Loving in Deed and in Truth...

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.—1 John 3:16-18

Paul said this in Philippians 

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may REJOICE in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.  Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and REJOICE with you all.—Philippians 2:12-18 (emphasis mine)

Paul truly understood the love of God and loved others in deed and in truth.  He viewed his entire life as a drink offering, and here in Philippians 2 it was poured out on the sacrificial service of the Philippians.  An attitude of joy accompanies any genuine, sacrificial Christian service.  That became very evident to me as I read through the following verses connected with sacrificial service and the accompanying attitude of joy that followed.  It is important to note that this joy isn’t drummed up, it is produced by the Holy Spirit as a believer lays down his own will and pours out his life in service to God. 

always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,—Philippians 1:4

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.—Philippians 1:18

that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.—Philippians 1:26

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.—2 Corinthians 7:4

 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,—Colossians 1:24

therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God,—1 Thessalonians 3:7-9

Living as Christ desires us to live brings joy!  God has built blessings in to our sacrificial service in His name. This is helpful for me to understand and remember, because it encourages my faith in two ways.  It stirs me toward good works and assures my heart before Him as I walk in the rewards that accompany this service. Joy is one of these rewards.  His commandments are not burdensome.  Our obedience to them reflect our love toward God and brings blessing.  One of these blessings is joy.  

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews 12:2

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,—Hebrews 10:24

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15:13

Unto You I Lift My Eyes...

1 A Song of Ascents.

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.

Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.  Behold, as the eyes of a servant look to the hand of his master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so MY eyes look to the LORD MY God, until He has mercy on me.  Lift up your eyes, Isaiah says to God on high...He has created the stars and brings out their host by number.  He calls them all by name.   Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one is missing.  Jeremiah reminds us that truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills and from the multitude of mountains...our salvation is in the Lord our God.  God is my helper...I will not fear...God holds my right hand. He is my support.  He will answer me when I cry.  I will walk in the way safely, and my foot shall not stumble, for the LORD is my confidence. My God goes before me and He NEVER slumbers.  He stays awake to guide and guard my path.  He is close by...my shade at my right hand.  Like He was to Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land, He is to me...a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. 

They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.—Isaiah 49:10

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day; [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.—Psalm 91:5-10

The last verse of this Psalm has always been a favorite of mine.  

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Deuteronomy 28 says something similar.  

Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out.—Deuteronomy 28:6

So very thankful that He directs and guards my comings and my goings.  Lift up your eyes this morning to the God that is greater than whatever you are facing and greater than anything you can imagine.  See by faith the God who is above the sighs and above the skies, whose care for Your soul is from everlasting to everlasting. 

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that is in them;

Who keeps truth forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,

Who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.

8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;

The LORD raises those who are bowed down;

The LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the strangers;

He relieves the fatherless and widow;

But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 The LORD shall reign forever--

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!—Psalm 146

Trusting in the Lord...

He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered.—Proverbs 28:25

When my kids were little, I remember reading the following verse from the book of James. 

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?—James 4:1

I asked myself,  What causes me to be contentious, impatient or unkind?  The answer came very quickly...when I am not getting what I want....when I am not getting what I think I am owed.  

I can remember spending days after that in this verse and others that spoke to pride and humility.  As a young believer, I loved that God had placed built in rewards for the humble, and I was even thankful for the consequences that were pride’s result.  The battle of my will versus my God’s is always a struggle, but the more I surrender and trust God instead of struggling for myself, the more I see that I am made to prosper or made “fat” as the KJV says.  Struggling for “my”rights or “my” way ALWAYS brings discord, discontent and strife.  I dwell at ease when my heart commits its cause to my God.  So much effort and energy goes into fighting for my way...energy that could be expended in His Spirit for His cause.  God’s people do not have to worry about themselves.  They can focus on others because, as Spurgeon says,  God cares for their “estate.”  Beloved, the Lord brings us forward and the Lord holds us back. Let Him do His perfect work in your life and your heart.  Allow Him full sway.  Live in continual dependence upon your God and His grace.  Find your satisfaction in Him and dwell in ease and fullness of joy.  Now the just shall live by faith, and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ❤️

Poured Out Love...

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.  This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.—1 John 1:1-5

As I read these words my eyes filled up with tears at the love John, through the inspiration of His Holy Spirit, poured out in this passage.  John was the disciple that Jesus loved and an eyewitness to the physical reality of His humanity and His earthly majesty.  Reading John’s word warms my heart and encourages my faith.  Jesus is not a “made up” person...He is an historical reality.  It is so obvious as I read these verses that John wanted them to produce salvation in his readers.  His words are poured out love pleading with us to hear the Spirit speaking to our hearts. 

