June 18, 2019 
The word Sabbath means to cease.  So as Dr. Brooks is away on sabbatical, we will be using his original devotionals from 2009 on the book of Psalms.  He will resume The Bible Project devotionals upon his return.  Thank you for reading with us and praying for him as he replenishes his soul for the next seven years of ministry.
Psalm 14
The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.
Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
New International Version (NIV)
          Remember Madelyn Murray O'Hare?  For a season, she became the face of atheism in the United States.  More recently a new wave of atheists has burst upon the scene.  They are sophisticated and intellectual in their approach.  Professing to become wise, they have become foolish.  David recognizes the chief characteristic of folly as telling oneself that there is no God.  To say this in one's heart does not make it true. 

          Functional atheism runs rampant as well.  Functional atheists don't deny the reality of God with their lips, but with their lives.  They simply live like there is no God.  Nevertheless, the God they deny looks down on them searching for someone who understands and seeks him.  Alas, he looks in vain.  People devour others and take away their possessions.  All the while God watches.  Imagine the surprise of the atheist to discover that God really was there as a refuge for the disadvantaged who trust in him.  David cries out for salvation to come from God.  Then he asserts in faith, not "If the Lord restores the fortunes," but "When the Lord restores . . ."  God's intervention in our world is not an "if" but a "when."  

          Pascal once wrote of a wager.  He reasoned that if a person believed in God and was wrong about it, he would lose nothing.  But if a person did not believe in God, and God really existed, he would lose everything.  A bumper sticker captures it, "If you are living like there is no God, you had better be right." 

          How differently would we live if we knew God was present with us?  He is.  Let's live for him! 
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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