"Let me understand the teaching of Your precepts; then I will meditate on Your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through Your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on Your laws ... do not let me be put to shame ... Teach me, O LORD, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word." Psalms 119:27-37 (NIV)
Psalms 119 is the longest of the psalms, in fact, it is the longest chapter in the Bible having 176 verses. This psalm is thought to be a collection of King David's brief utterances to God. Here he is praying for instruction and understanding, and for guidance and direction. He also asks God to keep his eyes and his heart from evil, sinful, deceitful things.
We would do good to ask God for the same things. We have chosen to follow The Lord, but we need His help in order to do so. We need to read and study The Word of God more, but we need Him to increase our knowledge and understanding. As we walk this Christian walk, we need His help, guidance, and direction in order to steer clear of sinful things. Maybe we should pray this prayer.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Praise The Lord And Be Blessed
"Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O LORD." Psalms 89:15 (NIV)
The psalmist states that those who shout for joy and pay homage to God are blessed. They are blessed to be guided by, and to walk, in the light of God's presence.
As we rejoice and praise God, we are granted God's favor. If we really want to be blessed and highly favored, then we must repeatedly give God thanks, praise, honor, and glory for the things that He has done for us. The more we acknowledge Him, the more likely we are to be blessed by Him.
The psalmist states that those who shout for joy and pay homage to God are blessed. They are blessed to be guided by, and to walk, in the light of God's presence.
As we rejoice and praise God, we are granted God's favor. If we really want to be blessed and highly favored, then we must repeatedly give God thanks, praise, honor, and glory for the things that He has done for us. The more we acknowledge Him, the more likely we are to be blessed by Him.
Once Enlightened Always Enlightened
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in The Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of The Word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying The Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace." Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV)
The unknown author of the Bible Book of Hebrews made it clear that once a person was saved, they would always be saved. Their future sins would not cause them to lose their salvation. Only by willfully renouncing Jesus Christ could they ever be lost, and from that loss there could be no return.
Once we are held in the palm of His hand, we can never be plucked out. It is possible to be exposed to the gospel and walk among Christians for a while and not be saved. (Matthew 13:3-24) Jesus said, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62) A number of people followed Jesus because of what He could do for them, not because they believed in Him. Those people were not saved. Once saved, always saved. We may lose out on some rewards and miss out on some blessings by our behavior, but we can never lose our salvation.
The unknown author of the Bible Book of Hebrews made it clear that once a person was saved, they would always be saved. Their future sins would not cause them to lose their salvation. Only by willfully renouncing Jesus Christ could they ever be lost, and from that loss there could be no return.
Once we are held in the palm of His hand, we can never be plucked out. It is possible to be exposed to the gospel and walk among Christians for a while and not be saved. (Matthew 13:3-24) Jesus said, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62) A number of people followed Jesus because of what He could do for them, not because they believed in Him. Those people were not saved. Once saved, always saved. We may lose out on some rewards and miss out on some blessings by our behavior, but we can never lose our salvation.
Monday, January 28, 2013
We Must Confess And Renounce Our Sins
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
This saying of King Solomon makes it clear that it is better for them to confess and renounce their sins than to hide them. It is God who grants them mercy and on one cannot hide their sins from Him.
Confession is good for the soul, but only if it is followed by turning away from the sinful activity. It does us no good to pray to God for mercy, if we have not admitted that we have sinned. Confessing a sinful act and then continuing to repeat it, calls into question the sincerity of our confession. We cannot hide our motives and intentions from God. If we really enjoy our sinful habits and do not plan to stop them, then we should not ask to be forgiven for committing the sins. But if we truly want to be more Christ-like, then we ought to ask God for His help to change that part of our sinful nature.
This saying of King Solomon makes it clear that it is better for them to confess and renounce their sins than to hide them. It is God who grants them mercy and on one cannot hide their sins from Him.
