fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on May 13, 2017 10:29:20 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy....I just listened to it twice in a row.....
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 13, 2017 11:58:39 GMT -5
5/13/17
Psalm 100
This time the psalmist combines shouting with joy and gladness
(Maybe he has all along, but I am beginning to see it.)
I still have a hard time seeing myself shouting, but wouldn't it be funny,
if when Jesus comes I am the one 'shouting' the loudest LOL!!!!
This psalms reminds us again that God made us, not some primordial mud soup and/or with some alien help maybe.....
Nooooo
God made us in His image!
In verse 4 we have the well known verse ( and made into a hymn)
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise; ...."
And v. 5 gives us an excellent reason for praising him and it is also so uplifting a promise
v. 5 "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."
I need to go work on the journal
I have some doctors appointments coming up and also not this coming Sunday, but the next, we will have to move out of our hut into landlords, apt for about 5 days, while our bathroom gets remodeled.
The ceiling was leaking for the past two years or more, but this winter it just got waaaay toooo bad and in addition is covered in black mold, so it has to get done.....
However, that also means I have to clean out the back room which is practically pile to the ceiling with stuff, so I can move bathroom stuff in,
not to mention.......
pack and move everything out of our of the bathroom
and pack stuff like clothes, food, books, computers, meds etc etc.
in order to go stay at Brent and Karli's place for 5 days.....
So I will still be doing Bible study, and Journal, but maybe not putting as much time as I would like ( well, I never do that but this will be even less) :-(
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 14, 2017 19:37:15 GMT -5
5/14/17
Psalm 101
Davis sings of the Lords love, justice and praises Him.
Then David speaks of his intentions to lead a blameless life ( as I want to )
and then he says in v. 3
v. 3 "I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile."
This is something I've been working on. I am not sure how long I have not watched any series, and have cut waaay back on news. I think it is sooooo important because images ( at least to very visual people) seem to have a way to infame all manner of sinful passions ( lust, anger, greed, etc.).
and he goes on to say he will have nothing to do with evil...another goal of mine....it's still a work in progress because when he mentions slandering a neighbor in secret, I have 'gossiped' without even meaning to.....but whenever it happens, I am aware of it quicker and quicker and make an effort to put invisible tape on my mouth.
and I have always made an effort not to lie....not even the so called little white lies, but even every now and then, I have to bite my tongue, because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 15, 2017 1:50:42 GMT -5
Opps! Just when I said I had stopped all series,
and I had.....for a couple of months I think
But last night, Leonard told me of a new series .....Anne of Green Gables. (except I think they titled it something like Ann with an 'e').
So I did watch the first episode and it was sweet, no swearing,
no sex, no sexy clothes,
and prayer and God were mentioned not in a bad way...no weirdness.....
I may watch just one more episode (one more time)....
I am (was) always waiting for the shoe to drop tho,
but it was actually 'clean' !
I watched it because it the first Leonard ever recommended....he tells me about ones he watches... briefly....
but never suggests I should take a look see.....
I felt I should let you know...I don't intend to get 'hooked' again, but it was actually ( this first one) a 'family' rated show.....how it will continue to be family friendly I don't know.....thus I may only watch one more episode and be done.
I read the book as a child so I guess that's what caught my interest, and Anne had no family so I always related and the two people reminded me a lot of my adopted mom and dad.
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Post by Cindy on May 15, 2017 11:11:37 GMT -5
I think I mentioned also that although I had read several times before about God 'forgetting' ( not bringing them up to us, or to His mind again)
and that we too,
once we are forgiven past sins,
we too, are to 'forget them and press onward....
"....but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus...."
so I 'knew' that....
but never really truly applied it.....
and the results
( I only discovered a day or two ago, because of your help)
was that in not forgetting
but rather
thinking about, grieving again, being sad or depressed over, etc. etc.
that often only highlighted the sins
and in some cases would, bring them back, so to speak.
I never really really got the 'don't go back there again', forget those things ( sins) that are behind ( forgiven) and press forward towards the goal .
I don't mean that maybe sometime I won't remember, because maybe I need to ask God to forgive someone, I can no longer contact or something.....
but in 98 percent of the cases, when I start going back, I need to take those thoughts captive immediately and not dwell on them at all!!!
You know what is funny tho...so many times I still try to search for a verse....Like the one I posted but I cannot find it because I have Biblegateway set to NIV......so the only way I can find it ....is to switch to KJV find the verse, then switch it back to NIV......because I still remember it in KJV LOL
Probably is a good exercise tho!
That is a grrrrrreat Idea to send it to myself in a PM yeah!!! Thank you.
One of the reasons...now......that is taking me so long to finish the original journal chapters, is my shoulder ( right arm naturally.....the one I use to write and type and search etc.) has never yet come out of its flare up.....its been weeks now.....
So I write as much as I can, and then have to stop.
I pretty much write every single word you wrote soooooo it takes awhile about the only changes I make ( and even then not often) is instead of writing the numbers one, two, three I may hit 1, 2, 3
or
instead of writing 'and' I will hit the '& 'sign....but that about it.
Soooooooo your idea is wonderful thank you sooooooo much!!!!
Yes, you're right, every time we choose to dwell on something from the past, whether it's something someone did to us that hurt us, or a sin of our own, or the death of someone we loved, or someone we cared for leaving us... literally, no matter what it is, it brings it back and is just like living it all over again. We feel the emotions again and everything. In fact, if we do it enough, those emotions will actually become more powerful. They'll grow and can change into bitterness, hate, malice, depression, etc. All of those emotions cause us to be captive to sin and slaves to it again. Which is why the Lord tells us to live in the present and not the past or the future. People "live in the future" when they start dwelling on "what if's", like, what if I can't pay my bills, etc. The bible teaches us that there are only a couple of things that are ok to dwell on from our past: when we are remembering how God helped us or our loved ones or answered our prayers, or any happy memory, for those are the ones that are good for us and that glorify God. Our God is a God of joy and happiness, and that's what He has in store for our future. Speaking of our future, the only things we're to dwell on concerning that, are the things that God has in store for us, and we're always to remember to use Phil 4:8 as a yardstick to determine whether or not the thing we're dwelling on or remembering is something that the Lord would approve of. Most people, sadly including Christians, don't realize just how important our thoughts are and that our thoughts are the battlefield of real spiritual warfare. It's through our thoughts that Satan and Sin take us captive, and through God's Word that the Lord renews our minds and changes us to be more like Him.
5/12/17
Psalm 99
The first couple of verses show me some reasons to praise God:
because He reigns
He is enthroned
He is great and exalted
He is Holy
He is mighty
He loves Justice
Then it speaks of Moses, Aaron and Samuel as those who called on His name and kept his statutes and the decrees.....
It would behoove anyone to be counted among them!
I surely want to be...tho obviously I am not them.
God answered and forgave them, tho He did also punish their misdeeds, as He will all of His children.
Therefore we ( I) should exalt and worship Him!
I was worshiping God yesterday afternoon and discovered our theme song! Check it out: Thank you Cindy....I just listened to it twice in a row.....
5/13/17
Psalm 100
This time the psalmist combines shouting with joy and gladness
(Maybe he has all along, but I am beginning to see it.)
I still have a hard time seeing myself shouting, but wouldn't it be funny,
if when Jesus comes I am the one 'shouting' the loudest LOL!!!!
