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Your Promise Gives me Life
Psalm 119:49-50 ESV
When we are going through trials, things which test our faith, things which cause pain and suffering and sorrow, we need to be reassured of God’s promises from his word to us who love (obey) God. For, they bring comfort to our hearts and to our minds. They fill us with God’s peace and assurance that God is sovereign and that he is in control.
So, it is important, too, that we understand who those promises are for, in context, and what conditions are attached to those promises. For most of God’s promises to us do come with conditions. We must believe on him. We must follow him in obedience. We must not be making sin our practice, but righteousness should be our practice, etc.
For, if we apply Scriptures to our lives out of context, we may be applying God’s promises erroneously. For not all promises in Scripture are to be applied across the board to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. And all God’s promises to his followers do not apply to everyone who merely professes faith in Jesus, but only to those living out that faith.
Yet, to those of us who are walking by that faith, by the grace of God, and in his strength and power, who are dying with Christ to sin and who are living to Christ and to his righteousness, God’s promises to us give us much hope and comfort. They fill our hearts with peace. And we can rest securely in knowing that God is in control and that he is working all for our good.
They Utterly Deride Me
Psalm 119:51-53 ESV
For those of us who take God and his word seriously, who are walking the walk, and who are not just talking it, we will be hated and persecuted by those who reject true faith in Jesus Christ, even by many who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are not living it.
And that is because we are an offense to them. And that is because we are walking by faith, and they are living in disobedience to the Lord, and so our lives are an offense to them, for they are a reminder to them that what they are doing and how they are living is against God and against his word.
For, even though some (or many) of them profess faith in Jesus Christ, they do not honor Christ as Lord, and they are not obeying his commands, and they are not forsaking their sins to follow Christ in his way. But they are still walking by the flesh, living to please themselves and not God.
Thus, they will mock us, ridicule us, treat us with disdain, sin against us, falsely accuse us, betray us, put us down, make fun of us, or they will viciously attack us for our stand on the truth of God’s word and for our belief that we must walk in that truth and not just give lip service to God.
But we must not let their treatment of us get us down, discourage, or dishearten us to the point to where we give up, we back down, and we cease to live for the Lord and to do what he has called us to do. We must stand strong in our faith despite all opposition against us.
We must remain so passionate about our Lord and about his word and about following him with our lives that we hate what he hates, and we love what he loves to the point to where we will feel what he feels when people profess him as Lord and yet turn away from him and do as they please.
We especially should feel that “hot indignation” when those professing faith in Jesus Christ are diluting the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more palatable to human flesh, and when they are leading people astray by the thousands while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny.
They Have Been my Songs
Psalm 119:54-56 ESV
I had to smile when I read this first verse here, for since 2011 the Lord Jesus has given me nearly 200 songs to write, over half of which the words came directly from Scripture and were just put to music. Most of the rest of the songs’ lyrics were still based off the teachings of Scripture.
Thus, the word of God has literally become my songs, and that is good because when words are put to music I remember them a whole lot better. The Lord can just put a tune in my head to one of those songs and I remember enough of the words to look them up and then I can read the lyrics and be encouraged in the Lord and in his word.
Oftentimes when I am hurting, when I am lonely, or when I am going through a trial or a time of testing in my life, God will put one of those songs in my mind, and the words, which are from his word, will be just the words I need to hear at that moment.
I do not have a regular schedule. I am on the Lord’s time schedule. So sometimes I sleep nights and sometimes I sleep days, depending on when he wants me to write and to post something on the internet. So, whether in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, I am listening to my Lord and I am doing what he wants me to do.
And it is a blessing to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience and to know that you are right in the center of his will, doing what he has called you to do, making a difference in other people’s lives for their good and for the glory of God. There just is no better place to be.
So, my prayer for you today is that you will be in that place, too, if you are not already. I pray that you will surrender your life to Jesus Christ to do his will, that you will forsake your sins, submit to Christ as Lord, and that you will walk in his ways and in his truth. I pray you will let him guide you in what he wants you to do, and that you will serve him always.
Broken and Contrite
An Original Work / May 13, 2012
I come before You, Lord, my Savior,
With humble heart and crushed in spirit.
I bow before You, I implore You,
Heal my broken heart, I pray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,
You are the King of my heart.
Lord, purify my heart within me;
Sanctify me, whole within.
Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully
The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.
I pray You give me grace and mercy,
Strength and wisdom to obey.
Father God, my heart’s desire,
Won’t You set my heart on fire?
Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders
My walk with You, now I pray.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,
My heart cries out for understanding.
I want to follow You in all ways,
Never straying from Your truth.
Holy Spirit, come in power,
Fill me with Your love today.
Lord, mold and make me;
Your hands formed me;
Live Your life through me, I pray.
Psalm 119:49-50 ESV
“Remember your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise gives me life.”
in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise gives me life.”
