollars!

It seems rare these days to find people who are willing to keep their promises no matter what. I have to admit, there have been times when I haven't followed through on a promise made. Did you know promises are highly valued in the Bible? There are approximately 8,810 promises in the Bible.

And here's what's so great about the promises of God... He will always keep them. Our God is a promise keeping God! King David wrote in Psalm 145:13: "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does."

David most likely wrote our psalm for today, Psalm 105. And in it, he once again reminds his readers that God remembers His promises. Look at v. 8: "He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations".

He then walks us through His covenant protection of Israel, beginning with Abraham and then with Joseph and with Moses. He begins with the promise made to give the seed of Abraham a chosen land and ends with the people taking possession of that land. God delivers on His promises!

We may not be the the nation of Israel, but we are His chosen people as well, as a result of the New Covenant (Jesus' death and resurrection). If God kept His promises to Israel, He will keep them with us. I promise.

What promises of God do you need to lean into today?

What are a couple ways God has been a promise keeper to you so far this year? Take time to praise the Promise keeper!

Prayer for the day: "Heavenly Father, I lift your name on high because you are a covenant keeping God. I can trust you when life doesn't make sense because I know you are faithful to your word. In Jesus' name, amen."

In his book "Your Blueprint for Life", Michael Kendrick portrays creation as a means in which God reveals Himself to us: "If God wanted to remain silent about His existence, He wouldn’t have bothered creating the stars; He wouldn’t have made the Milky Way, or Betelgeuse. In fact, He wouldn’t have made the majestic Rocky Mountains, the rippling oceans, or the magnificent hummingbird. If His goal was to remain quiet and anonymous, He wouldn’t have created anything at all. Instead, He spoke into existence a smorgasbord for our senses. Wonder for our eyes, beauty for our ears, fragrances for our noses—and rapture for our hearts.

In Psalm 104, the psalmist also uses examples from creation to remind us that God reveals Himself to us. The psalmist begins the psalm by saying "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty." When he looked at creation it was a reminder of God's splendor and majesty.

From the smallest to the largest of creatures, each are dependent on God for life. All creation is governed by God. Any beauty we see in creation is the beauty of God on display. Oh how sad to think that creation is just a product of chance. You know what takes more faith than believing that God created the world with His words? Believing that the universe came into being through a process of random chance and beneficial mutations, without the help from a Designer.

At the end of Psalm 104, the writer shares his response to God being the creator in vs. 33-34: "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD."

His response? I will praise God as long as I have breath. And I will strive to think only on things that bring Him pleasure. I think that would be a good response for us as well. Let us daily praise God. Let us honor God by dwelling on His beauty today. Let us raise our voices and sing: " Oh Lord, my God. When I, in awesome wonder. Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee. How great Thou art, how great Thou art."

Are you taking time to thank God for what He's created?

What is one attribute of God you see in creation? Take time to praise Him for it.

Prayer for the day: "O Lord, my God. When I see the awesomeness of your creation, I am humbled that I can know you. Help me remember to praise you every day. Help me remember to soak in your creation in the course of each day. Amen."

Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most influential figures in cinema. He was known as the "Master of Suspense". His psychological thrillers have left many a viewers creeped out. One such movie is the 1963 classic "The Birds". While most of his movies are far-fetched fictional tales, this movie was actually inspired by a real event.

On August 18, 1961, residents of Capitola, California awoke to hordes of seabirds dive-bombing their homes, attacking people walking, and crashing into cars. Two years later Hitchcock had a hit movie about birds.

You know, birds are prevalent in the Bible. In fact, birds are mentioned over 300 times. The dove played a role in Noah's Ark. The insignificant sparrow is used as an example by Jesus to remind us that if He takes care of them, He will definitely take care of us. In the two chapters for today, we see two different birds mentioned. The owl and the eagle.

In Psalm 102:6 the psalmist writes, "I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places". He was using the owl to represent being desolate, alone in the desert. It's used as a negative example. We have all felt like owls, haven't we? Times we have felt alone and spiritually dry.

In the rest of Psalm 102 though, he reminds the people that God is a God who will provide even if it doesn't always feel like it. We don't necessarily know the author of the psalm, but we do know that David wrote Psalm 103. And because God cares for us, he reminds us that we are "eagles" even when we feel like "owls". He writes in verse 5 that it is God "who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's".

We were created to soar like eagles. Life will find us like desert owls at times, but this too shall pass. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, our life is lived in the skies!

Are you feeling like a desert owl? How can these psalms be a source of encouragement?

How has God helped you soar? Take some time to praise Him outside as you watch the birds in the sky.

Prayer for the day: "Lord, I thank you that you care more deeply for me than the birds in the air. By faith I believe that you are meeting my needs even when I don't see it. Amen."

When I was in 9th grade I experienced the powerful affect of words. There was a guy in my class who didn’t like me. I think he’d had a crush on my sister and when she did not reciprocate the same feelings, he took it out on me. He bullied me. He began calling me a derogatory term. 

When I would go to throw a piece of paper away, he’d write the word on my notebook. He’s spread rumors about me. He’d make innuendos to my face. Finally, one day at lunch two of my buddies held him down and told me to punch him in the face. Now, I didn’t, but he got the hint and moved on. 

