Four Attributes of God We Desperately Need Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Four Attributes of God We Desperately Need -------------------------------------------- Date: 9/3/2000 Keywords: "faithfulness" "lovingkindness" "psalm" "righteousness" "transgression" "ungodly" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Psalm 36:1-12* 1. Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2. For it flatters him in his own eyes, concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4. He plans wickedness upon his bed; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he does not despise evil. 5. Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Thy faithfulness reaches to the skies. 6. Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments are like a great deep. Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. 7. How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. 8. They drink their fill of the abundance of Thy house; and Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights. 9. For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light we see light. 10. O continue Thy lovingkindness to those who know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart. 11. Let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the doers of iniquity have fallen; they have been thrust down and cannot rise. Questions 1. How important is God in your life? Does viewing pornography affect your answer?   2. Why do you think David, the author of this psalm, suddenly changes focus from describing the thought life and eventual behavior of the ungodly man (verses 1-4) to speaking directly to God and describing His attributes (verses 5-9)?   Practical help This is the third in a series of studies taken from Psalm 36. The only hope for the ungodly person (one whose thoughts about God are irrelevant to how he or she lives life) is to encounter God the way David did. My modern translation still uses the very formal "Thy" instead of "you" in order to convey the idea that David highly respects, even worships, God. The attributes of God he describes are the ones we need the most when we have strayed away from Him. First is "lovingkindness." God looks at us — even when we are involved in pornography — with open arms, not clenched fists. To some, this might be seem a weakness of the Almighty, but it is part of God’s plan to save as many as He possibly can. Paul says in Romans 2:4, "…do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? The next attribute is "faithfulness." He is the God who is there when we need Him. You can count on Him never walking away or changing His nature. He is not fickle, even though man is by nature. Attribute #3 is "righteousness". He is "true north" when we look out at the landscape of ideas and philosophies about how to live life. We can trust that His ways are right. Finally, because He is righteous, faithful and loving, He has the right to judge. Notice that David says His judgments are "deep". I wonder what he means? More tomorrow. Have a great day. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."