Kristi Burchfiel

What do we know about the character of God? When we think of his personality, what traits do we think of? In Psalm 86 gives us some insight into God and his qualities. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Psalms 86:15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.86.15.NASB Knowing that God’s character is made of these qualities, how well do we reflect these to others? Are we willing to be merciful and gracious to others? Would people describe us as slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth? If not, then are we truly allowing Christ to live in and through…

Do we listen to God? Do we listen for God? See what the psalmist says in Psalm 85. I will hear what God the Lord will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not turn back to folly. Psalms 85:8 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.85.8.NASB God will speak peace to us. He will keep us from turning back to folly and sin. We have a choice each day what voices we listen to. Will we choose to listen to the voice that is speaking peace?

What am I willing to sacrifice for the opportunity to be in God’s presence? The Lord is gracious, but he will not force oeople to come to him. Yet there us nothing like experiencing God. It is what led the psalmist to say this from Psalm 84. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalms 84:10 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.84.10.NASB Knowing what God does and provides for his people, we realize that just being near him is better than the best thing we can think of and…

Why does God do things to try and get people’s attention? When we are going through tough times and struggling with people who are not treating us correctly, why do we pray for God to get their attention?  The answer is in Psalm 83. Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish, That they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord , Are the Most High over all the earth. Psalms 83:17‭-‬18 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.83.17-18.NASB Even after praying that the evil people are humiliated, the psalmist goes on the explain that is so the people will come to know God and fear…

No one wants to be judged. No one wants to have to stand up under the thought that things are not going the way they should be. Yet, God is the one who has the responsibility to judge the people as he is the only one who created them and knows them. See psalm 82. Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations. Psalms 82:8 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.82.8.NASB Because of who he is and his relationship with us, God has the right and the responsibility to judge us and to hold us accountable to his standards of truth. We will be judged by him…

“Fake it ’til you make it.” This popular phrase has been discused by many as a way to help people move toward being something that they aren’t already. Personally, I am not a fan of this idea. Being genuine is of great importance, see Psalm 81. “Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. Psalms 81:15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.81.15.NASB God values sincerity as well. God knows there will be people who pretend to value him and follow him. He knows that those people are actually not really following him. Since God knows the hearts of everyone, he’s not fooled by any…

What do you need most? If you were asked what you biggest and most desperate need is, what would you say? For the Psalmist in Psalm 80, he recognizes his need for God. O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved. Psalms 80:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.80.3.NASB No matter what we think we need, what we really need is God. We need his mercy and his love and his provision each and every day. Is that what we ask for? Do we seek to find more and more of him every day? That is what we really need.

We all want to belong somewhere. We want to be included and feel like we are part of a team. When we belong to Jesus, we are part of His family. Read Psalm 79. So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise. Psalms 79:13 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.79.13.NASB We are his people. We are his sheep in hus pasture. We belong in him. That is certainly something to praise God for! It doesn’t matter whether we feel that way or not, we belong when we are in Christ.

Forgiveness. We all desperately need to be forgiven from the sins that we have done. The people of Israel needed that as well, and they also needed to remember all that God had done for them. Psalm 78 is a history lesson complete with the forgiveness of God. But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath. Psalms 78:38 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.78.38.NASB Do we take the time to remember the things we have gone through and how God has moved in our lives to be there for us? God is compassionate and he is willing…

Do we stop and consider all that God has done? Do we praise him for it? See Psalm 77. I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? Psalms 77:12‭-‬13 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.77.12-13.NASB God is great and mighty and if we will stop and think about all that he does, we will have plenty to praise him for. God is truly like no other and he is deserving of all our praise and our decision to lift him up and follow him. Will we lift him up and praise him?