As we finish the Psalms today, I pray that you are taking a proactive role in your spiritual growth. I cannot help but praise God as I think of you. 

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your growth year after year. Some of you have received these texts daily for over twelve years. May God allow us to remain on this journey together for countless more years. 

After this text, I’m going to send you another text with next year’s “reading plan.” We will read one chapter per day from the listed books. There will be one or two days where we will either read two chapters (in one day) or read three chapters (over two days). Otherwise, plan on a chapter per day. First up, Proverbs! Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 150:6

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 150

Psalms 149 and 150 always make me want to SHOUT from every rooftop about what the Lord has done for me. 

I am reminded of the way my family and I celebrated 2002 turning into 2003. I did a sermon about the importance of the family unit. Before 2003 ended my wife and I were separated. It seemed as if God had forsaken us. 

Boy was I wrong. The way God guided us through that season of life was amazing. Yes, there was unbearable heartache. But just like the pains a mother endures during childbirth, once the miracle of the delivery occurs, those pains are forgotten as they gaze into the face of this new life that has been created. 

That’s how I felt when God reunited Son Hui and I. And having felt that, I want to SHOUT praises to God every second of every day. I love the Lord! He heard my cry, and He answered. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 149:2-5

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. 3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. 5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 149

The beginning of Psalm 148 reminds me of what Jesus said as He made is entry to Jerusalem the week before He was crucified. When the leaders told Him to tell the people to stop praising Him, He said that if the people did not praise Him, the rocks would. 

What keeps you from praising the Lord? Have circumstances been so difficult that you’ve convinced yourself that there is no God, or if He exists, He doesn’t care about you? 

I want to encourage you to put that type of thinking away. Take inventory of your life. Think about situations in your life that are unexplainable. I’ve had a few. I am convinced that God exists, He sees me, and He loves me. You should too. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 148:1-4

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 3 Praise him, sun and moon. praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 148

As I read Psalm 147, these two passages jumped off the page to me. The reality that God understands everything, compared to our inability to understand many things, drives me toward Him. It strengthens my faith in Him. Why would I put my trust in anyone or anything else. As Peter replied to Jesus’ question about leaving Him, recorded in the book of John, Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 

And having put my hope in God, verse 11 assures me that God delights in me. That gives me confidence to trust God and to pursue Him in all I do. How about you? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 147:5 & 11

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

11 the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 147

Psalm 146 is the type of Psalm that you need to shout from the “mountaintop.” It is a reminder that the God in whom we’ve placed our hope is unmatched. No matter your situation, putting your trust in God is the right answer. 

If you recently got troubling news from the doctor, put your trust in God. If your partner has asked for a divorce, put your trust in God. If your child died prematurely, put your trust in God. Whatever you think could be the worst thing in the world to happen to you, PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD! There is never going to be a reason to not trust God. Let that marinate. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 146:2-5

2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 146

What would your life look like if you lived out the words in this passage, daily? Think about the good times in your life. It can be easy to live out these words. However, as you are reminded of the difficulties life can bring, it can be challenging to live out the words of this passage. 

But that’s the best time to live them out. Take a moment and allow God to open your eyes to His love and protection that surrounds you. In the darkest moments of your life, God is there to guide you through. It’s like the Psalmist wrote, “Even though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, You are with me.” Lean on the promises of God and trust Him when nothing in your life says that you should. God’s blessings are always on the other side of a crisis of faith. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 145:1-2

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 145

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

How blessed we are to know God and be reminded of His unconditional love for us. Psalm 144 starts and ends with words we can be encouraged by. Meditate on these passages. Allow God to be your strength, your refuge, and your reason. 

On this day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, be aware that God has been considering you, personally, since before time began. Let that sink in. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 144:1-2; 15

1 Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

15 Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 144

This passage in Psalm 143 reminds me of a similar passage in the book of Romans. I’m fascinated at how Christians hide our shortcomings from one another as if we’re the only one falling short of God’s glory. 

NEWSFLASH: We have breaking news from the world of Christianity— ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).  

Quit hiding your shortcomings as if you’re the only one. This is a trick of the enemy to isolate you, then destroy you. Don’t give him the chance. Let a brother or sister in Christ know what’s going on. A cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecc 4:12) Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 143:2; Romans 3:10-12

2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 143

Psalm 142 was written while David was on the run hiding in a cave. Notice the focus of his hope. In his despair, he cried out to God. He did not blame God for his situation. He clung to God as his refuge. 

