Today's Reading July 20

Good morning and happy Friday to all. It's still dark here at 5:30, but we know the sun is coming.
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this morning we get into Psalms 31, 32, and 33
These are great. As you probably know, most of the Psalms - not all - were written down by David. David had a tumultuous life. He spent a good while running from those who would take hia life, he spent a good while in warfare against fierce enemies, he spent a good while as a ruler of a stiff-necked nation, and he spent some time in public and private sin. Yet he came back to the Lord. These psalms often reflect the turmoil and experiences in his own life. When he refers to being surrounded by enemies, it's not an exaggeration: it often happened. And when he speaks of the grace and mercy of the Lord, that is also not an exaggeration. It's a testimony.
We recognize, perhaps, some of the phrases in these Psalms.
From Psalm 33,

2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

and

0 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

and all of Psalm 32

Chapter 32
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Rom 4:7
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Rom 4:8
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

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This evening we turn to Acts, chapter 21, verses 15 through 40.
Paul and company come to Jerusalem, and trouble erupts almost immediately. The city erupts in what sounds like a riot, and soldiers are summoned.
There are those who have a warm and fuzzy idea of the faith, that suddenly everyone is kind and loving, that virtue is rewarded in this life, and that peace will come about. Would that it were so, but that is not what the record indicates. The fact is that the Gospel is controversial. There are a host of reasons for this, true ones. But one is this - that the Lord makes distinctions. He is, in fact, practicing discrimination. That is an emotionally loaded term these days, but in fact it's accurate. God expects some things and forbids others, does not really care what someone's private opinion may be, and is not pleased when we put other gods before Him. Allah is not the Lord Almighty, and saying otherwise won't make it so.
That causes a fuss. It did then, it still does.