Psalm 140:12 - I know that the LORD secures justice

I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

This and the following three psalms are linked to the difficulties that David faced in his lifetime. This psalm deals with how David is coping with slander and this verse reveals how David copes with the anxiety that grips his soul: He knows that the Lord sees his trouble. He knows that the God he serves cares for the poor and needy. It is this knowledge that strengthens David to press on. It is God's faithfulness that helps David to see beyond the storm that is surrounding him.

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Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Psalm 103:17-19 - The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

To fear the Lord is to have a proper understanding of who God is, his power and ultimately His great love for us. The Psalmist here connects this understanding, this fear, with obedience to God's Word. We have God's love (and so will our children's children!) when we are obedient to what he asks of us and commands us.

It is interesting that the passage says we must "remember to obey". We are so prone to forget! We can be thankful that, for those that are in Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit in our life now gives us the remembrance and the power to obey God's commands and live fully in his love.

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Today's commentary by: Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor Soma Communities

Job 38:4-6 - Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

In previous chapters Job complains to God about His allowing continuous calamity to beset his life. As part of God's response to Job, He points out that Job's perspective is limited due to his relatively short span of life, limited knowledge, and limited experience. In contrast, God not only existed from eternity but created the entire world with all of its complexity and wonder.

The extraordinary majesty and harmony of both the design and continued functioning of nature demonstrates God's absolute authority and ability to perfectly govern every facet of the world. As such, we can take great conform in knowing that God sees and constrains every detail of our lives to work for His greater purposes (Romans 8:28), even if many tragedies and challenging circumstances can not be fully understood until we enter the new creation.

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Today's commentary by: Dr. Brian Miller http://drbmiller.wordpress.com/

Romans 1:20 - God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Much like examining a painting reveals aspects of its creator, studying science and our world reveal to a limited extent God's nature.

The size and expanse of the universe and the uniformity of its physical laws clearly reveal God's power and authority over all creation, and the extraordinary complexity and ingenuity of life reveal God's indescribable intelligence and wisdom. In fact, modern science has even shown that every detail of earth's design and every natural process were perfectly crafted for the benefit of life-if our planet were a different size or resided at a different distance from the sun or lacked the magnetic field surrounding it or if water did float when it froze or light traveled at a different speed, life could not exist.

Therefore, people who deny God's existence can not claim ignorance, since they must actively ignore the voice of nature all around them.

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Today's commentary by: Dr. Brian Miller http://drbmiller.wordpress.com/

Psalm 146:5-6 - Blessed is he whose whose hope is in the LORD his God

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:

Anyone who places their trust or hope in people will ultimately be disappointed, since no one has the ability, permanence, integrity, or reliability to perfectly keep their promises or meet others expectations.

In contrast, God existed throughout all eternity and created everything in existence, and He has governed and guided His creation throughout the eons. He is also perfectly good and faithful to keep His promises, and He always acts for His children's benefit. Therefore, those who follow God can trust that He will guide our lives toward beneficial ends, according to His eternal perspective. Moreover, He will never abandon us.

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Today's commentary by: Dr. Brian Miller http://drbmiller.wordpress.com/

John 15:16-17 - I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

We would like to think that we found God - but He actually chose us! Our ability to bear fruit doesn't come from our own will power, but from a heavenly intervention on our behalf.

We are not our own - to ask based around our own agendas betrays the fact that we have been chosen and appointed. Chosen for what? Appointed for what? To love one another. This begins the pilgrim's journey. This forms the asking. This becomes the great adventure of following Jesus.

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Today's commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

2 Corinthians 4:18 - For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Our world is filled with unsolved mysteries. Science can only go so far until it collides into things that are not measurable.

God gave us the Scripture and prayer because we need eternal reference points to navigate in a world that is passing away.

Both the despair of our struggles and the ecstasy of our successes are temporary, so keep your eyes on that which lasts forever - the Kingdom of God.

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Today's commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Philippians 4:12-13 - I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

The apostle Paul applies the strength of God both to good and bad circumstances. He is basically saying that the gospel gives him the power to process victory and defeat similarly: as under the hand of God.

How we handle our victories is also the way we handle our defeats. When our identity is in Christ and not in our achievement, success and setback are held in the same hand.

