May 2, 2024

Thank You

July 17, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
Blessed are those who keep His statutes
and seek Him with all their heart—
they do no wrong
but follow His ways.
You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying Your decrees!
Psalms 119:1-5

I remember growing up and receiving praise from a parent or teacher…that is one of the best feelings out there!  I see the delight in my children’s eyes when I thank them for listening, and when I let them know how much I appreciate their good behavior.  Even as adults we enjoy hearing “Way to go!” when we are recognized for doing well.  This is what God is doing here.  He is praising those who are blameless, those who follow His direction, and those that obey.  Now, He isn’t condemning those who may not be doing these things.  This is a sign of His unconditional love!  This verse wasn’t followed by a reprimand; it is a special message to those who are intentional in following Him, intentional in their obedience.

David ends this particular passage with these words:

You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

David is stating his intentions—his desire to be obedient.  God didn’t simply tell us to listen to Him.  He has given us detailed instructions on living life.  He gave us an entire ‘how-to’ book, a manual for life.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your instructions, for the ‘how-to’ guide that You have made available to us. Like David, I pray that we are steadfast in obeying Your commands and unwavering in following Your instructions. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Stay On Course

July 16, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow His directions, doing your best to find Him.
That’s right – you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road He set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set.
Psalms 119: 1-5

I am human. I have freewill to do what I please and I’m imperfect when I stand alone. Psalms 119:1-5 talks about ‘staying on course’; some translations use the word ‘blameless.’   Thinking about being blameless can be overwhelming—depending on how you decide to look at it. If I try to be blameless with no help then, yes, I am going to cry. If my blamelessness is dependent on a perfect God then, He’s got it taken care of.

I prefer the translation using “stay on course” because this deals directly with my freewill. I can choose whether I will tithe or help a person in need when I have the means or listen to the beckoning of the Holy Spirit. I can choose to read my Bible or not.

It’s not always easy to stay on course. Life happens even with the best of our intentions. Do not be discouraged by your “humanness” though (we all have some). Even some of our favorite people in the bible had to deal with their “humanness:”

  • The disciples were tired at Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46)
  • David was bored and ended up with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11)
  • Moses got frustrated and disobeyed God by striking the rock (Numbers 23:1-13)
  • Cain got angry and killed Able (Genesis 4:1-16)
  • Abraham and Sarah got impatient with God (Genesis 16:1-4)
  • Peter was scared and denied Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75)
  • Peter got distracted on the water (Matthew 14:30)

Oh, how thankful I am that I serve a God who is perfect in all that He does! He even came up with the perfect plan to make me perfect in His eyes through Jesus Christ. “Humanness” is nothing compared to the Cross. Don’t get me wrong, we still have self-control that needs to be exhibited when our “humanness” rears its ugly head, but to know that we don’t have to strive for perfection lightens the load of living significantly.  Stay on course.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help me to stay on the path that you set out for me.  Amen.

 

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Following Him

July 15, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow His directions,
    doing your best to find Him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road He set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now You expect us to live it.
Oh,  that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course You set;

Psalms 119: 1-5 (The Message)

As David encourages us, we will be blessed as we stay true to following God. Just like our relationships, we are to keep pushing forward for understanding. When we study His word, God is faithful to speak to us as we ask for understanding.

We see families sacrificing their time for a child’s dream or passion. What if we could turn that kind of commitment into serving our Lord? There are hurting people out there that need to know God’s unconditional love. We do our best. And God sees our efforts. As long as our intentions are to honor Him, we will be blessed.

God did not give us rules to restrict our living, He gave us rules to protect us. But because we have the nature of Adam, we sin. Then He gave us Jesus. Jesus lived life on earth as an example of perfect living. Jesus loves his Father and was obedient unto death on that horrible Roman cross.

