Saturday, January 30th Reading - Psalm 119:105-128

Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. This is one of the most famous verses in not only all of the Psalms, but all of the Bible - and for good reason. As we remain in the Word, God guides us in wisdom, He helps us to make the right choices as we journey through life. I was once told that His "light" for us is like the headlights of a car at night, they are plenty bright, but they don't allow us to see very far ahead. Often we want to know what the next year holds, but He rarely allows us to see that far ahead. We have to continue to remain in His word daily for guidance.

The psalmists' love for the Word is inspiring. As he has continued to do throughout chapter 119, he praises God for His precepts and explains how he lives by them and is comforted by them. But we don't just get the idea that the psalmist loves God's word, he truly loves the Lord. As I've mentioned, sometimes I can have a great time of study, yet neglect to pray or spend time in worship. We must remember that we are not simply seeking information, but transformation through spending time with our Lord.

May we continue to strive towards this goal.

Friday, January 29th Reading Psalm 119:97-104

(Sorry for the late blog. My wife goes to Nashville and everything falls apart.)

What an awesome statemnet about the benefit of being IN THE WORD. Maybe you hear the statement "Oh how I love your law!" (vs 97) and you want that to be a true staement for you, but it is not . . .yet! The love of God's word comes the more you are in it. It makes us better than we are. It makes us wiser, it gives us knowledge, and grants us experience. May we remain IN THE WORD.

Thursday, January 28th Reading - Psalm 119:89-96

When we feel unable to worship God or incapable of remaining focused on Him it's because we've allowed His greatness to diminish in our minds. This is a great passage in Psalm 119 to be reminded of how awesome He is (and consequently how great His word is as well).

"Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens."

"Your faithfulness continues through all generations..."

"You established the earth, and it endures."

"Your laws endures to this day, for all things serve You."

God is above all, He created everything. All things exist because of Him and all things hold together through Him. It's all about Him! And the psalmist goes on to describe his response to God because of these things.

"If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction."

"I will never forget your precepts."

"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless."

As the psalmist remained in God's word, he felt rescued from his affliction. He found hope, he learned of his strength in God. He began living from the strong foundation that God's word gives us.

May we find new strength and grow in our love as we remain in His word.

Wednesday, January 27th Reading Psalm 119:81-88

Hurry up and wait. Is there any more difficult word to hear from God than WAIT? This is what the psalmist is experiencing. He knows God's Word is sure, true and trustworthy but to experience the fulfillment of its promisses he must wait. While you wait it will be difficult and people will plot against you, but you are doing what you should do in trusting in God's Word. It may be (I feel that it is for me) that God wats you and I to WAIT. Wait for Him to come through. Wait for justice to happen. Wait for the opportunity to open up. Wait for my loved one to get it. Wait for the pain to end. Wait for the resource to be provided. Wait for the wisdom to arrive. Wait for the promise to come true. I can only do this when my "hope is in Your Word" (vs 1). Wait IN THE WORD, it's worth it.

Tuesday, January 26th 2010 Reading - Psalm 119:73-80

If only all people were wise enough to seek the "Author of Life" for instructions on how to live. The Psalmist wisely notes in v. 73 that "Your hands made me and formed me." We are created by God, who else would we seek as we look for meaning and purpose and fulfillment in this life?

As he goes into verse 74, I thought of John the Baptist, still in his mother's womb, jumping for joy when Jesus, still in his mother's womb, arrived. It is special to be in the presence of other believers - I hope (like the psalmist) that as I truly live out my faith, that my presence would be a joy for other believers.

I'm also encourage by this passage to pray with God's character in mind. As the psalmist talks to God he recalls His unfailing love (v.76) and compassion (v.77). As he continues in God's word he is able to pray regarding "the arrogant," (v. 78) yet keep his focus on the Word.

As we continue to dwell in the Word, it will become our focus too, rather than whatever it is that may be burdening us at the moment. As the Scriptures say, "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21)

May our treasure become God's Word!

Monday, January 25, 2010 Reading Psalm 119:65-72

This psalm is encouraging and unsettling. It starts off speaking of the goodness of God, but later speaks of God's disciplining or afflicting hand. It goes on to say, "You are good and do only good" (vs. 68 NLT) It is a mature person who views the discipline of God as "good" thing. We know that it is, but I am guilty of not viewing it like that. I pray that I will value and pay attention (vs 71-72) to God's word with no need of His discipline, but I know it won't work like that. Let me thank God for his goodness to me, even when it is expressed with a loving and disciplining hand.

Sunday, January 24th Daily Reading Psalm 119:57-64

As I read this passgae I recall a phrase that I have heard along the way - "Delayed obedience is disobedience." The Psalmist says, "I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands." It makes me consider what causes delay in me lack of faith, lack of deisre, disbelief, ignorance, and a lack of accountability to name a few things. Obedience is the theme of the psalm and I believe that verses 61-64 incude some things that stand in opposition to my obedience relationships that hold me back (vs 61 and infered in vs 63), demands upon my time and energy (vs 62), and a lack of desire and knowledge (vs 64). All of these oppositions are easier to deal with when I am regularly and personally IN THE WORD. My prayer to pray frm this passage would be
"With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised." (vs 59 NLT)