Psalm 119 - 8 - Heth - Competing Influences

"(Heth) LORD, You are mine!
I promise to obey Your words!
With all my heart I want Your blessings.
Be merciful as You promised.
I pondered the direction of my life,
and I turned to follow Your laws.
I will hurry, without delay,
to obey Your commands.
Evil people drag me into sin,
but I am firmly anchored to Your instructions.
I rise at midnight to thank You
for Your just regulations.
I am a friend to anyone who fears You--
anyone who obeys Your commandments.
O LORD, Your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me Your decrees." 
(Psalm 119: 57-64)  

Dear friend,

Notes from "Heth": We will have to choose which influences we will follow.

• The author has made a conscious choice: "I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow Your laws". 
• He vows to obey "without delay"--knowing what is right does not mean that we will naturally do what is right. Often, delaying causes us to waver in our conviction. By obeying "without delay," we do not give ourselves room to compromise what we know is right. 
• He knows the influential power of "evil people," and he has found a solution. They may try to drag him, but he is anchored: he will not be moved!
• He chooses friends who are like minded and like hearted; as far as it is up to him, he will surround himself with people who help him draw nearer to God.
• The author worships God for His "unfailing love" that "fills the earth". Knowing that he is loved by God is motivation for wanting to know His decrees and obey them. 

     As a youth I often heard the phrase, "Garbage in, garbage out". In other words, what I put into me also came out of me. Obviously, this has physical/nutritional implications: junk food produces a junky body; health food produces a healthy body. More important is the concept as it applies to our inner being. What we see, think, read, do, has an impact on us. Our friends, family, classmates, teachers (etc.) have an impact on us. Some we cannot avoid. But we can strengthen ourselves by making the best choices when we have the option.

• Who are the most influential people in your life? 
• In what ways do they influence you?
• In what circumstances do you not have a choice in your surroundings/influences?
• What can you do in these situations?
• How can you be sure that you are  "firmly anchored"?

Heavenly Father, We live in a world with tremendously powerful influences, and we see how easily we can be swayed from You. Will You help us to be "firmly anchored" in You? Will You surround us with Godly influences? Will You enable us to discern truth from error? We want to know, love and serve You as the Psalmist did.

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Proverbs 4:23)


"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)

Psalm 119 - 7 - Zayin - Falling in Love

"(Zayin) Remember Your promise to me; 
it is my only hope.
Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles.
The proud hold me in utter contempt,
but I do not turn away from Your instructions.
I meditate on Your age-old regulations;
O LORD, they comfort me.
I become furious with the wicked,
because they reject Your instructions.
Your decrees have become the theme of my songs
wherever I have lived. 
I reflect at night on who You are, O LORD;
therefore, I obey Your instructions.
This is how I spend my life: 
obeying Your commandments." 
(Psalm 119: 49-56)  

Dear friend,

Notes from "Zayin": The author is in love...with GOD!

• He thinks about the Lord's promises, and he is filled with hope.
• Despite the opinion of others, he clings to the Lord.
• He becomes angry with those who disparage his beloved (the Lord).
• He makes up songs about the Lord and His Word.
• At night he is thinking about the Lord, and numbering all the reasons the Lord is lovely.
• He wants to do the things that please the Lord; he obeys out of love for Him.

     When Bob and I were dating, I had (and still have) a fascination for him, and he for me. We wanted to spend every minute together, and we were always talking and learning about each other, our past, our present, and our future hopes and dreams. When we weren't together, we wrote letters to each other, and read and reread them (I have them saved in a box). Bob wrote (and still writes) poems for me. He made up (and still makes up) songs to sing to me. In the evenings, especially when not together, we would think about each other, remembering all, the attributes that we loved. And, we began to develop interests because of the other person. I learned about baseball and explored new foods and adventures. Bob took an active interest in my family and friends, and started to read some of the books that I loved. This is the foundation for a lifelong happy marriage. 

Is it any wonder that God's Word tells us that marriage is a picture of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ?

"As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:31-33 remember, the whole chapter, or even the whole book, is the context)

"I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God Himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband--Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:1-2)

"The I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: 'Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.' For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people." (Revelation 19:6-8)

As we progress in our relationship, getting to know God more and more, we will love Him more and more. We will become like Him. We will want to be with Him. We will think about Him, write about Him, sing about Him, look, talk, and act like Him.

"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Heavenly Father, We desire to know You more, that we may love You more, and may be like You more. We thank You for Your Word, for the Spirit who lives within us, for the testimony of believers who shine with love for You!

