Thought for June 3, 2024

  •  1098: First Crusade seizes Antioch.
  • 1851: First baseball uniforms--straw hats, white shirts, blue pants
  • 1888: "Casey at the Bat" published
  • 1916: ROTC established
  • 192: Sudden cloudburst kills 120 near Pikes Peak
  • 1946: First bikini displayed
  • 1965: Ed White makes the first American space walk
  • 1968: Andy Warhol shot
  • 1972: First female rabbi in the US installed
  • 1976: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen goes gold
  • 1988: "Big" premiers
  • 1989: Beginning of Tiananmen Square massacre
  • Born: Jefferson Davis, George V, Josephine Baker, Raul Castro, Rafael Nadal
  • Died: George Bizet, Franz Kafka, Pope John XXIII, Ayatollah Khomeini, Muhammad Ali
I posted a thought yesterday. Rarely post on a Sunday but had something on my mind. 

Thought: 
Reading Psalm 84 this morning. This psalm reminds me of Psalm 42--as the deer pants for the water. In verse 2, the writer is yearning to be in the house of the Lord. I notice that three times in this psalm we read, "how  blessed." [84:4, 5, 12] So I am thinking about how blessed we are, how blessed I am. And also thinking about how I take my blessings for granted--I got up this morning and I was inside a nice house. What percentage of the world's population can say that? The air was cooled. I went to an indoor bathroom. How blessed I am! I turned on lights and drew a glass of water by turning a knob. How blessed! I did not hear gun fire, crying or moaning outside. How blessed! I opened a full refrigerator and a full pantry and had to decide what to eat for breakfast. How blessed! I went to my closet and again had to decide what clothes and shoes to wear. How blessed!. I went out and started my car. How blessed! And the day has just begun. How blessed!

Now look at the three blessing statements of Psalm 84: 
  • Blessed are those that dwell in the house of the Lord. Sounds like the end of the 23rd Psalm--Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The psalmist yearned for the Temple, the tabernacle, the place where God manifested Himself. In Christ we are the dwelling place of the Most High. And one day soon, we will dwell in the place He has prepared for us forever. How blessed we are--God is with us now and we will dwell with Him forever.
  • Blessed are those whose strength is in the Lord. What a blessing. I don’t have to live in my strength, for in my weakness He is strong. I gain strength from His presence, His promises, His provision. I gain strength by resting in Him and on Him. Isaiah tells us that those who wait upon the Lord will gain new strength, mount up on eagles wings, run and not get tired, walk and not be weary.  Nehemiah reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. How blessed!
  • Blessed are those that trust in the Lord. Why? He never fails. He always keeps His promises. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence. When He says He is with us no matter what--He is. When He says He will never leave us, He won't. When He says He is sufficient, He is. How blessed!
Today, count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done.

Blessings
Larry

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