ט Tet
 ⁶⁵ LORD, You have treated Your servant well,
just as You promised.
⁶⁶ Teach me good judgment and discernment,
for I rely on Your commands.
⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep Your word.
⁶⁸ You are good, and You do what is good;
teach me Your statutes.
⁶⁹ The arrogant have smeared me with lies,
but I obey Your precepts with all my heart.
⁷⁰ Their hearts are hard and insensitive,
but I delight in Your instruction.
⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I could learn Your statutes.
⁷² Instruction from Your lips is better for me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.



ט Tet, is the Hebrew letter whose ancient symbol was a basket. It means to hold, surround or contain. It can also mean mud or clay because that is what ancient containers were often made of.


The writer of this Psalm recognizes that affliction can be God’s teacher. Obedience is more valuable than gold and silver. God is good, all the time…… His instructions surround us and protect us. His love contains us.


I will Pour this psalm into my life this week and let Him teach me good judgment and discernment.

I Want That Heart!!!

  ח Khet
 ⁵⁷ The LORD is my portion;
I have promised to keep Your words.
⁵⁸ I have sought Your favor  with all my heart;
be gracious to me  according to Your promise.
⁵⁹ I thought about my ways
and turned my steps back to Your decrees.
⁶⁰ I hurried, not hesitating
to keep Your commands.
⁶¹ Though the ropes of the wicked
were wrapped around me,
I did not forget Your instruction.
⁶² I rise at midnight to thank You
for Your righteous judgments.
⁶³ I am a friend to all who fear You,
to those who keep Your precepts.
⁶⁴ LORD, the earth is filled with Your faithful love;
teach me Your statutes.

As with most of the sections in Psalms 119, my response to God’s commands, instructions, precepts, statutes, judgments, and words are the focus. Each day as I meditate on these Psalms I am challenged to act on God’s commandments. The verse that keeps running through my mind is 1^st John 2:3-5

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

The writer of these Psalms does not convey an attitude of dutiful obedience, given begrudgingly. His heart is one of joyful, willing obedience, longing to please the Father.  I want that heart! 

I promised

I sought

I thought

I hurried

I remembered

I rise to thank

I am a friend

My Lot In Life.....

   ח Khet
 ⁵⁷ The LORD is my portion;
I have promised to keep Your words.
⁵⁸ I have sought Your favor  with all my heart;
be gracious to me  according to Your promise.
⁵⁹ I thought about my ways
and turned my steps back to Your decrees.
⁶⁰ I hurried, not hesitating
to keep Your commands.
⁶¹ Though the ropes of the wicked
were wrapped around me,
I did not forget Your instruction.
⁶² I rise at midnight to thank You
for Your righteous judgments.
⁶³ I am a friend to all who fear You,
to those who keep Your precepts.
⁶⁴ LORD, the earth is filled with Your faithful love;
teach me Your statutes.

“That’s my lot in life.”

We usually hear this said in a negative context about someone’s suffering.  The word “lot” is a shortened version of allotment.  The word “portion” in verse 57 of Psalms 119 comes from a Hebrew word that can also be translated “lot” or “division”.

As a Believer God is my lot in life.  He is my portion. 

I love busy airports, crowded shopping malls, sometimes even traffic. 

Who are all these people?

What’s their story?

This week I had the opportunity to spend several hours watching huge crowds of people at Mardi Gras. Each morning I read this section of Psalms and then pondered on my “lot” in life and observed thousands of people pursue pleasure and I wondered about their “lot” in life.

It seems we spend so much of our energy trying to increase our “lot”.  The American Dream is to improve our “lot in life” to the point of total self-sufficiency, even material excess. 

Reading and meditating on this scripture has made me realize that God is my Portion and pleasing Him should be my focus and pursuit. 

EBay !!!!

 ז Zayin
 ⁴⁹ Remember Your word to Your servant;
You have given me hope through it.
⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my affliction:
Your promise has given me life.
⁵¹ The arrogant constantly ridicule me,
but I do not turn away from Your instruction.
⁵² LORD, I remember Your judgments from long ago
and find comfort.
⁵³ Rage seizes me  because of the wicked
who reject Your instruction.
⁵⁴ Your statutes are the theme of my song
during my earthly life.
⁵⁵ Yahweh, I remember Your name  in the night,
and I obey Your instruction.
⁵⁶ This is my practice:
I obey Your precepts.

