Reading With the People of God - #5 We Believe.Sample

Memorization Challenge of the Month:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Reading with the People of God Primer:

Mighty Good Leader...

In our reading today, the Psalm is another Psalm of praise. The LORD is praised as the eternal, almighty King who cares for the neediest of His people. The Kingship of Yahweh is set against the calamity of human rule. We know the latter all too well!

This God is unlike the ancient Greek gods, who manifested human traits in exaggerated proportions. Rather, the Lord is the ideal monarch against whom all human rulers fall woefully short. In the New Testament, Jesus (the perfect Son of God) would be the forever stake nailed down in the midst of humanity for us all to compare. We all fall short. There is no one like our God!

Not only does Psalm 146 praise the Lord’s perfect rule, but it also condemns the flawed rule by human leaders. When you read vv. 8-9, try applying these qualities to today’s politicians. They do none of these things because they cannot or do not prioritize it. We should pray for our leaders today!

When we sing Psalm 146, the people of God come face-to-face with the Lord’s ethical demands. Descriptions about the nature of God, especially in the context of prayer, tend to shape our nature when we utter them. Put simply, if God gives food to the hungry (v. 7), so should we! As we regularly read and meditate on God’s Word, we will see that Jesus changes everything - even us!

- Brian Mott, Middle School Bible Teacher, Stoneridge Christian and member at Cornerstone Community Church, Chowchilla.