November 24, 2024

Soul On Fire

May 25, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

God, I’m running for Your heart
I’m running for Your heart
Till I am a soul on fire
Lord, I’m longing for Your ways
I’m waiting for the day
When I am a soul on fire
Till I am a soul on fire

Lord, restore the joy I had
I have wandered, bring me back
In this darkness, lead me through
Until all I see is You

Lord, let me burn for You again
Let me return to You again
And Lord, let me burn for You again
And let me return to You again

Third Day
Mac Powell, Tai Anderson, Mark Lee, David Carr,
along with Brenton Brown, Matt Maher

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.
Psalm 51:12 AMP

“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too easily satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart” – A. W. Tozer

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks.  I finally gave in and decided to use it for my blog.  Why was I so unwilling to write about it?  I am not sure.  I want to believe I am longing for His ways instead of my own. But perhaps I am not….

We are all pursuing something.  We are chasing after dreams and desires, seeking to secure the things we are passionate about.  Sometimes pursuing our own goals and pursuing God become mutually exclusive.  We run hard after success and security.  And sometimes along the way we lose our joy and our passion for God.  We become consumed by obtaining more worldly wealth and lose sight of our eternal wealth.

Why do we waste our time running after things that will never satisfy us?  Too often it takes a disaster, a tragedy, a major loss or failure for God to regain our attention.  It would be so much easier on us if we would continually seek revival in our souls…if we made a conscious decision daily to run hard after God.

Matthew Henry stated,
“Wherever there is true grace there is a desire for more grace.”
King David put it like this,
“My soul follows hard after You: Your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8)

We should be hot on the heels of God—earnestly, and expectantly, seeking Him.  It requires effort and endurance on our part but the rewards we reap cannot be counted or contained.

Maybe this song has been stuck in my mind as a personal reminder to be running after God’s heart.  Maybe it is to bring me back from my worldly wanderings and restore the joy that can only be found in an intimate relationship with God.  Perhaps this song will remain in my mind and in my heart until I, again, have a soul on fire.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Lord, please help me return to You again.  Restore my joy, let it abound in me.  May I daily run hard after Your heart and may Your right hand uphold me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen – it is so!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Living the Good Life

May 21, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship),
recreated in Christ Jesus,
[born anew] that we may do those good works
which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us
[taking paths which He prepared ahead of time],
that we should walk in them
[living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Ephesians 2:10 AMP

Did you catch that?  We are ‘predestined for…living the good life’!  Not only has God prepared us to do the good works He planned before we were born, He also prearranged a good life for us.  Psalm 16:11 HCSB states, “You reveal the path of life to me.”  God reveals the paths He has made ready for us.  We don’t have to earn the good life.  We don’t have to work for it.   It is a gracious gift from God (should we choose to receive it).

John 10:10 NKJV tells us Christ came so “…that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  In Jeremiah 31:12 NLT it says, “They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts—the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden….”  Not once does it mention that we must work to receive these blessings.

I love this quote from the Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Bible Commentary:
“Works do not justify, but the justified man works.”

Works will not save us.  Works will not earn us the love of God.  But works are something we do because we love God.  When we carry out the good deeds God has predestined for us, it is a way of expressing our gratitude for the good life He has provided for us.  In turn, God blesses us even more.

The Lord will open for you His abundant storehouse….
Deuteronomy 28:12 HCSB

I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.
Zephaniah 9:12 NLT

Job was blessed more in the latter part of His life than in the beginning (Job 42:12).  As if His abundant gift of mercy and grace wasn’t enough, God chooses to bless us even more.  We cannot outdo God.  His gifts are never ending!

