“No one is good except God alone.” That sounds so absolute, and human reason rushes to take exception to it. But Jesus is the one who said it, and he spoke truly (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19). If you want to look for goodness, you’re only going to find it in God and whatever reflects his nature. Psalm 119:65-72 prompts us to affirm God is good and does good, and we need him to teach us about true goodness. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking g...
Aug 02, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 37
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm (and chapter) of the Bible: 176 verses long. We pause in our mini-series on Psalm 119 to reflect on the why and the how of praying this part of Scripture. Ron is joined by special guest Angela Oltmanns, a regular listener to First Fifteen, who has some questions about this podcast and the current season. If you are listening to the podcast for the first time, this episode is unlike any that we've done, but more like a traditional podcast with a conversational forma...
Jul 30, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Memory is a tricky thing. We don’t remember things very well or for long. It’s because we forget that we need to go back to God’s word, to learn it again, to recall its principles and lessons. Psalm 119:49-56 prompts us to remember God's word and receive the comfort he will give us. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to G...
Jul 26, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 35
One lesson you can’t learn fully on your own is how to love. Love is an inclusive activity; it involves you AND someone else. It’s simply impossible to love yourself enough to learn what true love is. Psalm 119:33-48 stresses God as the primary cause and power behind our prayers as well as the inclusive "and": me and you, us and them, God and me. It ends with an emphasis on God's love as our primary motive in studying his word. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to hav...
Jul 22, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 34
The alphabet is a wonderful invention. It simplifies our written language, gives us a way to handle the complexity of communication. In Psalm 119 we’re learning the alphabet of God’s Word. Are you ready for the next lesson? Psalm 119:25-32 stresses our choice of the way or path we will walk, and the psalmist encourages us to choose God's way and run wild and free in it. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your li...
Jul 19, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 33
To come before God’s word and learn anything, you first have to admit you are empty, blind, broken. If you feel full, enlightened and comfortable, what can God possibly teach you? Psalm 119 is long and tedious and plain for the full. For the hungry, it only increases your appetite for more real food. Psalm 119:17-24 teaches us that before we can see God's truth, we need to confess our difficulties, acknowledge our blindness and ask God to open our eyes to see his truth. If you are getting starte...
Jul 15, 2020•10 min•Season 3Ep. 32
What brings you delight in life? God wants to speak to you and fill you with his delights. He invites you to come and feast on his rich food and grow strong on his truth. You are in for a treat! If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how and teach you in an e...
Jul 11, 2020•19 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Life is tough and we will get knocked down. The truth that God is for you should encourage you daily. The reality that God in Jesus came for you gives you your whole reason for living. Psalm 118 is full of truth that will transform your life. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This...
Jul 07, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 30
When we start praying, God meets us where we are. But he doesn’t leave us there. The Psalms have been guiding us to put our attention, trust and praise in God, which is where it belongs. Psalm 115 begins with the plea: Not to us, Yahweh, not to us... If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal w...
Jul 03, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Psalm 110 is one of two psalms about the Messiah that is widely quoted in the New Testament by Jesus himself and his early followers. At the same time, it is cryptic and mysterious in some of its details. How do we pray it? If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show ...
Jul 01, 2020•10 min•Season 3Ep. 28
What is the most basic but essential thing about praise, the abc's? Not only does Psalm 111 tell us what that is, it teaches us how to practice it. Psalm 112 continues the theme that Psalm 111 ends on and shows us the blessings of praising and worshiping God. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a p...
Jun 26, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 27
God’s salvation seems cheap to those not lost, God’s redemption isn’t sweet to those not bound or imprisoned. God’s love isn’t especially meaningful to those who haven’t been cheated, robbed or forgotten. In other words, if you haven’t cried out to God in desperation, you probably won’t seek his deliverance. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes...
Jun 24, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Is God concerned with the past or with wrongs our ancestors committed in the past? Do we in fact need to give any thought to history? The Psalms answer these questions and show us how to engage with history and the past in God’s way. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast ...