I was browsing EBay last night, something I have never really done before.  I got interested in searching for random things from my childhood. Duncan Yo-yo’s, GI Joe,  Hot Wheels, and The names of the towns I grew up near. Just a note on that last one, be careful about searching Hooker on EBay.  I was amazed by what I found available.  Melissa will probably put a stop to my shopping down memory lane because I’ve got some really cool items on the way to my door step.  I found a Mennonite Missions Board penny bank like the one I used to put my Missions offering in when I was little.  A used post card with the Church my Mom and Dad were married in on it.  A 1959 Liberal Kansas, Pancake Day Pin in excellent condition.  I resisted purchasing the used post card from the Tumbleweed Motel on Highway 54 in Liberal Kansas, from 1960. I had fun and it sure brought back a lot of childhood memories.

Memories are powerful.  They stir emotions and often move us to action. REMEMBER what God has done in your life, Open His word and search for the treasures from your spiritual childhood. Even touch the scars from battles past and REMEMBER who brought the victory during those tough times.  REMEMBER the manger, the cross, the empty tomb.  Let the Spirit stir your memories, then get up, strap on the armor, pick up the sword and get in the fight.

Things to REMEMBER....

“Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
Exodus 3:14-16

“Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the LORD brought you out of here by the strength of His hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten.
Exodus 13:2-4

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
Exodus 20:7-9

Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the LORD your God has commanded you.
Deuteronomy 5:11-13

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.
Deuteronomy 5:14-16

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; carefully follow these statutes.
Deuteronomy 16:11-13

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before you
Psalm 22:26-28

Yahweh, I remember Your name in the night, and I obey Your instruction.
Psalm 119:54-56

Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like Me.
Isaiah 46:8-10

Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20

Remember Lot’s wife!
Luke 17:31-33

“REMEMBERING”  is a key part of “OBEYING”. 

Failing to remember  was a big problem with the children of Israel and it’s a problem with the church. 

I sense that God will be jogging our memory as the days grow darker and darker.  I am praying for a sensitive spirit and making sure I have oil in my lamp as I wait to hear that trumpet. 

   ז ZAYIN

 49 Remember Your word to Your servant;
You have given me hope through it.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction:
Your promise has given me life.
51 The arrogant constantly ridicule me,
but I do not turn away from Your instruction.
52 LORD, I remember Your judgments from long ago
and find comfort.
53 Rage seizes me because of the wicked
who reject Your instruction.
54 Your statutes are the theme of my song
during my earthly life.[h]
55 Yahweh, I remember Your name in the night,
and I obey Your instruction.
56 This is my practice:
I obey Your precepts.

REMEMBER !!!!!

Zayin is the Hebrew letter this week. The ancient pictograph for this letter was a agricultural tool similar to a hoe or plow head. It can mean to harvest, feed, or crop. It also was used to mean cut, engrave, or mark. The Hebrew word "remember" is Zakar and starts with this letter.

God repeatedly tells us to REMEMBER! Through out the Bible. This is because we have a tendency to FORGET. Does this sound familiar parents!?

This is the REMEMBER section of Psalms 119. I will search his word this week to find the commands to REMEMBER.

 ו Vav
 ⁴¹ Let Your faithful love come to me, LORD,
Your salvation, as You promised.
⁴² Then I can answer the one who taunts me,
for I trust in Your word.
⁴³ Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in Your judgments.
⁴⁴ I will always obey Your instruction,
forever and ever.
⁴⁵ I will walk freely in an open place
because I seek Your precepts.
⁴⁶ I will speak of Your decrees before kings
and not be ashamed.
⁴⁷ I delight in Your commands,
which I love.
⁴⁸ I will lift up my hands  to Your commands,
which I love,
and I will meditate on Your statutes.

Good Morning!

I can, I trust, I hope, I will, I will, I seek, I will, I delight, I Love, I will, I love, I will........