Why does God give us gifts we could never earn or hope to repay?  Because we are His handiwork—His masterpiece—born anew through the death of Christ on the Cross; which is the greatest gift of all.  All because God loves each one of us more than we could ever imagine!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Flawless

May 18, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There’s got to be more
Than going back and forth
From doing right to doing wrong
‘Cause we were taught that’s who we are
Come on get in line right behind me
You along with everybody
Thinking there’s worth in what you do

Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We’re on the edge of our seats saying it’s too late
Well let me introduce you to amazing grace

No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The Cross has made
The Cross has made you flawless
No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The Cross has made
The Cross has made you flawless

Could it possibly be
That we simply can’t believe
That this unconditional
Kind of love would be enough
To take a filthy wretch like this
And wrap him up in righteousness
But that’s exactly what He did

Take a breath smile and say
Right here right now I’m ok
Because the Cross was enough

MercyMe
Songwriters:  SOLOMON OLDS, BEN GLOVER, NATHAN COCHRAN, MIKE SCHEUCHZER, BARRY GRAUL, ROBBY SHAFFER, BART MILLARD, DAVID ARTHUR GARCIA

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

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.
Romans 7:19 NLT

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,
so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:9 NLT

This song touches me in so many ways.  I can so relate to the sentiment in these words:

“There’s got to be more than going back and forth from doing right to doing wrong“

I really struggle with this!  But, when I do what is right, I have to be careful or pride will kick in and I’ll start thinking “There is worth in what you do.” I have so many flaws, it seems like an impossible tightrope to walk.

The good news is we don’t have to walk it at all.

…A man is justified and made upright by faith
independent of and distinctly apart
from good deeds (works of the Law).
Romans 3:28 AMP

Our works are important as they bring honor and glory to God and reflect His Presence in our lives. But they are not what save us. We have no hope of saving ourselves through works.  We are saved by grace—God’s amazing grace.

But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness),
it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done.
Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].
Romans 11:6 AMP

The day we called His name, we were made flawless.  The bumps, the bruises, the scars we have picked up along the way…they are gone. Thanks to the Cross.

“The Cross has made you flawless“.
Hallelujah!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father God, thank You for this beautiful reminder that You see us as flawless, in spite of the messes we have made.  Remind me I do not have to strive and work for salvation.  All You require is faith.  Your graciously provided our salvation through the Cross.  Thank You for providing me a way to be flawless in Your sight.  In Your name I pray, Amen – it is so!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Great Exchange

May 14, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion];
it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me;
and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in
(by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:20 AMP

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I know Christ was crucified for me. But I never thought about what that really means.

  • Christ swapped places with me
  • We exchanged lives
  • He became the sinner, I became the sinless

Even as I type this…I cannot comprehend the full impact of that statement.

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ?  Galatians 5:24 NLT puts it like this:

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed
the passions and desires of their sinful nature
to His cross and crucified them there.

The AMP version calls it our ‘godless human nature.’  Our sinful nature and desires have been exchanged for Christ’s holy and righteous one.  Life in the flesh is no longer life AFTER the flesh.  I Peter 4:2 AMP says we “…can no longer spend the rest of his {our} natural life living by his {our} human appetites and desires, but [he {we} lives] for what God wills.”

The NLT translates it like this…

“You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires,
but you will be anxious to do the will of God.”

How is this possible?  Colossians 3:3 AMP states, “For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Romans 6:8 NLT tells us “And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him.”  A brand new life in Christ…in exchange for our old life with all its flaws and failures.  We are simply managing this new life given to us by Christ.  But how on earth can we manage this new life any better than the old one?  Faith.  It can only be done by living it by faith.  Faith intimately connects us with Christ.

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction)
by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor)
in which we [firmly and safely] stand.
Romans 5:2 AMP

Faith is how we access God’s grace, His guidance, His directions.  In order to live by faith we must live as Jesus describes:

 …even so whoever continues to feed on Me
[whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me]
shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.
John 6:57b AMP

Quite an exchange, isn’t it?  Why would Christ sacrifice Himself in exchange for me?  Romans 8:37 NLT holds the answer “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”  Christ loves us and wants us to be victorious. He laid down His life in exchange for ours, so we could spend eternal life with Him.  He chose to die for me.  Now that is amazing love.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, I am so thankful and grateful You chose to exchange Your life for mine.  I cannot fully comprehend the depths of Your love for me.  Help me live by faith so that I may manage this new life in a manner pleasing unto You.  In Your Holy name, I ask – Amen, It Is So!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Touch The Sky

May 11, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

What fortune lies beyond the stars
Those dazzling heights too vast to climb
I got so high to fall so far
But I found Heaven as love swept low

