Month: March 2014
-
Psalm 58
Psalm 58 Do not pay back yourself! Everybody has some experiences in life that stir emotions and urge for revenge. The Bible says that revenge belongs to God. We can pray to God for revenge. However, it is up to God whether God would punish our enemies or not, and if so in what way.…
-
Psalm 57
Psalm 57 Why do we need challenges in our lives? Praise and thanksgiving come from the one who knows suffering and persecution. When everything is smooth and comfortable, people tend to take their lives for granted. When they have hardships and overcome, they feel grateful. Ironically, we need challenges to have thanksgiving heart. David composed…
-
Psalm 56
Psalm 56 Have you pretended to be crazy to save your life? Most people would say no to this question. However, David had to pretend that he was insane to save his life. He was persecuted by Saul and fled to the Philistines. The Philistines, however, was suspicious of David’s motive. When he was young…
-
Psalm 55
Psalm 55 Sometimes life is painful! Have you experienced betrayal of a friend? One of my church members was divorced by her husband. He married with her best friend! She let her come over to her house and shared joy together for many years and her best friend took advantage of her hospitality and used…
-
Sermon in a nutshell: “God is working in a mission field” (Acts 28:1-10)
Sermon in a nutshell: “God is working in a mission field” (Acts 28:1-10) Repetition and variation makes a beautiful pattern. I love our Linus project. People cut the same size of fabric and tie them to make blankets for homeless people. Because they are same in size, when we connect them it is repetition. However,…
-
Psalm 54
Psalm 54 Historical background This psalm has some explanations. The superscription says, “A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding with us?’” We cannot pin down whether this refers 1 Samuel 23 or 26 because in two different occasions Ziphites informed Saul the location of David. In…
-
Psalm 53
Psalm 53 What is wisdom? Fear of God (Reverence of God) Wisdom in the Bible means the knowledge that God exists and controls everything. Fools in the Bible mean those people who deny God’s existence and power. However, the problem is that there is no one wise person! Everybody says that she believes in God…
-
Psalm 52
Psalm 52 One of the behaviors that God does not like is deceit. Honesty and integrity are virtues that the Bible honors. In this psalm, David is deploring the deceitful act of Doeg, the Edomite. Because of his lies, the high priest Ahimelech and all the people of Nob were killed. Partial truth became lies…
-
Psalm 51
Psalm 51 This is one of the most famous psalms. Its subtitle says, “Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon,” with the explanation: To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. When Nathan pointed out his sins, the king David repented and wrote this…
-
Sermon in a nutshell: All are saved (Acts 27: 27:44)
Sermon in a nutshell: All are saved (Acts 27: 27:44) God saves lives so that an atheist can witness God’s love and miracles. Two weeks ago, when I was in the office Sunday afternoon, Bud asked me to respond to a phone call. He could not understand what the caller wanted. So I picked up…
VIP Ministry Network 