psalm 112 - verse 1

here are my notes from dino rizzo's teaching this morning at frank's. this was week 1 of a 10-week study going through psalm 112 verse-by-verse. 125 men were there at 6am - amazing enough right there. i was there. now we're talking "miracle!" anyway, check out the notes- and feel free to give some feedback if you want.

a blessed life is a righteous life

verse 1:
Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands.

1. praise to God
2. blessings of God
3. word of God

Praise the Lord!
powerful foundation of a blessed life. Praise is the starting point. moses at the red sea – needing a rescue. he gets the children of israel to start praising God before, during, and after the crossing. it is easy to praise once you’re on the other side. we have a tendency to wait for the outcome to start praising. we don’t need to wait. be thankful up front, before you see the change you’re looking for. and remember, praise is not limited to singing. praise is an attitude of the heart – a way we carry ourselves – it is a lifestyle. we do need to break out of our comfort zone and sing sometimes, but there’s WAY more to it. it is all about relationship.

blessed
blessed means "happy, fortunate, to be envied." God promises to bless us but much of the blessing depends on choices we make. deuteronomy 30: we have choices in front of us - life and death. choose life. how are you doing in 2006 with your choices? choose to live blessed. choices are like floods or rivers. floods damage. rivers carry you to new places.

making wise choices requires focus - getting your bearing. it takes discipline. you must see the big picture. the blessing of God is way beyond something just for you. it goes beyond your own consumption. genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you…. all the families of the earth shall be blessed by you." blessings TO you and blessings THRU you. realize WHY you are being blessed. God wants to bring it to you so that He can bring it through you to others. be contagious about the blessings of God in your life rather than being contagious about the burden of life. carry someone else’s burden rather than being someone’s burden. remember the blessings of God. when you see the blessings of God, you will stop complaining about stuff.

word of God
understand it. if you want Bible results you have to live Bible guidelines/rules. there are do’s and don’ts. there are boundaries. boundaries about parenting, finances, marriage, private life, sin, work…. if there were a bear trap in your back yard and you saw your kids running out the back door – as a parent wouldn’t you find it important to warn them not to go out there? the Bible is full of instructions that keep you from falling into a bear trap.

God wants things done a certain way. He didn’t just tell the israelites to throw up a tabernacle. No, there were precise instructions as to how to do it. there is also a pattern God wants us to live our lives in. unless we apply the principles of God’s word, we will not experience the blessing God has for us.

three “habitudes”:
1. commit to God’s word.
2. commit to worship.
3. commit to doing it God’s way. there is no middle ground with God.

and live a blessed life.