ג Gimel
17 Be good to your servant while I live,
that I may obey your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,
those who stray from your commands.
22 Remove from me their scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
GIMEL
The Hebrew letter Gimel is where our letter "G" comes from. Letters started as pictures that were used to convey ideas. The Gimel was a picture of a foot. It symbolized walking, carrying, gathering. The modern letter Gimel still resembles a foot.
This weeks section of Psalms 119 is "Gimel". I am going to focus on my walk. As I meditate on and memorize this passage I'll ask God to teach me to walk in a way that pleases Him.
It is a new week!!! New challenges!! New opportunities!! Walk as a stranger on earth.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
What's that look like?
BETH
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
This week has flown by and each day I carried this scripture around in my mind and jotted down on a small card. It really is amazing how often this small piece of God’s word was relevant to what was going on in my daily life.
I asked myself this question: Of all God’s commandments and statutes, where do I start? Jesus was asked that very question by a religious leader in His day. His answer was, “Love God and love your neighbor. Everything else is built on these two.” That’s Rick’s paraphrase, you can read it yourself in Matthew 22 or Mark 12. That is where I landed, do I love God? If I say I love Him, how is that demonstrated in my daily life? For me it came down to this; how much control of my life do I yield to God and am I faithful and obedient to Him.
It occurred to me that it should look very much like my relationship with my wife. I love her with all my heart and it looks like this; every morning I wake up with her on my mind, even when we are apart I think about her starting her day and if I need to do anything for her. I look for ways to let her know I’m thinking of her and that I appreciate her. I am faithful to her beyond just the letter of the law. What the heck does that mean? It means this; I am very careful to avoid any situation or conversation that could open the door to infidelity. I do not test my will power in the area of faithfulness; I have seen too many friends wreck their marriages by being careless. Everything I do affects our relationship and I am aware of this. I trust my wife completely because I know she loves me and we share this commitment to each other. Keep in mind the above description is between two human beings that are prone to selfishness and failure, but are committed to each other just the same.
So, is my relationship with God that real? Am I that committed? Do I guard my heart against unfaithfulness that closely? Do I TRUST Him completely? Am I always aware that everything I do affects the relationship? Do I seek his companionship? Do I look for ways to please Him? How much more does God love me and how much more perfect is His love than the love my wife has for me? Do I cheat on God? Do I take Him for granted? Would Melissa be satisfied with the same level of commitment I demonstrate towards Him?
Psalms 119 is working me over.
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
This week has flown by and each day I carried this scripture around in my mind and jotted down on a small card. It really is amazing how often this small piece of God’s word was relevant to what was going on in my daily life.
I asked myself this question: Of all God’s commandments and statutes, where do I start? Jesus was asked that very question by a religious leader in His day. His answer was, “Love God and love your neighbor. Everything else is built on these two.” That’s Rick’s paraphrase, you can read it yourself in Matthew 22 or Mark 12. That is where I landed, do I love God? If I say I love Him, how is that demonstrated in my daily life? For me it came down to this; how much control of my life do I yield to God and am I faithful and obedient to Him.
It occurred to me that it should look very much like my relationship with my wife. I love her with all my heart and it looks like this; every morning I wake up with her on my mind, even when we are apart I think about her starting her day and if I need to do anything for her. I look for ways to let her know I’m thinking of her and that I appreciate her. I am faithful to her beyond just the letter of the law. What the heck does that mean? It means this; I am very careful to avoid any situation or conversation that could open the door to infidelity. I do not test my will power in the area of faithfulness; I have seen too many friends wreck their marriages by being careless. Everything I do affects our relationship and I am aware of this. I trust my wife completely because I know she loves me and we share this commitment to each other. Keep in mind the above description is between two human beings that are prone to selfishness and failure, but are committed to each other just the same.
So, is my relationship with God that real? Am I that committed? Do I guard my heart against unfaithfulness that closely? Do I TRUST Him completely? Am I always aware that everything I do affects the relationship? Do I seek his companionship? Do I look for ways to please Him? How much more does God love me and how much more perfect is His love than the love my wife has for me? Do I cheat on God? Do I take Him for granted? Would Melissa be satisfied with the same level of commitment I demonstrate towards Him?
Psalms 119 is working me over.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
DO I LOVE
Psalms 119
How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Matthew 22
Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Love God, Love our neighbor…… this is what I think of as a proportional command. The measure of the first is directly related to the measure of the second. If love for my neighbor is lacking it is because I am not exercising Love towards my Lord.
How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Matthew 22
Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Love God, Love our neighbor…… this is what I think of as a proportional command. The measure of the first is directly related to the measure of the second. If love for my neighbor is lacking it is because I am not exercising Love towards my Lord.
Monday, January 9, 2012
TRUST
BETH
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
Psalms 119:9-16
This week I start and end each day in this scripture. BETH, the ancient Hebrew letter is symbolic of a tent or dwelling place. This is where I will dwell this week. Knowing God’s testimonies, words, statutes, judgments, ways, precepts, and commandments, are the beginning of knowing Him. If I am not spending time getting to know God’s ways how can I ever come to the point of completely TRUSTING Him? It is when I trust myself more than I trust Him that I fail. That becomes the real issue about obedience, how does the old song go? “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
Psalms 119:9-16
This week I start and end each day in this scripture. BETH, the ancient Hebrew letter is symbolic of a tent or dwelling place. This is where I will dwell this week. Knowing God’s testimonies, words, statutes, judgments, ways, precepts, and commandments, are the beginning of knowing Him. If I am not spending time getting to know God’s ways how can I ever come to the point of completely TRUSTING Him? It is when I trust myself more than I trust Him that I fail. That becomes the real issue about obedience, how does the old song go? “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Night Watch
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
I love sitting on top of my hill gazing at the night sky. Knowing that God placed the stars, planets and moon in their place for a reason just amazes me. Nothing in the night sky is insignificant The stars announced the birth of our Savior, leading the Magi to Bethlehem. The Shepherds were watching their flocks beneath a full moon the night that Jesus was born. A full moon hung in the sky the night before Jesus hung on the cross. The sound of the Shofar is heard in Jerusalem each new moon. The night sky reminds me that God is in control.
I love sitting on top of my hill gazing at the night sky. Knowing that God placed the stars, planets and moon in their place for a reason just amazes me. Nothing in the night sky is insignificant The stars announced the birth of our Savior, leading the Magi to Bethlehem. The Shepherds were watching their flocks beneath a full moon the night that Jesus was born. A full moon hung in the sky the night before Jesus hung on the cross. The sound of the Shofar is heard in Jerusalem each new moon. The night sky reminds me that God is in control.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A Fresh Start
Psalm 119
ALEPH
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
3 They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.
5 Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
This time of year always makes me feel like a fresh start. A new year ahead of me, the busy Holidays are behind me. Even though I don’t usually make “new year resolutions” it seems appropriate.
ALEPH is the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, it opens Psalms 119 and it’s where I will spend my time opening 2012.
Each day:
I will seek Him with all my heart
I will walk in His ways
I will praise Him with an upright heart
I will keep His statutes
I will look at His instructions
I will learn of His righteousness
I will be diligent
ALEPH
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
3 They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.
5 Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
This time of year always makes me feel like a fresh start. A new year ahead of me, the busy Holidays are behind me. Even though I don’t usually make “new year resolutions” it seems appropriate.
ALEPH is the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, it opens Psalms 119 and it’s where I will spend my time opening 2012.
Each day:
I will seek Him with all my heart
I will walk in His ways
I will praise Him with an upright heart
I will keep His statutes
I will look at His instructions
I will learn of His righteousness
I will be diligent
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