Psalm 118 has some really great advice. Listen with me.
v.1:Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Do you hear theexcitement?
v. 2-3:Let Israel now say, His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endures forever. What doesyourhouse say? This is whatEVERYhome who loves the Lord needs to declare.
v. 4:Let them that fear the LORDnow say, that His mercy endures forever.This is aneverlastingpromise.
v. 5:I called on the LORDin distress; the LORDanswered me and set me in a broad place.It is my responsibility to call…….it is your responsibility to call. God won’t respond to a call that has never been made. He’ll never leave me but I won’t have an answer without the call to Him. We have available to us a broad place of safety and security……nobody can come near to us without His permission.
v. 6:The LORDis on my side; I will not fear. What can ___________ do to me?The word of God says ‘man’ in the blank. I left a blank so you can fill in the name of the man or woman who causes you to fear. There is power in this truth, however it must be believed and claimed.
v. 7a:The LORDis for me among those who help me. God Himself is there in the midst of any who help me, because all help ultimately comes from Him. What would our outlook be like if we remembered this, that whenever someone ministers to us, God is literally among them.
v. 12:They surrounded me like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORDI will destroy them.This is kind of a different way to look at a verse like this, but as I read through this Psalm a few times, I saw this verse as it applied to me today. I don’t have physical enemies that are surrounding me; there aren’t nations specifically against me……..I am nowhere near that important. But I have many thoughts that surround my mind ….discouraging, negative, self centered, ungodly thoughts……….that can swarm like bees….the ‘voice’ of temptation that desires that you and I doubt the goodness and mercy of our great and mighty God.Take courage:IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, you and I will destroy those thoughts.Do you know of the power that is in the name that holds all power?I don’t think I really truly understand it as I ought. Do youcallupon that name? I wonder how many evidences of God’s power and influence I have missed simply because I didn’t remember the victory that is possibleIN THE NAME of the LORD.And not for just big things, but for the everyday things we deal with time and again.
v. 28:You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.My will is so necessary for the right focus. WhatwillI do? What Ifeelor what Iwill, based on what I know of the God who loves me? And whatwillyou do?
As Christians, we know and have heard the verse about the narrow path and the importance of staying on it;for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are on it. (Matthew 7:13) So when we repent of our sins and come to Christ, we learn that we must move from the wide path to the narrow path. This is where we’ll stay close to Jesus; this is where we’ll walkwithHim…
But when it comes to ourfocus or our view of life, I believe our p...
I never thought of this before, but in the book of Wisdom, God presents the very last chapter to us through King Lemuel….because ofthe influence of aMOTHER.
How many heartfelt words does a mother speak to her children over the span of her life? ……..And how many times does a mother feel like the words she speaks are just going out into dead space…..not falling on receptive ears? Wemustspeak them no matter what it feels like for we have no idea how or when God will use them. How m...
The title of this Proverb is ‘The Wisdom of Agur’.There is a note in one of my Bible’s which reads as follows: “Agur was most likely a student of wisdom at the time of Solomon. His proverbs reflect his humility, a deep hatred for arrogance, and a sound theological mind.”
Let’s listen to what he has to say and reflect on the questions he poses.
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:
1:He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed; and that without remedy.
Do you know someone like this? My mom used to call it the ‘hard head’; but I guess God calls it the hard neck. This isn’t the person who nobody cares about; it is the person who is corrected often, with many attempts made to point them to the narrow path….but sadly, they are content to travel the broad road; to “Have itMYway”. Suddenly however, their destruction comes; and i...
1: The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are as bold as lions.
~A clear conscience is a beautiful thing, and it is a prerequisite for living with boldness no matter what comes our way.
9: He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.
~If man rejects the clearly revealed will of God, and then turns to Him in prayer…(most likely because he is concerned about self), that prayer shall be an abomination (vile, disgusting, loathsome...
1:Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Yes, our mouths are the topic of conversation again… let’s learn together what pertains to us.
How many times have you ‘boasted’ about tomorrow? I have done so A LOT. Don’t get sidetracked by the word boast however; it doesn’t mean “to brag” in this instance as much as it means “to possess or to own; to contain or to have.” Think about it that way: tomorrow is not ours; God owns it; God po...
4:Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.
Sometimes we arenotto answer the fool because we can easily be brought down to their level. And what good does that do? This is what the fool desires.
5:Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in how own conceit.
Sometimes weshouldanswer a fool; but in such a way that he is put to shame. We don’t have to engage them in argument, but we also don’t have to ignore what they say.
A few Proverbs ago, welookedat some really good ‘pictures’ given through the Word of God. Let’s examine a few more that paint clearly what God wants us toseeand subsequentlylearnfrom.
11:A word spoken at the right time is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
14:Whoever boasts falsely of giving a gift is like clouds and wind without rain.
15:Bylong forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.
19:Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of troub...
1: Do not be envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them 2: For their heartstudies destruction and their lips talk of trouble. 17: Rejoice not when your enemyfalls and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. 18: Lest the LORD see itand it displease him and he turn away his wrath from him. 19: Do not fret because of evil men; neither be envious of the wicked. 20: For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
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Comments:
Thank you Maria. Today was a wonderful reminder to me ... Thank you for you faithfulness! Love, Rachel
Thanks once again Maria for your “sharing” today. Such a great encouragement to me today and this was such a good study on these verses. THANK YOU
Maria, what a blessing your writings are to me. I love reading how God is working in your life and how beautifully you are so willing to share. What a wonderful Savior we have!! Thank you Maria from the depths of my heart. Donna
Thank you Maria for your lesson today! Praise God, He can do the impossible! Love, Rachel
Thanks once again, Maria. Your “studies” each day have once again blessed and touched my heart. I love what you did that illustrated GRACE! Just want you to know that your sharing is not in vain or going unnoticed! - Terrie
Thank you for the reminder that God made me for such a time as this; my adequacy is in our Great and Loving GOD!
Gravity: I can NOT wait to defy gravity! Come quickly LORD Jesus! Praise God, His thoughts are greater than my thoughts!! Thank you for sharing, Maria!
On 1 Peter:
Maria, Thank you so much for sharing what God is showing you in His Living Word! I Peter was a great encouragement to us through Levi's cancer and surgery. Just as you shared, we were continually reminded that our suffering was not in vain! God graciously allowed us to see His Hand at work every step of the way! I praise God for the opportunity to test my faith! Love, Rachel
Maria, I’m so thankful for your willingness to share and your incredible ability to do it in such an awesome way. I am always encouraged, and learning as I read and I’m so grateful for all that you do! Love, Mary
Thank you, Maria, for all your thoughts that you have shared so diligently over the past weeks! They are truly a blessing and inspiration to me! Often they are convicting to me, but that's what I need. Thank you for allowing our God to use you in this way. - Terrie