Our Surety!

I have done justice and righteousness; leave me not to those who would oppress me. Be surety for Your servant for good [as Judah was surety for the safety of Benjamin]; let not the proud oppress me. (Psalm 119:121-122, Amp.)

This verse interests me, especially the “surety” bit. I want to look at how Jesus is our surety, so I will write a bit more on it later.

A BIT LATER…..

Haven’t time to write too much, but here is what I found:

Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.  For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.  So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.   (Romans 3:19-28, NLT)

Hope in a Hopeless World

I hate the thoughts of undecided [in religion], double-minded people, but Your law do I love. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. (Psalm 119:113-114, Amp.)

As I read this, my thought was, “Boy, the world can’t make up its mind!!” Man’s theories change like the tide. Take science for instance, what was believe to be true yesterday, can be the complete opposite today. And in a practical area, take first aid, and how treatments change as we discover new things. The ways our mothers would treat our ailments would be regarded as completely wrong today.

So if were depend on man’s theories and ideas…. if we look to human knowledge for answers and direction, we are hopelessly lost and tossed about. Just like James says:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:5-8, NLT)

But the Psalmist decides against man’s ways, and chooses instead God’s ways and His law. He chooses to hope in God’s Word. It’s like he’s putting his anchor down in those turbulant seas. That reminds me of what it says about our hope in Hebrews:

Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:16-20, NLT)

So no matter the circumstances around us, God’s Word stands firm, and with our anchor holding onto it, we too can remain secure!! Amen!! ‘Cause in this world we sure need it!!

Finding the Way!

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105, Amp.)

Buying new things is GREAT… especially new electronic gadgets!! But, you get them home and try to work them out. We could fiddle with the buttons for hours to try and figure out how it works….. BUT….

…. there is an INSTRUCTION manual, that comes in the box, to tell us how it works and how to use it and care for it. It also comes with a troubleshooting section at the back, in case things go wrong. It’s ALL there in the manufacturer’s manual.

Hey, isn’t that like God’s Word! God is our Maker!! So, surely the One who put us together should know how we can best run and direct our lives. All the instructions for our lives is in the Maker’s Manual…. the Bible.

It’s like a lamp for our feet, to direct us in the details of our everyday lives, and it’s like a light to our path, to direct our future and to help us make the right choices. It is God’s very own word to us. We can take His promises personally, for ourselves.

Here’s some more Scriptures that talk about the same thing:

For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life. (Proverbs 6:23, Amp.)

The commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes. (Psalm 19:8b, Amp.)

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21, NIV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4, ESV)

If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.] (Galatians 5:25, Amp.)

Sweeter than Honey!

I love this verse, and I drew this pic some years ago and used that verse with it. I’ve loved bees, and I loved the photograph that I’d sketched this off.

And it seems uncanny, but in recent days I’ve been actually taking pics of bees with my new camera. To be able to capture them on film is something I’d only ever dreamed about before.

So today, this verse was in my reading of Psalm 119.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].
I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:101-104, Amp.)

And here’s another verse:

More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10, Amp.)

May I always realise this!!

How to be smart!

No time to comment today!…. but I do want to share these verses in Psalm 119 that have been special to me for a long time:

Oh, how love I Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies, for [Your words] are ever before me.
I have better understanding and deeper insight than all my teachers, because Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged, because I keep Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. (V.97-100, Amp.)

And Paul shared a similar thing with Timothy:

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17, NLT)

So I’ll leave God’s Word to speak for itself!! Sometimes we can try and say TOO much!!

Who’s word can we trust?

Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven [stands firm as the heavens].
Your faithfulness is from generation to generation; You have established the earth, and it stands fast.
All [the whole universe] are Your servants; therefore they continue this day according to Your ordinances.
Unless Your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. (Psalm 119:89-92, Amp)

WOW!! When we consider God’s laws in His creation… when we see how this whole universe holds together…. when we see God’s creatures following their instincts….

(Take, for instance, the birds knowing when to migrate and the path to take…. or a first time mother bird with her babies, knowing exactly what to do, without having been taught… and it’s all because of the law of nature that God put in place.)

…can’t WE, too, trust HIS Word… His law???…..

…. but we humans will sooner trust in other sources… in human wisdom!!!

