"My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long."
if my mouth is full of this all day long, then everything I say either needs to be in line with that or there is no room for it.
James 3:8-12
"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce olives? Nor can salt water produce fresh."
even in the same chapter, the author repeats this thought of praising God.
vs. 14 & 15
"But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them."
vs. 23 & 24
"My lips will shout for joy when i sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;"
Even look back to some of the commandments given to the Children of Isreal.
Duet 6:6-9
"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to you sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on you hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
not saying that we need to be like the Pharisee's who would liturally put little boxes of scripture on their foreheads to appear holy. but do people hear you praise the Lord? the praise of our God, the Word of the Lord, should be so much on our mind that it's always coming out of our mouth.
Even Isaac's Bible verse for church reflects this.
Psalm 104:33
"I will sing to the Lord all my life..."
think about what comes out of your mouth. focus on not just cutting out the bad things, but even the neutral things that don't line up with these verses. i was convicted today about telling Christian to "take a chill pill." not bad, but the attitude behind it is sassy and irritated and not God honoring. that is a personal conviction. it is all between you and God what you do and don't say. but maybe, we need to take it a step farther than we did in the past. maybe, we need to demand more this day. maybe, we need to require a higher standard, so that we might honor God more today than we did yesterday. that is the goal... right?
Showing posts with label psalms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psalms. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Psalm 127
1 "Unless the Lord
builds the house,
They labor in vain who
build it;
Unless the Lord guards
the city,
The watchman keeps
awake in vain.
2 "It is vain for you to rise up
early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of
painful labors;
For He gives to His
beloved even in His sleep.
3 "Behold, children are a
gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is
a reward.
4 "Like arrows in the hand of
a warrior,
So are the children of one's
youth.
5 "How blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of
them;
They shall not be
ashamed
When they speak with
their enemies in the gate."
(verse 5 King James Version
"Happy is the man that hath
his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with
the enemies in the gate.")
i post this chapter because it has been on my heart. i have a bit of a soap box when it comes to the timing of bearing children (i.e. birth control), and i don't want to get on it. but i do have a burden on my heart lately to share with my beloved friends about the joys of God's little blessings, those souls that we call our children. i say simply this...
Consider the Lord. read His Word (not just the part i've put here, but read more/all of it). pray and ask for His wisdom.
Proverbs 19:2
"Also it is not good for a
person to be without
knowledge,
And he who hurries his
footsteps errs."
consider the Lord. look for His timing in all things. especially babies.
builds the house,
They labor in vain who
build it;
Unless the Lord guards
the city,
The watchman keeps
awake in vain.
2 "It is vain for you to rise up
early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of
painful labors;
For He gives to His
beloved even in His sleep.
3 "Behold, children are a
gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is
a reward.
4 "Like arrows in the hand of
a warrior,
So are the children of one's
youth.
5 "How blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of
them;
They shall not be
ashamed
When they speak with
their enemies in the gate."
(verse 5 King James Version
"Happy is the man that hath
his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with
the enemies in the gate.")
i post this chapter because it has been on my heart. i have a bit of a soap box when it comes to the timing of bearing children (i.e. birth control), and i don't want to get on it. but i do have a burden on my heart lately to share with my beloved friends about the joys of God's little blessings, those souls that we call our children. i say simply this...
Consider the Lord. read His Word (not just the part i've put here, but read more/all of it). pray and ask for His wisdom.
Proverbs 19:2
"Also it is not good for a
person to be without
knowledge,
And he who hurries his
footsteps errs."
consider the Lord. look for His timing in all things. especially babies.
fears...