Psalm 119 - 6 - Waw - Hope, Freedom and Testimony

"(Waw) Lord, give me Your unfailing love,
the salvation that You promised me.
Then I can answer those who taunt me, 
for I trust in Your Word.
Do not snatch Your Word of truth from me,
for Your regulations are my only hope.
I will keep on obeying Your instructions 
forever and ever.
I will walk in freedom,
for I have devoted myself to Your commandments.
I will speak to kings about Your laws,
and I will not be ashamed.
How I delight in Your commands!
How I love them!
I honor and love Your commands.
I meditate on Your decrees." 
(Psalm 119: 41-48)  

Dear friend,

Notes from "Waw":

• We can look to God's Word and hold on to hope. Hope comes from the Lord. Hope is trusting in the fulfillment of the promises that God has made. He has always been faithful to keep them, and He will always continue to be faithful to do so. "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1)
• We are truly free when we walk within God's commands. 
• We may desire to keep God's righteous laws, but that does not remove sin (or desiring sin) from our lives;
• Following God is a lifelong struggle, a war that we cannot win without constant Help;
• We can ask God for help for all aspects of our lives:
• teaching us His Word and His righteous ways;
• understanding His instructions;
• walking in obedience;
• having an eagerness for God's laws, and not a love for money;
• enabling us to pursue (turn our eyes toward) righteous things, rather than worthless ones;
• reassuring us of His promise to guide, care for, and protect those who fear Him;
• abandoning our shameful ways;
• renewing our lives;

Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your Word! We are not unique in our unrighteousness, nor in our desire to rule our own lives and to live for ourselves. Will You help us to desire You, to turn our eyes from the things of this world, to You, Your Word, and Your righteous ways. We cannot do this without You!

Psalm 119 - 5 - He - A Cry for Help

"(He) Teach me Your decrees, O LORD;
I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding and I will obey Your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Make me walk along the path of Your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
Give me an eagerness for Your laws
rather than a love for money!
Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through Your Word.
Reassure me of Your promise,
made to those who fear You.
Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for Your regulations are good.
I long to obey Your commandments!
Renew my life with Your goodness." 
(Psalm 119: 33-40)  

Dear friend,

Notes from "He":

• we may desire to keep God's righteous laws, but that does not remove sin (or desiring sin) from our lives;
• following God is a lifelong struggle, a war that we cannot win without constant Help;
• we can ask God for help for all aspects of our lives:
• teaching us His Word and His righteous ways
• understanding His instructions
• walking in obedience
• having an eagerness for God's laws, and not a love for money
• enabling us to pursue (turn our eyes toward) righteous things, rather than worthless ones
• reassuring us of His promise to guide, care for, and protect those who fear Him
• abandoning our shameful ways
• renewing our lives

There is comfort in this stanza. I am not the only one who struggles with sin, and with sinful desires. Rather, I am like the Psalmist, and like Paul, who despaired of the sin versus righteousness battle. God's Word invites me to call out to Him: I cannot do it alone, and He is waiting for me to ask Him for help. There is no aspect of my life in which the Lord Jesus will not work or reign, if I but cry out to Him.

"And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life--that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin." (Romans 7: 18-25--but chapter 8 should be read with this to put it in context)

Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your Word! We are not unique in our unrighteousness, nor in our desire to rule our own lives and to live for ourselves. Will You help us to desire You, to turn our eyes from the things of this world, to You, Your Word, and Your righteous ways. We cannot do this without You!

Psalm 119 - 4 - Daleth - Truth, Strength and Honor

"(Daleth) I lie in the dust; 
revive me by Your Word.
I told You my plans, and You answered.
Now teach me Your decrees.
Help me understand the meaning of Your commandments,
and I will meditate on Your wonderful deeds.
I weep with sorrow;
encourage me by Your Word.
Keep me from lying to myself;
give me the privilege of knowing Your instructions.
I have chosen to be faithful;
I have determined to live by Your regulations.
I cling to Your laws.
Lord, don't let me be put to shame!
I will pursue Your commands,
for You expand my understanding." 
(Psalm 119: 25-32)  

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz (comments from "Beth," Psalm 119: 9-16):

     This passage, like you said, strongly emphasizes the importance of centering your life around the Bible. I remember we had talked about spiritual growth, and it seems like these verses reiterate the role that God's Word plays in growing as a Christian. The more I read, meditate on, and delight in God's Word, the more it will transform me.

Dear friend,

     You are correct. It is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith: the transforming power of God's Word. It will keep coming up as we make our way through this great Psalm.

