Abiding in Faith, Hope and Love...

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart,

All you who hope in the LORD.—Psalm 31:24

In verses 1, 6, 14, and 19 David tells us where he places his faith (trust)...in the Lord.  In verse 23 he enjoins his readers to love the Lord.  Now in verse 24 he reminds us to find our strength, courage and hope in Him, also.  Faith, hope and love...they go together.  They are where 1 Corinthians 13 tells us to abide.  

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.—1 Corinthians 13:13

Faith, hope and love are often seen together.  I found these cross-reference verses on the BLB...

remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.(1 Thessalonians 5:8)

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:5-6)

Who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. (1 Peter 1:21-22)

Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. (Colossians 1:4-5)

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:12-13)

As Christians, as we sojourn here, these three are to be our foundation...they are to be where we live and what we pursue.  In heaven faith and hope will no longer be needed because they will have fulfilled their purpose. Love, however, is eternal. In heaven, love continues.  We will love the Lord and love each other. Our God IS faithful, but faith, in the sense that we as human beings need to exercise faith, is not an attribute of God.  Similarly, hope is also not an attribute of God because God knows all and is in sovereign control of all things. Love, however, is of God...God embodies love and therefore, it is the greatest. (1 John 4:7)

Beloved, abide in the love of God and share it with others.  Oh, that love would be our underlying motive in all that we say and in all that we  do!  Love fulfills the law...love never fails because it is of God and from God. Without love we are nothing....

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.—1 Corinthians 13:1-2

Addendum...I really liked this definition of the word for love as used in 1 Corinthians 13 from David Guzik on the BLB.  

“Agape is the fourth word for love. It is a love that loves without changing. It is a self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting repayment. It is love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing. It is love that loves even when it is rejected. Agape love gives and loves because it wants to; it does not demand or expect repayment from the love given. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order to receive. According to Alan Redpath, we get our English word agony from agape. “It means the actual absorption of our being in one great passion.” (Redpath) Strictly speaking, agape can’t be defined as “God’s love,” because men are said to agape sin and the world (John 3:19 and 1 John 2:15). But it can be defined as a sacrificial, giving, absorbing kind of love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.”

Some Thoughts on Psalm 31

David begins Psalm 31 with the most wonderful song a believer can sing...

In You, O LORD, I put my trust;

David places His confidence in God.  Would that I would follow His example!  Oh Lord, at the very beginning of every trial, every fear, every adversity, and even and especially in those moments when my heart sinks from grief remembered and longings unfulfilled, may my heart place its trust in You!   

Skipping down from David’s great beginning to verse 9 (where OYB reading begins today) we find David in trouble.  David has been brought low but once again cries out to His God who can give him the deliverance he seeks.  

Verses 9b-13 describe in painful detail the Psalmist’s despondent condition.  David’s eyes waste away with grief and his strength fails. He is forgotten as a dead man and likens himself to a broken vessel—a potsherd that can hold nothing and is flung away upon a dunghill. He hears the slander of many and fear is on every side. 

Despite his despondency...despite his circumstances, verses 14-15a, find David again singing the beautiful song of a believing heart.  

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD;

I say, "You are my God."

My times are in Your hand;

David fully surrenders himself into God’s care. God has led David, whose heart is overwhelmed, to the Rock that is higher than He is.  David trusted God and he was helped.  His feet stand once more on the firm foundation of:

“I trust in You, O LORD”

Verse 15-17 are some of my favorites in the entirety of the Bible.  

My times are in Your hand;

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,

And from those who persecute me.

16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant;

Save me for Your mercies' sake.

17 Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You;

The sweet Psalmist of Israel understands that nothing can happen to him that has not first passed through the loving hands of His God.  David’s enemies cannot do anything against him without God’s permission. I love what Spurgeon says about these verses:

“Divine Providence is a downy pillow for an aching head, a blessed salve for the sharpest pain. He who can feel that his times are in the hand of God need not tremble at anything that is in the hand of man!”

David prays for God to lift the light of His countenance upon him...he prays for God’s favor because, if he has that, he cares not what man thinks.  If God is for him, who can be against him?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  

Father,

May I, like David, when I am in trouble, flee to You as a sheep to its Shepherd.  May the foundation I lay in each and every one of my trials be as a hymn of faith. Hide me in the secret place of Your Presence. Shine the light of Your countenance upon me..show me Your favor in this dark and dreary land. Let me not be ashamed for I have placed my trust in You.  Today, with David then, I will sing:

Oh, how great is Your goodness,

Which You have laid up for those who fear You,

Which You have prepared for those who trust in You

In the presence of the sons of men!

Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!

For the LORD preserves the faithful,

And fully repays the proud person.

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart,

All you who hope in the LORD.

A Hymn of Faith

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The LORD God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.—Habakkuk 3:17-19

The Lord Weighs the Hearts...

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,

But the LORD weighs the hearts.—Proverbs 21:2

The common denominator it seemed for today’s OYB reading was sin.  I went back and forth on which of them would be my focus.  I decided on Proverbs 21:2 because it seemed to tie it all together.  Truly, man can find a way to justify almost anything he does. In my flesh, I can always find an excuse for my sin. The cross-reference verses for Proverbs 21:2 were illuminating in this regard. 

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits.—Proverbs 16:2

If you say, "Surely we did not know this,"

Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?

He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?

And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?—Proverbs 24:12

And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.—Luke 16:15

God looks behind our excuses to the inward motives and intents of our hearts for our sin.  You might be able to deceive yourself and others in regard to your sin, but not God.  He sees the truth. 

Beloved, the Scriptures tell us to keep our hearts with all diligence because out of it springs the issues of life.  What helps me here is doing a heart examination to discern my true reason for doing something and then asking myself if my God would be pleased with those motives.   Here is what I have discovered over my years of doing this. In my flesh, I am a biased judge when it comes to my sins...I look at them in the best possible light, give myself much grace and always want mercy.  I am also a biased judge when it comes to the sins of others...I look at them in the worst possible light, give them very little grace and offer them little mercy.  As for their motives, I often assume the worst. 

I loved Ezra’s example in this today. I want to be like him when I grow up.  Ezra, after learning of the people’s sin, fell to his knees and IDENTIFIED with them in their sin, even when he had not sinned in the same way. Ezra wept for them, feared for them, 

and prayed for their repentance. Chapter 10, verse 1, tells us that Ezra’s prayer moved the people to tears. Oh, would that Ezra’s response to another’s sin, be mine, also. 

If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.—Psalm 130:3-4

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?—Romans 2:4

Ezra showed the people in His care the mercy and goodness of God...this led them to repentance.  May I go and do likewise. 

The Good Hand of God...

I LOVE Ezra!  I love that he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and do it. I love that he not only taught the people God’s law but also lived it out in his own life.  This morning as I read through chapters 7 and 8, I noticed all the verses that spoke of the good hand of God.  It seems to be a favorite expression of Ezra's.  I like it too.   It reminds me of one of my favorite verses from Psalm 139.

You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

My God’s favor is with me.  He not only gives me what I need for the journey but also guides my steps and does the work.   It’s all grace!

God's hand provided...

this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.--Ezra 7:6

God's hand guides us on our journey...

And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.--Ezra 7:8-10

God's  hand is encouraging...

Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem,  and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me..--Ezra 7:27-28

God's hand is good and brings us what we need...

Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men;  and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men;  also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.--Ezra 8:18-20

God's hand is on those who humbly seek Him....

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.  For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”  So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer. --Ezra 8:21-23

God's hand delivers us...

Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.  So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days--Ezra 8:31-32

Psalm 30 from today’s OYB is a perfect capstone to Ezra’s “good hand of God”. ❤️

4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."
7 By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.  (Psalms 30:4-7, ESV)

We Have the Mind of Christ...

But as it is written:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.—1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Beloved, we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  Think on that!  Verse 16 tells us that we have the mind of Christ! 

I CAN KNOW the deep things of God because God has revealed them to me by His Spirit who dwells in me! 

Father...I want to KNOW You more!  I want to live in the secret place of Your Presence!   Take my heart and mind and lift them by Your Spirit into the heavenly realm.  Increase my love and desire for Your word. Reveal to ME Your thoughts and purposes through it as they relate not just to the world around me, but also to ME, personally!   Fill my heart and mind with Your wisdom. Ignite the synapses of my understanding.  Teach me and reveal to me that which is good and acceptable and perfect in Your plans and purposes for me.  

