Benefits of God's Word

 

      In Psalm 119 almost every verse extolls the benefits of knowing and obeying God's Word.  Some of these benefits are listed below. 

[Verses are taken from The New Living Translation]

     HAPPINESS--Psalm 112a, "Happy are those who obey his decrees.

      PURITY--Psalm 119:9, "How can a young person stay pure?  By obeying your word and following its rules."

      KEEPS US FROM SINNING--Psalm 119:11, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

      SHOWS US THE TRUTH--Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law."  Psalm 119:91a,  "Your laws remain true today."

      WISDOM--Psalm 119:24, "Your decrees please me; they give me wise advice."  Psalm 119:98, 99a, 100a,  "Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for your commands are my constant guide.  Yes, I have more insight than my teachers.....I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments."

     HOPE--Psalm 119:43b,  "My only hope is in your laws."

      FREEDOM--Psalm 119:45,  "I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments."

      COMFORT--Psalm 119:50,  "Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles."

      RESTORATION and JOY--Psalm 119:93,  "I will never forget your commandments, for you have used them to restore my joy and health."

      ENLIGHTENMENT--Psalm 119:105,  "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path."

      PEACE and STABILITY--Psalm 119:165,  "Those who love your law have great peace and do not stumble."

      In Psalm 119:54 the psalmist gives a lovely summary of what God's word has meant to him when he says,  "Your principles have been the music of my life throughout the years of my pilgrimage."

Father, thank You for Your Word.  It is truly music to our ears and hearts and shows us how to live a full, rich, and meaningful life. 

Amen.

      

Knowledge

Romans 11:33-34, "Oh,the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.  How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!  Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?"

Deuteronomy 29:29,  "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

      In this era of computers a person can google practically any subject and find out all about it.  This has great advantages, but sometimes I think we live in an era of information overload.  Any business transactions these days seem to require reams of paper setting out all kinds of rules and regulations, complicated details that I really wish I didn't have to know.  The world is so small because of our communication and transportation systems that we are burdened with and affected by the problems of people everywhere.

      Often we chafe because we cannot know the future or do not understand events of the past or present.  We wish we could know more.   

But suppose God were to dump all his immeasurable knowledge, all of mankind's problems and needs, into our human brains.  Actually, I am greatly relieved to have a Heavenly Father who does know it all, who can look down through time like we see through space, who knows the end  from the beginning, and who is wise enough and powerful enough to orchestrate every detail so that it all fits into his master plan. 

Granted, there are things I wish I could understand now, but there is great comfort in knowing that God comprehends it all, that he is omniscient, all knowing, that he is never taken by surprise, and that he is in charge of every detail.  All we really need to do is learn the things that he has revealed to us and trust and obey him regarding the rest.

Father, You know I sometimes struggle because I can't understand the why of some events.  May I be content to leave all details in your wise and powerful and loving hands.  Amen.

The New Year

Colossians 2:6-7,  "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and over flowing with thankfulness."

      Many New Year's resolutions fall into the categories of: losing some weight, eating a more healthy diet, exercising more often, or, possibly, stopping some bad habit such as smoking or biting one's nails or losing one's temper.  And it's a good thing to make resolutions. 

Someone has well said,  "If we aim at nothing, we will hit it every time!"  In one way it's discouraging to be setting the same goals year after year, but, hopefully, as we keep trying we'll see some improvement from the year before and the year before that.  Someone put it this way,  "I'm not what I want to be, but I'm not what I used to be either."

      While many of the goals we set for a new year are physical ones, it's also a good idea to set some spiritual goals to aid in growing more Christ like year after year.  Such goals might be: to determine to have a quiet time everyday; to read the Bible all the way through during the year ( a one year Bible is a great help toward accomplishing this goal); memorizing Scripture during the year; writing down each day some of the thoughts and prayers you have during your quiet time; worshiping regularly with other believers; singing in the choir or teaching a Sunday School class or helping in the church in other ways according to your spiritual gifts; perhaps joining a Bible study; deepening your prayer life; reading spiritually inspiring literature. 

We will never, in this imperfect world, become all we would like to be but, by God's grace and striving toward godly goals, we will become more like our Savior year by year.

Father, this year I want to grow in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ, to become more and more like Him.  Amen.

Life's Little Frustrations

My New Year's resolutions sound familiar, 

And why that is should be very clear; 

No wonder I recognize them so easily-- 

They're the very same ones I made last year!  (reprinted)

The Christ Candle

      The first four candles of Advent represent hope, peace, joy, and love.  The fifth candle is the Christ candle, underlining the fact that Christ has already come into this world.  When He came, He brought with him all the attributes of the Godhead and made them available to us. 

It is in Christ that we have HOPE for the future.  Ephesians 2:14 is speaking of Christ when it says,  "For he himself is our PEACE." 

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that it is the JOY of the Lord that is our strength.  Romans 5:15b says,  "God has poured out his LOVE into our hearts by the Holy spirit, whom he has given us."  God has given us power to be victorious over sin in our lives and evil in the world. 

Ephesians 1:19b-20 states, "That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms." 

Colossians 2:9-10 sums up these thought by saying,  "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."

      When we are born into this world, we come fully equipped with everything we need to live a physical life.  However, a baby must learn to use its hands and legs and feet and must develop strength and coordination.  When we are born spiritually, we are given everything we need to live the spiritual life in Christ, but we need to develop the attributes we have at our disposal.

      The lighting of the Advent candles reminds us that Jesus is the Light of this old dark world, and as we allow Him to live His life and express His attributes in and through us, we will also be lights that lead others to Him, and, through Him, to hope, peace, joy, and love.

Father, thank You that when we have Christ we have everything we need to live godly lives.  May we allow Your Holy Spirit to cause the attributes of Deity to shine through us.  Amen. 

Love for Advent

      What is the hallmark of a Christian?  What one characteristic distinguishes believers in Christ from non-believers more than any other?  Francis Schaeffer wrote a book entitled "The Mark of a Christian," and in it he says the mark of a Christian is LOVE.  A chorus says,  "They'll know we're Christians by our LOVE."  The 13th chapter of I Corinthians tells us that there are three most important characteristics--faith, hope, and love--and summarizes those thoughts by saying,  "The greatest of these is LOVE."  The book of I John emphasizes over and over that Christians are to love others, and says if we don't we are not walking in the light of God's love.  The first commandment, according to Jesus, is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and the second commandment is to love others as we love ourselves.  If we need a thermometer by which we can take our spiritual temperature, it is the measure of our love for God and for our fellow man.

      LOVE is not just a warm fuzzy feeling.  It expresses an attitude of really caring about others and wanting the best for them.  But LOVE is also an action verb, and there are a multitude of ways we can express our love for others.  Some of those ways are unique to the Christmas season, but people need our love and care all year long.

Father, love others through me with Your unselfish, all-seeing, all-caring love everyday of the year.  May that love be translated into active expressions of love.  Amen.