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Today's commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Psalm 18:32 - It is God who arms me with strength

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

God alone is our strength. Only our faith in Him allows us to weather the storms of this life.

A man of devout faith Horatio Spafford experienced tragedy throughout his life. It is midst of his pain Spafford wrote the words to the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul." His lyrics have been an inspiration and comfort to millions of people over the last 100 years.

Do you know the story behind this great hymn? The Story Behind the Song: It is Well With My Soul

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Psalm 49:15 - He will surely take me to Himself

But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

This Psalm deals with death, which is not a popular subject in our day. We don't want to talk about death until it is thrust upon us through the passing of a relative or friend.

It's been well said that we never see a hearse towing a U-Haul. But even though we can't take it with us, the good news is that God takes us with Him! We feel so unfulfilled with the achievements of this world because this world was never meant to fulfill us.

We were created to long for the One who redeems our lives from the grave and takes us to Himself.

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Today's commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Matthew 6:34 - Do not worry about tomorrow

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Earlier in this passage Jesus assures his disciples that God knows their every need. If He feeds the birds of the air, will he not feed us?

Then Jesus brings us the shocking truth: our anxiety is connected to doubt and unbelief! To worry about tomorrow is a sign that we don't trust our heavenly Father to take care of us. We are called to deal with the things of today and trust that the God who knows our name has our tomorrows in His hands. So anxiety or worry is a symptom of an unbelieving heart.

How do we get rid of worry? Our answer comes with repentance, then realigning our heart with God's promise to meet our needs. The promises in Matthew 6 alone have enough bread from heaven to sustain us in the midst of this troubled time.

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Today's commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Isaiah 9:2 - A light has dawned

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

The implications of this Scripture are immense. This passage says that 1) we all are walking in darkness and 2) we all need to see a great light.

It's not very flattering to think that we walk in darkness, but a view of history would validate this claim pretty quickly. But now Christ is the light that gives light to every man. There is a light that has dawned upon us. We didn't figure it out nor could we figure it out. We need help. Jesus is our Savior to set us free from our sins!

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Galatians 6:9 - At the proper time we will reap a harvest

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Paul reminds his readers that rewards are certain, but not immediate. One does not harvest a field of wheat the day after it is sown. Likewise, in the spiritual realm, rewards will follow faithful sowing in due time.

The apostle has argued at length that such works cannot justify (2:16) or sanctify (3:3) anyone. However, good works are, in fact, an important fruit of the life of faith (5:5) that God has planned for each believer (Eph. 2:8-10).

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1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

The Temple of Israel was where God dwelled among his people. It was a holy place, set apart for God's purposes and presence. The Apostle Paul is telling us here that this is what our bodies have become. "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit."

Our bodies have now been set apart for God's Holy Spirit to live in. This is an amazing thought! Because of this we are not to treat our bodies like they were given to us merely for our own personal use.

God paid a great price for us with the life and death of his Son. We are responsible to take good care of our bodies-valuing them-and in so doing, honoring the God who now dwells within.

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Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Psalm 119:28 - Strengthen me according to Your Word

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

How do we handle depression? Much of our advertising and media bombard us with images of happy people. This can become the unspoken "ideal life". So when we encounter emotions that may contradict this imagery we find ourselves unprepared.

But the Scripture sees sorrow as a part of the human condition. Many of the Psalms deal with feelings of overwhelming depression. And as the Bible addresses these feelings we find that it gives us the guide to navigate through sorrow - the promises of Scripture itself.

God's word assures us in our sorrow and gives us lighthouses of hope to help us navigate through the dark moments of our soul.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Habakkuk 2:20 - Let all the earth be silent before Him

But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Habakkuk is a unique dialogue between the prophet and God. 50-80 years after Isaiah, Habakkuk was to help the nation of Israel make sense of the Babylonian invasion through this drama that is played out for the readers.

In the prior verses, God ridicules the idols that cannot speak to those who make them. In contrast, it is the earth that is to be silent before the living God because He is the one who speaks!