My heart beating, my soul breathing
I found my life when I laid it down
Upward falling, spirit soaring
I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground

What treasure waits within Your scars
This gift of freedom gold can’t buy
I bought the world and sold my heart
You traded Heaven to have me again

Find me here at Your feet again
Everything I am, reaching out in surrender
Come sweep me up in Your love again
And my soul will dance
On the wings of forever

Hillsong United
Written by Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas, Michael Guy Chislett

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Then I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to Yahweh my God.
Ezra 9:5 HCSB

Let them take hold of My strength and make complete surrender to My protection,
that they may make peace with Me!
Yes, let them make peace with Me!
Isaiah 27:5 AMP

“God said, ‘No, it doesn’t matter who you are,’ and because of that, we don’t have to try and elevate ourselves in order to find God. We find God from a position of surrender.”
– Joel Houston
(Read more here.)

“I got so high to fall so far…
I bought the world and sold my heart.”

Ever wonder why we let it get to this point before we surrender to God’s will?  Why do we insist on trying to do it on our own and then run to God as a last resort?  Why does it take abject failure to bring us to our knees?  As Christians, we know the rewards of turning our lives over to God.  So why do we keep taking it back again?  Our attitudes change and our focus shifts from the wonders of heaven to the realities of this world.  We seek happiness and meaning through earthly desires, instead of falling at the feet of Jesus.  What we need to remember is found in Galatians 2:20 AMP:

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His Crucifixion];
it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me;
and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in
(by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Christ loved us enough to die for us so we could live by faith rather than chasing earthly desires and passions.  Galatians 5:24 NLT tells us that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His Cross and crucified them there.” True meaning and happiness can only be found in our total surrender to Him.  We can find new life only when we fall at the foot of the cross in complete surrender.

“My heart beating, my soul breathing
I found my life when I laid it down
Upward falling, spirit soaring
I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground
Find me here at Your feet again
Everything I am, reaching out in surrender
Come sweep me up in Your love again
And my soul will dance
On the wings of forever”

This is my favorite part of the song.  When we hit our knees and spread our hands to Yahweh, we find peace and protection in Him. Then we can touch the sky and our souls can dance on the wings of forever.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why?

May 5, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,
Keep seeking the things above,
Where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above,
Not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3

In the Bible, we are repeatedly instructed to seek the Kingdom of God, to seek Christ, and to seek His face.  As I was reading the above passage a couple of questions came to mind.

If we have died and our life is hidden with Christ then

Why do I need to keep seeking Him?
How long must I continue to seek Him?

The second question was a little easier to answer than the first.  Hosea 10:12 (HCSB) says:

It is time to seek the Lord until He comes
and sends righteousness on you like the rain.

1 Chronicles 16:11 (NKJV) tells us:

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

And Psalm 105:4 (HCSB) states:

Search for the Lord and for His strength; seek His face always.

Seeking God must be extremely important if we are to do it ‘until He comes’, ‘evermore’, and ‘always’.  To seek is to aspire to, desire, or be passionate about something.  We are to aspire to be like Christ and be passionate in doing so.  Psalm 63:1 says we are to earnestly and eagerly seek God, to thirst and long for Him.

But WHY?

Scripture tells us:

  • If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
  • As long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.  2 Chronicles 26:5 NASB
  • …that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way…  Ezra 8:21 AMP
  • Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.  Psalm 69:32 NLT
  • Seek Me that you may live…  Amos 5:4 NASB
  • Seek the Lord that you may live…  Amos 5:6 NASB

Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31(NKJV) states that those who “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,…ALL these things shall be added to you.”  And Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) reminds us that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

I don’t know about you but, for me,
that is reason enough to continually seek Christ!

