Fellowshipping & Praise the Lord with Doc329 (24)

[doc329]

O that I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away, and be at rest. (Psalm 55:6, 7)

Cry for rest amid the storm and stress of temptations has seldom found such perfect utterance as in this beautiful figure of speech: a dove, tossed and beaten in violent winds and rain, flying for safety into the distant plains of the desert. Often has it been repeated by the singers of all lands and all tongues in expressing deep longings of the soul.

But when read in this Psalm, it is more than a beautiful bit of imagery. Every Christian who reads the Psalms knows that they are written for him and of him. Many people feel that no other part of the Old Testament comes so near to us as the Psalms.

Other parts of the Old Testament tell us about the Lord and the spiritual life, but here the Lord is speaking to our hearts.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

O that I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away, and be at rest. (Psalm 55:6, 7)

Cry for rest amid the storm and stress of temptations has seldom found such perfect utterance as in this beautiful figure of speech: a dove, tossed and beaten in violent winds and rain, flying for safety into the distant plains of the desert. Often has it been repeated by the singers of all lands and all tongues in expressing deep longings of the soul.

But when read in this Psalm, it is more than a beautiful bit of imagery. Every Christian who reads the Psalms knows that they are written for him and of him. Many people feel that no other part of the Old Testament comes so near to us as the Psalms.

Other parts of the Old Testament tell us about the Lord and the spiritual life, but here the Lord is speaking to our hearts.

I've been reading Origen's Song of Songs and the depth of meaning expounded is intimately heartwarming, much like the Psalms but above the law that is often expressed in the Psalms.

 

[doc329]

When the devil comes against you
He will not come in a red suit with a pointy tail and horns. He will not be carrying a pitchfork and he will not smell like sulphur.
When the devil comes to your life to cause you trouble, he will appear as an angel of light.
( 2 Cor. 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. )
He will make his plan appear to be the perfect thing for your life.

Beware of every impulse that comes into your mind.
Check out everything by the Word of God and by the will of God, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord will always lead you in the right way!

 

[doc329]

Isn't it amazing when you take the time to consider?
Our Lord knows the struggles we face; He knows the burdens we bear. He too endured the same temptations we are faced with.
He desires to strengthen us in the faith and equip us for the journey. I praise Him that we do not walk alone.
If we will but walk with Him, according to His will, we can enjoy the power of God in our lives, guiding our steps and equipping us to endure.

 

[brinny]

O that I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away, and be at rest. (Psalm 55:6, 7)

Cry for rest amid the storm and stress of temptations has seldom found such perfect utterance as in this beautiful figure of speech: a dove, tossed and beaten in violent winds and rain, flying for safety into the distant plains of the desert. Often has it been repeated by the singers of all lands and all tongues in expressing deep longings of the soul.

But when read in this Psalm, it is more than a beautiful bit of imagery. Every Christian who reads the Psalms knows that they are written for him and of him. Many people feel that no other part of the Old Testament comes so near to us as the Psalms.

Other parts of the Old Testament tell us about the Lord and the spiritual life, but here the Lord is speaking to our hearts.

I agree about the Psalms and yes, the dove, and how it represents us, and how we DO need the "wings of a dove" so to speak, flying for safety to our God's sheltering arms.....

and yes, the Lord is speaking to our hearts here...

perhaps that is why Psalms has always ministered to me so inexplicably....

 

[brinny]

Precious song.

 

[brinny]

"And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." ~Psalm 55:6

 

[doc329]

Very few believers actually believe that they are pleasing to God.
Most feel some degree of forgiveness and maybe acceptance, but to think that the Lord is actually pleased with us is another matter.
A person can choose to love you because of his or her own goodness, but to be pleased with you, they actually have to like your performance.
With God, no one could ever be pleasing to Him based on their performance. His standard is perfection, and no goodness on our part can ever compensate for our sins.
We may please man with our actions, but "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God".
It takes the precious blood of Jesus to do that.