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore [you] on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.—2 Corinthians 5:20 

Today is the day of salvation!  Gods does not want any of us, His beloved creatures, to perish but all to come to life in His name.  The God of the Universe wants me to be in fellowship with Him.  He wants ME to be one with Him, in whom there is no darkness at all, now and forever.  This is where our joy will be full both here on earth and in heaven. 

that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:21, ESV)

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:9-11, ESV)

Your Commandments are My Delights....

141 I am small and despised,

Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

And Your law is truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,

Yet Your commandments are my delights.

144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;

Give me understanding, and I shall live.—Psalm 119:141-144

For David the answer to every question and to every situation he faced was ALWAYS the word. What an example for us he was of abiding and clinging to His God no matter his feelings, no matter his circumstances.  David was a man after God’s own heart....one in whom God delighted. He was also, however, small and despised in the eyes of others probably because he WAS beloved of God.  Verse 143 implies that he was miserable as well. Trouble and anguish had taken hold of him, but the Psalmist not only does not forget the commandments of God (vs 141) but ups the ante in verse 143 by saying that they are his delight! 

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.—2 Corinthians 1:5

The righteousness of God’s  testimonies are everlasting and his word our righteous judge.  His word to us is truth and the Spirit of the law of life in Christ Jesus, brings our will into submission to our Creator’s and enables us to walk as His Spirit directs.

In verse 144 David prays for more grace and understanding to be given him The more time spent in the Word of God, the stronger our desire will be for it.  Beloved, if you desire a heart like David’s that delights in His precepts, you desire a good thing.  It is the word and only the word, that can do this work in your heart. Drink it in...immerse yourself in it.  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, will shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”—John 4:13-14

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.—John 17:3

On Hating My Vain Thoughts...

SAMEK

I hate the double-minded,

But I love Your law.—Psalm 119:113

I opened my bible last night to the reading for Psalm 119 and felt immediately called out and convicted. I do HATE my double-mindedness. I liked the way the KJV version said it.

“I hate vain thoughts:  but thy law do I love.”  

I felt that the NKJV’s use of the word double-minded accused me of blatantly doubting God. That accusation made me angry.  The KJV word, vain, in my humble opinion, makes it more about anxiety and fear than about doubting God.  In reality though, my feelings aren’t worth a hill of beans. Whether double-minded or vain the result is the same.  The abundance of my heart is not from faith but from sin.  SIGH!!  My heart is not united in the fear of the Lord and both my faith and my thinking are fractured.

I don’t know about you, but ninety percent (and that is being conservative) of my thinking is vain, fear-filled or control driven...the latter taking the prize for most relentless. Most of my sin, if not all, rises from my vain thoughts. Thoughts that ultimately say I know better than God.  Here is the thing...God wants us to take our thoughts captive.  Other people might not hear them, but He does.  How can I, like David then, not HATE them. They divert my mind from what is good... the precious promises in His word...or worse toward evil giving Satan a foothold. 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,—2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Father...

Praying that today when my thoughts go awry, I can remember that it is Your word to me that I love.  Vain thoughts are contrary to Your word and draw me away from Your law (which I love).  It is Your word that sets my heart free from my useless thoughts because it is Your word that speaks truth over them. 

Grace and Peace Multiplied...

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,—2 Peter 1:2

This verse reminded me this morning of what the LORD said to Abram in the 15th chapter of Genesis. 

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”—Genesis 15:1

Our Father in Heaven is truly a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Grace and peace are multiplied in our hearts and in our lives as we abide and grown in our knowledge of Him. The word for knowledge here, according to John MacArthur, implies a strengthened, larger, more intimate form of knowledge. I love that my precious faith is based on KNOWLEDGE....on objective, historical, rational and revealed truth.  God WANTS us to know and understand what we believe.  

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.—John 17:3, ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8, ESV)

Verse 3 tells us that we have received through HIS divine power all things necessary pertaining to life and godliness THROUGH the knowledge of Him!  Christ is the source of our sufficiency and our ability to persevere.  Every spiritual resource is ours.  In Christ, we have everything we need.  In Christ, we are eternally secure.  In Christ we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises (OUR SALVATION!!) through which we are partakers of the divine nature.  John 14 spells this out beautifully. 

even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.—John 14:17-23, ESV

Trusting God...

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.—1 Peter 4:19

I was blessed yesterday and my heart was encouraged by someone telling me in the course of a conversation (and really meaning it) that they were going to trust God with a concern.  “I am going to give that situation to God and trust Him to work it out.” “It is too big for me.”  Now, of course, as believers we all need to trust God with people and circumstances.  But do we?  Do we say it aloud?  Do we pray through it and consciously leave it with Him?  Those words said aloud by another believer to me yesterday really impacted my heart.  If they can trust God with their situation, I can certainly trust God with my own. Beloved, you never know how the words that you say will work in another’s heart or how your godly example will affect them. 

