Psalms 89; Psalms 90; Romans 14

Psalms 89

1 Lord, I will sing about your great love forever. For all time to come, I will tell how faithful you are.

2 I will tell everyone that your love stands firm forever. I will tell them that you are always faithful, even in heaven itself.

3 You said, "Here is the covenant I have made with my chosen one. Here is the promise I have made to my servant David.

4 'I will make your family line continue forever. I will make your kingdom secure for all time to come.' " "Selah"

5 Lord, the heavens praise you for your miracles. When your holy angels gather together, they praise you for how faithful you are.

6 Who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who among the angels is like the Lord?

7 God is highly respected among his holy angels. He's more wonderful than all those who are around him.

8 LORD God who rules over all, who is like you? Lord, you are mighty. You are faithful in everything you do.

9 You rule over the stormy sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them down.

10 You crushed Egypt and killed her people. With your powerful arm you scattered your enemies.

11 The heavens belong to you. The earth is yours also. You made the world and everything that is in it.

12 You created everything from north to south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing to you with joy.

13 Your arm is powerful. Your hand is strong. Your right hand is mighty.

14 Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Your truth and faithful love lead the way in front of you.

15 Blessed are those who have learned to shout praise to you. Lord, they live in the light of your favor.

16 All day long they are full of joy because of who you are. They praise you because you do what is right.

17 You are their glory. You give them strength. You favor them by honoring our king.

18 Our king is like a shield that keeps us safe. He belongs to the Lord. He belongs to the Holy One of Israel.

19 You once spoke to your faithful people in a vision. You said, "I have given strength to a soldier. I have raised up a young man from among the people.

20 I have found my servant David. I have poured my sacred oil on his head.

21 My powerful hand will keep him going. My mighty arm will give him strength.

22 No enemies will require him to bring gifts to them. No evil person will beat him down.

23 I will crush the king's enemies. I will completely destroy them.

24 I will love him and be faithful to him. Because of me his power will increase.

25 I will give him a great kingdom. It will reach from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.

26 He will call out to me, 'You are my Father. You are my God. You are my Rock and Savior.'

27 I will also make him my oldest son. Among all the kings of the earth, he will be the most important one.

28 I will continue to love him forever. I will never break my covenant with him.

29 I will make his family line continue forever. His kingdom will last as long as the heavens.

30 "What if his sons turn away from my laws and do not follow them?

31 What if they disobey my orders and fail to keep my commands?

32 Then I will punish them for their sins. I will strike them with the rod. I will whip them for their evil acts.

33 But I will not stop loving David. I will always be faithful to him.

34 I will not break my covenant. I will not go back on my word.

35 Once and for all, I have made a promise with an oath. It is based on my holiness. And I will not lie to David.

36 His family line will continue forever. His kingdom will last as long as the sun.

37 It will last forever like the moon, that faithful witness in the sky." "Selah"

38 But you have turned your back on your anointed king. You have been very angry with him.

39 You have broken the covenant you made with him. You have thrown your servant's crown into the dirt.

40 You have broken through the walls around his city. You have completely destroyed his secure places.

41 All those who pass by have carried off what belonged to him. His neighbors make fun of him.

42 You have made his enemies strong. You have made all of them happy.

43 You have made his sword useless. You have not helped him in battle.

44 You have put an end to his glory. You have knocked his throne to the ground.

45 You have cut short the days of his life. You have covered him with shame. "Selah"

46 Lord, how long will you hide yourself? Will it be forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my life is. You have created all people for such a useless purpose!

48 What man can live and not die? Who can escape the power of the grave? "Selah"

49 Lord, where is the great love you used to have? You faithfully promised it to David.

50 Lord, remember how my enemies have made fun of me. I've had to put up with mean words from all of the nations.

51 Lord, your enemies have said mean things. They have laughed at everything your anointed king has done.

52 Give praise to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.

Psalms 90

1 Lord, from the very beginning you have been like a home to us.

2 Before you created the world and the mountains were made, from the beginning to the end you are God.

3 You turn human beings back to dust. You say to them, "Return to dust."

4 To you a thousand years are like a day that has just gone by. They are like a few hours of the night.

5 You sweep people away, and they die. They are like new grass that grows in the morning.

6 In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it's all dried up.

7 Your anger destroys us. Your burning anger terrifies us.

8 You have put our sins right in front of you. You have placed our secret sins where you can see them clearly.

9 You have been angry with us all of our days. We groan as we come to the end of our lives.

10 We live to be about 70. Or we may live to be 80, if we stay healthy. But all that time is filled with trouble and sorrow. The years quickly pass, and we are gone.

11 Who knows how powerful your anger is? It's as great as the respect we should have for you.

12 Teach us to realize how short our lives are. Then our hearts will become wise.

13 Lord, please stop punishing us! How long will you keep it up? Be kind to us.

14 Satisfy us with your faithful love every morning. Then we can sing with joy and be glad all of our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have made us suffer. Give us joy for as many years as we've had trouble.

16 Show us your mighty acts. Let our children see your glorious power.

17 May the Lord our God show us his favor. Lord, make what we do succeed. Please make what we do succeed.

Romans 14

1 Accept those whose faith is weak. Don't judge them where you have differences of opinion.

2 The faith of some people allows them to eat anything. But others eat only vegetables because their faith is weak.

3 People who eat everything must not look down on those who do not. And people who don't eat everything must not judge those who do. God has accepted them.

4 Who are you to judge someone else's servants? Whether they are faithful or not is their own master's concern. They will be faithful, because the Lord has the power to make them faithful.

5 Some people consider one day to be more holy than another. Others think all days are the same. Each person should be absolutely sure in his own mind.

6 Those who think one day is special do it to honor the Lord. Those who eat meat do it to honor the Lord. They give thanks to God. Those who don't eat meat do it to honor the Lord. They also give thanks to God.

7 We don't live for ourselves alone. And we don't die all by ourselves.

8 If we live, we live to honor the Lord. If we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 Christ died and came back to life. He did this to become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 Now then, who are you to judge your brother or sister? Why do you look down on them? We will all stand in God's courtroom to be judged.

11 It is written, " 'You can be sure that I live,' says the Lord. 'And you can be just as sure that every knee will bow down in front of me. Every tongue will tell the truth to God.' " (Isaiah 45:23)

12 So we will all have to explain to God the things we have done.

13 Let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put anything in your brother's way that would make him trip and fall.

14 I am absolutely sure that no food is "unclean" in itself. I say this as one who belongs to the Lord Jesus. But some people may consider a thing to be "unclean." If they do, it is "unclean" for them.

15 Your brothers and sisters may be upset by what you eat. If they are, you are no longer acting as though you love them. So don't destroy them by what you eat. Christ died for them.

16 Don't let something you consider good be spoken of as if it were evil.

17 God's kingdom has nothing to do with eating or drinking. It is a matter of being right with God. It brings the peace and joy the Holy Spirit gives.

18 Those who serve Christ in this way are pleasing to God. They are pleasing to people too.

19 So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build each other up.

20 Don't destroy the work of God because of food. All food is "clean." But it is wrong for you to eat anything that causes someone else to trip and fall.

21 Don't eat meat if it will cause your brothers and sisters to fall. Don't drink wine or do anything else that will make them fall.

22 No matter what you think about those things, keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not have to feel guilty for what they allow.

23 But those who have doubts are guilty if they eat. Their eating is not based on faith. Everything that is not based on faith is sin.