What are your fears? Dark alleys at night? heights? ok, but think a little deeper. are you fearful of financial hardship? family turmoil? false rumors/ruined reputation? think about the things that make you lose sleep. you know, the things that make you argue with yourself when no one else is around. the events and happenings that cause tears.
take a minute and write some of the big ones down. maybe a few of the little ones too. they are all fears and we are going to talk about dealing with them biblically, but before we start i want you to have a hard copy in front of you.
got it? really? did you actually write them down or are you just ignoring me? remember, answer honestly.
ok.
look at Psalm 56:3-4
"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise, In God I will put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"
there are 3 things i really want us to draw from these verses in relation to dealing with our fears. 1) an active purpose, 2) the order, 3) thank God.
1) an active purpose
Whenever i read these verses i think of the song that i knew as a child with the same words. well, almost. the difference being "i will put my trust in You." do to the melody they picked, they left out the word "put" and i think that word is very important. so let me start there.
"put" is a very simple word that even the smallest child knows. "put that back" "put your shoes on" "put your book away." it involves action. really doing something. not just thinking about it. there is movement and purpose behind that word. so when i apply that to this verse it strikes me that i must actively purpose to put my trust in God.
while our God is omnipotent, and His will is the final word on everything, He is no dictator. He will not pry our fears out of our clenched hands. He doesn't demand that you fork them over. no, He waits for us to give them over to Him. and putting something in God's hands is not a long drawn out process of labor and learning how. you simply put it there and (as long as you don't snatch it back so that you can worry about it some more) it's done. God has it and He will take care of it.
is there a reason that you hesitate to put it with God? do you really think that you can handle them better? do you think that He won't take care of them? that He won't take care of you? these seem to be fairly rhetorical questions, but if we really are honest, a lot of us still struggle with just giving it to God and leaving it there.
Psalm 55:22
"Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
what about when i have given it to the Lord one day, and the next day i break down and grab it back? when i was at peace about it for a whole week and then couldn't sleep last night because it consumed me again?
don't fret about it. our God is one of infinite patience and mercy. He wants what is best for us. and while He does allow us to feel the affects of our sinful choices, He will never show us attitude because we messed up. remember the prodigal son? if we have trusted in the sacrifice of His Son for atonement of our sins, we are His child. adopted into the family of God. He's not going to tisk His tongue at us because we gave into fear about something we had previously given to Him.
So don't feel bad, don't hide from Him, just put it with God & trust that He will most wisely deal with it.
2) the order
see the difference of wording in verse 3&4? look at that difference and the contrast is creates. it's beautiful!
"When i am afraid, I will put my trust in You."
In verse 3, fear comes first and they use the word "when".
"In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid."
But in verse 4, the "put" comes first and now it's a "shall not".
when fears come into your life, you don't have to live with them. You can take them to God and, as we've already talked about, He will take care of them. But if you prepare, when you work to trust in God first, while the road is smooth and things are fairly easy, then when things get hard and all those things on your list come into your life, you shall not be afraid.
do you remember the verse i mentioned on Tuesday?
Hebrews 4:16
"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
when we are drawing near daily, reading the Word and in prayer with the Lord, then when all the crud comes into your life, or the life of someone you know, you will be prepared with the scriptures you need and the wisdom to apply them.
i know the order of things doesn't sound easy. but if God says it, i believe it! if i trust Him first thing, then i won't even have to fear. i hope i remember that with the same confidence in the next valley of trials in my life...
3) thank God
smooshed right in the middle of all that is a little comment that we might miss. "In God, whose word i praise," we often use praise to describe the worship and joyful adoration we give Him. we praise the Lord for answered prayers. we praise Him in song and even sometimes in dance (gasp! lol!). there is often joy when we praise our Maker. but it isn't limited to that. so many of the Psalms speak of praising the Lord, even when the writer is grieved and in sorrow.
so in the midst of our fear, yes, right in the middle, in of the thick of it, just like it's right in the middle of all the talk about fears, we can praise God. we can have joy and happiness because of His Word and the promises there found. or we can adore Him while in mourning. we can thank Him for His love and compassion even in the hard times.