Notes from "Daleth": Truth, Strength and Honor:

• Life is hard, but God's Word provides help and comfort;
• God listens to and helps those who follow Him;
• By God and His Word we gain strength for life;
• Without God's Word, we can deceive ourselves and distort the truth;
• We all stumble (badly, at times), even though we are committed to following God;
• Following God's Word is the way of honor; rejecting it is the way of shame;
• We need to "cling" to God's Word and meditate on it; this living Book can transform us.

As I pause to study and reflect on the stanzas of this Psalm, I am overcome by the Psalmist's love for God and His Word, and humbled by his commitment to walk righteously. I want to pursue Him with the same degree of passion!

"The heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Proverbs 4:23)

"Instead clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires." (Romans 13:14)

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2)

Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your Word! By it we learn truth, gain strength, and live with honor. Yet we so easily wander away from You. Will You enable us to pursue Your commands, and will You expand our understanding? We desire to desire You!

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God

"In the beginning God..." 
(Genesis 1:1)  

Dear friend,
     Several months ago we discussed studying through the book of Genesis, and I'd like to get that started now. The "problem" is that we're already working through the Psalms, plus other topics that come up. My orderly side wants to pursue one topic and see it through before beginning another. But, why? I read multiple books at a time, and I love to multi-task, accomplishing multiple items all at once. So, let's multi-study!

Genesis 1:1 begins with, "In the beginning God". Yes, that's only part of the sentence. But, WOW, what an introduction! I love a book that grabs my attention from the very first words, don't you?

In Hebrew:
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית (be-re-shit): In the beginning
אֱלֹהִ֑ים (e-lo-him) God 

At its very onset we are given a phrase which establishes foundational truths.

Without reading too much into the first words and overstepping the bounds of Scripture, let's have a little fun exploring this topic.

What do these words teach us?

Here are a few samples; can you think of any others?

• There was a beginning;
• God existed BEFORE the beginning;
• God is responsible for the beginning;
• The Bible is first and foremost HIS story!

If you have time and are interested, study these words for yourself. What else does it imply? What might they mean for us? How should that guide our reading of the rest of the Word? In what ways should it impact how we live our lives? 

Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your Word! We praise You for You are before all and over all. We long to know You more so that we might love You more and be like You more. Will You guide us in our studies?

Matthew 28:18-20 Following Jesus

"Jesus came and told His disciples, 
'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to  the end of the age'." 
(Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

Dear friend,
     You have begun your walk of faith, and we are honoring the Lord's words to disciple you. In addition, you have participated in the observance of the Lord's Supper (Communion), fellowshipping and worshipping with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You are learning the Word of God, and wrestling with the truths therein.
     Is it time to take the next step and make a public declaration of your faith, an identification with the Lord's people? Are you ready to be baptized?
     I want to refer back to the book that we read together, Follow Me (David Platt). <Note: as you'll remember, my copy is in Spanish, so what comes below is translated; the words may not be completely the same as in your book.>

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)

Chapter 6: God's Will for Your Life: "This is exactly what is illustrated in baptism when we begin to be followers of Jesus. Paul asked the Christians in Rome, 'Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we may also live new lives.' (Romans 6:3-4) In baptism, the Christian makes a public declaration that he (or she) has died to sin and lives for Christ. Just as Jesus died, the disciple too dies to himself (or herself). Just as Jesus was raised to live, the disciple also lives in Christ."

"...for a new believer, baptism is an essential, necessary and non-negotiable step of obedience because it symbolizes his (or her) fundamental identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus."

     One of my favorite baptism accounts in the Bible is in the book of Acts, when Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). At just the right time, God sent Philip down a desert road. There he found a man reading the Scriptures. Offering to help him understand, Philip shared the Gospel. The eunuch's reaction? Belief. Followed by baptism. The eunuch didn't wait until he was living a holy life, until he had memorized various Scriptures, until he had a church. He didn't wait. Faced with the truth, the eunuch declared his belief and proclaimed his faith.

     Below are some links to Scriptures that contain various forms of the word "baptize". You can read more for yourself:

Baptize(d)
Baptizing
Baptism

     If you are ready to take this step, let me know. Our church is having a baptism service in two weeks. If you would rather involve your youth leaders from Common Grounds, that's fine as well. I can help you talk with them about this, if you'd like.

As always, I am committed to praying for you!

Heavenly Father, We thank You for burying our sins with Christ, and for raising us to new life, just as Christ was raised from the dead. We want to follow You!