When we are going through trials, things which test our faith, things which cause pain and suffering and sorrow, we need to be reassured of God’s promises from his word to us who love (obey) God. For, they bring comfort to our hearts and to our minds. They fill us with God’s peace and assurance that God is sovereign and that he is in control.
So, it is important, too, that we understand who those promises are for, in context, and what conditions are attached to those promises. For most of God’s promises to us do come with conditions. We must believe on him. We must follow him in obedience. We must not be making sin our practice, but righteousness should be our practice, etc.
For, if we apply Scriptures to our lives out of context, we may be applying God’s promises erroneously. For not all promises in Scripture are to be applied across the board to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. And all God’s promises to his followers do not apply to everyone who merely professes faith in Jesus, but only to those living out that faith.
Yet, to those of us who are walking by that faith, by the grace of God, and in his strength and power, who are dying with Christ to sin and who are living to Christ and to his righteousness, God’s promises to us give us much hope and comfort. They fill our hearts with peace. And we can rest securely in knowing that God is in control and that he is working all for our good.
They Utterly Deride Me
Psalm 119:51-53 ESV
“The insolent utterly deride me,
but I do not turn away from your law.
When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
who forsake your law.”
but I do not turn away from your law.
When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
who forsake your law.”
For those of us who take God and his word seriously, who are walking the walk, and who are not just talking it, we will be hated and persecuted by those who reject true faith in Jesus Christ, even by many who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are not living it.
And that is because we are an offense to them. And that is because we are walking by faith, and they are living in disobedience to the Lord, and so our lives are an offense to them, for they are a reminder to them that what they are doing and how they are living is against God and against his word.
For, even though some (or many) of them profess faith in Jesus Christ, they do not honor Christ as Lord, and they are not obeying his commands, and they are not forsaking their sins to follow Christ in his way. But they are still walking by the flesh, living to please themselves and not God.
Thus, they will mock us, ridicule us, treat us with disdain, sin against us, falsely accuse us, betray us, put us down, make fun of us, or they will viciously attack us for our stand on the truth of God’s word and for our belief that we must walk in that truth and not just give lip service to God.
But we must not let their treatment of us get us down, discourage, or dishearten us to the point to where we give up, we back down, and we cease to live for the Lord and to do what he has called us to do. We must stand strong in our faith despite all opposition against us.
We must remain so passionate about our Lord and about his word and about following him with our lives that we hate what he hates, and we love what he loves to the point to where we will feel what he feels when people profess him as Lord and yet turn away from him and do as they please.
We especially should feel that “hot indignation” when those professing faith in Jesus Christ are diluting the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more palatable to human flesh, and when they are leading people astray by the thousands while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny.
They Have Been my Songs
Psalm 119:54-56 ESV
“Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning.
I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts.”
in the house of my sojourning.
I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts.”
I had to smile when I read this first verse here, for since 2011 the Lord Jesus has given me nearly 200 songs to write, over half of which the words came directly from Scripture and were just put to music. Most of the rest of the songs’ lyrics were still based off the teachings of Scripture.
Thus, the word of God has literally become my songs, and that is good because when words are put to music I remember them a whole lot better. The Lord can just put a tune in my head to one of those songs and I remember enough of the words to look them up and then I can read the lyrics and be encouraged in the Lord and in his word.
Oftentimes when I am hurting, when I am lonely, or when I am going through a trial or a time of testing in my life, God will put one of those songs in my mind, and the words, which are from his word, will be just the words I need to hear at that moment.
I do not have a regular schedule. I am on the Lord’s time schedule. So sometimes I sleep nights and sometimes I sleep days, depending on when he wants me to write and to post something on the internet. So, whether in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, I am listening to my Lord and I am doing what he wants me to do.
And it is a blessing to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience and to know that you are right in the center of his will, doing what he has called you to do, making a difference in other people’s lives for their good and for the glory of God. There just is no better place to be.
So, my prayer for you today is that you will be in that place, too, if you are not already. I pray that you will surrender your life to Jesus Christ to do his will, that you will forsake your sins, submit to Christ as Lord, and that you will walk in his ways and in his truth. I pray you will let him guide you in what he wants you to do, and that you will serve him always.
Broken and Contrite
An Original Work / May 13, 2012
I come before You, Lord, my Savior,
With humble heart and crushed in spirit.
I bow before You, I implore You,
Heal my broken heart, I pray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,
You are the King of my heart.
Lord, purify my heart within me;
Sanctify me, whole within.
Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully
The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.
I pray You give me grace and mercy,
Strength and wisdom to obey.
Father God, my heart’s desire,
Won’t You set my heart on fire?
Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders
My walk with You, now I pray.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,
My heart cries out for understanding.
I want to follow You in all ways,
Never straying from Your truth.
Holy Spirit, come in power,
Fill me with Your love today.
Lord, mold and make me;
Your hands formed me;
Live Your life through me, I pray.