But we do not have to live with these fears. you can pray down your list, asking Him to deal with these fears as He sees fit. you might still have to live with the difficulty. Your family may still be in turmoil or there may still be less money than bills. but my God is bigger than money, and He is closer than a brother and loves me more than even my father or my husband. so to quote the '90's cliche...
No fear!
take a minute and write some of the big ones down. maybe a few of the little ones too. they are all fears and we are going to talk about dealing with them biblically, but before we start i want you to have a hard copy in front of you.
got it? really? did you actually write them down or are you just ignoring me? remember, answer honestly.
ok.
look at Psalm 56:3-4
"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise, In God I will put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"
there are 3 things i really want us to draw from these verses in relation to dealing with our fears. 1) an active purpose, 2) the order, 3) thank God.
1) an active purpose
Whenever i read these verses i think of the song that i knew as a child with the same words. well, almost. the difference being "i will put my trust in You." do to the melody they picked, they left out the word "put" and i think that word is very important. so let me start there.
"put" is a very simple word that even the smallest child knows. "put that back" "put your shoes on" "put your book away." it involves action. really doing something. not just thinking about it. there is movement and purpose behind that word. so when i apply that to this verse it strikes me that i must actively purpose to put my trust in God.
while our God is omnipotent, and His will is the final word on everything, He is no dictator. He will not pry our fears out of our clenched hands. He doesn't demand that you fork them over. no, He waits for us to give them over to Him. and putting something in God's hands is not a long drawn out process of labor and learning how. you simply put it there and (as long as you don't snatch it back so that you can worry about it some more) it's done. God has it and He will take care of it.
is there a reason that you hesitate to put it with God? do you really think that you can handle them better? do you think that He won't take care of them? that He won't take care of you? these seem to be fairly rhetorical questions, but if we really are honest, a lot of us still struggle with just giving it to God and leaving it there.
Psalm 55:22
"Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
what about when i have given it to the Lord one day, and the next day i break down and grab it back? when i was at peace about it for a whole week and then couldn't sleep last night because it consumed me again?
don't fret about it. our God is one of infinite patience and mercy. He wants what is best for us. and while He does allow us to feel the affects of our sinful choices, He will never show us attitude because we messed up. remember the prodigal son? if we have trusted in the sacrifice of His Son for atonement of our sins, we are His child. adopted into the family of God. He's not going to tisk His tongue at us because we gave into fear about something we had previously given to Him.
So don't feel bad, don't hide from Him, just put it with God & trust that He will most wisely deal with it.
2) the order
see the difference of wording in verse 3&4? look at that difference and the contrast is creates. it's beautiful!
"When i am afraid, I will put my trust in You."
In verse 3, fear comes first and they use the word "when".
"In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid."
But in verse 4, the "put" comes first and now it's a "shall not".
when fears come into your life, you don't have to live with them. You can take them to God and, as we've already talked about, He will take care of them. But if you prepare, when you work to trust in God first, while the road is smooth and things are fairly easy, then when things get hard and all those things on your list come into your life, you shall not be afraid.
do you remember the verse i mentioned on Tuesday?
Hebrews 4:16
"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
when we are drawing near daily, reading the Word and in prayer with the Lord, then when all the crud comes into your life, or the life of someone you know, you will be prepared with the scriptures you need and the wisdom to apply them.
i know the order of things doesn't sound easy. but if God says it, i believe it! if i trust Him first thing, then i won't even have to fear. i hope i remember that with the same confidence in the next valley of trials in my life...
3) thank God
smooshed right in the middle of all that is a little comment that we might miss. "In God, whose word i praise," we often use praise to describe the worship and joyful adoration we give Him. we praise the Lord for answered prayers. we praise Him in song and even sometimes in dance (gasp! lol!). there is often joy when we praise our Maker. but it isn't limited to that. so many of the Psalms speak of praising the Lord, even when the writer is grieved and in sorrow.
so in the midst of our fear, yes, right in the middle, in of the thick of it, just like it's right in the middle of all the talk about fears, we can praise God. we can have joy and happiness because of His Word and the promises there found. or we can adore Him while in mourning. we can thank Him for His love and compassion even in the hard times.
