June | 2010 | Moore to Ponder

Psalm 40…The Lord Inclines: (Part 4: The Judgement Seat of Christ)

June 22, 2010 at 11:09 pm (About Sin, Assurance, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Judging, Lighter Burdens., Our Unchanging God, Parenting, Praise, Sins, Sovereignty of God, When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture Reference;

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. Psalm 40 KJV

Today I am proceeding to verse 7 of Psalm 40. Here it is below:

^“Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,”

…What can I say about this? We all have a story, and the versions can vary depending on who is telling it. We read about people and events in history books, but we are often left wondering how accurate these accounts really are. But the book referred to by David was 100 percent accurate. The Lord makes no mistakes. This is not the only Psalm that mentions that our life is recorded in a book. It is funny how something that I think can be simple can become complicated. There are many books in the Bible that mention David including one called “The Lamb’s Book of Life”. I had wondered if that was the book to which he was referring. I have heard preachers over the years mention this book. It contains the names of all the people throughout all the ages that have known the Lord as their personal Savior. I had always thought that it was just a list of names, and like the chorus to that popular old hymn says, “When The Roll is Called Up Yonder I’ll be there.”, but when David speaks he makes it sound like there is more to it than that.

Last Sunday I was in church and the pastor was preaching about the role a parent has in a child’s life, and that it is very important that one should strive to bring their child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He explained how parents should teach and model for their children what it means to live a Christian life. While he was preaching he quoted a couple Bible verses that convicted me and made me worry a little, because I was not sure how to interpret them. I have been to many different types of churches in my life, and some of them interpreted scripture in a way that caused me to have a “type” of fear that I now believe the Lord does not desire His children to have. The verse has to do with what many Christians refer to as “The Judgment Seat of Christ”. Here are the verses below.

“³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37 NIV

I became concerned about the whole subject of “The Judgment Seat of Christ” and wrote to him about it. He wrote me back and I was so comforted by his reply that I got his permission to share this correspondence with you. Here it is below:

Howard,

I believe the Lord has laid a few things on my heart today (with your help) that have been of great comfort and encouragement to me. One of the things that was on my mind was “The Judgment Seat of Christ”, the “day” of judgment. This came to my mind when you mentioned the verses in Matthew below. I am sure that when it comes to this subject you probably know a lot more than I do, and there is probably a whole lot of scripture that speaks about it. However, I wanted to look at that passage from Matthew as well as another passage. Here they are :

⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.¹¹Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ” 2 Corinthians 5:6-11 NIV

You might find it interesting that prior to 1999 I had been under the teachings of various churches that all taught that a person’s salvation was not always permanent. These people seldom spoke about “the judgment seat of Christ”. They didn’t seem to believe in the idea of receiving rewards. They usually spoke of “the great white judgment” that was for the unsaved, and that was the only type of judgment they really seemed to think about. Then I came to believe that salvation is always permanent, and not long after that we joined a type of Baptist church simply because we did not know that there were other denominations beside Baptists that believed that saved people always stay saved. I know I have already told you about our history of church experiences, and I will now try to get to my point. The pastor of that particular church believed that it was of utmost importance that we never forget that believers would definitely appear before “The Judgment Seat of Christ” and he would warn us continually that we should be very concerned about that. I am sure you know me well enough by now to know that as a result I went from being very afraid of losing my salvation to being afraid of getting a rebuke instead of a reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ”, as well as bouts of fear that my sins proved that I might have failed to put my faith in Christ in the first place ( I still battle that one some.) We all had two verses memorized. Here they are :

^“11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” 2 Corinthians 5:11 KJV, and “⁷Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7 KJV

Well, I had an experience one night that affected some of my thinking on this subject. I hope you will not consider what I am about to say as heresy. The first thing I want to say is that the verses I have mentioned so far in this letter clearly teach that there will be a day when our life here on the earth is over when we will certainly appear before that judgment seat, so please don’t think that I am rejecting that truth. One night while I prayed silently before going to sleep I was feeling afraid of facing the Lord on that day of judgment, and I said something to the Lord that might be a little humorous, but I really was sincere. I said “Lord, I’m scared…I’m scared to face you that day.” I was talking to Him as if he were two different people (one to whom I could run to for comfort whenever the need arose and one to run away from, one who I was so afraid of finally facing on that day ). Then something happened that does not happen to me very often. Right after I made that statement to the Lord a thought surfaced in my mind. It said “You just were.” Then I remembered the verses below.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ³ You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, ^[a] you are there. ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139:1-12 NIV

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17NIV

It occurred to me that all of the attributes that I find in my Savior that are so comforting will still be there when I face Him on the day of judgment after I die. The next thing that occurred to me was that Jesus is on the throne: “²¹To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21NIV. Therefore when the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin, and I feel that anguish and go to Him in prayer I have in a sense been to the Judgment Seat of Christ, and perhaps in a moment in time have been both condemned and acquitted, but I still really am not sure how to interpret this verse:

^“37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37 NIV.

