It Helps to Look Up: Psalm 8:3-9
“3) When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4) What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬-‭4
When life gets too complicated or I get overwhelmed by the drama in this world, I step out on a clear night and look up into the sky. With my very novice understanding of astronomy, I recognize I am looking at billions of stars and Galaxies stretching into infinity. Suddenly, I feel very small.
David wrote this knowing only what the naked eye could see. He had no idea that some of the stars he was looking at were actually entire galaxies. All he knew was the sky looked very big compared to the very small and often complicated world around him.
Yet he understood that God had a special role for mankind in this world. He created man in His own image and gave Him dominion over this world. However, he did recognize an unseen spiritual battle around him. Naturalism alone could not explain reality.
He also had glimpses of the coming of the Messiah. The next few verses of this Psalm are quoted in Hebrews 2:6-8. David understood that God has a special plan and purpose for planet earth and that it revolves around the coming Messiah.
I am not among those filled with despair or ready to give up on Gods plan for this planet or for humanity. But I do need to step outside occasionally on a clear night and regain my perspective. It always helps to look up.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global

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The Righteous Judge: Psalm 7:11-13
“11) God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. 12) If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. 13) He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.” Psalms‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭
David understood both sides of God. He understood His love and mercy and he understood His justice and wrath. He viewed Him as a fierce warrior who takes vengeance on His enemies.
For some reason, people today think God has changed. They believe He no longer has the side of justice, judgement and wrath. They believe this was displaced by total love in Jesus. They read the New Testament with blinders over their eyes.
They ignore texts like Romans 1:18; Romans 2:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 and Hebrews 10:30-31. There are many New Testament texts with warnings equally as strong as Psalm 7:11-13. Take time and read these verses.
It is healthy to live with a full view of God. The “all love god” of the modern church is not only lopsided, it is heretical. This is not the God of the Bible.
Born-again believers need to walk in an “Abba Father” relationship with God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6), knowing that He is holy and will discipline sin in our lives (Hebrews 12:7-13); and will reap the ungodly from the earth. (Revelation 14:14-20)
I live with a holy fear, reverence and respect for God. I fully understand that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5-7)
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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Gods Blessings and Favor Toward the Righteous: Psalm 5
“11) But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. 12) For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.” Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭
I love this entire Psalm. It talks about the struggles of everyday life. It includes the evil intent of the ungodly against the righteous.
This Psalm reminds us that God is a refuge. Walking with Him is a joy and a privilege. He is present and active in the lives of those who are godly and live for Him. He can turn the evil intent of the ungodly into good. He often turns curses into blessings.
When you get discouraged, it is often because you have lost your perspective. Be like David, take your eyes off from yourself and your struggles and place your focus back on God.
How is this done? David would often sing and exalt God even in the midst of the storm. He would consciously worship God in the face of what looked like a tragedy. (See 1 Samual 30:6) He strengthened himself in the Lord!
I believe David understood two unchangeable truths about God toward those who love Him. David saw God as the source of blessings and favor toward the righteous. He understood that God was for him and not against him.
In this Psalm, David is not ignoring the outward oppression coming from ungodly people. Instead, he was aligning himself with the goodness, blessings and favor of God. He was running into a fortress much greater than the gloom and doom of his external circumstances or his shifting emotions.
It is true! Gods blessings and favor surround the righteous man or woman. This fact becomes a shield and fortress against the inner war. Winning the inner war is the first step in turning the tide of the outer war!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global

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Set Aside For God: Psalm 4
“1) Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. 2) O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. 3) But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him. 4) Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5) Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord. 6) Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! 7) You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. 8) In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” Psalms‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭
I have heard it said that “God is no respecter of persons!” The truth is; “God sets apart the godly man for Himself.” David understood this foundational truth. (Vs 3)
We can live and walk in God’s acceptance, love, approval, favor, protection and blessings. We can live pleasing to the Lord.
If this was true for David in the Old Testament era, how much more for those who know Jesus as personal Savior, are born-again and walk in the Spirit in the New Testament era.
Live pleasing to God. Walk in the light as He is in the light. Abide in Christ. Offer the sacrifice of righteousness. Trust in the Lord. Be Holy. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Enjoy constant fellowship with God!Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Make Jesus Christ your best friend. You can live in such a way as to be pleasing to God. You can live and walk in His favor.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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The Word of God is Like a Sharp Sword: Hebrews 4:12
“12) For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭
The Bible is like no other book. Gods word is living and active. John 1:1-2 calls Jesus “the Word.” He had the power to speak creation into existence.
The writer of Hebrews goes on to compare the word of God to a sharp two-edged sword. It has the power to cut and slice the innermost parts of man. It has cut many wicked and sinful things from my life. Gods word has laid me open many times.