This psalms reminds us again that God made us, not some primordial mud soup and/or with some alien help maybe.....
Nooooo
God made us in His image!
In verse 4 we have the well known verse ( and made into a hymn)
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise; ...."
And v. 5 gives us an excellent reason for praising him and it is also so uplifting a promise
v. 5 "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."
I need to go work on the journal
I have some doctors appointments coming up and also not this coming Sunday, but the next, we will have to move out of our hut into landlords, apt for about 5 days, while our bathroom gets remodeled.
The ceiling was leaking for the past two years or more, but this winter it just got waaaay toooo bad and in addition is covered in black mold, so it has to get done.....
However, that also means I have to clean out the back room which is practically pile to the ceiling with stuff, so I can move bathroom stuff in,
not to mention.......
pack and move everything out of our of the bathroom
and pack stuff like clothes, food, books, computers, meds etc etc.
in order to go stay at Brent and Karli's place for 5 days.....
So I will still be doing Bible study, and Journal, but maybe not putting as much time as I would like ( well, I never do that but this will be even less) :-(
I'm sorry you've got so much work ahead of you. I hope everything goes smoothly for you! And yes, that would be funny if you were the one to shout the loudest!  5/14/17
Psalm 101
Davis sings of the Lords love, justice and praises Him.
Then David speaks of his intentions to lead a blameless life ( as I want to )
and then he says in v. 3
v. 3 "I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile."
This is something I've been working on. I am not sure how long I have not watched any series, and have cut waaay back on news. I think it is sooooo important because images ( at least to very visual people) seem to have a way to infame all manner of sinful passions ( lust, anger, greed, etc.).
and he goes on to say he will have nothing to do with evil...another goal of mine....it's still a work in progress because when he mentions slandering a neighbor in secret, I have 'gossiped' without even meaning to.....but whenever it happens, I am aware of it quicker and quicker and make an effort to put invisible tape on my mouth.
and I have always made an effort not to lie....not even the so called little white lies, but even every now and then, I have to bite my tongue, because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings.
Opps! Just when I said I had stopped all series,
and I had.....for a couple of months I think
But last night, Leonard told me of a new series .....Anne of Green Gables. (except I think they titled it something like Ann with an 'e').
So I did watch the first episode and it was sweet, no swearing,
no sex, no sexy clothes,
and prayer and God were mentioned not in a bad way...no weirdness.....
I may watch just one more episode (one more time)....
I am (was) always waiting for the shoe to drop tho,
but it was actually 'clean' !
I watched it because it the first Leonard ever recommended....he tells me about ones he watches... briefly....
but never suggests I should take a look see.....
I felt I should let you know...I don't intend to get 'hooked' again, but it was actually ( this first one) a 'family' rated show.....how it will continue to be family friendly I don't know.....thus I may only watch one more episode and be done.
I read the book as a child so I guess that's what caught my interest, and Anne had no family so I always related and the two people reminded me a lot of my adopted mom and dad.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 15, 2017 12:50:20 GMT -5
5/15/17
Psalm 102
A prayer for an afflicted person who has gone weak....well that fits me
and so the psalmist ( as do I) cries out for God's help.
He tells of all his physical pains and even emotional ones to the Lord.
Not only do his enemies taunt him, but worse, he knows that God is angry with him!!
But then he starts thinking about God's greatness
v. 14 is a little curious ( maybe I am not thinking again LOL)
v. 14 "For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity."
Stones and dust....I can think of some ideas but not sure they are correct at all.....sooo???
V. 17 is comforting
v. 17 "He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea."
Not that I am totally destitute.....in some ways tho we have a lot less money than we once had, we in some ways seem to have more ( no more mercedes or home....yet, its weird, I sometimes feel 'richer'....maybe, dare I say.....its MORE.......... 'joy'?
V. 18 is interesting because it mentions a future generation.
verses 25-27 remind me almost of God destroying this earth one day and make a new heaven and earth....nevertheless God is eternal!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 15, 2017 13:18:48 GMT -5
Oh I am glad to hear that it is an okay series. Like I said, I stayed away from all of them,
but when hubby recommended it me, it just seemed rude or uncaring ( because I know his heart meant well) so I felt I should at least watch one episode ( or a part).
And like I said, I read the book as a young girl and it sort of had some parallels to my life...my mom was very similar to the woman and my dad like the man ( but my mom's heart loved me I have no doubt...she was just very practical LOL).
So I will just watch an episode ( no more than one a night....and maybe every few nights....I do have books to read too!!!!! HA
But the title like I said is Anne with a 'E'.......
so much more romantic as she says!
The girl actress is very very good but so are they all
I have to laugh at all the big words she uses....I am a little like that and also with the imagination....she cracks me up
and the bit about the red hair and being ugly
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Post by Cindy on May 16, 2017 10:54:34 GMT -5
5/15/17
Psalm 102
A prayer for an afflicted person who has gone weak....well that fits me
and so the psalmist ( as do I) cries out for God's help.
He tells of all his physical pains and even emotional ones to the Lord.
Not only do his enemies taunt him, but worse, he knows that God is angry with him!!
But then he starts thinking about God's greatness
v. 14 is a little curious ( maybe I am not thinking again LOL)
v. 14 "For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity."
Stones and dust....I can think of some ideas but not sure they are correct at all.....sooo???
V. 17 is comforting
v. 17 "He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea."
Not that I am totally destitute.....in some ways tho we have a lot less money than we once had, we in some ways seem to have more ( no more mercedes or home....yet, its weird, I sometimes feel 'richer'....maybe, dare I say.....its MORE.......... 'joy'?
V. 18 is interesting because it mentions a future generation.
verses 25-27 remind me almost of God destroying this earth one day and make a new heaven and earth....nevertheless God is eternal!
Three major opinions prevail respecting the time of composition for this psalm. Some hold that it was written after return of Ezra with the Command to rebuild the Temple and thus relates to the state of affairs mentioned in Neh 1:3–11. In this case the author is probably Nehemiah, Ezra, or some contemporary. Others view the psalm as having been written during the later time of the captivity. Accordingly, both Jeremiah and Daniel have been suggested as the author of the psalm. Others view the psalm as entirely prophetic, relating to no historical situation and therefore probably written by David. That this ode is messianic is determined by inscription itself. In Hebrews 1:10–12 the author directly applies to Jesus Christ verses 25–27 of this psalm, substantially as they are found in the LXX. The author’s intent is clearly to show that the Son of God is above the angels. KJV Bible Commentary
No matter who wrote it or whether the psalm is referring to the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus will rebuild Jerusalem or the time when their captivity in Babylon ended, in verse 14 the author is simply showing how much he loves Jerusalem, knowing that the Lord loves Jerusalem as well. It's basically just a phrase showing that he couldn't love her more as he loves even the stones in her, and saying that the dust of Jerusalem causes him to feel pity because Jerusaelm hasn't been rebuilt yet. He's starting to feel a bit depressed about that, and so he changes his focus once again back to the Lord and says: “The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.” (Psalm 102:15–16) reminding himself that the Lord is sovereign and that He will rebuild Jerusalem, which will cause all the nations to fear Him. (this lends credit to the theory that the psalm is prophetic since it's during the Millennial Kingdom when all the earth will worship the Lord and fear Him.) And the rest of the psalm does seem to be prophetic of the Millennial Kingdom. Plus we know that verses 25–27 were quoted in Hebrews 1:10–12 about Jesus.