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Father, thank You for repeatedly reminding us to seek You.  I don’t want to miss out on any of the blessings You have stored up for me simply because I chose not to seek You.  While I don’t always understand, I choose to put my trust in You alone.  You are in control and You see the bigger picture.  Only You can lead me on the right path.  Thank You for being patient with me.  In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen – It is so!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Who I Am

May 4, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Another voice, another choice
To listen to words somebody said
Another day, I replay
One too many doubts inside my head

Am I strong…beautiful
Am I good enough
Do I belong
After all that I’ve said and done
Is it real when I feel
I don’t measure up
Am I loved

I’m running to the One who knows me
Who made every part of me in His hands
I’m holding to the One who holds me
‘Cause I know whose I am, I know who I am
I am sure I am Yours

Turning down, tuning out
Every single word
That caused me pain
Unashamed, and unafraid
‘Cause I believe You mean it when You say

I am strong…beautiful
I am good enough
I belong
After all
‘Cause of what You’ve done
This is real what I feel
No one made it up
I am loved

I am sure I am Yours
I know who I am
I am sure I am Yours

Fearfully, wonderfully, perfectly
You have made me

I’m running to the One who knows me
I’m holding to the One who holds me

  Blanca
Written by Blanca Callahan / Seth Mosley / Mia Fieldes

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

For it was You who created my inward parts;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.
Psalms 139:13-14 HCSB

“Another voice, another choice
To listen to words somebody said
Another day, I replay
One too many doubts inside my head

Am I strong…beautiful
Am I good enough
Do I belong
After all that I’ve said and done
Is it real
When I feel I don’t measure up
Am I loved?”

Surely I am not the only one that can relate to these words!  Thoughts and questions just like these have played over and over in my head at least a thousand times (sometimes in just one day) but as I was listening to this song on the radio, the light bulb went on!  I have to know WHOSE I am before I will really understand WHO I am. Duh!  {Mental head slap here}

As I looked through the many lists of Scriptures about ‘who I am’, I began to see ‘Whose I am’:

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26 NLT

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, His own special people…
1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

…For our citizenship is in heaven…
Philippians 3:20a HCSB

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved…
Colossians 3:12a NASB

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
1 John 4:4a AMP

I am a child of God!
I am His!
He chose me.
He created me.
And He holds me close.

John 10:28b-29 states:

…No one will snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all;
and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Since I belong to Christ, that means:

For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 NLT

Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit
Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God?
1 Corinthians 6:19 AMP/(1 Corinthians 3:16)

Now you are the body of Christ and individual members of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27 HCSB

…But I have called you friends…
John 15:15

For we are God’s masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10a NLT

Did you get that?  We are God’s masterpiece!

A masterpiece is beautiful.  It is lovely.  It is treasured.  It is of immeasurable worth!  So that means God sees us as beautiful, lovely, treasured, and of immeasurable worth!

Knowing Whose I am gives me a sense of identity, of self confidence.

We are strong, we are good enough, we are loved!
{And I really need to remember that!}

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Success

April 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist],
because He who lives in you
is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 AMP

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Each of us has dreams.  All of us want success.  Yet so many times we get bogged down and frustrated.  Why?  We forget to let God lead.  We forget He is always with us.  We forget He is greater than anything we could come up against.  (Plus, we often expect it to happen instantly.)
In Matthew 17:20 (NLT) Jesus tells us,

I tell you the truth,
if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed,
you could say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’
and it would move.
Nothing would be impossible.

We read that and assume it will happen instantly.  But, what if God wants us to hang in there as He helps us move that mountain bit by bit…?  Matthew 17:20 doesn’t mention a time frame.  It does tell us that nothing is impossible because, as 1 John 4:4 reminds us, God is greater than the things of this world.  God will help us overcome that mountain.  He gives us success.  His way is perfect.  He is greater than all of our enemies put together.  (BTW, enemies aren’t always people—pride, fear, doubt are enemies as well.)

I did a Biblical word search on ‘success‘.  These are just a few of the verses I found:

…the Lord has made my journey a success.
Genesis 24:56 HCSB

…the Lord was with him, giving him success in everything he did.
Genesis 39:3 NLT

…for it is He who blesses you…and gives you success in all your work.
Deuteronomy 16:15 NLT

He will ensure my safety and success.
2 Samuel 23:5 NLT

The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success.
Nehemiah 2:20 HCSB

He stores up success for the upright….
Proverbs 2:7 HCSB

{And my favorite one:}
And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.
2 Chronicles 26:5b NLT

Who brings about our success? God
Why? Because we seek His guidance and leadership
How? Because God is Greater than he who is in the world

WooHoo!!!!
Doesn’t that just make you want to shout
and do a happy dance?

