Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

Daily Nugget: Psalm 106 reminds the reader of many of the offenses Israel committed against the God that did so much for them. With all their trespasses and failings, we see one character trait of God that kept them from getting what they deserved. Many times, they received God’s loving mercy. “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 106:1 Israel sinned, as did their fathers, yet God’s undeserved kindness to them spared them from what could have happened to them. “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.” Psalm 106:6 Israel forgot what God had done for them and again provoked Him to anger at the Red Sea (Psalm 106:7). Yet, God’s mercy rescued them from His wrath. “Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.” Psalm 106:8 Israel forgot what God had done for them again (vss. 13-14), but His mercy “gave them their req

Daily Nugget: Do not be a pooch-lipped Christian. You know the kind. They walk around with their bottom lip stuck out, letting others see that they are not happy. Discontentment dims their countenance because of their circumstances, what they have in this life, and who they are. Psalm 105 encourages all, including the unhappy believers to be content with what they have in this life. Be a happy, joyous example of Christianity. “O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. 3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.” Psalm 105:1-3 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11 Although this Psalm is addressed to Israel, there is much that can be gleaned for today. If you want joy rather than a grumpy frown and an ungrateful attitude, follow the hymn w

Daily Nugget: Psalm 104 is a Hebrew hymn restating the Genesis account of creation. It reminds the singer of what God had created in this universe and on the Earth on the six days. The God of creation is given credit for His wonderful work in those days. God’s creation of light (Gen. 1:2) is mentioned, as are all the following summarized five days of what He had done. The God-deniers and God-haters, of course, deny God’s account and resort to their theories of “accidental” developments of all the amazing wonders we have on this Earth and in the skies. All the evolution and “accidents” modern “science” claims to be the result of all we have on this Earth, have never been proven and are always changing. Still, those theories are believed by most. In recent decades, a new scare tactic has been forced down the throats of agullible public. It is an attempt to convince people that this planet will soon be uninhabitable or destroyed. This chapter refutes two of those accusations that a

Daily Nugget: Of all God has done for us, one of His accomplishments is the most appreciated — eventually. There would be no hope for anyone of us if it were not for that attribute. If it were not for His ability to forgive us of our sins, we would all be fearful of the eternity in the Lake of Fire that would await us. “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;” Psalm 103: 3-4 We can receive that excellent gift of forgiveness, not because of something we did or could do. We can receive God’s gift only because He is merciful. Although He knows of our sins, He often chooses to forgive what we have done and to waive the repercussions we deserve. He can heal all that ask and trust of their sin sickness (“… who healeth all thy diseases …” — vs. 3). God’s forgiveness is all-encompassing. God: Paid for (“redeemed”) our sins with the shed blood of His only son

Daily Nugget: In the first eleven verses of Psalm 102, the psalmist laments the trials and tribulations he has endured. We all face hardships, as did the writer of this hymn, so we all can relate to his frustration and discouragement. Our days on this Earth are comparatively short. Life is like a wisp of smoke (vs. 3.), short-lived, and often carried away by prevailing winds. Our heart gets broken; our problems weigh heavy on our minds (vs. 4). Enemies attack us (vs. 8). Indeed, this is not Heaven, as some foolish people have proclaimed. Sin has done its havoc to all on this planet. However, the songwriter gives us hope by using one word that means all can change. That word is “but” (vs. 12). This life can be challenging and often scary, BUT it will all change one day. When Christ returns to rule and reign for 1,000 years, things will be different. He will have mercy on those living, including those in Jerusalem (vs. 13). The city that has seen so much bloodshed and unrighte

Daily Nugget: “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Psalm 101:2 Successful people often reveal how they obtained so many achievements and victories. David did just that in Psalm 101. He accomplished what he did,not only because of his wealth or powerful position. David attained so much because he behaved himself “wisely in a perfect way” (vs. 2). In this Scripture, “perfect” was not referring to sinlessness. “Perfect” in this context means “moral, upright, sincere, undefiled.” The leader of Israel tried his best, although he did fall several times, to live the way that was pleasing to the Lord. David revealed several ways he kept from falling even more than he did. He protected his eyes from seeing the wrong things (vs. 3). He may not have had the amount of pornographic temptation that waits to snag wandering eyes today, but he had to divert his vision to not see things that would als