“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:25–27)
“He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”” (Hebrews 1:10–12)
Oh I am glad to hear that it is an okay series. Like I said, I stayed away from all of them,
but when hubby recommended it me, it just seemed rude or uncaring ( because I know his heart meant well) so I felt I should at least watch one episode ( or a part).
And like I said, I read the book as a young girl and it sort of had some parallels to my life...my mom was very similar to the woman and my dad like the man ( but my mom's heart loved me I have no doubt...she was just very practical LOL).
So I will just watch an episode ( no more than one a night....and maybe every few nights....I do have books to read too!!!!! HA
But the title like I said is Anne with a 'E'.......
so much more romantic as she says!
The girl actress is very very good but so are they all
I have to laugh at all the big words she uses....I am a little like that and also with the imagination....she cracks me up
and the bit about the red hair and being ugly
Yes, the Bible tells us to do all things "in moderation" and to do them for the Lord and as to Him. If we keep that in mind, we'll do the right thing. The hard part can be not to allow ourselves to become so caught up in entertaining ourselves with books, TV, movies, or whatever else we do for relaxation or entertainment, that we wind up spending more time doing that than we spend with the Lord. Because when that happens, we're putting the Lord in second place to ourselves.
You still haven't answered me about the song I posted for you... I was so excited when I heard it, and couldn't wait to share it with you! So...let me ask again: Did you like it or is that type of music not to your liking?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 16, 2017 13:33:52 GMT -5
Good thing you reminded me again about the song.....I keep forgetting ( something I mentioned to you in your sweet PM of thanking us....we sooooooo relate to forgetting things!!!!!)
Anyway, YES!!! I liked it. I am not opposed to 'new-ish' hymns and songs. My rant was more about when they are sooooooooo seeker friendly, they never mention God ( even if it's 'tame')
it could just be a generic love song etc. from one human to another ( no real 'hint' even of God).
I do have another problem in a church setting, because just like going to a 'rock' concert the sound system ( which is aver. 129 decibels....I know AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, has hit 130 in the past, Kiss hit 136, a group called Leftfield (?) hit 137, and another called Manowar hit 139)
a stock car race is 130, and a gun shot is 140
All that to say, the sound system at the church we go to when we go, is waaaaay toooo loud for me ( I might if and when I go again, bring ear plugs.
And I remember one year in the past we sung a refrain over so many many times, I began to wonder if it would ever end.
Your song had none of those problems and I went on and listened to some more of Casting Crowns songs/hymns ( I knew of them already....but you 'reminded me of them again)
I actually listened to it again yesterday :-)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 16, 2017 16:07:29 GMT -5
5/16/17
Psalm 103
Verses 1-5 are so movingly heart felt with such wonderful reason why we ( I) should praise the Lord, such as:
for all His benefits, forgiveness of my sins, and others,
but I also love the 2nd half of v. 5:
v. 5 "so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s".
and then verses 8-12 are amazingly awesome...it's hard to pick out any one of the verses to camp on they are so great!
Those verse speak of things like God is slow to anger, abounding in love, does not treat us as our sins deserve, so much so that He removes our transgressions as far as East is West......something I can not only praise Him for but have great joy about!!!
And again verses 13-18 are all so uplifting and joy filled!
God is our Father who has compassion on us and remembers our frailness, we are dust, and finite....unlike God Himself!
Then the psalm says that not only are we to praise Him but all his other Creation, the angels and all His works!!
The application for me is to joyfully praise Him for all these things!!!
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Post by Cindy on May 17, 2017 9:53:19 GMT -5
Good thing you reminded me again about the song.....I keep forgetting ( something I mentioned to you in your sweet PM of thanking us....we sooooooo relate to forgetting things!!!!!)
Anyway, YES!!! I liked it. I am not opposed to 'new-ish' hymns and songs. My rant was more about when they are sooooooooo seeker friendly, they never mention God ( even if it's 'tame')
it could just be a generic love song etc. from one human to another ( no real 'hint' even of God).
I do have another problem in a church setting, because just like going to a 'rock' concert the sound system ( which is aver. 129 decibels....I know AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, has hit 130 in the past, Kiss hit 136, a group called Leftfield (?) hit 137, and another called Manowar hit 139)
a stock car race is 130, and a gun shot is 140
All that to say, the sound system at the church we go to when we go, is waaaaay toooo loud for me ( I might if and when I go again, bring ear plugs.
And I remember one year in the past we sung a refrain over so many many times, I began to wonder if it would ever end.
Your song had none of those problems and I went on and listened to some more of Casting Crowns songs/hymns ( I knew of them already....but you 'reminded me of them again)
I actually listened to it again yesterday :-)
I'm so glad you liked the song. I like a number of their songs too. I hadn't heard that one before, but my kindle recommended it to me based on other songs I listen to, so I listened to it and just loved it!
I'm glad too that you're remembering to listen to worship music and hope you're joining in, even if it's just in your mind, to worship the Lord, some of the times. I need to do that more often myself. 5/16/17
Psalm 103
Verses 1-5 are so movingly heart felt with such wonderful reason why we ( I) should praise the Lord, such as:
for all His benefits, forgiveness of my sins, and others,
but I also love the 2nd half of v. 5:
v. 5 "so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s".
and then verses 8-12 are amazingly awesome...it's hard to pick out any one of the verses to camp on they are so great!
Those verse speak of things like God is slow to anger, abounding in love, does not treat us as our sins deserve, so much so that He removes our transgressions as far as East is West......something I can not only praise Him for but have great joy about!!!
And again verses 13-18 are all so uplifting and joy filled!
God is our Father who has compassion on us and remembers our frailness, we are dust, and finite....unlike God Himself!
Then the psalm says that not only are we to praise Him but all his other Creation, the angels and all His works!!
The application for me is to joyfully praise Him for all these things!!!
“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—” (Psalm 103:1–2)
David begins by talking to himself (103:1–5). He urges his soul to praise the Lord. It is easy, but very wrong, to ignore or forget the infinite goodness of God. The Bible guide
Sometimes in our misguided reasoning we feel like we’ve been trying to do our part; not perfectly of course, but then we’re not God. We quietly think that He doesn’t seem to be holding up His end of the deal. In other words, “If the problem’s not me, it must be You.” When this happens we need to hit the brakes, back up, and get our thinking in line with the truth. Just as Satan accuses us before God, he also accuses God before us. The enemy lies. Here’s the truth as laid out from Genesis to Revelation: God is good, He loves you, and He is for you. He’s the One who’s working to help you get through the trouble. Anything less than the truth about Him is a lie. Don’t fall for the enemy's lies. We don’t know what David was feeling that day. However, we do know that he tells himself what to do: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits”. David tells his soul, “You will bless the Lord!” When we don’t know what to do, the best thing is to put our focus on God and tell our soul the right thing to do. It’s always right to remember how good God has been to us.