The BLB says this about the phrase “Commit their souls to Him”:

The ancient Greek word translated “commit” is a technical one, used for leaving money on deposit with a trusted friend. Such a trust was regarded as one of the most sacred things in life, and the friend was bound by honor to return the money intact. It is the very word Jesus used when He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46).

When Christians “commit” their souls to Him, they leave their souls (and their circumstances) in a safe place. God is a faithful Creator, and we can trust Him. He is the Potter and we are the clay in His hands.  He is my Creator and has the right to do with me as He pleases.  His will for me comes from His heart of love...my faithful Creator will do what is best for me. Faith is a choice and our faith pleases God.  

Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel* and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own.—Daniel 3:28

Living in the fear of the Lord...

Happy is the man who is always reverent,

But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.—Proverbs 28:14

Oh, how blessed is the man who fears the Lord always...who stands in awe of Him and trembles.  God is always in his thoughts and he lives with his heavenly father’s glory, greatness and purposes in mind.  He desires to do good because His God is so good.  Like the Psalmist’s, the statutes of the Lord are his songs and his sufficiency is from God.  He lives soberly and is serious and watchful in his prayers.  His love for others is fervent and he delights in the commandments of God. 

The fear of the Lord leads to a life of abiding satisfaction. The world desires to convince us that a life founded on the fear of the Lord leads to unhappiness and misery.  In reality, a life that sets the Lord always before him is a satisfied and protected life.  This man lives in the center of God’s will.  Blessedness and joy are his, both in this life and in the the next. A heart hardened, is a heart set in opposition to God.  This man will find no rest or peace either in this life or in the next. In this life, his lack of rest is God’s steadfast love toward him to draw him.  In the next, it is His judgment for despising His goodness and forbearance toward him.  

Psalm 16 is very appropriate here...

1 A Michtam of David.

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD,

“You are my Lord,

My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

3 As for the saints who are on the earth,

“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

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.

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Remember...

Remember the word to Your servant,

Upon which You have caused me to hope.—Psalm 119:49

Remember Your word to me by which You have caused me to hope. His promises are sure and are yes and amen in His Son. God gives us the grace to hope and His grace will not disappoint. Our God cannot lie and He cannot deny Himself and He will never fail those that place their trust in Him.   He will do what He says.  He will finish what He began. I can pray through His promises...I can ask God to remember His word to me. I am poor and needy and yet He thinks on insignificant me...I am not forgotten.   

My Comfort in My Affliction...

This is my comfort in my affliction,

For Your word has given me life.—Psalm 119:50

This verse always brings the word “content” to mind.  I have probably gone upstairs to my room thousands of times over the years with my bible because it IS my comfort.  His word is what I seek first.  It is what answers my every cry, my every emotional nuance and my every longing.  The following might seem strange, but bear with me. The picture of me with my bible cozy in my bed brings a favorite Robert Louis Stevenson poem to mind...The Land of Counterpane.  It is a poem from my childhood that always brings my heart home.  

The Land of Counterpane

by Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was sick and lay a-bed, 

I had two pillows at my head, 

And all my toys beside me lay, 

To keep me happy all the day. 

And sometimes for an hour or so 

I watched my leaden soldiers go, 

With different uniforms and drills, 

Among the bed-clothes, through the hills; 

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets 

All up and down among the sheets; 

Or brought my trees and houses out, 

And planted cities all about. 

I was the giant great and still 

That sits upon the pillow-hill, 

And sees before him, dale and plain, 

The pleasant land of counterpane.

The word of God brings my heart home. The comfort the Lord brings is designed especially for me. It is individual and one which the world cannot replicate. It is a comfort that when given is so styled that it lifts me above my circumstances, quickens my heart and is like the glow of warm fire in a cold, darkened room.  His word gifts me with the comfort of His sustaining grace, brings the peace of contentment and enables me to endure.  

This has become mine,

Because I kept Your precepts.—Psalm 119:56

You Are Chosen and Precious...

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.—1 Peter 1:13-19 

I am pretty sure that what I thought  of when I read 1 Peter 1:13 last night is not quite what Peter might have had in my mind, but it helped me. I thought of the movie The Incredibles, in particularly, when Edna tells Elastigirl to “Pull herself together” and reminds her that she IS Elastigirl.  The Holy Spirit, who clearly, if you use me as an example, works in mysterious ways, used this to bring conviction to my heart and make me smile.  All of us, when we are stressed for various reasons probably have responses and/or coping mechanisms that WE THINK serve us well. We have used them for years and hey, they are tried and true.  Sometimes, it is good to take inventory and evaluate their biblical profitability.  Sometimes it is good to see them in light of who we are in Christ.  Edna reminds Elastigirl (by slapping her upside her head) that she IS ELASTIGIRL...Here is the conversation.