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.—John 15:15

12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.—John 16:12-15

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.—Ephesians 1:17-21

23 Thus says the LORD:

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

24 But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight," says the LORD.

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah—the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up [to Jerusalem]!'"—2 Chronicles 36:22-23

My heart trembled and my spirit was encouraged as I read these words from 2 Chronicles this morning. God had promised the restoring of the captives and the rebuilding of Jerusalem at the end of 70 years...God’s word is here fulfilled by the mouth of Cyrus. God keeps His promises!  God has a plan!  

“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler),

And he will carry out all that I desire—'

Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,'

And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.'"—Isaiah 44:28

Here in this verse from Isaiah 44 and contiguous verses from chapter 45, God shows His people that He knows the end from the beginning. He announces by name who will deliver his people from the Babylonian exile 200 years before the deliverer, Cyrus spoken of in 2 Chronicles was born!  

For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls [which] I have made.—Isaiah 57:16

For the Lord will not cast off forever.

Though He causes grief,

Yet He will show compassion

According to the multitude of His mercies.—Lamentations 3:31-32

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.—Matthew 5:18

1 Corinthians 1:2-10

There is much to glean in the first 17 verses of 1 Corinthians.  As I read through I stopped first at verse 2.  

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

I have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) in Christ Jesus, God’s Son. I am called as a saint...I am His beloved child.  This letter is to the church of God at Corinth; but it is also to me because I am one of those who call on and honor the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and my Savior.  Open my eyes, Father, that I may see wondrous things from Your law!

I paused next at verse 3:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In a world filled with unending pressure, confusion, misinformation, disease, unrest and much uncertainty, peace is very hard to come by.  Beloved, there is no true peace available save the peace that is found in God through faith in His indescribable gift of grace to us in His Son. This peace of heart and mind is not only found at the moment of our salvation but is also His gift to us on a moment by moment basis as we set our minds on Yah, the Lord. 

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

I paused again at verse 4.  Are you beginning to sense a pattern here? 😂 

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I am called to be thankful!  Being thankful is what a believer is...it is how he lives. I find that when I obey this command my whole attitude changes. Being thankful cultivates humility.  It makes me kinder and more gracious. Being thankful in all things and for all things, sets my mind on God because He is the source of all good. In Christ, we as believers, have everything we need. Ephesians tells us that our God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  God has justified us by the unmerited, undeserved and priceless gift of forgiveness that is found by our faith in His Son. Because of this our lives can and should be one long song of thanksgiving. His steadfast love to us never ceases...His mercies never come to an end.  Our God is faithful...He is sovereign and changes not. He will sustain us to the end that we may be guiltless in the day of Jesus Christ.   

The last verse I stopped at was verse 10:

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

God’s word establishes the truth upon which our unity as believers rest.  I think it was John MacArthur who said:  “Right doctrine...right living.  Wrong doctrine...wrong living. Philippians speaks to this:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, (Philippians 1:27, ESV)

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:1-8, ESV)

The Miracle of a Changed Heart...

And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.—2 Chronicles 33:10-13

Manasseh’s story of repentance never gets old!  I am as surprised by the richness of God’s mercy and grace toward him as I was on my very first read.  His conversion hits my heart harder than even Paul’s in the NT, because Manasseh was a total apostate.  Paul was a religious leader, a Pharisee of Pharisees.  

It stands out also, because as Manesseh suffered and was alone with his thoughts, I am sure he spent much time contemplating his father Hezekiah’s relationship with God.  Manesseh had had the opportunity to see not only Hezekiah’s humility and dependence on God, but also God’s subsequent mercy and grace toward him when he repented.  

I am so thankful that God uses us, as frail and fallen human beings, to come alongside Him in His work both in the here and now and even after we have left this earth.  Our good works, that He prepared beforehand for us, are eternal in Him and are used for His eternal purposes.  Our work is never in vain in the Lord. 

Our God is the same yesterday today and forever.  The God who brought Manasseh into affliction and to repentance is the same God who did that work in my own heart. My spirit testifies with Manesseh’s that my heart change was all of God from beginning to end. It is also God who continues that good work today and will continue to perfect and complete it til the day of His return. There is no explanation for my coming to God except for His unfailing love and grace.  I am a woman who has been forgiven much. I could not, not sin. I had tried everything I knew from self-help books to gritting my teeth to become a “good” person.  BUT EVEN IN MY FAILURE GOD IS TO BE PRAISED AND GOD IS TO BE THANKED!  He used my hopeless and helpless condition to draw me to Him.  

