Avoid the lure of sidetracks. I have been interested to find that men known far and wide for their Biblical scholarship always use the Authorized Version in their devotions. I commend their example. Search the Scriptures. The heart is soon aglow then the Word is alight. (Google image, Read the Bible 6 reasons to read the Bible)
The Word of God is like God's world: it is all interesting and all wonderful, but there are places to which we go often in thought and affection if not in actual visits: beauty spots of which we never tire, and sacred places of hallowed association.
So there are pages of the Bible that wear thin with use, and some that are stained with tears. There is no Psalter like the Book of Psalms. There are favorite psalms that register the pilgrimage of the soul.
I love the thirty-seventh, the forty-sixth, the eightieth, and the one hundred and sixteenth, and many more besides. Usually I read through the psalm, and then return for meditation to a few verses that have appealed to me.
How often I have countered "fret" with "trust" in Psalm 37, committed my way unto the Lord, and hummed and prayed through the matchless words, "O rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him"; and my soul rejoices in the assurance that if I delight myself in the Lord, He will give me the desires of my heart. It is great to take the Lord's own words and speak them in praise and plead them in prayer.
The forty-sixth psalm is just as wonderful, with its three-fold division of catastrophe, hostility, and testimony. Then I go back to the first verse, with its description of God as Refuge, Strength, and Help.
The Refuge is for sanctuary in perils in which man is utterly helpless. What can he do against a changing earth, hurtling mountains, and ranging storm? When sudden calamity comes and the foundations slip from under our feet, God is our Refuge.
Other passages come to mind. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). Always underneath! Always lower than our deepest depths! God is also our Strength. "He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength (Is. 40:29).
Immediately the mind is among the heroes of God, and faith rejoices in the assurance of strength that shall be as the day. God is a Help. There are experiences in which we are incomplete. A Helper is near, companionable, encouraging, inspiring, achieving.
Could assurance be more complete? No wonder the heart nestles near to God and whispers, "I will trust, and not be afraid."
The Lord of Hosts is with me;
And the God of Jacob is my refuge.
I wonder how often I have prayed through Psalm 116. It was one of God's earliest gifts to me. There is no need to change the pronoun for there is a personal pronoun in every verse.
I love the alternating surge of a sorrow escaped and the triumphant note of thanksgiving, and I linger long over the vows of the redeemed soul. He had been down into the depths. Every kind of trouble seemed to come at once, and greatest of all was the loss of faith in God and man.
Deliverance came when he prayed. Praise followed prayer, and praise became a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
"Return unto thy rest, O my soul;
For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For Thou has delivered my soul from death,
Mine eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord
In the land of the living."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Let's pray-
Father, we are encouraged to search the Scriptures. Our hearts will soon be aglow with Your Word's light for us.
We find that Your Word is a lot like the world You've created, it's all interesting and wonderful. There are places we tend to go often in thought and affection: beauty spots of which we never tire, and sacred places of hallowed experiences.
There are pages of Your Book that we've worn thin with use, and some stained with tears. We've often turned to Psalms, as it portrays the pilgrimage of our souls too.The Psalm writers speak of sorrow they escaped, and the triumphant notes of thanksgiving. They had been down into the depths, with every kind of trouble, and at times, the loss of faith in You and man.
Deliverance came when they prayed. Praises followed prayer, and praise became a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
We ask to return to our rest, Father, for You have dealt bountifully with us, and delivered our souls from death and tears, and our feet from falling many times.
We choose to walk before You, Lord, in the land of the living. We declare this in the name of Jesus, amen.
Today's Bible verses-
Col 3:1-2 (MSG)"Don't shuffle along, eyes to
the ground, absorbed with the things right in
front of you. Look up, and be alert to the things
going on around Christ—that's where the action
is. See things from his perspective."
Psalm 48:14, (CSB)“This God, our God forever
and ever— he will always lead us.”
Psalms 119:105 NIV "Your word is a lamp to
my feet and a light for my path."
Today's next 5 posts of 100 things Our God Is . . .
6. The Alpha & Omega, The Beginning & End
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7. God Almighty
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8. A Miracle Working God
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9. The Creator of the World
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10. Calling Things That Be Not As Though they Were
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Today's quote-
JESUS TRIUMPHANT
JESUS TRIUMPHANT
"Jesus triumphant when the storm-cloud break,
And the loud thunder bids the soul awake;
When biting blasts lay earthly projects low,
And one by one the fondest treasures go.
Jesus triumphant, through the fleeting years;
Jesus triumphant, spite of blinding tears;
High over all, to hear thy loving voice,
Which bids the heart look upward and rejoice.
Jesus triumphant, when in work for thee,
Sad and disheartened, no results we see;
When gathered force of evil seems to win,
And work for Christ seems lost in work of sin.
Jesus triumphant all along the line;
Triumphant Savior, all thy triumph mine;
For since I am a partner in thy love,
My life on earth is lived through thee above.
Jesus triumphant when the spirit wings
Onward and upward to the King of Kings;
And through the last great triumph of thy grace
Triumphant saints shall see thee face to face."
~ C. Butler Stoney
(pp. 127, 128 of Daniel Partner's book, PEACE LIKE A RIVER,
Devotional Thoughts of Comfort from Classic Christian Hymns)
Today's sermon spotlight-
FEBRUARY 17, 2019
The Gospel Transforms and Unites
Speaker: Jamie Sinclair
Series: 1 Corinthians
Topic: CFC Canton
Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:1–1:31, Acts 18:1–18:17
Upcoming posts-
Do Not Fear
#19 Scriptures that I Read at Stated Seasons
3/12th- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick
#20 Praying the Name
14th- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick
Enjoying Wonderful Things
16th- Saturday's post by Merlin Carothers
Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
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