Luke 17

Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” ESV

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have given me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!        ESV

Psalms

The psalmist, herein, celebrates the theological truth that fundamentally divides Christianity and naturalism. When people get the origins of life wrong, then man the master will wield his usurped power in tyrannical destruction of human life. When people get those origins correct, then they must eventually fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But not only are we His by His right as our Creator, “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Ps 100: 3). Unmerited by will or work, in direct defiance of our deserving, we have been chosen by God to be the objects of His unwearying affection. God pitching His sovereign grace on such undeserving rabble as we are is the root of all worship, the bedrock of all praise, the unwavering foundation of all gratitude. As we ponder, with the ancient psalmist, this great truth about salvation, we too should clamber to “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise” (v. 4). We will feel that there is nothing we would rather do than use up every hour of our days on this planet and every ounce of energy in our frame, every drop of blood in our veins giving glory to Him and blessing His most glorious of all names.

Neste, Ray Van; C. Richard Wells (2012-09-19). Forgotten Songs (Kindle Locations 1494-1499). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Luke 6

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort. Woe to you who are now full, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are now laughing, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets. - HCSB

Psalms

I am sure all Christians would profit from a more deliberate effort to use the psalms in their worship. I have been a guest in churches that pride themselves in their heritage, rooted in the theology of the Scottish Reformation, while at the same time the Psalms are utterly absent from their worship. How unlike those psalm-singing Covenanters! The result is a truncated life, without the divinely given molding of their inner lives to embrace the width and depth of God’s purposes in the world. The psalms, properly taken in, will not allow us to retain a privatized and individualized faith. They help us to yearn to see God’s lordship enjoyed in all of His world.

Neste, Ray Van; C. Richard Wells (2012-09-19). Forgotten Songs (Kindle Locations 682-684). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the LORD, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. How happy is the man who has put his trust in the LORD and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies! LORD my God, You have done many things— Your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You. If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told. You do not delight in sacrifice and offering; You open my ears to listen. You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering. Then I said, “See, I have come; it is written about me in the volume of the scroll. I delight to do Your will, my God; Your instruction lives within me.” I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; see, I do not keep my mouth closed— as You know, LORD. I did not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I spoke about Your faithfulness and salvation; I did not conceal Your constant love and truth from the great assembly. LORD, do not withhold Your compassion from me; Your constant love and truth will always guard me. For troubles without number have surrounded me; my sins have overtaken me; I am unable to see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my courage leaves me. LORD, be pleased to deliver me; hurry to help me, LORD. Let those who seek to take my life be disgraced and confounded. Let those who wish me harm be driven back and humiliated. Let those who say to me, “Aha, aha!” be horrified because of their shame. Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation continually say, “The LORD is great!” I am afflicted and needy; the Lord thinks of me. You are my helper and my deliverer; my God, do not delay. (HCSB)

Leviticus

The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying . . . (Leviticus 1:1 ESV)

These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. (Leviticus 27:34 ESV)