Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover
Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...
Recent Episodes
When People Accuse You Falsely | Psalm 109
17:54 | 08-31-2021
There will be times in your life when others are speaking bad about you. Sometimes it’s not that big of a deal and you can move on. But other times it can be super painful and even highly damaging to your reputation. As a follower of Jesus, how should you handle that? That’s the subject and prayer of this episode. Psalm 109 ESV A PSALM OF DAVID. 1 Be not silent, O God of my praise! 2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 21 But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. Psalm 57:4 ESV My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Matthew 5:10–12 NIV 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Luke 6:22–23 NIV 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. Luke 6:26–28 NIV 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. 27 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. John 5:44 NIV How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 1 Peter 4:14–16 NIV 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter 4:19 NIV So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Acts 5:41 NIV The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
What About Psalms That Pray for Retribution? | Psalm 109
24:21 | 08-26-2021
You’re reading or praying through the Psalms and you come across one where David prays for terrible things to happen to his enemies. For God to bring disaster upon enemies. And you can’t help but think how unChristian this is! “I can’t pray for this!” you think to yourself, “Aren’t we supposed to https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A44&version=NIV (pray FOR our enemies) and https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012%3A14&version=NIV (BLESS those who curse us)?” That’s the subject of this episode. Psalm 109 ESV A PSALM OF DAVID. 1 Be not silent, O God of my praise! 2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! 8 May his days be few; may another take his office! 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! 10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! 11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! 12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! 13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! 15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth! 16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. 17 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! 18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! 19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! 20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life! 21 But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. 23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. 25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. 26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! 27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it! 28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! 29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! 30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. 2 Timothy 4:14-18 (ESV) Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory
How You Can Choose Hope In Your Life | Psalm 108:1
25:04 | 08-24-2021
In https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013%3A13&version=NIV (1 Corinthians 13:13), the apostle Paul tells us that a life filled with God’s Spirit will be more and more characterized by three things: faith, hope, and love. You can’t really live the Christian life without them. Those three are always intertwined, making it impossible to have one without also having the others. Hope is like a vital third leg of a three-legged stool. Like with faith and love, hope is a kind of mental and emotional switch we must hit inside our head. It’s a choice we can make. But not a blind choice. God has given us powerful ancient words and prayers upon which to base that choice. That’s the subject of this episode. Psalm 108:1 ESV My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Psalm 27:14 ESV Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 31:24 NIV Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. 2 Corinthians 4:16–17 ESV So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Psalm 42:11 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 62:5 NIV Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. Psalm 130:7 NIV11-GK ...Put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. Psalm 146:5–6 NIV Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
What Are You Hoping For? | Psalm 108:1
24:44 | 08-19-2021
Your faith is not just a set of beliefs. Your faith always has an emotional element to it. An emotional view of God’s promises that affects you in some way. It’s an emotional response that the Bible refers to as “hope.” A hope that looks up and looks forward in all your horizontal circumstances. Understanding the Bible’s reasons for hope will enable your emotions to become more and more driven by hope rather than discouragement or discontentment. That’s the subject of this episode. Psalm 108:1 ESV My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Psalm 27:14 ESV Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 31:24 ESV Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! Romans 8:23–25 NIV 23 ...We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Ephesians 1:18–19 NIV 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Hebrews 10:23 NIV Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 1 Peter 1:21 NIV Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Titus 3:4–8 NIV 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. 1 Peter 1:3–6 NIV 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
Getting a Heart of Courage | Psalm 108
29:24 | 08-17-2021
God has put your life in a place and time that requires courage to survive. That’s why all throughout the Bible God calls his people to have hearts of courage. Even though you can’t always see it, every minute of your life is taking place in the midst of real enemies. You may not think of life that way. So courage is not something you normally think of as one of your greatest needs. Psalm 108 is the Holy Spirit’s way of reminding you. That’s the subject of this episode. Psalm 108 ESV A SONG. A PSALM OF DAVID. 1 My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! 2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 3 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me! 7 God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. 9 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. 12 Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! 13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. Remember the last Psalm… Psalm 107:26 ESV They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; Psalm 27:14 ESV Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 31:24 ESV Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. 2 Chronicles 32:7 NIV Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. Matthew 14:27 NIV But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Acts 4:13 NIV When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 23:11 NIV The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
Do You Have a Wandering Life? Part 2 | Psalm 107:17-43
29:15:00 | 08-12-2021
Your life is a constant conversion with God, even if you don’t know it. This is why even atheists refer to God when cursing or complaining. The reason for this constant life-long conversation with God is that everyone is created by God and lives inside God’s universe. God created you and your soul knows it deep down. Everyone does. That reality is unavoidable. So when you try to create your own life and live in your own reality, your life gets offline with the real universe and becomes dysfunctional. Psalm 107 is a masterful, poetic look into four different windows of what your life looks like when you wander away from the reality of who God is. This episode is a part 2 of the episode prior to this. Psalm 107 ESV 1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. 17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. 36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; 37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. 38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.