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Lord, I am so very thankful You are greater than the One Who controls this world. Remind me to seek Your leadership and guidance. When I do, You will ensure my success. And all glory and honor will be Yours. In Your Holy name I pray, Amen – It Is So!!!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our God (Is Greater)

April 27, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Water You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You, none like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You, none like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against

Chris Tomlin
written along with Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist],
because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 AMP

I was writing a devotional blog on 1 John 4:4 and this song got stuck in my head.  Such a great reminder that we have nothing to fear.  Our God IS greater than the enemy and anything he can throw at us.  The Scriptures repeat this over and over again:

Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods,
because He did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.
Exodus 18:11 HCSB

David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.
2 Samuel 5:10/1 Chronicles 11:9 NASB

And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
2 Chronicles 2:5 NKJV

Be strong and courageous.
Be not afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him,
for there is Another with us greater than [all those] with him.
2 Chronicles 32:7 AMP

Look, God is greater than we can understand.
Job 36:26 NLT

Greater than the roar of many waters—the mighty breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is majestic.
Psalm 93:4 HCSB

For I know that Yahweh is great; our Lord is greater than all gods.
Psalm 135:5 HCSB

On and on it goes—our God is Greater.

  • Greater than any human being.
  • Greater than all of our enemies.
  • Greater than any obstacles or circumstances in our life.
  • Greater than any of our mistakes, our failures, our flaws.

To quote MercyMe:

“There’ll be days I lose the battle
Grace says that it doesn’t matter
‘Cause the Cross already won the war
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world.”

Our God is greater, stronger, higher than anyone or anything else.  Period.  His power is beyond our understanding.  Since God is for us, who or what could ever stop us?  Since God is with us, then what could ever stand against us?

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Thank You, Lord!  You are greater than any other and Your power far exceeds anything we could imagine. Thank You for lifting us out of the ashes and shining Your light on us.  In Your precious name I pray, Amen – It is so!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Benefits of Precepts

April 23, 2015 by

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

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The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up.
Psalm 19:8 HCSB

As I was reading this passage, the word ‘precepts’ caught my attention. I have heard it many times.  But what, exactly, is a precept?

  • Merriam-Webster Dictionary
    –  a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action
    –  a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought
  • Wikipedia
    –  a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action

…Because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My mandate,
My commands, My statutes, and My instructions.
Genesis 26:5 HCSB

A ‘precept’ is a statute, mandate, command, instruction, law, or ordinance that gives direct advice.  The precepts of the Lord will set us right if we heed them. They give us a great advantage and provide many benefits. Matthew Henry states: “The Holy Scripture…is of much greater use and benefit to us than day or night, than the air we breathe in or the light of the sun.”   Wow!

Psalm 19:11 tells us, “Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them.”  So what are some of the benefits we receive when we pay attention to the Lord’s precepts?  Verse 8 told us they make the heart glad and the eyes light up.  Look at some other benefits listed in the following verses:

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].
Psalms 119:98-100 AMP

Every word of God is pure; He is a Shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Proverbs 30:5 HCSB

For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life.
Proverbs 6:23 HCSB

Who wouldn’t want these benefits?  I certainly do!  The Lord’s precepts show us what sin is.  And they provide great and wonderful benefits. But there is one benefit these precepts absolutely cannot provide—righteousness.

For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law,
because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.
Romans 3:20 HCSB

On the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law.
Romans 7:7b HCSB

As Galatians 2:9 (AMP) points out, righteousness comes only through faith in Jesus Christ:

For I through the Law [under the operation of the curse of the Law]
have [in Christ’s death for me] myself died to the Law
and all the Law’s demands upon me, so that I may [henceforth] live to and for God.

Christ was crucified for us.  His grace provided our acquittal.  Even so, we can honor Him by following His precepts.  We receive so many benefits by being attentive to them.

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Lord, thank You for Your amazing grace that removes all guilt from us.  Let us be more attentive to Your precepts and use them daily.  Thank You for the direct advice they provide to us and for the marvelous benefits we receive when pay heed to them. In Your Holy name I pray, Amen – It is so!

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