David establishes a pattern for us: go to God, tell Him the problem, & remember His greatness. We have a choice to bow to Him instead of to our problems & feelings. Remembering God’s goodness is fuel for the power of worship. All the benefits David writes about in Psalm 103 are the exact benefits that God has given you & me in Christ. They are spiritual benefits that are meant to become realities in our daily lives. They are for now & they are eternal. Circumstances come & go; however, God’s benefits to you & me are forever. He wants us to recognize & receive them. Every time I read Ps 103, I’m struck by the practical goodness of God in our lives. Take the time to go back through the list and personalize each benefit. “God, You pardon all my iniquities. Thank You that You have forgiven all of my sins.” That one verse changes everything! God has so much good available for you. His love for you is so great that He doesn’t want you to leave anything He has given you on the table. He wants you to enjoy the full benefit of all His goodness. Everything on David’s list is on your list. Those benefits are a fact for you whether you feel them or not. Write your name in there, thank God, receive, and celebrate how good He is to you. Thriving: Trusting god for life to the fullest.
Life will throw us many curveballs. The circumstances may make it appear as though God has forgotten you, but He sees you, hears you, has compassion for you, and always burns with love for you. He is faithful. Trust in Him through whatever life throws at you, honor Him by believing that He is good and He could never forget you. Trust, believe, and know that your God is with you. Your name is engraved on the palm of His hand. You are His. Never forgotten, forever loved. God hears you. God loves you. God knows your name! Always and forever, amen! God knows my name: Never forgotten, forever loved.
Praise requires preparation. Our hearts, ever inclined to deadness and coldness, must be stirred to properly take up praise. So before he offers one word of praise, he stokes his heart. He preaches to himself. We might think modest praise is better than no praise at all. But it is not true. Modest, formal, lifeless praise is an insult to the very God it is supposedly honoring. Opening up Psalms.
“who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:3–5)
One Sunday as I was about to take communion, I came into a fresh awareness of what Jesus had done when He died for my sins & rose from the grave. It hit me like a spiritual freight train—the bread & the wine, the body & the blood of Jesus were for me. He had snatched me out of the pit of hell & given me His real life. Good news indeed! All of the things that I had ever done wrong had been wiped off the board—forgiven. I remember thinking, “God, if You never did another thing for me the rest of my life, that’s enough.” “But He didn’t stop there.” Jesus didn’t stop at just forgiving us & snatching our lives from the pit. Yes, that would have been enough, but He offers so much more than that. Jesus came to give us life and to give us life more abundantly. He took our sin, died as our substitute, rose from the dead, and sent His Holy Spirit to help us every day. He gave us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and He raised us up to sit at His right hand, in both the sweet now and later. Jesus opened up a whole new extraordinary way of living beyond our comprehension. Talk about the good life! It is found in Christ Jesus now—by faith. Thriving: Trusting god for life to the fullest.
diseases. This is not a promise, but rather a testimony which should be understood in the light of Deut 32:39. The MacArthur study Bible
heals all “diseases,” i.e., the judgments with which Yahweh punished the guilty. The word includes all types of suffering. The wisdom literature and Psalms.
There are several different ways to translate verse 5, one of which I think will surprise you!
NIV | Ps 103:5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
KJV 1900 | Ps 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
DARBY 1890| Ps 103:5 Who satisfieth thine old age with good things; thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
NASB95 | Ps 103:5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
David mentions God satisfying his ‘mouth’ with ‘good things’. Some suggest that the word ‘mouth’ should be translated ‘age’. The meaning, then, would be that God was sustaining David in his advancing years to the point that he, David, felt as vigorous as he did in his youth. Opening up Psalms
Only God can fill the void in our hearts, minds, spirits, and that aching desire for a love that won't betray or hurt us. He will renew us constantly as we fill our hearts and minds with His Word and thoughts of Him. God lifts us out of the pit of servitude to Satan, our flesh and the world, and fills us and sustains us with His love, new life and joy. That filling, that renewing, is similar to feeling young and energized again like a picture of an eagle that's been renewed. Psalm 103:5; Job 33:25; Isaiah 40:29–31.
“The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:” (Psalm 103:6–7)
God’s character is clear from the way he has dealt with his people (103:6–18). His heart goes out to the needy. He secures justice for the oppressed. He rescued Israel from captivity & gave them his law. He was patient & considerate with their complaining; & even his anger was strictly limited. Here is a God of action. He can be seen in what he does. He turns situations around: rivers become deserts & vagabonds become prosperous farmers. Nobles are reduced to poverty, while the needy are made rich. This is the God of reversals, of whom Hannah sang when her barrenness ended (1 Sam 2:6–8); & Mary, too, when she was pregnant with Jesus (Luke 1:52–53). He is a God who is worth praising. The disciples of Jesus saw him do these works of God. He fed a multitude in the desert & called himself ‘the bread of life’ (John 6:35). He rescued his disciples in a storm—& brought their boat swiftly to land (John 6:18–21). He offered himself as ‘living water’, the only remedy for spiritual thirst (John 7:37–38). The Christian church looks forward to a ‘city’, which will be a perfect community centered on God. Abraham journeyed & died in the hope of it. Jesus died & rose to establish it. It is the New Jerusalem, which God himself will give (Heb 11:10; Rev 21:1–5). This is what God is like. Even when he disciplines, his motive & goal are love. He doesn’t prosecute without mercy, or hold long-running grudges, or insist on the fullest punishment. His love is as high as the heavens; his forgiveness as wide as space. The NT reveals that God’s forgiveness is not because our sins don’t matter to him, but because he himself bears the cost of them. God’s love is gut-felt like a father’s love, & is as close as a mother’s womb. We are human, fallible & finite—formed from dust & as short-lived as a flower. But God’s love gives us a lasting value & meaning; his goodness will continue to future generations. The last word is not our futility, but God’s faithfulness. The Bible guide
Living a God-centered life has not been left in a cloud of mystery for us. God has given us his Word as a functional guide for our everyday living. We do not need to be confused about what it means to be a God-centered neighbor, parent, spouse, friend, worker, or citizen. We do not need to fret over what it means to handle our possessions, finances, grief, anger, opportunities, and responsibilities in a godly way. We do not need to be confused about what we are to do with our thoughts, what should control our desires, or where we should place our hopes. God has precisely revealed his will for our daily living in his Word. Our principal job in life is not to uncover mystery. Our principal job is to obey what has already been revealed. Our job as we awake each morning is not to figure out how we would like to respond to what is on our plate. The commands, directives, and principles of God’s Word are meant to guide us in how we live to serve him. Heart of the matter
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:8–10)
The Bible is realistic about forgiveness. It does not imply that if you forgive someone, you will forget his sin against you. That is unbiblical. The omniscient God does not have amnesia when it comes to our sins. The word “remember” in this passage does not refer to “memory” but to “covenant.” A covenant is a promise. When God forgives our sins, he does not forget them. Rather, he makes a promise not to treat us as our sins deserve (Ps 103:10). He chooses to absorb the cost himself in the person and work of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is not peace at all costs. Misunderstandings & wrong attitudes & actions can result from wrong views of forgiveness. One such misconception is that forgiveness puts me in a vulnerable position: if I forgive those who sin against me, I will wind up a doormat. But Scripture does not tell us to make it easy for people to sin against us. It calls us to love them well by challenging their actions. We may be called to suffer in a godly way when options for godly confrontation are not available (see 1 Peter 3:1–22), but godly confrontation is important. In fact, a failure to confront appropriately shows a lack of love! Heart of the matter
Please do not succumb to the idea that God is punishing you so you will be close to him. Though a closer relationship with him can often be part of the outcome of our pain, this thinking can compound the suffering you are already in. Remember, the Lord is not cruel. As well, he is a healer. No other gods: Confronting our modern day idols.