Do you sense a focused, purpose in the writer's language?  It's as if he is driving a stake in the ground, marking his claim. I want that in my heart.

As I read through my Psalms this morning there are so many other cares crowding my mind. It is hard to keep my focus on what God wants to say to me.  I like starting my day in the Word, but sometimes the expectation of what lies ahead makes it difficult to soak in and ponder on Him.  When I can pull it off; watching the sun slowly set at the end of the day from the tail gate of my old truck is my favorite time with the Lord. I haven’t been able to do that this week and I need it.

Tonight I’m meeting with a small group of men in a secluded bunk house. Our purpose is to spend the night digging into God’s word, praying for each other and worshiping together. I have been looking forward to a night like this for many months. The scripture above from the Psalms captures the longing of my heart.

Find your quiet place every day. It will change your walk.

Find a small group of Believers who will walk with you and share the journey. It will maintain your walk.

Find out where God wants you to go in life, it will give direction to your walk.

Reggie White, The Minister of Defense

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UINyN4HInSI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Check out this video link. It is very interesting.  I am wondering if God is not drawing hearts back to the bedrock of our faith in these last days.  My heart is questioning many of the traditions we adhere to so tightly that can not be supported by scripture.

Hang Your Hat Here!!

   ו Vav
 ⁴¹ Let Your faithful love come to me, LORD,
Your salvation, as You promised.
⁴² Then I can answer the one who taunts me,
for I trust in Your word.
⁴³ Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in Your judgments.
⁴⁴ I will always obey Your instruction,
forever and ever.
⁴⁵ I will walk freely in an open place
because I seek Your precepts.
⁴⁶ I will speak of Your decrees before kings
and not be ashamed.
⁴⁷ I delight in Your commands,
which I love.
⁴⁸ I will lift up my hands  to Your commands,
which I love,
and will meditate on Your statutes.

New week, new letter…….. Vav

This Hebrew letter finds it’s origins in the symbol for a tent peg or stake.  It doesn’t have an English letter associated with it.  It’s symbolic meaning was to secure, add or hook.

Last week I did not post as often as I normally do.  I really don’t have an excuse. it was a challenging week and I told  myself I was too busy to stop and spend the time to put my thoughts on paper. The reality is the opposite, my week was challenging because I was not making time in my schedule to collect my thoughts and purposefully organize onto the page what God was teaching me. I was reading and meditating on the Bible passages each day and praying through my prayer list, but there is just something about taking the time to reflect and write down what God is doing with me. Getting thoughts out of your mind and onto a page is more valuable than I realized. Try it for yourself and see if it doesn’t add a new dimension to your bible study.

So here it is for this week. VAV!  I will hang my hat on His Word this week. 

Get Your Map out!!!

  ה He
 ³³ Teach me, LORD, the meaning of Your statutes,
and I will always keep them.
³⁴ Help me understand Your instruction,
and I will obey it.
and follow it with all my heart.
³⁵ Help me stay on the path of Your commands,
for I take pleasure in it.
³⁶ Turn my heart to Your decrees
and not to material gain.
³⁷ Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless;
give me life in Your ways.
³⁸ Confirm what You said to Your servant,
for it produces reverence for You.
³⁹ Turn away the disgrace I dread;
indeed, Your judgments are good.
⁴⁰ How I long for Your precepts!
Give me life through Your righteousness.

Good Morning!  I’m not in the Hay field this morning. Had to get an early start and get to work. 

I’ve sat around hundreds of campfires with my kids and taught them that the Bible is like a treasure map.  We must study it and carefully follow each instruction to get to the treasure. If we neglect it on our quest we will quickly become lost and confused. Getting back on track is sometimes difficult and often requires us to back track to the point where we left the right way.  This illustration sometimes became a living example when we would get off the trail on the next days hike and become temporarily lost.

So what is the treasure? It is Jesus alive in our lives. The trail we must follow is His Truth.
The past several weeks in Psalms 119 has given me a new appreciation and passion for the map, His word.  it has also challenged me.  Am I willing to obey all His instructions? Do I recognize real treasure from fake treasure? 

HEY! get your map out and find the WAY!