But we do not have to live with these fears. you can pray down your list, asking Him to deal with these fears as He sees fit. you might still have to live with the difficulty. Your family may still be in turmoil or there may still be less money than bills. but my God is bigger than money, and He is closer than a brother and loves me more than even my father or my husband. so to quote the '90's cliche...
No fear!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
a few Psalms
If you follow this blog, i'm sorry that it has been a while. I have had some trials in my daily life lately, & it's better if i don't even turn the computer on some days. especially since i'm not sure if anyone even reads these posts. oh, well. i'm sorry that you are feeling the effects of my troubles if you do read this, but now i want to share with you some of my joy as of late.
here are some things the Lord has given me from His book of Psalms.
Psalm 28:6-7
"Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voices of my supplication.
The Lord is my strength and my shield,
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults
And with my song I shall thank Him."
Psalm 30:2
"O Lord my God,
I cried to You for help,
and You healed me."
These 2 have been very literal in my life today.
Psalm 4:7
"You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and wine abound."
Psalm 5:3
"In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch."
Psalm 6:9
"The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer."
I love how simple this verse puts it. and so, I need to take advantage of the simple truth and pray more!
Psalm 13:5-6
"But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation,
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has delt bountifully with me."
How much do I rejoice in how my God has saved me (in eternity and today in the little things)? so much that I want to sing His praises! I made a decision to actively sing my God's praises more, and help my sons learn to do the same.
Psalm 17:2
"Let my judgement come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with equity."
consider everything as He would consider it. what i wear, where i go, what i spend my money on, how i use my time, things that go into my mouth and things that come out of my mouth. there are so many things that i do that i need to be considering how much "equity" (love that part) God says they have.
Psalm 19:7-9
"The law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
The judgements of the Lord are true;
They are righteous altogether."
Psalm 20:4-5
"May He grant you your heart's desire
And fulfill all your counsel!
We will sing for joy over your victory,
And in the man of our God we will set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions."
Psalm 26:2
"Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my mind & my heart."
Psalm 27:14
"Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord."
He even gives me direct words like this when i'm wondering about when to move ahead with my desires and helps me to have wisdom in my timing.
here are some things the Lord has given me from His book of Psalms.
Psalm 28:6-7
"Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voices of my supplication.
The Lord is my strength and my shield,
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults
And with my song I shall thank Him."
Psalm 30:2
"O Lord my God,
I cried to You for help,
and You healed me."
These 2 have been very literal in my life today.
Psalm 4:7
"You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and wine abound."
Psalm 5:3
"In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch."
Psalm 6:9
"The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer."
I love how simple this verse puts it. and so, I need to take advantage of the simple truth and pray more!
Psalm 13:5-6
"But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation,
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has delt bountifully with me."
How much do I rejoice in how my God has saved me (in eternity and today in the little things)? so much that I want to sing His praises! I made a decision to actively sing my God's praises more, and help my sons learn to do the same.
Psalm 17:2
"Let my judgement come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with equity."
consider everything as He would consider it. what i wear, where i go, what i spend my money on, how i use my time, things that go into my mouth and things that come out of my mouth. there are so many things that i do that i need to be considering how much "equity" (love that part) God says they have.
Psalm 19:7-9
"The law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
The judgements of the Lord are true;
They are righteous altogether."
Psalm 20:4-5
"May He grant you your heart's desire
And fulfill all your counsel!
We will sing for joy over your victory,
And in the man of our God we will set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions."
Psalm 26:2
"Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my mind & my heart."
Psalm 27:14
"Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord."
He even gives me direct words like this when i'm wondering about when to move ahead with my desires and helps me to have wisdom in my timing.
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