 

[doc329]

Isn't it amazing when you take the time to consider?
Our Lord knows the struggles we face; He knows the burdens we bear. He too endured the same temptations we are faced with.
He desires to strengthen us in the faith and equip us for the journey. I praise Him that we do not walk alone.
If we will but walk with Him, according to His will, we can enjoy the power of God in our lives, guiding our steps and equipping us to endure.

 

[brinny]

Isn't it amazing when you take the time to consider?
Our Lord knows the struggles we face; He knows the burdens we bear. He too endured the same temptations we are faced with.
He desires to strengthen us in the faith and equip us for the journey. I praise Him that we do not walk alone.
If we will but walk with Him, according to His will, we can enjoy the power of God in our lives, guiding our steps and equipping us to endure.

Amen about "walking with Him", doc....reminds me of this precious verse:

 

[doc329]

When a person brags, I believe that it is because he doesn’t realize how much God truly loves him.

A bragging man tries to make himself look better than he thinks he actually is. He does this so that people will like or accept him because of his having achieved some special status or feat.
However the very thing that he hopes to gain he doesn’t get, the acceptance and being liked by others.
Bragging you see causes people to be pushed away from us.
Braggers are always making you aware of their achievements and or how they can do something better than others.
These people have never realized that true greatness is something that is a gift from God anyway, and that it is God who should get all of the praise and glory.
When you think about it there is nothing that anyone has that didn’t come from God in the first place, therefore knowing that how could anyone brag about anything?

If we were to be like Christ we would want in love to praise others and not ourselves and our own feats and achievements.
The one who brags does this because he doesn’t realize in his own experience the love that God has for him.

 

[brinny]

When a person brags, I believe that it is because he doesn’t realize how much God truly loves him.

A bragging man tries to make himself look better than he thinks he actually is. He does this so that people will like or accept him because of his having achieved some special status or feat.
However the very thing that he hopes to gain he doesn’t get, the acceptance and being liked by others.
Bragging you see causes people to be pushed away from us.
Braggers are always making you aware of their achievements and or how they can do something better than others.
These people have never realized that true greatness is something that is a gift from God anyway, and that it is God who should get all of the praise and glory.
When you think about it there is nothing that anyone has that didn’t come from God in the first place, therefore knowing that how could anyone brag about anything?

If we were to be like Christ we would want in love to praise others and not ourselves and our own feats and achievements.
The one who brags does this because he doesn’t realize in his own experience the love that God has for him.

Good point, doc.....there is a "neediness" of sorts when one "brags", an "emptiness".....

kinda' sad, that the one bragging doesn't realize that God fills those empty vacuous places that hungrily eat up all the accolades.....this poor soul is like an arid desert spiritually, and they don't know it.....they don't know that God brings streams of living water to the most arid souls...reminds me Isaiah 35 and this video:

 

[doc329]

We should look at the possibilities of how God's light can shine through us.
It is easy to look at our limitations to keep God's light from shining through us.
We may say I've had a rough year, and I cannot go forward right now.
We may say we are too old or too young.
We can make up a lot of excuses, but we do have the power to let God's light shine.
Success cannot always be measured.
If the coming week brings us closer to God and closer to our family and friends,
then we will have a week of many possibilities and successes.

 

[doc329]

Being holy is not that simple is it? Being holy does not come natural to us, does it?
We live in the human experience and human events tend to evoke human reactions.
When you accidently slam the door on your finger, you don't say "Verily, verily, I hath injured my digit", do you?
Of course not. You want to say other things, and you want to find someone else to blame.
That's human nature.
The default characteristics of our human nature lead us to the path of least resistance, the path that makes us most comfortable.

We want convenience, we want speed, we want it first, we want it now, and we want to be comfortable. Our society spends billions of dollars each year on things, gadgets, and stuff that are all designed to make us more comfortable.
I would say that "Comfortableness" has become the American disease of choice during the last forty years.
We are so focused on being comfortable that we lose perspective.