Maybe you’ve heard well-meaning people say, “God caused this [insert something horrid] to teach me a lesson.” What kind of holy God would He be if He went around doing wrong? Evil & its consequences come from a lot of different avenues because we live in a broken world. However, God doesn’t broker evil in our lives. “The thief comes only to steal & kill & destroy; I came that they may have life, & have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ). Run your circumstances through the grid of that verse. The thief is Satan. God is working in our lives to bring about life to the fullest—in, through, & even in spite of the destruction the enemy hurls against us. When evil happens, God can ultimately take what was meant for destruction & turn it for good. He doesn’t bring evil, but because of His power & redemptive work, He is not limited by it. He never wastes pain. “& we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). His goodness is not limited, except for where we limit Him in our lives. Thriving: Trusting god for life to the fullest.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11–12)
The psalmist connects God’s compassion to knowing Him. While God does show love to those who “fear” Him, His love is not dependent on their faultless observance. He is aware of human weakness, & loves people even though they sin. Faithlife Study Bible
Sometimes we’re unaware of all the good that is in our lives because we’re focusing on our smallness or we’re locked into the negative. Maybe we need to go out on a dark night, look up at the stars, and be reminded of God’s love. I heard it said somewhere, if you ever think there’s not much good happening in your life, consider what you would miss if everything good were suddenly gone tomorrow. Then start thanking God for each one of the things you would miss.
God’s goodness & love extends to every area of our lives. God gives us a visual illustration of the vastness of His love: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him” . Look at the stars & the visual illustration of the depth & height of God’s love for us. Thriving: Trusting god for life to the fullest.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” (Psalm 103:13–16)
By God’s grace, good can be happening in us even when trouble is happening to us. God’s goodness is not limited by our feelings or our happenings. God can give us the help we need right where it’s needed. He doesn’t always intervene to change immediate circumstances, although sometimes He does change them. However, when everything in our lives is given over to Him, He will use even the bad for good. Recently a friend who was going through breast cancer told me how she's leaned into God like never before. She said that she’s experiencing Jesus in a whole new way. She was the most vibrant I’ve ever seen her & said, “For the first time in my life I’m seeing Jesus as my warrior. It seems at every turn that He has been making Himself known to me as the one who is fighting for me & being my champion in the battle.” I sat there amazed at the grace that was on her. She was powerfully experiencing God during the hardest time of her life. When we go through the fire, He's always right there with us to give us His strength, peace, & joy—to give us Himself. Thriving: Trusting god for life to the fullest.
Just as God “knows our frame” & “remembers that we are dust,” so we need to remember that everyone who makes a promise to us is also “dust”—weak & prone to failure. Therefore, we should mercifully pardon them when they fall short of fulfilling their intended commitments, thereby covering a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Word in life study Bible
“Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.” (Psalm 103:20–22)
If we have a true picture of God in our minds, it will expose the deception when we accuse Him of wrong motives & actions. When God created the world, He made it perfect with no evil. That was God’s design. When he looked at His work, He repeatedly said, “It is good.” He planned for us to live & enjoy paradise in perfect relationship with Him. Then the enemy deceived Eve into thinking maybe God wasn’t totally good, maybe there was something better, maybe He was keeping something good from her. Eve acted on that doubt & disobeyed God. Adam was close behind & willfully made the same choice. At that point, rebellion entered humanity, & Satan, the originator of evil, unleashed all manner of evil into this world. Jesus came to give us life to the fullest. However, He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 ). What we all wish He had said was, “If you trust Me all your troubles will be over.” Instead He told us that no one takes a pass on trouble in this broken world. Why? Because the whole world lies in the power of the devil & his mission is to steal, kill, & destroy. One day Jesus will not only deliver us from the penalty & the power of sin (which He’s already done), but eventually He will deliver us from the presence of sin. That stuck with me because there is a presence of sin all around us. However, a time is coming when Jesus will return, take His people to heaven, & make all things right. No more stress, anxiety, disappointment, pain, illness, or death. No more presence of evil . . . only all good, all the time. But until then the presence of evil is all around us.
When we don’t understand life, it helps to remember that the only one who has the words of eternal life is the same one who gives eternal life. The trouble we have now is temporary—it has an expiration date. We all get hit with the flying debris of a broken world. I’m convinced that God protects us far beyond our awareness of His intervention. He has angels who are dispatched to guard & deliver us (Psalm 91:11 ). His goodness shields us from so much every time we get in the car & drive down the interstate. However, there remains a nebulous trouble in this world that Jesus said would come to everyone. The psalmist got it right when he said, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 ). God’s will is for us to see His goodness in this life. Thriving: Trusting god for life to the fullest.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 17, 2017 23:48:25 GMT -5
5/17/17
Psalm 104
I am doing this at around 9:30 at night. We had a lot going on,
as well as cleaning the B&B apt. ( we still are not finished and will have do work on it tomorrow, but I also have to get ready and go to a double Dr. apt.
So this will prob be short as I am achy and very tired.....sorry.
I like v. 2 where it compares God creating the universe, to be like stretching out a tent ( something I have never done,
but I am sure if I had ever gone camping, my tent would have collapsed on me in the middle of the night!!
v. 9 speaks of God having set a 'boundary' so the oceans would never flood the 'whole' earth again, not that there would never be local flooding, but rather never covering the entire earth again.
It speaks of the Lord's provision for all His creatures, cattle, birds, humans etc. and how everything has it's earthly home.
But not only that even such things as the moon and the sun are perfect for life ( as its been pointed out by creation scientists, if the moon or sun were either closer or further away, we'd be 'toast' (okay....they didn't exactly say 'toast' LOL)
but life could not exist, we'd all die either a frozen death if the sun was to move too far away
or well....
we kind of would 'toast' and die, if the sun came too close....
as the psalmist says God created it all with great wisdom!!
So the psalmist and I can thus praise God and be joyful!
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Post by Cindy on May 18, 2017 10:27:04 GMT -5
5/17/17
Psalm 104
I am doing this at around 9:30 at night. We had a lot going on,
as well as cleaning the B&B apt. ( we still are not finished and will have do work on it tomorrow, but I also have to get ready and go to a double Dr. apt.
So this will prob be short as I am achy and very tired.....sorry.
I like v. 2 where it compares God creating the universe, to be like stretching out a tent ( something I have never done,
but I am sure if I had ever gone camping, my tent would have collapsed on me in the middle of the night!!
v. 9 speaks of God having set a 'boundary' so the oceans would never flood the 'whole' earth again, not that there would never be local flooding, but rather never covering the entire earth again.
It speaks of the Lord's provision for all His creatures, cattle, birds, humans etc. and how everything has it's earthly home.
But not only that even such things as the moon and the sun are perfect for life ( as its been pointed out by creation scientists, if the moon or sun were either closer or further away, we'd be 'toast' (okay....they didn't exactly say 'toast' LOL)
but life could not exist, we'd all die either a frozen death if the sun was to move too far away
or well....
we kind of would 'toast' and die, if the sun came too close....
as the psalmist says God created it all with great wisdom!!