Confession is good for the soul, but only if it is followed by turning away from the sinful activity. It does us no good to pray to God for mercy, if we have not admitted that we have sinned. Confessing a sinful act and then continuing to repeat it, calls into question the sincerity of our confession. We cannot hide our motives and intentions from God. If we really enjoy our sinful habits and do not plan to stop them, then we should not ask to be forgiven for committing the sins. But if we truly want to be more Christ-like, then we ought to ask God for His help to change that part of our sinful nature.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
We Need God More Than We Know
"The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, He saved me." Psalms 116:6 (NIV)
In this psalm of thanksgiving, King David said, God heard him (verses 1 & 2), God pitied him (verses 5 & 6), and God delivered him (verse 8). He also said that God protects the simple. The "simple" are (according to Matthew Henry) sincere, upright, without guile, and they are weak, helpless, and unable to fend for themselves. David identifies with the simple hearted people. He needed God's help, and God protected him and saved him.
If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we are also weak, helpless and unable to defend ourselves against the attacks of the devil. Even those of us who think that we are physically strong, and in good shape and good health, are saddened to learn that we really are very frail. God can allow the devil to attack our bodies, just ask Job, and if we are not careful the devil will control our minds. We need God's hedge of protection around us (Job 1:10), for only He can save us. We also need God to save us from ourselves, so we do not become insincere, evil, and bitter. We need to pray for God's help so that we can learn to focus on our beliefs and not our battles; our faith and not our foe; our protector and not our problem; and our Saviour and not our situation.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Pray And Pray More Often
"Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy." Psalms 86:3-6 (NIV)
King David was a praying man, and this is another one of his prayers. He ask The Lord to have mercy on him, and to restore his joy. David recognized his sinfulness, although no specific sin is mentioned here. It may just be the sinful nature of man because he says that he calls on The Lord all day long. Whatever it is, he is appealing to the loving kindness of God to have mercy on him.
We can learn a lot from David. He prayed to God often, and we should do the same. He frequently asks for God's mercy because he knows that he has sinned. We ought to admit that we sin frequently throughout each day, if you consider our thoughts, words, and actions. Therefore we ought to call on The Lord all day long and ask for forgiveness and mercy. Most Christians begin and end their day with prayer. The questions is, how many times during each day do we stop and pray? I'm just saying that we ought to pray much more that we do. Think about how bad things would be for us if we only got His mercy when we asked for it, and did not get it when we didn't pray for it. We should always pray. (Luke 18:1) The Apostle Paul said that we should "pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)
King David was a praying man, and this is another one of his prayers. He ask The Lord to have mercy on him, and to restore his joy. David recognized his sinfulness, although no specific sin is mentioned here. It may just be the sinful nature of man because he says that he calls on The Lord all day long. Whatever it is, he is appealing to the loving kindness of God to have mercy on him.
We can learn a lot from David. He prayed to God often, and we should do the same. He frequently asks for God's mercy because he knows that he has sinned. We ought to admit that we sin frequently throughout each day, if you consider our thoughts, words, and actions. Therefore we ought to call on The Lord all day long and ask for forgiveness and mercy. Most Christians begin and end their day with prayer. The questions is, how many times during each day do we stop and pray? I'm just saying that we ought to pray much more that we do. Think about how bad things would be for us if we only got His mercy when we asked for it, and did not get it when we didn't pray for it. We should always pray. (Luke 18:1) The Apostle Paul said that we should "pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)
Friday, January 25, 2013
One More Chance
"You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger. Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away Your displeasure toward us." Psalms 85:2-4 (NIV)
The psalmist notes here that God has forgiven His people in the past, and he is praying that God will forgive them again. He recognizes that they have sinned again and he is asking God to restore them to His good graces.
Today we recognize that we have messed up and sinned against God. We realize that we have sinned in the past and God has forgiven us. Now we need to ask God for forgiveness again. We need one more chance. We are not asking for a second chance, we messed that one up a long time ago. We need His forgiveness, and we need another chance. We also need to pray for His help and His guidance in order to sin less and to do the right thing. Only He can restore us to His good graces and return us to a right fellowship with Him.
The psalmist notes here that God has forgiven His people in the past, and he is praying that God will forgive them again. He recognizes that they have sinned again and he is asking God to restore them to His good graces.
Today we recognize that we have messed up and sinned against God. We realize that we have sinned in the past and God has forgiven us. Now we need to ask God for forgiveness again. We need one more chance. We are not asking for a second chance, we messed that one up a long time ago. We need His forgiveness, and we need another chance. We also need to pray for His help and His guidance in order to sin less and to do the right thing. Only He can restore us to His good graces and return us to a right fellowship with Him.
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