In Ephesians 6:17, Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God as a mighty weapon. It is the basis of truth and the standard for judgement.
I have great reverence and respect for the Bible. It was received by Divine revelation. It is inspired and trustworthy.
It has been translated into more languages than any other book or piece of liturature. It has inspired more songs, poems, movies and artwork than any other books. It is by far the best seller every year by such a margin they no longer count it on the best seller list.
It has also been criticized, banned, burned and attacked by critics more than any other book. The foolish critics have passed into oblivion but the Bible remains.
Any nation that rejects the teachings of the Bible spirals into moral and spiritual decay. Any nation that returns to the God of the Bible experienced revival, awakening and reformation. The same holds true for individual people.
Those who build their life on the Bible have a firm foundation. Those who reject its wisdom and teachings are building on sinking sand. Life has a way of testing your foundation.
I encourage you to read and study the Bible for yourself. Focus on everything it says about Jesus Christ and the gospel. There will be a final exam and that will determine where you spend eternity.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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Like a Tree: Psalm 1
“1) How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3) He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4) The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6) For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalms‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭6‬
In looking at this Psalm, I need to share a bit of my story. It is deeply tied to these six verses.
The night that I put faith in Jesus Christ way back in September of 1973, the Holy Spirit led me to this Psalm. Because of my poor reading ability, I had to memorize it in order to read it. It took me all night. it was the first chapter in the Bible that I memorized.
My Christian life started with a dynamic encounter with the Holy Spirit and a deep commitment to the Word of God. As I memorized this Psalm, I meditated on it literally all night. It took me seven hours to memorize, but that set a pattern for my life.
That night, I knew my life would follow one of two paths. It was my choice. I could build my life on the Word of God and be like a tree planted by streams of water; or, I could ignore Gods Word and be like dried up chaff in the desert blown by the wind.
The book of Matthew was the first book I set out to memorize. I was amazed that Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount much like Psalm one. He said we would build our life on the rock or the sand. (Matthew 7:24-27) I purposed to build my life on the rock by acting on Gods Word.
As I continued to study, read and memorize Scripture, my life started changing. Because of my background, I still had demonic attacks, strong immoral temptations and terrible issues with anger. I failed some tests, but the Holy Spirit was actively changing me.
Each time I failed, the enemy would rub my nose in deep condemnation. But by God’s grace, I would confess, repent and crawl out of that pit and get up and continue to pursue Jesus.
I also started sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen. Soon, a few people turned into many. My grades in school radically changed. Three years later, I graduated as an honor student.
I was also leading Bible studies in nursing homes, preaching in churches around our region in Minnesota and joined a Bible Quizzing Team. We won nationals the very first year.
That first year of quizzing, we memorized the book of 1 Corinthians. That became very providential in overcoming my sensual temptations and understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word should be active and powerful in our lives.
Psalm chapter one became my launching pad. It is still one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I have had failures in my life, but by Gods grace I never fell into a prolonged period of backsliding.
The Holy Spirit has always held me with a very short leash. I’ve also had several sessions with my Heavenly Father at wood shed for serious times of discipline. (See Hebrews 12:4-13) I always responded with brokenness and sincere repentance. Jesus Christ became my absolute best friend and first love!
My walk with Jesus has now spanned over five decades. By Gods amazing grace, He has taken the lowliest of all men and opened amazing doors around the world. My life has indeed become like a tree planted by streams of water.
My highlight and my greatest delight has now become my daily walk with Jesus in the Spirit. Serving Him is the overflow of walking with Him. I absolutely love drinking constantly from rivers of living water.
I’m kind of a maverick. I despise church as usual. I don’t care what others are doing or waste time following the latest Christian pop stars or trends. I just focus on Jesus and His Word while thoroughly enjoying my daily walk in the Spirit.
Looking back over the decades, I realize I’ve become like a planted tree. I just abide in Jesus and His Word and constantly drink from rivers of living water flowing from the Holy Spirit. It’s not fancy or trendy, but it’s glorious beyond description.
I can barely remember the man I used to be or the deep struggles I’ve endured. It’s been a long journey, but I’ve become a new creation in Christ. (1 Corinthians 5:17) I am more passionately in love with Jesus Christ today than any previous time in my life.
That’s my simple story. It’s taken over fifty years, but this planted acorn has become an oak tree by streams of living water.
However, because I own a small sawmill and enjoy hobby logging, I understand that a fifty year old oak tree barely makes a good saw log. It has a lot of growing before it becomes a mighty oak.
What does that mean? God is not finished with me yet. I still have a lot of learning, growing and fruitful years of serving Jesus in front of me. Welcome to Psalm chapter one and my life story.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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