So the psalmist and I can thus praise God and be joyful!
I know you're very busy but hope you'll have time to read my post from yesterday too.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 18, 2017 11:49:53 GMT -5
Exactly...I read about 1/2 yesterday and hope to find time to read more today, between, finishing cleaning apt and 2 dr appointments....I am waiting on a load to dry before we can make the last bed, and then do the stuff we could not finish yesterday.
grandkids ( Leonard told me that they told him as he was driving them to school) they are talking to their dad about reading the Bible and sin, and salvation....
They seem to think he is taking their advise seriously
That would be awesome......I guess a part of me wonders if he is just trying to show Hossanah he is 'reforming' so if he is 'free' of prison, she will allow V & D to be with him this summer.
I know God may in fact be working on his heart, and sometimes your child pleading with you may be a great encouragement....
he could be feed up with his problems and willing to actually get serious and understand that living life just on his own strength is not working so well.....time will tell, but something for me to pray about.
v
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 18, 2017 22:02:06 GMT -5
5/18/17
Psalm 108
I will back track and do psalms 105, 106,107 for the next 3 days, starting tomorrow
but since I had to finish cleaning the B&B, work on taking everything out of our bathroom, go to 2 doctor appointments etc. I am very tired tonight as I only slept 2 hours at most last night.
So I am doing a shorter psalm tonight, I don't have as much to do tomorrow soooooooooo
Well Ha this psalm is about singing and praising God! :-)
because His love is higher than the Heavens, He is faithful and saves us. ( even when we are not :-(
v. 8 & 9 are interesting, I am not exactly sure of their meaning, but it doesn't seem like Moab rates very high with the Lord.
v. 12 is a good reminder that we really only have true victory with the Lord, because human help in the end is worthless.
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Post by Cindy on May 19, 2017 10:18:13 GMT -5
Exactly...I read about 1/2 yesterday and hope to find time to read more today, between, finishing cleaning apt and 2 dr appointments....I am waiting on a load to dry before we can make the last bed, and then do the stuff we could not finish yesterday.
grandkids ( Leonard told me that they told him as he was driving them to school) they are talking to their dad about reading the Bible and sin, and salvation....
They seem to think he is taking their advise seriously
That would be awesome......I guess a part of me wonders if he is just trying to show Hossanah he is 'reforming' so if he is 'free' of prison, she will allow V & D to be with him this summer.
I know God may in fact be working on his heart, and sometimes your child pleading with you may be a great encouragement....
he could be feed up with his problems and willing to actually get serious and understand that living life just on his own strength is not working so well.....time will tell, but something for me to pray about.
v 5/18/17
Psalm 108
I will back track and do psalms 105, 106,107 for the next 3 days, starting tomorrow
but since I had to finish cleaning the B&B, work on taking everything out of our bathroom, go to 2 doctor appointments etc. I am very tired tonight as I only slept 2 hours at most last night.
So I am doing a shorter psalm tonight, I don't have as much to do tomorrow soooooooooo
Well Ha this psalm is about singing and praising God! :-)
because His love is higher than the Heavens, He is faithful and saves us. ( even when we are not :-(
v. 8 & 9 are interesting, I am not exactly sure of their meaning, but it doesn't seem like Moab rates very high with the Lord.
v. 12 is a good reminder that we really only have true victory with the Lord, because human help in the end is worthless.
David combines portions of his own previously written Psalm 57 and Psalm 60 to make up this psalm commemorating God’s victories (vv. 1–5 are from Psalm 57:7–11; vv. 6–13 are from Psalm 60:5–12). He deleted the laments that began each psalm (Psalm 57:1–6 and Psalm 60:1–4) while combining his own words of exaltation and confidence in God with only slight word variation. The MacArthur study Bible
Psalm 108:7–9 The psalmist quoted the words of the Lord that assured them victory. God had declared that because all tribes and lands are His, He would deliver His people and subjugate their enemies. He would give the land to His people. Twenty miles east of Shechem, in the tribe of Ephraim, is Succoth, a city in the tribe of Gad, near the Jordan River. Ephraim, a centrally located and large tribe in Israel, was strong. Like a helmet she was a defense for the nation. Judah was the scepter of the Lord, that is, David (from Judah) was God’s ruler even though he was threatened. Israel’s enemies would be reduced to menial labor. Gilead, east of the Jordan River, and Manasseh, a tribe on both sides of the river, belonged to Him. Moab would be like a washbasin brought to the conqueror. Edom would be like a slave to whom God, like a warrior, would throw his shoe. Philistia would hear God’s triumphant shout after David’s victory. The Bible Knowledge Commentary
“God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.” (Psalm 108:7)
“Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.” (Psalm 108:8)
“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” (Genesis 49:10)
“Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”” (Psalm 108:9)
Moab is my washpot. This nation, which had shown no friendly spirit at all toward the Israelites and which constituted one of its most detested rivals, is now understood to be one of David’s most menial subjects. The meaning of the psalmist is that he would reduce Moab to a very low condition of servitude, and this he certainly did (2 Sam 8:2; 1 Chr 18:1–2).
Likewise, the once proud Edomite Empire would be reduced to servitude under the leadership of Almighty God through His servant David. over Philistia will I triumph. David had done so in his youth, and he would surely do so again. 2 Samuel 8:1 notes, “… David smote the Philistines, and subdued them.…” KJV Bible Commentary
Moab, was the name of the son of Lot by his daughter when she got him drunk (Gen. 19:37) and later was used as the name for the people who lived in that area descended from him.
Yes, human help is totally worthless, and yet, we constantly try to do things ourselves and when we finally determine that we need help, we then turn to other humans for it. It's only when all fails that we eventually finally turn to God, hoping that He then might help us. How fickle we are! When will we learn that only God can help us and that He's really all we need? When will we stop trying to manipulate people and situations ourselves and stop worrying about things we can't do anything about? When will we stop thinking that prayer is such a small and insignificant thing, instead of the truly great and powerful thing that it is? Finally, when will we truly begin to trust the Lord to take care of us and our loved ones, realizing that we can do nothing without God's help?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 19, 2017 15:18:12 GMT -5
Thank you for the added info on Judah, Moab etc.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 19, 2017 15:53:01 GMT -5
5/19/17
Psalm 105
Give praise and glory to the Lord and sing and rejoice....I think I am seeing a theme here LOL
We are to remember what the Lord has done,
and
He remembers covenants and promises forever!
The psalmists tells about Joseph how he was debased but then God in His timing raised Joseph up. This is good to remember when we ( I or someone else I know) am in a humble place, the Lord may in His timing raise us, me, them, up.
V. 23 is interesting, is it saying the Egyptians are the descendants of Ham?
In any case, the psalmists recounts the miracles done thru Moses ( in Egypt)....it is good too remember the things the Lord God has done in the past, to encourage us in the present.
Ummmm huh I should have know Ha-ha
v. 43 "He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;"
Yup rejoicing and shouts of joy!!
And v. 45 ends more or less as it began with:
v. 45 ".......Praise the Lord."
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Post by Cindy on May 20, 2017 11:14:20 GMT -5
Thank you for the added info on Judah, Moab etc.
