4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.
5 O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The last study spoke of the saints, the excellent ones on the earth. These stand in stark contrast to those who run after other gods...the ungodly. This verse brought my mind to Psalm 1 which speaks of the way of the righteous and the end of the ungodly. Here it is:
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
What a contrast! Girls, going after other gods, whatever they might be...however innocent they might seem will only increase your sorrow. You eventually will become like what you worship and unless you are worshiping the Lord of the Universe, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, this will NOT BE A GOOD THING.
Jeremiah 10:14-16
"Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.15 They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.16 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name."
Your idols cannot do a thing for you...in fact they will make you dull-hearted and without knowledge. They are futile. Their end is destruction and you will become their essence. God will eventually turn you over to your own desires. Your foolish heart will become darkened. (Romans 1:19-25) Read, however, Jeremiah 10:16...here is the antidote for idol worship. Here is its cure. Let your Portion...your all in this world be Jesus Himself. Do not compromise. Become radically, completely and utterly devoted to Him and your joy will be full.
Lamentations 3:24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” The antidote to idol worship is to immerse yourself in Him and remember that it is in Him that you live and move and have your being. How many times have you said to yourself..."if i just had or if this would just occur then I would be okay"...How many times? Finally you go to where you should have gone at the outset...to the Lord and spend time with Him and return realizing that it really wasn't any of those things that were needed or were going to make it better...IT WAS HIM YOU WANTED...HE WAS WHAT WAS NEEDED. The Lord doesn't just give me a portion...HE is my portion. He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need. In Him we find such satisfaction in our souls that nothing else matters.
Girls, may you never fool yourself in thinking that you can live after your own desires and that somehow the grace of God will make up for it or His love will cover it. God said, "Tear your heart, not your garments." He doesn't want an outward display. He wants an inward work in your heart and your total devotion to Him. If there are things you are putting before God even today...repent...stop...go in the other direction. If your life is filled with an outward display but not much of an inward change...surrender to Him right now and ask Him to do that work in your heart.
Truly, if the Lord is my Portion and my cup then the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places...YES! I DO HAVE A GOOD INHERITANCE!!
Love
Mom