When your life is not going how you think it should, how do you respond? Are you a person who points to God and says, “Why are you letting this happen to me? I thought you loved me?” Or are you more like David who always accepted that God knows what is best for his life no matter what? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 142:3-5

3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. 4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. 5 I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 142

Yesterday I said that if we enter into our spiritual battles without God fighting on our behalf, we are going to lose. I pray these words from the Psalmist are a sobering corroboration of what I wrote to you yesterday. In this spiritual war, God is the victor, not the enemy and certainly not us. We have no chance without God on our side. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.

Psalm 141:8-10

8 But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death. 9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 141

As I meditated on Psalm 140, I was reminded that David was a mighty warrior. He was more than able to enter battle and fight well against his enemies. However, this passage shows me that David humbled himself before the Lord. He allowed God to fight his battles.

Are you trying to fight your own battles? Let me give you some knowledge. Without God fighting on your behalf, you’re going to lose. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.

Psalm 140:4-5

4 Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet. 5 The arrogant have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 140

I dare you to pray this passage over your life. What would it look like if you allowed God to show you the areas in your life that do not honor Him? Would you be willing to change?

In the United States, Christians struggle to change for God because our freedoms give us a false sense of “spirituality.” We have convinced ourselves that “a loving God would never allow bad things to happen to us.” Subsequently, many of us worship at the alter of the “most high genie.”

I encourage you to pray these words over your life, then allow God to strip away those areas that do not honor Him. It’s worth it. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 139:23-24

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 139

Life can get difficult. Please allow this passage to be your reminder that we serve a God who is always alert and aware of your situation. He is faithful to His word and His ways. Because you do not understand what He is doing does not mean what He is doing is wrong. Nor does it mean He is not aware of your needs. Have faith. Trust God. Live well. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 138:6-7

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 138

Psalm 137 gives us a glimpse into the captivity of the Israelites. This exile was due to their rebellion against God. They knew what they should do, but chose to disobey God out of their selfish desires. Let’s make sure we are not living in that manner. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 137:4-6

4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 137

Psalm 136 ends with this passage. What preceded it was a quick history lesson about the goodness and faithfulness of God. 

Here’s an exercise you can do to strengthen your trust in the Lord. Sit down and write out a portion of your testimony. Work from an end result to the beginning of the “situation” from which God saved you. Then go back and insert, “His love endures forever” throughout, like the Psalmist did. Prayerfully, your faith will be strengthened. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 136:26

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. 

His love endures forever.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 136

If ever I needed a reminder of who God is, this morning is that day. Last night I had one of those difficult hours. I learned a family member has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. While speaking with another family member about that diagnosis, I got word that a friend of mine had passed away earlier yesterday. Without God, this news could have been overwhelming. 

Praise the Lord! His faithfulness in the little things blesses me. I have read Psalm 135 more times than I can remember. But today I needed the reminders more than ever. 

We all experience difficult “hours,” but with God, we do not need to be overwhelmed by them. There is none like Him. Lean into that. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 135:5-7

5 I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. 6 The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. 7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 135

When I lived in South Korea last century(😏), I had a friend who would sometimes start a conversation by saying, “Just lift your hands and praise the Lord.” His sincere love for the Lord flowed through him at all times. His reminder to praise God at all times is one that we should follow. In addition to the Psalmist telling us to lift our hands in praise, Paul also tells us to praise in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 134:2

2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 134

As I look around the Church in the United States, I can’t help but notice how divided we are. I pray that we can allow Psalm 133:1 to be a motivating passage to return to the loving Church we find when we read in the early chapters of Acts. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 133:1

1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 133

As I read the Bible, whenever I see an “if-then” statement by God, I perk up. I do not want to be the person who expects the “then” part without adhering to the “if” part. 

God will always keep His word. He is not a man that He should lie. I encourage you to read your Bible daily and discover the promises of God. If you seek Him above all else, then you will know a Love that will sustain you no matter what. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 132:11-12

11 The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. 12 If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 132

This passage in Psalm 131 is similar to Psalm 130:7. If the Psalmist understands the importance of Israel putting their hope in the Lord, we should understand it too. Where is your hope? If it is not in the Lord, you should change its location. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 131:3

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 131