Now, was it true what he was saying about me? No, but it didn’t matter, it still hurt. And I still remember that time of my life quite vividly. I don’t even remember the guys name or whatever happened to him, but here we are 36 years later, and I still remember how those words hurt.

Our words have the power to heal or to hurt. Perhaps that's why King David took slander so seriously. In Psalm 101:5 David writes, "Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure."

Wow, you really had to be careful how you treated people in David's kingdom. And we should be diligent how we treat people as part of God's kingdom. We are not to slander nor act arrogantly toward others. You want to hurt a relationship? Talk behind a person's back. Let pride come between the relationship.

Our words truly have the power to heal or to hurt. And it's an arrogant heart that cares little about the damage their words may cause. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." So what will it be today? Will your words heal or will they hurt?

Who needs to hear healing words today? Who will you speak words of healing to?

Have you recently hurt with your words? If so, seek forgiveness today.

Prayer for the day: "Dear God, you have brought healing into my life. May I bring healing to others with my words. Keep my lips from gossip. May I honor you with my words today. Amen."

Our home has become the gathering spot for the neighborhood kids. They're good kids and we enjoy having them around. It's not unusual to get home from the office to find a dozen kids playing in our front yard. Most of the time, a few of them are playing basketball. From time to time, I 'll jump in and play. And it makes me feel pretty good about my skills. Blocking the shots of ten your olds and dunking over them. Well, dunking when we lower the rim to 7 foot. I don't mean to brag but I'm the "king of the court"!

But imagine for a second that someone pulls up in their car right in the middle of the game, as I'm dominating those adolescents. And it's no other than LeBron James. He asks if he can play. Of course we all say "Yes". And he plays all out. He's playing like it's the NBA championship. And he's on the other team. And we're guarding each other. How do you think that's gonna go? You really don't even need to see me play to know the answer. It would be, to say the least, a very humbling experience.

We are so prone to compare ourselves with others. And this can sometimes be the case in our spiritual walk as well. We compare ourselves with some and think, "I'm not perfect but I'm way more spiritual than...". Spiritual pride can creep into the heart of any of us.

Want to be appropriately humbled? Enter into the "King's court". The theme of Psalm 99 is God's holiness. Holiness means "to be set apart". God is above and beyond any created being. Verse 5 says, "Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!"

A footstool is the place you lay your feet. It's not as valuable a piece of furniture as a couch or chair. And in Bible times, being near feet or touching them was considered dishonorable. Cleaning feet was for the lowliest of servants. That's why Jesus' washing of the disciples feet was so shocking.

When the psalmist says to worship at God's footstool, it means to come in humility and acknowledge He is so much greater than us. Based on other Scriptures, it's also a reminder that God in heaven is of greater worth than our life on earth. Yet He loves us anyways and allows us to have entrance into His courts.

Humbly come and worship the King. As we compare our lives to His holiness may it motivate us to pursue holiness. As 1 Peter 1:15 puts it, "but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct".

Are you regularly coming in humility into the presence of God?

Are you pursuing holiness in your daily life? What's one area of life you can pray for holiness in?

Prayer for the day: "God, I am humbled in your holy presence. Thank you for allowing me to approach your throne. Make me holy as you are holy. Because of Jesus, amen."

I remember a few schoolyard scuffles when I was younger. In all actuality it was a whole lot more talk than action. Maybe a little pushing and shoving at the most. But mostly a whole lot of talk that never got backed up. Which was good in my case because I was a pretty scrawny kid.

I remember I'd say something along the lines of, "Yeah, well, my dad can beat up your dad!" Which very well could have been the case. My dad played offensive line in high school. Let's just say, he was sturdy. But my dad was a teddy bear so he wouldn't have hurt a soul. And honestly, for all the bravado, I never once really got into a real fight. It was all talk.

During the time the Psalms were written, Israel were constantly at war with other nations. And these nations had gods that they worshipped. Israel was to be a shining example to the other nations of what God can do if people would follow Him. Unfortunately, the nation, time and time again, went after the worthless idols of other nations.

In Psalm 96 the psalmist reminds the people that there is only one God. And He only is to be praised. In vs. 5-6 he wrote: "For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."

It is God who created the world with His words. Genesis 1 records that "God said" and "it was so". And God is full of splendor and majesty, strength and beauty. There is no comparison to the God of Creation and the gods of our own creation. Or to put it another way... "Our God can beat up your gods".

Let us not bow to the gods of money, power, lust, etc. Let us daily enter the sanctuary of God and worship His holy splendor!

What gods are you tempted to bow a knee too?

What part of creation evokes you to worship God for His beauty? Take time to praise God out in creation this week.

Prayer for the day: "God, you are beautiful and majestic. Thank you for creating the world. Thank you for creating mankind as your special creation. May I live a praise-filled life this week. In Jesus' name, amen."

There's a French proverb that says, "A good meal ought to begin with hunger". Have you ever noticed that when you are truly hunger, just about anything tastes good? But a finely made meal when you're not hungry doesn't seem so appealing.