Daily Nugget: “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2 What a promising, hope-filled life a Christian should be leading. On so many faces, however, one would never know it. One looks into the eyes of many Christians and the joy of being a born-again believer is not seen. Watch their lives, and one will notice little difference between how they live and how the unsaved behave. Listen to their speech and one will even notice that there is so little variance between what they say and what the lost say. The “gladness” spoken of in Psalm 100:2 is missing in their life. They have either forgotten about it, never knew it, or may not be a born-again believer. If they are saved, the reality that they are a child of God has not become a life-changing experience in their life, and it should. Christian, remember that you have God’s promise of Heaven. Grasp that you have an eternity with the Lord and other saints of God. That better make you “gl

Daily Nugget: “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.” Psalm 99:1 Psalm 99 gives readers another glimpse of Jesus’ millennial reign, as did Psalm 97. We read more of His power and His governorship over the people. He will be a leader that has the full attention and respect of the people. We see that Jesus: Will sit on a thone that has either real cherubims on either side of Him or statues of them (vs. 1). A cherubim is a two-winged creature. Likenesses of them adorned the Mercy Seat, where God sat in the Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple. Will govern the entire Earth (vs. 1). His subjects will quake (“moved”) at His orders and direction. Will dwell and rule from Jerusalem (“Zion” — vs. 2). Will be exalted (“high”) among all the people on Earth (vs. 2). Has a name that is Holy (vs. 3). If only people today would have such regard for His name and would utter it with respect and not so vainly. Will love His res

Daily Nugget: “A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.” Psalm 98:1 Those in the Old Testament, as in the Psalms, did not have Jesus to follow and could not trust His shed blood to cover their sins. However, their behavior and beliefs changed when they turned to and trusted God. Today, similar changes also occur in those that have been saved. Their lives will change. They sing a “new song,” rather than the previous cry of hopeless and the moaning from the burden of their sins that bound and robbed them of their joy. A born-again child of God has so many “new things” and changes when they trust Christ as their personal Saviour. Some of the “new” changes in their life are: A new joy, happiness, and purpose. Being born again is wonderful. It comes with new chances in life with great joy and happiness. “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto

Daily Nugget: Psalm 97 is accredited to Jesus’ futuristic, millennial (1,000 years) reign. Now God reigns from above, but there will be a time when Jesus rules from a throne in Jerusalem. “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.” Psalm 97:1 This Psalm gives an amazing picture of the power and majesty of Jesus as He will reign on this Earth. Today, too many view the Lord with little respect and honor. However, after reading the description of the power and might He will emanate, it certainly should change how many see the Lord. We read that at that time, the: Lord should make even those in faraway lands (“isles”) glad (vs. 1). Finally, the Earth will have a worthy ruler. Lord’s throne will be a fearsome place surrounded by clouds and darkness (vs. 1). Lord will judge righteously from His throne (vs. 2). Lord will have fire before Him, and it will destroy His enemies (vs. 3). This verse makes one believe it is speaking of His mi

Daily Nugget: Every Christian has a responsibility to be a godly example, to exhort the Lord publically, and to proclaim what God desires of us according to the Word of God. If we do not tell the lost about what the Bible says, who will? “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.” Psalm 96:3 One of the reasons most do not know about the Lord is because Christians have been silent about God’s goodness. The unsaved world has heard little of what God has done and is doing in lives. Since they cannot see Him and unfortunately are not understanding how He is working in lives today, they live further away from what He desires of them. In many cases, it is Christianity’s fault that the ungodly know or hear little about what He is doing today. According to this Psalm and many other Scriptures, we must: Bless His name (vs. 2). “Bless” means to “show our adoration” for the Lord. Most are silent in this area. Few are even afraid to pray in public, and indeed ra

Daily Nugget: Christians too often get so encumbered with the cares of this world that they forget who they are and what they have. They have the promise of Heaven, a caring heavenly Father, His guidance and protection, hope, blessings none of us deserve, and we know God’s truths (or should). With all we have, we still forget we are on the winning side and how good God is to us. The well-known Psalm 95:1 is an encouraging eraser for the “woe is me” or “everything is so terrible in my life” attitudes. That verse suggests that instead of complaining, we should “sing” to the Lord. “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1 “Sing”, besides singing a song, means to shout aloud for joy, cry out, be joyful, rejoice, and triumph. The negative poor-mouthing we often utter spurns defeat quickly and robs one of hope. However, if we find something to be joyful about and exclaim the victories we have gotten, our attitude will cha