Do You Have a Wandering Life? | Psalm 107:1-16
30:06 | 08-10-2021
Your life is a constant conversion with God, even if you don’t know it. This is why even atheists refer to God when cursing or complaining. The reason for this constant life-long conversation with God is that everyone is created by God and lives inside God’s universe. God created you and your soul knows it deep down. Everyone does. That reality is unavoidable. So when you try to create your own life and live in your own reality, your life gets offline with the real universe and becomes dysfunctional. Psalm 107 is a masterful, poetic look into four different windows of what your life looks like when you wander away from the reality of who God is. And that’s the subject of this episode and the next. Psalm 107:1–16 ESV 1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
Finding Security in Jesus as Your Perfect Mediator | Psalm 106
30:33 | 08-05-2021
The weird thing about the Christian life is that the more you are walking in the light and the truth of God’s word, the more you are aware of your sin. You’re more aware that your sinfulness sinks its roots in your life far deeper than you realize. It gets weirder yet when your awareness of your sinfulness actually brings a sense of joy and security in all that God is for you in Jesus. It makes you more secure in your relationship with God when you finally realize it’s all based on Jesus being your perfect mediator rather than your having to become more worthy. Personally I have found it to be peace giving and joy giving and gratitude giving to worship God by meditating on and praying through biblical verses about Jesus as my perfect mediator before God. And that’s the subject of this episode. In the past few episodes we’ve discussed three things you have to believe if you want to walk with God: 1. That God’s word/promises are true. 2. That he loves you specifically with an abundant infinite steadfast love. 3. And that his will for you ultimately is your good. Your only good. Your better story. These three reasons are why you can trust him completely. (Like this podcast? Leave us a rating so others can find it more easily. Also consider texting favorite episodes to a friend or family member who might benefit from this podcast.) Psalm 106 ESV 1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, 5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider [Hebrew: they did not remember] your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 20 They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass. 21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt. 23 So he said he would destroy them — had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Below are some of the New Testament verses discussed in this episode: 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV) For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. Hebrews 9:15 (NIV) …Christ is the mediator of a new covenant… 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV …You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 John 1:5 - 2:2 (NIV) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews 10:12-23 NIV 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God... 14 For by...
The Importance of Discerning Accusation vs Conviction | Psalm 106
21:59 | 08-03-2021
Too often we confuse the accusations in our head with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That’s a big mistake. And that’s the subject of this episode. We are setting up a base camp here in Psalm 106 for a little while because it touches on a lot of really crucial issues if we want to walk with God. If we want to live the bigger life. Live the better story. There are three things you have to believe if you want to walk with God: 1. That God’s word/promises are true. 2. That he loves you specifically with an abundant infinite steadfast love. 3. And that his will for you ultimately is your good. Your only good. Your better story. These three reasons are why you can trust him completely. (Like this podcast? Leave us a rating so others can find it more easily. Also consider texting favorite episodes to a friend or family member who might benefit from this podcast.) Psalm 106 ESV 1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, 5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider [Hebrew: they did not remember] your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 20 They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass. 21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Below are some of the New Testament verses discussed in these episodes: 1 John 1:5 - 2:2 (NIV) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ...For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
Do You See You Vertically? | Psalm 106
30:15 | 07-29-2021
Most dysfunctions and problems in life stem from only seeing yourself from an horizontal point of view. What others think of you and say to you has way too much say in how you see yourself. Define your identity. But you can’t live the bigger and better story without finding your identity from the vertical perspective of God. That’s the subject of this episode. We are setting up a base camp here in Psalm 106 for a little while because it touches on a lot of really crucial issues if we want to walk with God. If we want to live the bigger life. Live into the better story. There are three things you have to believe if you want to walk with God: 1. That God’s word/promises are true. 2. That he loves you specifically with an abundant infinite steadfast love. 3. And that his will for you ultimately is your good. Your only good. Your better story. These three reasons are why you can trust him completely. (Like this podcast? Leave us a rating so others can find it more easily. Also consider texting favorite episodes to a friend or family member who might benefit from this podcast.) Psalm 106 ESV 1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, 5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider [Hebrew: they did not remember] your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Below are some of the New Testament verses discussed in these episodes: 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIV 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. John 17:23–24 NIV 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Romans 5:6–10 NIV 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Titus 3:4-8 ESV But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people....