Why don’t we take notice of His creatures? Aren’t they smarter than we are?? How slow we are sometimes to understand that God knows what He’s doing, and that our own understanding is futile and limited! It’s just like the Psalmist said:

I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity]. (Psalm 119:96, Amp)

So, isn’t that good enough reason for us to trust God’s word??

Life is Hard, but God is GOOD!!

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].
You are good and kind and do good; teach me Your statutes. (v.67-68, Amp.)

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.
The law from Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (v.71-72, Amp.)

This reminds me of a line in a song I hear on the Christian radio: “Yes, life is hard, but God is good!!” Here is the chorus:

Life is hard, the world is cold,
We’re barely young and then we’re old,
But every falling tear is always understood,
Yes, life is hard, but God is good.

(Lyric by Pam Thum - click here for the whole song.)

It’s so easy to just think of God’s goodness in the nice and pleasant things He does. But, how good it is to be reminded that no matter what happens, God is STILL good. That is His nature.

Looking back over some tough times we, as a family, have faced, I can say that it has been good, because our God has been there and led us through. He has drawn us closer to Himself. “It has good for me to have been afflicted.”

And here’s some more encouraging scriptures to ponder:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4, ESV)

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrew 12:5b-11, ESV)

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5b-13, ESV)

Ponderings in the Park!

I was up very early this morning to help at my sister-in-law’s place with a garage sale. Consequently I didn’t have much time to read first thing, let alone write in my blog. But after we’d put everything out and opened the gates, we just had a steady trickle of buyers, so we really didn’t need to many people hanging around.

I grabbed the opportunity to have a read. Asked Sis for a loan of her Bible and went and sat in the little park right in front of her place (what a blessing to have something like that in your front yard!!), and read more of Psalm 119 from her Bible. I grabbed a pen and paper and jotted down some notes.

This is what I read this morning…. this is in two sections… two different topics really!!

“I considered my ways; I turned my feet to [obey] Your testimonies. I made haste and delayed not to keep Your commandments.” (v.59-60, Amp.)

This reminds me of the verse I read earlier in 119…..

“I will [not merely walk, but] run the way of Your commandments, when You give me a heart that is willing.” (v.32, Amp.)

That verse seems to be a theme through Psalm 119. I can be quick to do as God wants, because He has given me a willing heart.

And the next bit I read, in the next section of the Psalm….

You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your promise.
Teach me good judgment, wise and right discernment, and knowledge, for I have believed (trusted, relied on, and clung to) Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].
You are good and kind and do good; teach me Your statutes. (v.65-68, Amp.)

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.
The law from Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (v.71-72, Amp.)

Anyhow, I will have to come back to this later… as I have to go out again in 15 minutes. But I am pleased I could squeeze this bit of blogging in during my lunch break.

Blessings!

Revived and ALIVE!

“Remember [fervently] the word and promise to Your servant, in which You have caused me to hope.   This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction: that Your word has revived me and given me life.”  (Psalm 119:49-50, Amp.)

“For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.”  (Romans 15:4, Amp.)

For me, God’s Word is like a love letter!

It tells me how much He loves me, and what he did to show it.   It is much more than just words on paper, for me, it is LIVING.  It is about my Saviour…. it is about the One I love.  And reading His Word draws me closer to Himself.  It is the thing I cherish most in life because it leads me to a deeper relationship with my Jesus.

It leads me to the TRUTH, who is Jesus.  It points me in the right WAY, which is Jesus.  It is ALIVE, and that LIFE is Jesus.  I have a LIVING hope!

Beautiful Feet!

One of my friends reminded me of something I was thinking about the other week, but never got back to, and that is about feet.

Firstly, an funny (true) story:

My favourite footwear, summer and winter, is sandals. I just love the freedom of open shoes… love to be able to wiggle my toes. But is wasn’t until I was in a kindergarten class one day, that I realised how weathered they were. As the kids were seated on the floor to listen to the story, one little girl pipes up and says, “Hey, Mrs Burton! You’ve got Old toes!!”

Which has made me rethink about my feet!! I do really need to give them more TLC (tender loving care)!! Give them a bit of moisturiser!!… and maybe a soothing foot bath! How lovely! Is that what will make my feet beautiful??

Really I don’t think so?? Not when I read this:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15b, ESV)

Yes, those feet that travel many miles to share the good news, that are calloused and worn…. they are the beautiful ones!!