Daily Nugget: This Psalm and many others question the same thing. How long are the wicked going to get away with their sin? We see and hear so many in blatant disregard to God’s moral laws and His desired behaviors, and we wonder how it is that some get away with the terrible things they are committing. “LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?” Psalm 94:3 The answer is, they will not get away with sin. The payday for iniquity will come someday; it may be today; it may be ten years from now. They may appear unscathed from their wrong-doing in this life, but you have God’s promise that in the next, they will stand before a judge that will issue a verdict they will fear and of which they will be regret. As I told many Sunday school classes, no one gets away with sinning against God. True to that biblical promise, I have seen sinner after sinner pay the price for their wrong-doing that they never thought they would pay. Quite often, the wage for their of

Daily Nugget: When reading of current events, seeing how society is morally declining, and hearing of one tragedy after another, it can be very discouraging. It sometimes seems chaos surrounds us and is gaining a foothold closer to us each day. Politicians, particularly liberals, are no longer backing common sense and the apparent betterment of those they are to represent. Public education also seems to enforce and encourage their charges to grasp their godless theories and thinking. Media that once were expected to expose the truth and help preserve law-abiding have also accepted and joined in trying to move society against godly behavior and to force their philosophies on the public. Too often it seems there is little order and only destruction on society’s horizon. Hope for a promising future appears to be disappearing daily. Stop right there! Be not deceived. As the beginning words of this hymn remind us, “The Lord reigneth.” Most of us do not understand why such changes in

Daily Nugget: Although this particular song was attended to be sung on the Sabbath, today’s believers that now worship on Sunday also need to practice what this Psalm teaches.  We need to be thankful for all God has done and will do for us. “A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:” Psalm 92:1 We are quick to ask help and blessing s from God, but we are lax in being grateful for what He has done. Thank him for what He has accomplished through the day (vs. 2).   Be happy for the victories He has allowed you to have (vs.   4).   God is great, and we would have nothing if it were not for His great works in our lives (vs. 5). Unfortunately, many take what God has given them and what He has allowed them to accomplish for granted. One can watch some of them in a restaurant after their food is served dive into their meals like animals (“brutish” — vs. 6).   Never do they stop at al

Daily Nugget: Many Christians are more fearful than they should be. A child of the King should never fret or worry because nothing can happen to him unless God allows it for the person’s or other people’s betterment. Our Lord is: Our safety and protection (vs. 2, 9) “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Psalm 91:2 Our protector from life’s traps that are set to get us to fail (vs. 3). Our protector from life’s storms (vs. 4). Our source of truth (vs. 5). Our protector from what scares us (vss. 5-6). Our protector from the attacks of our enemies (vss. 5-7). Our protector from health problems (vss. 6, 10). Our protector from evil (vss. 10-12). Our protector from danger (vss. 14-15). Our rewarder (vss. 15-16). One born into the family of God by the spiritual birth (John 3:3) has nothing to fear. You are safe in the hands of your heavenly Father. Frightening situations will occur to all, but God is always in full control.

Daily Nugget: Many people, especially those in the field of education, have created their own “science” about how the Earth came into existence and have made social standards for how they believe we should live. God allowed this prayer of Moses to reveal how all on Earth were created, our future, and how our lives can be different and more fulfilled. Moses revealed: We have a place to live on this planet because of God (vs. 1). It was not the result of some “big bang” somewhere and sometime in outer space. We have a dwelling place because of God. God was here before the Earth was formed (vs. 2). Man was created from the dust of the Earth, and his body will return to itthe same way (vs. 3). Also: Eccl 12:7. Time means so much to man, as it is so limited and precious, but it does not to God who has eternity (vss. 4-6). God sees all we do, and when we violate what He desires of us, His anger can be poured out upon us (vss. 7-11). We do not have to live under God’s wrath. If w

Daily Nugget: Although many of the Psalms are prophetic, many can be applied to today’s Christian walks. Many have an application for the time it was written. Psalm 89 has much to remind Israel of what God has and will do for Israel. God is merciful (vss. 1-2). God is faithful (vss. 1-2, 5, 8, 24). God has made a promise with King David, and He will keep it (vs. 3, 4, 20-29, 34-37, 49). “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.” Psalm 89:3-4 God is unique (vs. 6). God is powerful and deserves to be reverenced (vss. 7, 8). God is in control of all the Earth (vss. 9-13,) and its inhabitants. God is just (vss. 14, 30-33). God is a blessing to those that walk the way He commands (vss. 15-17). God is the protector of His people (vs. 18). God is the King of His people (vs. 18). God is kind (vss. 33, 49). God will be angry at sin no matter who commits it