But I do know that the Bible teaches that if we confess our sins He is just and able to forgive us, and all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. The reason I have a hard time understanding the meaning of Matthew 12:36-37, and all of the other passages I mentioned about the Judgment Seat of Christ is because there are also verses in the Bible that say this:

“¹⁷ Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” Isaiah 38:17 NIV

“¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us . ¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;” Psalm 103:10-13 NIV

³If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?⁴But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Psalm 130:3-4KJV

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12 NIV

I know the passages at the top of this letter about the Judgment Seat of Christ are true, but I don’t understand how sins that have been taken away, that are behind God’s back, if the Lord doesn’t mark our iniquities,…then how will these sins suddenly be there again for the Lord to view? I find that thought so disturbing. If you can help me with this I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Theresa

Theresa;

There is much to be said about the judgement seat of Christ and the “publication” of our sin. Indeed it seems counterintuitive that sins would be separated from us as far as east is from west and that as Micah says, our transgressions would be cast into the depths of the sea, beyond remembrance and yet appear to testify against us on what will be one of the most glorious days of our existence.

Yet it must be noted that when God separates us from our sin and places them beyond remembrance, this primarily indicates that we experience release from the judicial consquences of our sin — in other words, our sins are not “counted against” us because they were reckoned upon Christ on the cross. I like John Bunyan’s perspective best on the publication of our sin at the judgement seat of Christ — that it is not so much a publication of our sins which causes personal sorrow for us, but a publication of the glories of our Savior who bore every one and thus causes us to praise Christ.

At the judgement seat of Christ our focus will not be on our failings, but on Christ’s successes! I sorrow over my sin every day. It grieves me and there is a sense which I long to be with Christ so that I will sin no more. Yet on the day when I stand before Christ, I stand there by grace alone. Not by my ability to do what is right or to restrain what was wrong. For I am a sinful creature without hope except by God’s grace. When I stand before Christ, I stand in His grace. I will not feebly try to explain my sin, but I will praise my savior for the depth of his love which, only then will be fully revealed to me. There is a sense in which I experience this every week in worship — when I realize that I stand before Him, my sin is always before me, but then He reminds me that in grace I am invited to come boldly into his presence because I do not come alone without a mediator, intercessor, and surety.

Beloved, Theresa, do not fear that judgment if you trust in Christ’s mercy and flee to Him. For on that day, your account will be read and after every transgression will be shouted, “paid in full.” The Lord Jesus Christ will not look upon you with disdain and sorrow, but with the tender love of a husband for his beloved bride.

Those who stand before Christ without the covering of his grace will have nothing to say and no recourse to their works, for those works will only condemn them. Those who simply trust in Christ in acknowledgment of their complete inability to rid themselves of their sin or the guilt of it and who rest upon Him will receive the reward for the gracious deeds that He has worked in us through the Holy Spirit ( Phil 2:13 )

We must constantly remember that the judgment seat of Christ is about Christ and not primarily about us.

Those who trust in their works and on their religious works are admonished time and time again in the OT prophets, “woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord.” But for those who place no confidence in the flesh but flee to Christ’s mercy in grace we long for the “blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Savior.” Titus 2:11-13 The gospel is good news because it is utterly gracious. Hebrews 7:25 is one of my favorite verses of Scripture because it reminds me that even in the midst of my continued war between the flesh and the Spirit, that Jesus is interceding for me for every transgression and will save me to the uttermost.

Let us long for the glorious appearing of our King especially since His glory is revealed in the publication of His grace through the publication of my sins. And let me say this, on that day you will not hear my sins and say, “oh my, how could he have thought, said, done such a thing — after all he is a pastor.” What you will say, is “glory to the Lamb who sits in the midst of the throne, for he has purchased, by his own blood, men from every tribe and nation and language and people. Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of His Father!” Praise Jesus who, “while we are yet sinning, died for us.”