“What are you talking about? You are Elastigirl!...Pull yourself together! What will you do? Is...is...is this a question? You will show him that you remember that he is Mr. Incredible! And you will REMIND him, who YOU are! Well, you know where he is... Go! Confront the problem! Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, dahling, I enjoy our visits.”

Sometimes I need the Holy Spirit to do that for me.  I FORGET who I am in Christ.  My conduct becomes aimless, in that, I fall back into my old ways that do not reflect His beautiful work of grace in my life.  I have been redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I am a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but CHOSEN AND PRECIOUS to my God. I am part of a royal priesthood and a holy nation. I am one of His SPECIAL people called out from darkness into His marvelous light.  I AM TO PROCLAIM HIS PRAISE.  So, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and rest your hope FULLY on His grace that is NOT ONLY brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, but is available to us moment by moment to give us the strength and ability to respond biblically to what comes our way. 

To much is given, much is required.  I have not only been given much, I have also been forgiven much.  I WANT to walk worthy of the calling to which I have been called.  I want to be holy because He is holy.  

Father, 

Incline my heart to Your testimonies,

And not to covetousness.

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in Your way.—Ps 119:36-37

I want to face all that You have planned for me, remembering who I am in You.  I desire to live according to Your ways, allowing Your great grace to strengthen me with power as I do.  

Set Free to Keep His Word...

GIMEL

Deal bountifully with Your servant,

That I may live and keep Your word.

18 Open my eyes, that I may see

Wondrous things from Your law.

19 I am a stranger in the earth;

Do not hide Your commandments from me.

20 My soul breaks with longing

For Your judgments at all times.

21 You rebuke the proud--the cursed,

Who stray from Your commandments.

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt,

For I have kept Your testimonies.

23 Princes also sit and speak against me,

But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

24 Your testimonies also are my delight

And my counselors.

25 DALETH

My soul clings to the dust;

Revive me according to Your word.

26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me;

Teach me Your statutes.

27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts;

So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.

28 My soul melts from heaviness;

Strengthen me according to Your word.

29 Remove from me the way of lying,

And grant me Your law graciously.

30 I have chosen the way of truth;

Your judgments I have laid before me.

31 I cling to Your testimonies;

O LORD, do not put me to shame!

32 I will run the course of Your commandments,

For You shall enlarge my heart.—Ps 119:17-32

Are you getting the picture here that God’s word to David was the only weapon in his arsenal and the answer or remedy for whatever he faced?  David’s prayer is to God alone...it is both direct and personal.  He makes it clear from the first verse (17) that without God’s mercy and grace toward him he could not live, no less serve Him and keep His word.  It was God who opened David’s eyes to see the wondrous things contained in His word.  Because David understood this, his soul broke with longing for it   The keeping of His word was both the objective and the joy of the psalmist’s life. It was his meditation through every circumstance he faced.  David was desperate for God’s truth, and his desire for it wasn’t for show.  David truly understood  that without God he was a dead man walking and his future without hope.  The Lord’s testimonies were his delight and his counselors.  When he was bowed down, it was His word that revived him.  When his soul was melting from heaviness, it was His word to him which strengthened him.  David’s heart purposed to walk always in the truth of His God. He clung to His testimonies and trusted that God would use His word to energize his heart and enlarge it...literally...and I love this...set it free to obey His commandments. 

The Sufferings of This Present Time...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.—1 Peter 1:3-5

Aren’t you glad these verses are here?  Reading them at any time but especially in the midst of a difficult trial brings much joy to a believer’s heart, hurting or otherwise. They take our mind off of our circumstances and remind us of the greatness of our salvation and of our true position in Christ.   1 Corinthians 6:17 tells us we as believers have been joined to the LORD and have become one spirit with him. The God we serve is merciful!  We who are pitiful and desperate sinners NEED this mercy.  Without it we are without recourse...helpless and hopeless.  According to this great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Darkness and misery might prevail here but nothing can stop this beacon of hope from shining in our hearts...for it is in Him that we HAVE eternal life.

It is IN HIM that we have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that cannot be destroyed, decayed or taken away and is unstained by evil. This inheritance is the polar opposite of our inheritance here in this fallen world which is marked by decay, defilement and fading away.  Here in this world filled with depravity and sin, we as believers also have God’s guarding and keeping power.  Our God is sovereign, all knowing and all powerful.  No one and nothing can take this living hope from us.  Our God secures it.  Our saving faith is permanent. 

We can rejoice then, despite our circumstances and look past our troubles to the fullness of joy of our eternal inheritance in the very presence of God. Believing, then, we joy inexpressible and full of glory.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us—Romans 8:18

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38-39