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved ME, even when I was dead in my trespasses and my sin, made me alive together with Christ, His Son.  I have been saved the same way Manesseh was saved....the same way Paul was saved...by grace...by God’s unmerited favor toward me.

I knew then and I know now that conversion is supernatural and all of God. Truly a changed human heart is God’s greatest miracle.  If God can forgive and save Manesseh, He can and will do the same for you.  

And who can complain that the way of heaven is blocked up, when he sees such a sinner enter? Say the worst against thyself, here is one as bad who finds the way to repentance. Deny not to thyself that which God hath not denied to thee; it is not thy sin, but thy impenitence, that bars heaven against thee.—Matthew Henry

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,

And to present you faultless

Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

To God our Savior,

Who alone is wise,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.

Amen.—Jude 24-25

Turn to Me...

16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,

For I am desolate and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses!

18 Look on my affliction and my pain,

And forgive all my sins.

19 Consider my enemies, for they are many;

And they hate me with cruel hatred.

20 Keep my soul, and deliver me;

Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for You.—Psalm 25

Father,

Thank you that when I feel alone and afflicted, I am never left desolate, for You are ALWAYS with me.  I turn myself to You, and I am helped. Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and Your tender mercies surround me. Thank you that You are my support. You bring me out of my distresses and enlarge the path under my feet so I do not slip. You consider my troubles!  You think on me!  As one whom his mother comforts, so You comfort me!  

You FORGIVE my sins!  Lord...for this I have not enough words of thanksgiving!  Toil and trouble will be mine here on this earth, and I am content because You pity me in all of them...BUT You  have made my sins as far as the east is from the west.  You remember them no more. A way has been made in the wilderness for me. I am Yours. In Christ, Your precious Son, nothing...not even my sins...can separate me from Your love. 

My love for You incites men to hate me...BUT You are my shield and my exceedingly great reward.  May I never desire to have it any other way,  For You say:

"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets." But, "Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in Heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the Prophets."

Make my trust in You my battle cry!  Your banner over me is love. I WILL trust You.  I will look to You and be radiant...my face unashamed. 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills--

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Father...Even though for now my heart is crushed with sorrow, Your eye of compassion rests on me.  As You said to Ephraim of old, You say to me, Your child:

“I do earnestly remember him still” (Jer. 31:20)

I will wait for You, my Jesus.  May my faith be my song!  I will keep my eyes on the bow that You have placed in the cloud. My heart is steadfast, Father, You will not allow my foot to be moved. Your promises are mine...I can say with Job, though You slay me, yet will I trust in You. 

Putting Off ME...

Let each one of us [make it a practice to] please his neighbor for his good, to build him up spiritually. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written [in Scripture], "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU (the Father) FELL ON ME (the Son)."—Romans 15:2-3 AMPL

I don’t know about You, but I cannot do the “heart” of what is required in these verses without the Spirit of God’s moment by moment power.  Self-sacrificing love, charitableness, duty to others, sympathy, empathy, self-denial, unselfishness....these do not come naturally to me. I need to depend on my God constantly to put another’s good before mine.  Even when I get it right, sin always lies at my door and its desire is for me.  Only by the Spirit’s power can I rule over it. Even in marriage...even for someone I love as much as I love my husband, it is so difficult. Maybe even more so than for a “neighbor” because how he is and what he does affect ME greatly!  I want peace, I want comfort and very often choosing to walk in another’s shoes and actually feel their pain, grief fear or longing is hard.  

My heart’s default position is ME. It is hard to put off what I might want for my day...and put on, feel and make my priority what another wants.  It is hard to love others sacrificially because what I want for ME so often gets in my way!  Here is the thing, though.  What I notice as I draw increasingly close to my God and stand in the light of His grace, my sinfulness also comes to light and begins to overwhelm me. That might not seem like such a good thing, but it is, because it drives me to my God.  It helps me to really “see” my own weakness and need and cry out all the more for His grace and power in my life.  

but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength].—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank my God through Jesus Christ, my Lord, who delivered and continues to deliver me from the scourge of ME, MYSELF and I.  Truly, I can cast all MY cares upon Him for He cares for ME!  He will perfect that which concerns ME.  He is my Shepherd. As His beloved daughter, He looks out for ME!  I can put off selfish ambition.  In Christ, I have everything I need. I can edify those I love by pointing them to Him...I can trust those I love into His care...I can trust ME into His care because He CARES for ME too!

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us,* to the glory of God.—Romans 15:5-7