 

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Following The Rules

July 14, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are those who keep His statutes
and seek Him with all their heart—
they do no wrong but follow His ways.
You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying Your decrees!”
Psalms 119:1-5

As children, we are taught right and wrong from the beginning. Our parents do their best to teach us right from wrong. Sometimes we follow their teachings—and sometimes we don’t. That is called being human. If we followed their teachings and never got into trouble then we would be perfect and in Heaven with God right now. Unfortunately, we are born into sin and therefore follow human nature until we accept Christ.

Our parents lay down rules so as to give us boundaries to follow as we grow up. If we do not follow them, then there are consequences. I know a person (I will not name names) who got a whipping with a flip-flop from his mother because he thought he could get what he wanted by pitching a fit even though he had already been told ‘no’ and the reason why. I received a spanking for asking a cashier at Arby’s for a quarter to play the video games at the restaurant even though I had already been told ‘no’ by my mother. Just as the little boy did not respect his mother, neither did I—and we both paid for it.

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Genesis 6:9

Just as parents set boundaries for their children, God does so for His children. He blesses those that follow His teachings and listen to Him. He saw Noah this way, and Noah was blessed with his life and the gift of helping to repopulate the Earth when God destroyed the world in the Flood. Noah had a relationship with God. This relationship saved him in more ways than one and blessed him among men. He obeyed God and was blessed.

God blesses those who follows His teachings and laws. He blesses those that enter into a relationship with Him. We should seek to follow God’s laws and teachings. We should open our ears and hearts and eyes to Him from the time we wake to the time we sleep every day. We are blessed to have a loving Father who takes cares of us and blesses us in any way imaginable.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your laws and teachings. Thank You for blessing those who follow You. You care for us and gave these laws to set boundaries that will protect and bless us. Thank You for Your love and kindness and mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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The Plea of an Honest Heart

July 13, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled
(the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of the revealed will of God],
who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord
(the whole of God’s revealed will).
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies,
and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart.
Yes, they do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts];
they walk in His ways.
You have commanded us to keep Your precepts, that we should observe them diligently.
Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe Your statutes
[hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!
Psalms 119:1-5 (AMP)

These five verses speak of God’s Holy Word. Every verse mentions “His way,” “the revealed Word of God,” “the law of the Lord,” “His testimonies,” “His precepts,” “Your statutes” and they tell us a lot about ourselves. Look at the first and last verses…notice the contrast?  Verse one speaks of being blameless and undefiled. The last verse is a plea from a desperate heart. We try to keep “His statutes” but, being human, sometimes we fail.

Take a closer look at verses 1 and 3. Verse 1 states that “the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless)” are blessed. These people “do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts]” according to verse 3. These verses are hard to put into practice. They set the bar high. They convict us.

However, verses 2 and 4 offer a glimmer of hope. If we “seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart”, if we “keep Your precepts, that we should observe them diligently,” if we strive toward doing and not just hearing, then we honor Him. And, with His help, we succeed.

Ahhhhh…but verse 5. Verse 5 shows us right where we need to be.

“Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe Your statutes [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!”

This is a heartfelt prayer from the depths of our soul. It is a yearning for all we desire to be—for all God created us to be.

Do you feel shame when you read verses 1 and 3?  I do. It pricks my conscience when I reflect on my failures and His ultimate act of grace. I have a past strewn with sin, littered with mistakes, and filled with bad choices. Since we are not blameless and undefiled, does that mean we are not blessed?  No.

1 John 4:17 tells us “as He is, so also are we in this world.” Jesus is blameless, undefiled, and perfect and that is how God sees us. God looks past our mistakes and sees our heart. He sees the desires of an honest heart; and our desire for a right relationship with Him.

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Father God, we lift our hearts up to You, knowing we are not blameless or undefiled. We are so thankful that through Your mercy and grace You see past our imperfection and into our hearts. Thank You for the gift of Jesus that makes us perfect in Your sight. May we always desire to hear, receive, love, and obey Your revealed will for us. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen – so be it.

 

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