Theresa, what good news is such a gospel! When I think of it, Paul’s words in Romans 7:25-8:1 come to my mind! What a glorious savior to shed his own blood for such sinners as I! How glorious it will be when the depth of our savior’s love is revealed on that day because it will be made clear how great was our sin and how great is our Savior! How can we not love such a Savior with all that we are! Let your thoughts of that day of that judgment seat of Christ fan into flame your love for Christ and not your fear of Him. It will not be a day of your shame but of His glory for those who trust in Him.

Now may the Lord of peace, Himself, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you.

In Christ,

Howard

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!

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Psalm 40…The Lord Inclines: (Part 3)

June 16, 2010 at 11:25 pm (About Sin, Assurance, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Guidance, Lighter Burdens., Our Unchanging God, Sins, Sovereignty of God, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture References;

I have these past few days been looking at Psalm 40. So far I have focused on verses 1-5. Now I am moving along.

⁶Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

“Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire”… I am pausing here, because blogs can have so many types of readers.

I will often look at my “Dashboard”, but the graph gives me very little information about my readers. They are anonymous to me. Only the readers who choose to comment give clues to what they know and believe. I like to make my blog entries simple, so that if someone comes along who knows very little about the Bible, they will still be able to understand the thoughts that I am conveying.

I also must admit that even though I have a good amount of scripture hidden in my heart, there are many “topics” that I still know very little about, so please know that there are many things that can be taught from these verses that I might not even mention. My Blog is about “glimpses” and in no way would ever be considered “exhaustive”,…LOL . However, just because it is simple doesn’t mean that it cannot benefit readers who know more than I do. We all know that it is nice to be reminded of things that we already know to be true.

Okay, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire”…I guess I will start with some background, and what better place to start but in Genesis:

^“9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?¹⁰And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.¹¹And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?¹²And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.¹³And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.¹⁴And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:9-15 KJV

God had told them that they could eat from any tree except the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”:

^“9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil..¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:9, 16, and17. KJV

This eating of the tree that they were told not to eat of is the first sin ever committed by man and woman. It is referred to as” The Fall of Man”. If they had not sinned they could have lived there forever. After that all people that were ever born came into the world in that fallen state and would eventually spend an eternity in Hell when they died. But God had a plan to save people from that horrible penalty. Look again at Genesis 3:15:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Here are two more references that have to do with being bitten by serpents, and what that actually represented:

⁴ They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, ^[a] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; ⁵ they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

⁶ Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. Numbers 21:4-9 NIV

¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^[d] ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.^[e]

¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:13-18 NIV

Many many years later a woman named Mary, one of Adam and Eve’s descendants, would give birth to a son; not an ordinary son, but God’s only begotten Son. He would come to the earth and be born from a virgin. His name would be called Jesus, and He would live a perfectly sinless life in mankind’s place and lay down His life by allowing himself to be crucified on a cross, and would rise from the dead. In fact, He would also be a descendant of David who also was a descendant of Adam and Eve along with the rest of the Human race. Because of this, Jesus was sometimes referred to as ” The Son of David”

Adam and Eve did not know all of these details, but they as well as their descendants knew that although they were the ones that initiated the fall of man, it would be God’s provision of a Messiah that would provide the escape from those tragic consequences. They knew that it would also involve a sacrifice. Now look at this verse:

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:22^KJV

I was taught that an animal lost its life in order for that skin (covering) to be provided for them. This would have been the first sacrifice ever made. After that God’s people in the Old Testament were instructed to make different types of sacrifices. Some were offered routinely in a specific way, and others were to be offered when specific circumstances( like when someone committed certain kinds of sins) called for them. Those sacrifices pictured the ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah that would take place some day in their future. The people of the Old Testament were saved by their faith that was placed in the Messiah to come. Those who lived at the time Jesus had His earthly ministry were saved by their faith that was placed in the Messiah that had finally come, and after that right up until the present time salvation is provided for all who place their faith in the Messiah who already came, and it will always be that way until the Lord finally returns again.

Now lets look at that phrase from Psalm 40:6 again: “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire”,

If you have read many of David’s Psalms you know that he often confessed that he was a sinner, and as you continue to read this Psalm you will see that in verse 12 he says, “mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.”.

I have been thinking about this phrase and got stuck.