Jun 23, 2020•17 min•Season 3Ep. 25
When was the last time you gave much thought to God’s benefits for you? God’s blessings are rich and complete and when you wake up to them, you are compelled to bless God for all his benefits. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how and teach you in an eas...
Jun 19, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 24
To call God holy is to speak truly about him as wholly good. If we’re honest, it also involves us confessing that we are NOT holy or good, not like he is. Any goodness we have is a very dim reflection of his dazzling brilliance. Psalm 99 repeats three times: He is holy! If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and respon...
Jun 17, 2020•10 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Singing is a natural response when our emotions are aroused. Psalm 98 shows us what singing a new song includes and reminds us we have plenty to sing about. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process. In fifteen minu...
Jun 15, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Who (or what) is in control? That is a question we have to ask today. Psalm 93 gives us an emphatic answer: Yahweh reigns. He is in control. And he is not like any other god you might have encountered. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how and teach you ...
Jun 11, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 21
If there was ever a psalm for our day, it has to be Psalm 91. So many people have turned to it for protection, comfort and reassurance. God gave it to us in order to grow our faith and help us put confidence in him. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how ...
Jun 10, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Some psalms grow on you and become such a part of you over time that they are a touchstone, an anchor for your soul through the changing seasons of faith. Psalm 90 is that psalm for me. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to fo...
Jun 09, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Do you seek the blessing of being in God's presence? Those who have spent any time there know the joy and the comfort that God brings. But the blessing isn't limited just to spending time in God's presence. Psalm 84 shows us that the blessing extends to other times including when we set out hearts toward God and place our trust in him. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spen...
Jun 08, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 18
God is just and is concerned with justice. The Psalms affirm this repeatedly. Rulers who act like they are above the law or they *are* the law, like they are gods somehow, are in for a rude awakening. God judges them and finds them lacking. He will step in to restore justice when they don't. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day liste...
Jun 05, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Why do the wicked prosper and get away with doing wrong? Aren't the righteous supposed to be blessed and the wicked be judged? But the wicked are partying like they own the place! It's enough to make you question God. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you ho...
Jun 04, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 16
There is fierce opposition to faith today, both from opposing voices and sometimes from our own wayward doubts and thoughts. The challenge is to listen to the truth, to develop a lifelong faith like Psalm 71 demonstrates. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show yo...
Jun 02, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 15
What do you do when you feel shaken? Psalm 11:3 asks "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Our prayer today is meant to take our focus off of the place that is shaken and to put it on the only place that is unshakeable-the rock and fortress that our God is. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listeni...
Jun 01, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 14
The Psalms give us language for our heart's longings and for our own prayers. There is a tremendous difference, though, between saying the right words and living fully the power of those words. God isn't interested in giving us a quick fix. He wants to restore us completely. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and r...
May 29, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Jesus emphasized mercy and said it's what God desires from us. We certainly need mercy. So why do we hold back from showing more mercy to others? It's a heart issue, and Psalm 41 today shows us both the blessing of mercy and the ugliness when no mercy is given. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a...
May 27, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Is this a tough time in your life? Maybe you struggle with doubt or discouragement, sickness, enemies or opponents, feeling abandoned, or being falsely accused. Do any of these describe your situation? Psalm 27 is a powerful weapon we pick up to deal with these. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in ...
May 26, 2020•10 min•Season 3Ep. 11
You’ve done wrong and you don’t want to admit it. How long do you keep quiet about it? Psalm 32 talks about that situation and then trains us in the best way to handle it. When we delay or defend ourselves, we're just prolonging a long slow death. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way....
May 22, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Waiting. It's hardly my favorite activity. For most people waiting is a waste of time, a tedious postponement of our life. But waiting is precious to God. Psalm 25 teaches us what to do while we're waiting. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how and teach...
May 20, 2020•17 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Are you ready to worship? If it has been a while since you worshiped with God's people, Psalm 24 may be just the thing to get you ready for worship. It helps us answer the question: How do we enter God's presence? If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way. This podcast will show you how an...
May 19, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 8