5/19/17
Psalm 105
Give praise and glory to the Lord and sing and rejoice....I think I am seeing a theme here LOL
We are to remember what the Lord has done,
and
He remembers covenants and promises forever!
The psalmists tells about Joseph how he was debased but then God in His timing raised Joseph up. This is good to remember when we ( I or someone else I know) am in a humble place, the Lord may in His timing raise us, me, them, up.
V. 23 is interesting, is it saying the Egyptians are the descendants of Ham?
In any case, the psalmists recounts the miracles done thru Moses ( in Egypt)....it is good too remember the things the Lord God has done in the past, to encourage us in the present.
Ummmm huh I should have know Ha-ha
v. 43 "He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;"
Yup rejoicing and shouts of joy!!
And v. 45 ends more or less as it began with:
v. 45 ".......Praise the Lord."
Paul says believers should never let a negative outlook replace our joy, no matter how bad life seems to be. He set the example & wrote that in spite of being imprisoned in Rome, he was still rejoicing. Even though Paul was restricted under trying & harsh conditions, he was glad because the gospel message was being declared, even among the prison guards. Paul wasn't so concerned about his own hardships but that others hear the saving good news of Christ. Paul never gave in to any temptation to indulge in self–pity but rather focused on his duty of telling others about his Lord & Savior. Paul’s imprisonment resulted in his joyful attitude extending out in evangelism. Those who heard him were changed because they saw an attitude of joy & a message of truth deeply fixed in a man experiencing great trials & afflictions. Exhibiting Christlikeness & godly joy no matter how events are pressing us down, will give us many chances to testify of God’s grace. Strength for today.
Many believers allow themselves to be victimized by their circumstances & consequently vacillate between a spiritual high & low. But the command is to rejoice“in the Lord.” We can’t always rejoice in our circumstances or other people because both can be bad. We can rejoice in the Lord because He's always good & we know He never changes. Thus, our spiritual stability directly relates to our knowledge of God. Knowing Him helps us live above our circumstances & provides stability. That’s why the Psalms were written in poetic form & set to music—so the people could memorize Scripture & sing hymns to deepen their knowledge of God. Knowing Him makes everything else seem insignificant. Truth for today
True joy is not dependent upon our circumstances, but upon our confidence that God is in control of those circumstances. God is There in the Tough Times
God is certainly in sovereign control of everything. The knowledge of His sovereignty is meant to be an encouragement to pray, not an excuse to lapse into a sort of pious fatalism. Trusting God
“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.” (Psalm 105:3)
The name of God represents his character. While others ‘glory’ in such things as money, pleasure, sports, and career, the children of God are to glory in the various attributes of God. The Lord conveyed the same to Jeremiah the prophet:(Jer. 9:23–24). The psalmist seems to picture the heart as wanting to rejoice in the Lord, but it is suppressed or held down by the cares and burdens of life. Our job, therefore, is not to allow our burdens so to beat us down that we seem to have no joy in our hearts. Opening up Psalms
“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:4)
The word ‘seek’ implies intense concentration. The call is, therefore, not to be casual & nonchalant about this matter of seeking God. In particular, the psalmist calls for his people to seek God’s strength. They were to recognize their own insufficiency for the demands of living & cast themselves totally upon God’s sufficiency. The psalmist also calls upon them to seek God’s face. God’s people should be aware that his face can be turned away from them in grief & displeasure or turned towards them to smile upon them in favor & approval. Opening up Psalms
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) The Lord made that very clear to me when I got saved. That we must seek Him more than the gifts He can give us, more than all the other things that we think of as important to us, or even necessary for our lives. It's when He is truly first in our lives that we truly "find" Him. Most of the time, people are either looking for something they think He can give them, like an answer to a prayer, or else they're just reading the bible as a duty, or to obtain knowledge about something, maybe to look good to someone else. It's rare to find others who are truly "seeking the Lord". Even those who are truly seeking Him have to stay alert because it's easy to fall into just doing it as a "routine" and not out of love and a desire to be with Him.
“He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;” (Psalm 105:43) That was then, but soon, for all of us the Lord tells us:
“and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 35:10)
“The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 51:11)
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12)
Our Father and Jesus can't wait until that Day comes, just as we can't wait for it too!
“he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for— that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.” (Psalm 105:44–45) Notice the reason He gave them those lands: so that they would obey Him. That's the reason we've been saved, so we will obey Him and bring forth fruit. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16)
You said: "He remembers covenants and promises forever!" which includes everything He has said in His Word concerning us as well.
Praising God, remembering all He's done for us in the past, talking about what He's done for us in the past, thinking of all He's promised to do for us and in us now, and all He's promised for our future, and talking and dwelling on those things; Listening to others speak or sing about these things; singing about them ourselves, will cause us to be filled with joy; it will cause us to rejoice and praise the Lord. And that will cause us to always be filled with the joy of the Lord which is our strength! These are some of the most important things we can do!
“Be joyful always;” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
“Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11)
“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13)
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12)
“...And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Philippians 3:1)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
And as you know, the psalms are full of verses about rejoicing and being filled with joy. And of course there are many other verses concerning this all through both the old and new testament. So we know this is something that is important and that God wants to make sure we "get it". Therefore I'd say that you might want to include something about this in your notebook to remind yourself of how important it is, and how this is one of the weapons that God gives us to fight self centeredness and self pity etc. It's part of our arsenal of weapons with divine power to demolish strongholds.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5)
This is the application I wrote for 2 Cor 10:1–11
The weapons we are to use are: the Word of God, prayer, humility, love, patience, submission & obedience to God, the power of the Spirit at work in our life, spiritual discernment, dependence & reliance on God & His Truth, & judging according to the Spirit, & praise & worship. The greatest battles of the Christian life are fought in the mind. We are to renew our minds & protect our minds. The Christian life is characterized by obedience, service, worship, & perseverance. These are our covenant responsibilities. We are to build up others, especially the Church, not ourselves or our authority.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 20, 2017 12:39:41 GMT -5
Again thanks :-) I wrote your application in my journal. I still haven't finished it yet, as all this week has been crazy with cleaning the B & B and our bathroom, dr. appointments etc.
Today is our last day in our place ( for 5 days) then we have to clean of course, because new guests will be arriving for B & B and we move back to our place.....still it may be less hectic for a few days....so I can hopefully work more on it
( I am still working on the first link you gave in Ch. 9 on forgiving and forgetting.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 20, 2017 13:26:57 GMT -5
5/20/17
Psalm 106
Starts off with the command to give praise to the Lord. It's funny when I say 'command', it can sound like sort of a bad thing, like being 'forced'....but when God commands us, it is always to our benefit and out of love, therefore we should rejoice to do it, but perhaps it is also our sin nature to 'rebel' at anyone or anything telling...no commanding us to do something ( even IF it is for our good....our pride takes offence.
( maybe I should limit this to, 'my pride and rebellion',
not 'our' LOL)
Starting at v. 6 is a recalling of Israel's sins, rebellion, and wicked acts, yet as v. 8 says:
v. 8 "Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
to make his mighty power known. "
and then
v. 12 "Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise."
But as humans are so apt to do ( including me)
v. 13 "But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;"
However v. 18 shows that I need to be careful for what I ask for because sometimes God may in fact give it.....BUT
v. 15 "So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among them."
and then God chastised them even more severely.