I even read some comments by scholars. I do not want my blog entries to be complicated, so instead of trying to think of all of the possible things that were on David’s mind, I am going to share what is on my mind. There are times when I am in prayer and I begin to confess my sin, and there is no way that I could name them one by one; not even if I were to confess them every hour. I usually mention categories of sin, and even doing that can take a few minutes to list them. At times it truly is hard to look up.

However, David’s hope was not in sacrifice and offering. His hope was in the Lord; in what the Lord had to offer. The Lord had opened his ears so that He could hear the Lord’s thoughts on the matter, and as a result David’s confidence in the Lord was revived. I have a tendency to become so preoccupied with my guilt and fears that I fail to hear and look up, but the Lord opens my ears, too, and causes me to look up. He call us by name, and that always gets our attention. Our God is an unchanging God. There is no shadow of turning with Him (James 1:17). Do you hear Him calling? Has He been on your mind? Look up, and you will be glad that you did!

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

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Groanings: (Part 4… The Lord Is Kind)

June 4, 2010 at 3:36 pm (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Guidance, Life, Lighter Burdens., Our Unchanging God, Patience, Praise, Sovereignty of God, Thanksgiving, When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture Reference;

Elijah’s Journey to Horeb

¹ Ahab told Jezebel ^(A) everything that Elijah had done ^(B) and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ^(C) ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely ^(D) if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”

³ Then Elijah became afraid ^(E) ^[a] and immediately ran for his life. ^(F) When he came to Beer-sheba ^(G) that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, ^(H) ⁴ but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree ^(I) and prayed that he might die. He said, “[I have had] enough! LORD, take my life, ^(J) for I’m no better than my fathers.” ⁵ Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.

Suddenly, an angel touched him. ^(K) The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones and a jug of water. ^(L) So he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ Then the angel of the LORD ^(M) returned a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked 40 days and 40 nights ^(N) to Horeb, the mountain of God. ^(O) ⁹ He entered a cave ^(P) there and spent the night. 1 Kings 19:1-9 HCSB

Psalm 62

¹Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

²He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

³How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

⁴They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

⁵My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

⁶He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

⁷In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

⁸Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

⁹Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

¹⁰Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

¹¹God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

¹²Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

We have such an understanding Lord. He loves us so much. He knows what we are like. He knows we are prone to be vain. He knows we are prone to be fearful. Yet He hears our cries, and is full of compassion. He answers in His own time and way. His time and way is always right and always kind. I am thankful.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

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Transitions: (Part 10 Pleasant Places)

June 3, 2010 at 1:43 pm (Assurance, Devotional Thoughts., Guidance, Life, Our Unchanging God, Sovereignty of God, Transitions ( Where I am, where I have been...the happenings of my life))

Scripture References;

Psalm 16 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Psalm 16

Confidence in the LORD

¹ Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. ^(A)

² I ^[a] said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You.” ^(B) ^[b]

³ As for the holy people who are in the land, ^(C)
they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴ The sorrows of those who take another [god]
for themselves multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips. ^(D)

⁵ LORD, You are my portion ^[c]
and my cup [of blessing];
You hold my future. ^(E)

⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. ^(F)

⁷ I will praise the LORD who counsels me ^(G) —
even at night my conscience instructs me. ^(H)

⁸ I keep the LORD in mind ^[d] always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken. ^(I)

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad,
and my spirit rejoices;
my body also rests securely. ^(J)

¹⁰ For You will not abandon me to Sheol; ^(K)
You will not allow Your Faithful One to see the Pit. ^(L) ^[e]

¹¹ You reveal the path of life to me;
in Your presence is abundant joy; ^(M)
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Today is a happy day. It is my 23rd wedding anniversary! My husband is home today, because He hurt his back, but he is on the mend. I have been having a little bit of physical/emotional trouble. I had some lab work done, and need to go back for a little more, but the doctor said it probably wasn’t serious. I wish I could say that I have been resting in the promises found in the word better, but sometimes we don’t. I know the Lord is good, and I have so much for which to be thankful. I am just one of those types of people who is prone to fret and have anxiety attacks. I take spells. I might go for months without having one; in fact, up until 2 years ago I didn’t have them at all, except for a spell when my 22 year old son was a little infant. There are so many things that I just don’t understand.

Today is a good day so far and I am thankful for this opportunity to think about the Lord and His word.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

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