Worship is a crucial part of our walk with God. Psalms is a book filled with worship. The book was essential the hymnbook of the nation of Israel. It's filled with good meat for us to digest on what it looks like to worship God. But all the knowledge in the world won't matter if there isn't a hunger.

The American church loves worship music. The worship music industry has made many a worship musician wealthy. We now have worship music celebrities. But I wonder, have we subtly begun to worship the worship? The psalmist is clear that only God is to be on the minds of the worshipper.

Pleasing worship to God begins with a true hunger for God. And it isn't the result of the quality of music or the beauty of the voices, it's the result of a people humbled by the greatness and beauty of God. Psalm 95:6 says, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down;  let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!"

Notice the words "bow down" and "kneel before the Lord". We are to enter worship not with the main goal to feel something or to get something out of it, but as a humble response to a glorious God. To please Him. To bless Him.

Again I ask, "Have we begun to worship the worship?" When we are concerned more about style than substance. When we only worship when things are going our way. When we only worship when the quality is good. When we willingly live in disobedience but think worship makes up for it. Those may be some signs that we are worshipping our worship.

Our most powerful moments of worship on Sunday will not revolve around how great the worship team was. It will be what we have done during the week. If we have hungered for God by reading His Word, praying, praising Him, and serving those around us, we will come with a hunger that will be filled on Sunday!

The old Maranatha! Music song "I love You, Lord", reflects where our hearts need to be in worship: "I love you, Lord. And I lift my voice. To worship you. O my soul, rejoice. Take joy, my King, in what you hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear." That reflects a hunger for worship. Let us not worship the worship, let us worship the Lord!

Do you struggle sometimes with worshipping the worship? Or do you struggle with having a hunger for worship?

What changes this week could help your worship of God? Look at the list of examples in the devotional. If any apply to you, spend some time confessing before our Savior.

Prayer for the day: "I love you, Lord. Help me lift my voice in holy and pure worship. Please take joy, my King, in what you hear. And may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear. Amen."

One of our daughters had quite the strong will when she was little. One time my wife told her to do something and she put one hand on her hip and with the other pointed at my wife and said, with a whole lot of sass, "I won't and you better watch your attitude". She was only three years old. My wife, the consummate rule follower, stood in shock and horror. Would she become the rebel pastor's kid we've heard stories about?

Well, I'm happy to report that the answer is "No". She graduates from high school this year. She loves Jesus and is very ministry-minded. But how did she get there? She had to learn that she wasn't the boss. I remember in that season as our "precious little heathen", when she began to grasp the desire to do right but still wanting it her way. After receiving yet another loving swat, she said to me in tears, "But daddy, I want to be the boss".

Don't you just love the honesty of a little child? If we were all honest with ourselves, we'd have to admit that we want to be the boss of our own lives. And we certainly live in a culture that says that's exactly what we should do. But as Christ followers, what are we to do? Well... follow. And while it goes against our bent, the best thing for our lives is to surrender control. Why? Because God is much better at leading our lives than we are.

In Psalm 93:1 the psalmist writes, "The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty, the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved." Why let God lead? Because He is majestic and strong. And He is ruling over the world. Verse two goes on to say that God is "everlasting". God has always existed. He has always been "the boss".

God's rule is eternal. The sooner we let go of the reigns, the sooner we discover how incredible it is to have a majestic and strong God lead our daily lives. God rules, but He does so as a loving Father. He will be loving yet firm with us, like I tried to be with my daughter. When everything within you cries, "But I want to be the boss", resist the temptation and remember how great the everlasting God is. And let go.

In what ways are you struggling with letting God lead? How could you demonstrate this week that He is the boss?

Are you taking time each day to acknowledge God's rule by praising Him for His attributes? Take time to praise Him for His majesty, strength and eternality.

Prayer for the day: "Lord, truly be the Lord of my life. I'm sorry for the times I have tried to rule my life. I know your ways are higher than my ways, so I relinquish control to you. In Jesus' name, amen."

Years ago I heard a story about a missionary named John Paton. He had served in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. John and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave.

A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?” Paton knew no men were present–but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men with drawn swords circling the mission station. The missionary had been protected by angels.

While I cannot verify the facts of that story, I do know God could certainly send angels like that. He did so for Elisha in 2 Kings 6. And Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Angels have a ministry in the life of believers.

In Psalm 91, the author begins with these encouraging words, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” In other words, dwell with God and there is protection. The psalmist (most likely Moses) spends the rest of the psalm describing how God protects us.

And one of the ways is through angels. Psalm 91:11 says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” How amazing is that! I’m not sure how it all operates in the spiritual realm but God protects us, and one of the ways is through angels fighting on our behalf. Fighting? Yes, Scripture records angels with swords (1 Chronicles 21:16). So fear not saint, you have angels fighting for you!

How often do you think about the angels God has provided for us?

How often do you think God for angels? Take time to read 2 Kings 6 and thank God for provided fighting angels.

Prayer for the day: "God, I know with you I am protected. Thanks for provided angels to us to help us in our spiritual walk. Help me live fearless this week knowing I have you and angels going before me. In Jesus' name, amen."