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Psalm 149:4 - God Made You to Love You.

Psalm 149:4 (NIV) For the LORD takes delight 
in his people; he crowns the humble with 
salvation. 

INTRODUCTION

Lowliness of heart, that meekness which is 
the fruit of abiding in Christ, is the true 
secret of blessing. "He will beautify the meek with 
salvation." Psalm 149:4. [MB 17.1]  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   God created you to love you. 
   The Bible doesnt say God has love. The 
Bible says, God is love (1 John 4:8 ESV). 
Love is the essence of his nature. 
   The Bible says, For you created all 
things, and they exist because you created what you 
pleased (Revelation 4:11 NLT). 
   Everything was created because God gets 
enjoyment out of it. He wanted to love it. God loves 
every rock, every plant, every animal, every star, 
and every human being.  
   As Psalm 149:4 says, The Lord takes 
pleasure in his people (GNT). 
   God takes pleasure in you all the time. 
Why? He created you. Hes your heavenly Father. 
 
   Some people think God is only smiling at 
them when theyre doing something 
religious. Nothing could be further from the truth. God 
gets pleasure in watching you be you because he 
made you you. 
   God planned you for his pleasure, and he 
wants you to learn to love him back. Jesus gave 
the ultimate summary of the Bible when asked, 
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the 
Law? (Matthew 22:36 NIV). 
   Jesus said: Love the Lord your God 
with all your heart and with all your soul and 
with all your mind. This is the first and 
greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV). 
   Life is all about love. If you dont 
get that, youve missed the first purpose of 
your life " to love God with all your heart, 
soul, mind, and strength.  
   Before my feet touch the ground each 
morning, I pray this: Dear God, its another 
day. And if I dont get anything else done 
today, I want to know you a little bit better, and 
I want to love you a little bit more.  
   If you find yourself at the end of an 
awful day - full of your own mistakes, sin, grief, 
and pain - but you recognize that youve 
learned to love God just a little bit more, your day 
isnt a waste.  
   Youre doing exactly what God made you 
to do. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

COMMENTARY

   God has passions and delights. Many view 
Him as staid and immovable, but that isn't a 
scriptural perspective. Nothing in His Word indicates 
that He's beyond the swells of emotion. And His 
emotions are dramatically affected by His love for 
those He calls His own. He takes pleasure in, 
delights in, and calls His people the apple of His 
eye (Zechariah 2:8, NIV). He delights in His own 
works. We serve a God who enjoys pleasure.  
   Many of us don't live with a sense of 
wonder and delight. We may get along with many of 
God's people, but we find it hard to take great 
pleasure in them. We may be consumed with passions, 
but they often aren't the same passions He has. 
That puts us out of sync with Him.  
   God's Spirit will cultivate all sorts of 
wonders and delights in our own hearts. It's 
impossible to live with a deep sense of His Presence 
and be listless and apathetic in our own 
experience. God and boredom don't go together. He 
experiences pleasures Himself and inspires them in 
others. He takes us on adventures and fills our 
hearts with wonders. That doesn't mean we never 
face hardship or difficulty, but it does mean we 
never face only hardship and difficulty. In His 
Presence, we experience unexpectedly good things.  
   If you feel stagnant, bored, listless, or 
indifferent, ask for His Spirit to fill you with wonder. 
Pray for a season of refreshing. Take time to 
notice the miracles around you. Most of all, sit in 
His Presence and receive the feelings of His 
heart. Be aware of what He delights in. Let His 
passions rub off on you. If you ask and believe, He 
will impart His sense of excitement and pleasure 
to you.  
   Father, I want to know Your pleasures - 
not just to know what they are, but to 
experience them with You. Help me notice Your delights, 
and impart Your heart to me. Fill my life with 
the wonders of Your Kingdom. [The One Year 
Experiencing Gods Presence Devotional by Chris 
Tiegreen] 

God Loves Humility
   With the same intensity that he hates 
arrogance, God loves humility. The Jesus who said, "I 
am gentle and humble in spirit" (Matthew 11:29) 
loves those who are gentle and humble in spirit. 
"Though the LORD is supreme, he takes care of those 
who are humble" (Psalm 138:6). God says, "I live 
with people who are ... humble" (Isaiah 57:15). 
He also says, "These are the people I am 
pleased with: those who are not proud or stubborn" 
(Isaiah 66:2). And to the humble, God gives great 
treasures:  
   He gives honor: "If you want to be 
honored, you must be humble" (Proverbs 15:33).  
   He gives wisdom: "It is wise to be 
humble" (Proverbs 11:2).  
   He gives direction: "He shows those who 
are humble how to do right" (Psalm 25:9).  
   And most significantly, he gives grace: 
"He gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). 
[Grace For The Moment SB By Max Lucado] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Psalm 149:4 - Humble Praise

http://www.abible.com/devotions/1997/19970701-0000.html 

John 3:16 - LOVE SUPREME!

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211206-0816.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657