Like Israel in that day, we want fast answers to our crisis, but if we want to hear the God who speaks, we must learn the discipline of silence. It is the supreme act of faith and surrender to simply wait upon the Lord. He is there and He wants to speak to His children, but it will be on His terms and not ours

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Psalm 145:9 - He has compassion on all He has made

The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Another passage of Scripture states that God allows the rain to fall on the righteous and unrighteous.

God's nature is good to all. He is merciful even to those who consider themselves His enemies. The greatest example of this was Jesus, who died for those who disagreed with Him.

God's compassion is seen with each breakthrough in science, art, or technology. Whether through the revelation from a pulpit or the revelation of a math problem solved, God's compassion is seen every moment of every day.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Matthew 10:32-33 - I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Christianity is not a designer religion. God is serious about getting us on His agenda. We find that the person that God wants us to be is someone who engages the world with His truth.

You don't have to buy a bullhorn or pass out tracts, but you do need to stand out as one who is ready to acknowledge Jesus to those around you. Jesus doesn't hold back on this truth and neither should we.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

John 15:1-2 - I am the true vine

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Notice that both branches get cut. The difference is in how we respond to the pain of the pruning. In many ways, the way that we bear the pruning is how we know that we are growing in our relationship with God. Do we get bitter, or better? What does the experience of loss or hindrance expose in us?

Our Father is a faithful gardener, ready to cut off the things in our lives that don't bear fruit, and reminding the fruitful ones that our life is not in the fruit, but only in the vine.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Proverbs 4:23 - Above all else, guard your heart

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Our hearts guide and direct all that we do. Every word that comes out of our mouth starts in the heart. All of our actions and choices are driven by the desires of the heart.

We often spend large sums of money to guard our earthly possessions. But God tells us that it is even more important to guard our hearts. If we don't it can lead to spiritual ruin!

Who we are in Christ is being formed in our hearts. If we let them be filled with perverse or unrighteous things we live at odds to God's purposes. Ask God to show you the areas of your heart that need guarding.

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Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Isaiah 40:31 - They will run and not grow weary

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

It has been said that as we get older the years get shorter and the days get longer! Life can often feel like a race that we are running and can't quite keep up.

Placing our hope in the Lord and the new life that He offers us in Christ is compared here to soaring on wings like eagles-like flying. Imagine it, no longer are we destined to place our hope in ourselves, our jobs, the economy, our friends or a spouse. We now have a hope that cannot be shaken.

When our hope is in the Lord our strength is renewed. Whatever you are facing today you have a choice. Where will you put your hope?

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Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James is contrasting God's nature with our nature in previous verses. Whereas we are fickle, God never changes.

He gives good (earthly) and perfect (heavenly) gifts to us. Sometimes we see God giving only heavenly gifts - salvation, guidance, peace. But he also gives earthly gifts - prosperity, success, favor.

James balances the earthly and the heavenly when He refers to God as the Father of the heavenly lights, which were seen as trustworthy navigation tools.

We may want to exploit the earthly gifts, or only emphasize the heavenly gifts, but our heavenly guide will use all of these gifts to transform us. The God who does not change uses good and perfect gifts to mold us into the children that will change the earth.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Exodus 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

God expects us to have a rhythm of work and rest.

In America, the idea of a day that is holy to the Lord has been lost in the bustle of productivity. Yet this commandment is on the same par as adultery, murder, and stealing.

God takes rest seriously - so seriously that he created a day for us to enjoy Him and the creation. To rest on the Sabbath is to trust God with the other six days of work.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Exodus 20:13 - You shall not murder

You shall not murder.

Thou shalt not kill.

To not murder another is innate in every major religion on earth. But the Scripture takes this concept further: we are created in God's likeness.

It is interesting to note the word murder in this commandment. Killing at a time of war is seen as a necessary evil, but to murder someone made in the image of God is seen as a desecration of the holy.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC

Colossians 2:6-7 - Continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Paul is writing this due to an assault on the believers in Colossa. Many different heretical teachings were being thrust upon this new church that confused the identity of the Christians there. Paul is exhorting them to return to their roots.

Remember the joy of knowing Christ because He first knew you. Remember the supernatural work that Christ did in your heart.

As the reformer Martin Luther stated: "Christ plus nothing equals everything."

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace NYC