1 Corintios 13: 1-3 (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3)

*Notes from the books of Psalms I get from Pastor Darlene Zschech's website. Notes on any other books I get from my own reading of scripture.

1. Si yo hablase lenguas humanas y angelicas, y no tengo amor, vengo a ser como metal que resuena, o cimbalo que retine.

• In other words if we do not have love, the words we say, be them in angelic or human tongue will mean nothing. They will be empty sounds that we ourselves will not understand if we do not have love.

2. Y si tuviese profecia, y entendiese todos los misterios y toda ciencia, y si tuviese toda la fe, de tal manera que trasladase los montes, y no tengo amor, nada soy.

• We must remember that God is love. It is through knowing God, seeking an intimate relationship with Him, that we begin to understand the real reason we are here, our true purpose in life. We could have all the knowledge, all the faith in the world, but if the love of God does not drive all that we do, all that we do will come back empty. For we may know how and why to do things but without that understand of love, of our purpose in Christ, then we are just running without knowing our true destination.

3. Y si repartiese todos mis bienes para dar de comer a los pobres, y si entregase mi cuerpo para ser quemado, y no tengo amor, de nada me sirve.

• One thing we must understand is that we cannot buy our way into heaven. Deeds alone will not guarantee we will get to heaven. If Christ is not in our hearts, deeds will not do. God is love, if He is not in us we will not get to heaven.
• It is kind of funny when you think about it. Here we are doing all these good deeds thinking that it will help us get into heaven, deeds that when we think about it costs us money or a couple of hours of our lives we could have used doing other things. Yet some refuse the gift God has given us through Jesus Christ at the cross. A gift that a) costs us nothing, a simple prayer that will b) take a minute or 2 to say. It's funny how we give so much yet we cannot accept that which cost us nothing, that which will help us to give even more than what we may already be giving.

Psalm 3: 7-8 Notes

7. Arise O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8. From the Lord comes deliverance. May blessing be on your people...

• 'Rise Oh God... SAVE ME!!', it's a cry of desperation. A prayer asking God to reveal His manifest presence and saving power.
• In the original King James version it says, 'Arise Oh Lord, Save Me Oh My God, For THOU HAST!!' The Psalmist shows great confidence that His God would deliver him because he was warranted by past experiences.

• A way of building great expectation is by writing down things God has done and delivered you from.
• Remind yourself that your TRUST (confidence) is in the name of the Lord.

• Striking the enemies, breaking their teeth is God smiting the enemy. A break to a cheekbone of an animal, means you totally disarm it!!

• Verse 8 is beautifully concluded stating the Lord alone who saves and blesses. When it feels like the WHOLE world were against you, like all evil rises against you, IT IS THE LORD WHO SAVES!
• His realization that he would continue to be blessed initially came, birthed in pain and trouble. It found its way from HELP TO THANKS.

• 'Psalm language is not careful about offending our sensibilities, its genius is its complete disclosure of the human spirit as it makes response to the revealing God. Given the mess things are in, it will not be surprising that some unpleasant matters have to be spoken, and spoken in the language of prayer is, most emphatically, human language- it is not angel talk.' - Eugene H. Peterson

• Lastly, again, SELAH is the punctuation used to close the Psalmists thoughts. Victory is coming, therefore, re-tune your instruments!!

Psalm 3:1-6 Notes

1. O Lord how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2. Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him
3. But you are a shield around me, O Lord, You bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
4. To the Lord, I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill
5. I lie down and sleep, I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

• Psalm 3 was written when David was on the run, fleeing from an army governed by his son, Absalom.
• First prayer in the Psalms.
• the language of prayer originates in the midst of trouble. Humanity recognizing their only hope is in His God.
• Praying with faith, expectation, no worries on how it appears or sounds, with passion and truth, are the prayers recorded in Psalms.

• David starts of overwhelmed by fear which is what the enemy tries to do to us, blind us with fear and unbelief.
• The attack was coming from his son. When the hit comes from the outside its easier to deal with. When it comes from the inside, someone close, the sting is almost unbearable.
• At the end of verse 2 the mood changes.
• The word SELAH appears before verse 3.
• SELAH - is a musical pause (depending on the definition of who's teaching it). Closest explanation would be to pause, rest, observe, meditate, before moving on.
• After this 'pause' David has a new-found confidence in his shield (God).
• Originally shield signifies MUCH more than a shield. It is a protection that surrounded a man entirely; above, beneath, around, within and without!

• The Israelites remind David of his past failures but the TRUTH drowned out their words.
• Praise, like Prayer, changes things.
• Some theologians say when you read the word SELAH, 'lift up the mood, sing more loudly, pitch the tune to a higher key, there is victory coming.'

• We read that Davids sleep was sweet (peace of God). He trusts, is confident that the hand of the Lord is upon him. He will be triumphant.

Before you open your mouth to confess how hard life may be... pause, re-tune your instrument... and speak the truth, over your facts! SELAH

Psalm 2: 7-12 Notes

7. I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, "you are my Son; today I have become your Father.
8. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
10. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

• Reminds us that true wisdom lies in obeying Christ, that power and authority does not come through title and position but through yielded lives. (Eph. 1:21).

8. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

• In the King James, the word nations reads as "heathens."
• In these times of war we must remind ourselves that the Word clearly states what the inheritance consists of, but also of the Lords readiness to GIVE it to us.
• In times of war pray and believe verse 8.
• "When you sense fear rising up or insecurity trying to overwhelm you... Pray & Praise... Instruct your heart in the daylight so that it may instruct you well at night." - Darlene Zschech

9. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.

• Iron rod indicates how weighty, severe, describing the force of God coming against earthly kingdoms plotting against the Holy one, dashing (smashing) into pieces. Not intended to bruise but to break.

10. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

• The Word is the ultimate book of wisdom.
• The gospel is the teacher of the greatest, THE great should never forget this.

11. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

• Fear & Rejoice sounds like: Sour & Sweet, Lemon & Sugar
• Fear = as in reverence, in awe
• Rejoicing and trembling = joy filled at His mercy and grace. That this righteous judge loved enough to give us all that He could through the cross.
• "God mingles joy with fear, that fear may not be lavish." - Thomas Watson, 1660

12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

• Embrace Him, depend upon Him in all you do, in all you are. don't be ashamed of loving Christ. Delight His heart 'lest He be angry.'
• All who put their trust in Him will be blessed. The first and last word of Psalm 1 and Psalm 2: BLESSED, as in the Beautitude in Matthew.

God's world is not only larger than anything represented by media, Presidents, Kings... stock exchange... but GOD'S WORLD CONTAINS THEM.