Calvary Chapel Pastor's Blog

 Psalm 24:3–5 (ESV): "3  Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5  He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation." Can you imag...

Psalm 23:1 (ESV): "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." God is our all in all. In Him, we lack nothing good. The only requirement? He must be the Shepherd of our lives. This is perhaps the most famous section of Scripture in the Bible. Some believe David was at the end of his life when he wrote this, some say it was during the years of his s...

Psalm 22:14–15 (ESV): "14  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15  my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death." Suffering is a necessary part of life that God uses for His glory and our good. Thank...

Psalm 22:1–2 (ESV): "1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2  O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." Jesus was despised and rejected so we could be esteemed and accepted. He who knew no sin became sin that we might become th...

Psalm 19:1 (ESV): "1  The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." The existence of God is clearly seen in His creation. His fingerprints are everywhere. The world is without excuse when it comes to belief in the Creator for God has made His attributes clearly seen throughout the universe. David grew up a s...

Psalm 16:9–10 (ESV): "9  Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption." The resurrection promise of God is our anchor of hope in the most perilous of times. It declares to us that although we shall surely die, we shal...

Psalm 14:2–3 (ESV): "2  The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." Mankind is lost in a forest of deception. We call good what is evil be...

Psalm 10:17–18 (ESV): "17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear 18  to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more." Prayer changes our perspective and helps us clearly see the truth. Be honest with God in your...

Psalm 9:15–16 (ESV): "15  The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16  The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;  the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah"God will always triumph over evil. All the wickedness of man will ul...

Psalm 8:3–4 (ESV): "3  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4  what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" The greatness of God is far beyond our comprehension. In our pondering, we wonder why God loves us so much. It's because H...

Psalm 3:3–4 (ESV): "3  But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4  I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah." The protection we have from God is second to none. He is our fortress and our shield. We are totally secure in Him. David knew what it was like to be betrayed. His...

Psalm 2:12 (ESV): "12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." God requires all human hearts to humble themselves before Him. We can do it willingly in this life and be blessed or we can be forced to in the life to come and experience the wrath o...

Job 42:10 (ESV): "10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." God is the King of restoration. There is no brokenness too great or desolation too vast that God can't fully restore. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever hope...

Job 40:1–2 (ESV): And the Lord said to Job: 2  "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."  Arguing with God is pointless. Not only is He is infinitely wiser but more importantly, He is never wrong. Stop contending and start listening! It will bring necessary humility to our hearts.In Job 38...

Job 32:2–3 (ESV): "2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong." The only way to truly di...

Job 28:28 (ESV): "28  And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.' "  Wisdom and understanding go hand in hand and are only obtainable through a proper fear of the Lord. When this is lacking foolishness and evil will prevail.Job summarizes his defense with his friend...

Job 27:6 (ESV): "6  I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days." Holding fast to personal holiness is not the easiest in hard times but it is the best response! Don't give in or give up on God when things are hard, press in and press on! Continued dialogue with Eliphaz the Temanit...

Job 19:25–27 (ESV): "25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" The hope for all humanity is found in the person of Jesus Chr...

Job 16:1–3 (ESV): "Then Job answered and said: 2  "I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. 3  Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?" Many are the accusers who would point the finger rather than extend the hand of grace and help a person up. Don't kick a person when their down, encour...

Job 13:14–15a (ESV): "14  Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand? 15  Though he slay me, I will hope in him;" It's one thing to have faith for healing and completely another thing to have faith through sickness. The one requires momentary trust and belief while the other requires continual trust and belief that ...