 

[doc329]

The way we receive the forgiveness that's available through Jesus' blood is by faith. When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we are pleasing God. Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him."
Faith comes from the heart, and God looks on the heart ? not the actions. Of course, God sees our actions and will deal with us about them, but only because they are inseparably linked to our hearts.
It's our hearts that really concern God, and faith in Him is what He is searching the heart for.

 

[doc329]

Where would any of us be if God had responded to us in relation to how we responded to Him?
What if God would have dealt with us according to what we deserved?

Consider the treatment of Jesus prior to the crucifixion. He had every right to have destroyed His accusers.
They were not worthy of His love or His sacrifice. He did not render what they deserved. He offered grace instead of wrath.
He offered what they needed instead of what they deserved.

The same is true in each of our lives. We were not given what we had earned or deserved.
Jesus dealt with us in tender mercy and grace.
We are expected to show that same grace to others as well, even if we feel as if they don?t deserve it.

 

[doc329]

I remember a story of a little girl who came running downstairs one morning, lighthearted as only a child can be.
She rushed into the kitchen and noticed that her mother wore a grim expression.
Mommy, she said, aren't you happy?
Why certainly I'm happy, her mother replied.
Well, said the little girl, you certainly haven't told your face yet.

It is not always easy, but our lives should reflect the presence of God living in us today.
Jesus said in John 3:21, "But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Not only is there an indescribable and beautiful life beyond this world, but even more important, heaven is present here and available to each of us.
For wherever truth is, God is there, and heaven is brought closer to each one of us.

 

[doc329]

As you go about your daily tasks, ask God to give you a spirit of compassion for the widows, the orphans, those who are terminally ill, those who are jobless, for that blind beggar on a downtown street corner, for the dirty addict, unshaven and friendless who is prowling the city streets like an animal.
Ask God for the grace to somehow enter in experientially to that persons life, imagine their hurt and humiliation.
Ask for the grace to emotionally enter your husband, your wife or your children.
We need to try to live in their world in order to know how to extend mercy and compassion.
We don't appreciate one another. We don't think about one another, because we don't walk in their shoes, we don't breathe their breath, we don't think about what they go through.
Mercy means that you live the hurts of another in your own emotions.
That is compassion. Compassion leads to mercy.

 

[brinny]

As you go about your daily tasks, ask God to give you a spirit of compassion for the widows, the orphans, those who are terminally ill, those who are jobless, for that blind beggar on a downtown street corner, for the dirty addict, unshaven and friendless who is prowling the city streets like an animal.
Ask God for the grace to somehow enter in experientially to that persons life, imagine their hurt and humiliation.
Ask for the grace to emotionally enter your husband, your wife or your children.
We need to try to live in their world in order to know how to extend mercy and compassion.
We don't appreciate one another. We don't think about one another, because we don't walk in their shoes, we don't breathe their breath, we don't think about what they go through.
Mercy means that you live the hurts of another in your own emotions.
That is compassion. Compassion leads to mercy.

This is precious doc. And the very core of God's heart. Reminds me of this verse:

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." ~Proverbs 19:17

and these verses:

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." ~Matthew 25:34:40

 

[doc329]

There was something in the heart of Jesus that drew Him to the handicapped.
He loved people who were often cast aside by others.
Jesus spent a lot of time ministering to those with physical infirmities because He had a heart full of love and compassion for their needs.
I would say that if you want to be like Jesus you should reach out to the handicapped!
He loved them and ministered to them and we should do the same.

Handicapped people seem to be drawn to Jesus.
Do you know why?
It is because He accepts them and loves them just like they are.
They are looking for that kind of love and acceptance from a society that rejects them because they are different.
Jesus loves them like they are and so should we!
There are many handicapped people who would love to hear the Gospel, if someone only cared enough to tell them.