Delightful Council

Ever feel alone in a fallen, evil world? Ever wonder if you are THE only one who loves Jesus and is seeking to know Him more? In a world of bad news, lost family members, and people who are seeking hard after the temporary, those who are following after Jesus can feel very alone.

Praise the Lord, we are in good company! The psalmist who penned Psalm 119: 17-24 came face-to-face with this truth... "I am a stranger on earth" (v. 19a)

He was surrounded in verses 21-23 with the arrogant, those lashing scorn and contempt his way, and even rulers (those in authority over him) who slandered and lied about him. Ever had a bad reputation? Been lied about? Been around some arrogant people...unfortunately even within the church! I can certainly relate to this poor guy's plight.

In the midst of proud people, scornful lashing and slander it is easy to focus our eyes and hearts on those lies and feel isolated and alone. But THEN this psalmist sees the ray of light we ought to seek out..."Your [the Lord's] statues are my delight; they are my counselors." (v. 24)

The psalmist shifts his heart to delight, find its satisfaction, in God's Word and even gain council from it...probably on how to handle those annoying people!! Nonetheless, this psalmist gives us a beautiful example of how to wisely handle our own feelings of isolation, injustice and arrogance. Let's turn our hearts toward the council of the Word and fully delight in its truth!

Purity as a Way of Life

Living in our world today, we are bombarded with impure images, words, and ideas continually and from every angle! Biblical purity is not just about refraining from sex outside of marriage. It involves EVERY area of our heart, soul, mind and body. God gets quite personal!!

In Psalm 119, also living in a fallen, sinful world, seeks the Lord for direction on living out a pure life.

"How can a young man keep his way pure?" he asks in verse 9. The response? "By living according to Your word." Well, how do we do THAT? The next 7 verses give us the very practical tools to answer this.

"I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands.

I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin again You.

Praise be to You, O Lord; teach me Your decrees.

With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth.

I rejoice in following Your statues as one rejoices in great riches.

I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways.

I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your word."

First, the psalmist saturates his HEART with the Lord by seeking Him with his whole heart, memorizing His word and delighting in the Lord above all else! (v. 10-11, 16)

The psalmist saturates his MOUTH with the Lord by praising Him and recounting His truth with his lips. (v.12-13)

Finally, the psalmist saturates his THOUGHTS with the Lord by meditating on His truths and thinking on Philippians 4:8 type of truths. (v. 15)

With our friend, the psalmist, and the Lord as our Guide, let us walk in the example given and begin to saturate ourselves fully in Christ, thus living out what is already true of those who are believers in christ Jesus..."Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." 1 John 3:3

An Eye Exam

I don't know if it is because of my eye appointment today or what, but my thoughts this morning went back to a passage the Lord began teaching me early this summer...Psalm 119:1-8. I began digging into Psalm 119 and teaching its truths to my children this summer. It has been such a sweet experience for all of us!

The psalm is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet, with 8 verses per stanza...it provided easy memorization for the young Jewish boys.

The first segment 'Aleph', is such a beautiful picture of the psalmist refocusing his vision. It begins with him looking around him.."Blessed are THEY whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are THEY who keep his statutes and seek Him with all THEIR heart. THEY do nothing wrong; THEY walk in His ways."

It's as if the psalmist is standing among believers saying, "look at those blessed people of God..."

So, he takes his issue to the Lord...(v. 4-5) "YOU have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that MY ways were steadfast in obeying YOUR decrees!" In the midst of prayer, his focus shifts from 'others' to 'the Lord' to his own stand before God. He is even given a yearning for the truths of God in v. 5 that comes from praying and experiencing God's presence.

He goes on to stand as 'I' before His God..."Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all Your commands. I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws. I will obey Your decrees; do not utterly forsake me."

Can you hear his heart's cry? "Lord, I yearn for You and Your word. I can be made right by it. BUT DO NOT UTTERLY FORSAKE ME...without You, I am nothing!!"

Is that a clear focus or what?? When we are looking around us at others, at circumstances, at defeats, worries or fears, our focus becomes blurry and we fail to see those realities in light of God's love for us, His mercy on us and His power over all that causes us anxiety.

So, how do we 'refocus'...follow the psalmist's example...take it to the Lord in prayer and ask HIM for a clearer focus and a new set of lenses!!

A New Season

Life is full of seasons...you don't have to live long to figure that out. Yet, the wisest man (besides Christ Jesus Himself) who ever lived spent 8 verses of scripture pondering the various seasons life brings.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I have found that 'season pondering' helps us to number our days and thus we gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

I stepped away from blogging for a season and have now been called back...with confirmation and blessing from the Lord and my husband. These last few months have held moments of life, moments of death, moments of activity and moments of rest, moments to cherish and moments I'd love to forget!

But through every moment and each season I have seen the Lord's hand. Truth be told, as I type away the start of a new season, I can truly say the ups and downs have drawn me nearer still to His side. My prayer is YOU, too, would catch a fresh glimpse of Jesus as you travel through this season with me. Welcome (back) to Growing In Godliness!