Somehow I never really 'read' the 2nd half of this verse ( it really makes a point).
v. 20 "They exchanged their glorious God
for an image of a bull, which eats grass."
Which eats grass....that is surely an insult when you think about it!!!
And God was ready to destroy them except Moses interceded on their behalf.
And were they grateful ....ummmmmmm not so much, they:
despised the pleasant land
did not believe his promise
grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the Lord
They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
So a plague broke out among them until Phinehas intervened.
Finally they even made Moses angry and he sinned as well!
Which is an example of how careful believers have to be when with non-believers!!!
and in fact, because the Israelites hung out with the heathens they were influenced by the heathens and not the other way around, and they adopted the heathens customs, idols, to the horrific point of sacrificing their own children!!!
I can't help but think, that's what has happened in our country with abortion.
It was a cycle of their angering God, He would chastise them and then recuse them, and they would sin again and round and round it went.
v. 43 "Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry; "
The psalm ends as it begun we ( I) are ( am) to
Praise the Lord
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 21, 2017 12:06:49 GMT -5
5/21/17
Psalm 107
It seems this psalm has a major phrase to be repeated, after each telling of some wonderful thing God did for His people. It is:
"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind"
some of the mercies were saving his redeemed from enemies, delivering them from distress, and finding them a home, satisfying their hunger, nevertheless, He also chastised them for their rebellion until they cried out to Him, and He once again, saved them out of their sorrows and troubles.
He even rescued them from such utter foolishness they were near death. ( Reminds me of my youth and how many many times, because of my utter foolishness, I was near death, and God rescued me)!
God saved them out at sea in killing storms,He turned rivers into deserts and deserts into rivers ( He still does), He lifted them out of poverty, etc.
And the last verse holds my application:
v. 43 "Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord."
Well not so much I am 'wise' LOL but I need to ponder the loving deeds of the Lord!!
Last night I actually read the beginning pages of my journal!!!
I prob won't actually get back to working in it for a day or maybe two....trying to move out for a week while bathroom gets remodeled.....I have 2 hours left to pack and clean etc. Yikes!!!
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Post by Cindy on May 22, 2017 11:54:39 GMT -5
I want to share something with you that the Lord showed me during my study time today. It helps me and so I thought it might be helpful to you as well since we both suffer with pain.
Anyway, at the end of 2 Cor 11, Paul tells about many of the ways he's had to suffer and what he's been going through as an apostle for the Lord. He's telling them these things because the false teachers have been telling them that they're better than he is and they brag about all the "great things" they've done. Well, Paul's "great things" are the ways he's suffered, the total opposite of theirs! He boasts about them because that's how he's like Jesus. Jesus was the suffering servant and Paul was suffering like He did and reacting to it in the same way. He boasted about his weaknesses, just like he says later in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” He knew his weaknesses were an opportunity for God to show His strength and receive the glory for it.
If you're like me, I've often asked myself if suffering pain from disease would "count" toward giving God glory and/or toward suffering for Christ. At first I thought it wouldn't because we're not sick or in pain because of our faith. Now though, I understand that suffering for our faith is not the only thing that qualifies as suffering for Christ or for His sake. When we are in pain (which I know is all the time) we have to choose who we're going to react to that pain, how we're going to live our lives, because our pain isn't going to go away. What we have isn't going to "get better" like someone who has a broken leg or who has the flu. Since we have chosen to live like Jesus tells us to, then everything we do either brings Him glory or when we slip back into the world's ways it brings Him dishonor. The way we live, even though we're in pain and sick, can and does bring glory to the Lord when we live His way. When we are not wrapped up in self pity but instead smile and praise God for all His wonderful blessings. Plus, we should also remember that even though Paul describes some of the things he's gone through here, and how horrible they are, he has also told us that he learned the secret of being content no matter what his situation was. (Phil 4:12-13) So because we're not all wrapped up in ourselves and always telling others about how much we hurt or how sick we feel, but instead smile and do the best we can each day, we bring glory to Christ and because of that, our suffering counts as suffering for Him. When we're wrapped up in ourselves and full of self pity, then we're suffering for ourselves, but this way, we suffer for Christ. Do you see it? Isn't that great? To me it's wonderful to know that because it gives great meaning and purpose to our suffering.
“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,” (Philippians 1:29)
“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13)
I've known for some time now that we've been especially blessed by God because of the pain and sickness we endure. I've known too that this is actually an honor we've been given, not a curse. We've been given the opportunity to live for Christ every single day and show others what that means. Most folks can only talk about it, but we have to live it because people can see what we're feeling just by looking at our faces. Therefore they can tell right off if we're living for Christ or ourselves, even if they don't understand the difference at first and why that difference is there. Just by seeing us regularly, they learn that the difference is caused by Jesus, without us having to preach to them. We show how we have the joy of the Lord as our strength, and have His comfort and His help daily to submit to Him, endure, and continue to do good. ( 1 Peter 4:19) We continue to do good by helping others, by the smile on our face, and our willingness and even desire to keep on living and keep on doing all that our body will allow us to do, and knowing we're doing it for God's glory. Others who live with pain tend not to smile. They tend to be filled with self pity and focus on themselves instead of on others. They hate their lives and only want out of the pain. Instead, we can actually be content with our lives of pain because we know that we're earning glory for our God every minute of every day. We're actually adding to the glory that all will see when He returns again! And besides that, we're also earning a "great reward" for adding to His glory! It's just as though we're going to the bank in Heaven and depositing a check into our account every day! And the Lord says we'll have that "treasure" we've been storing up in Heaven for all of eternity. Can't get a better return that that one can we?
Again thanks :-) I wrote your application in my journal. I still haven't finished it yet, as all this week has been crazy with cleaning the B & B and our bathroom, dr. appointments etc.
Today is our last day in our place ( for 5 days) then we have to clean of course, because new guests will be arriving for B & B and we move back to our place.....still it may be less hectic for a few days....so I can hopefully work more on it
( I am still working on the first link you gave in Ch. 9 on forgiving and forgetting.
5/20/17
Psalm 106
Starts off with the command to give praise to the Lord. It's funny when I say 'command', it can sound like sort of a bad thing, like being 'forced'....but when God commands us, it is always to our benefit and out of love, therefore we should rejoice to do it, but perhaps it is also our sin nature to 'rebel' at anyone or anything telling...no commanding us to do something ( even IF it is for our good....our pride takes offence.
( maybe I should limit this to, 'my pride and rebellion',
not 'our' LOL)
Starting at v. 6 is a recalling of Israel's sins, rebellion, and wicked acts, yet as v. 8 says:
v. 8 "Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
to make his mighty power known. "
and then
v. 12 "Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise."
But as humans are so apt to do ( including me)
v. 13 "But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;"
However v. 18 shows that I need to be careful for what I ask for because sometimes God may in fact give it.....BUT
v. 15 "So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among them."
and then God chastised them even more severely.
Somehow I never really 'read' the 2nd half of this verse ( it really makes a point).
v. 20 "They exchanged their glorious God
for an image of a bull, which eats grass."
Which eats grass....that is surely an insult when you think about it!!!
And God was ready to destroy them except Moses interceded on their behalf.
And were they grateful ....ummmmmmm not so much, they:
despised the pleasant land
did not believe his promise
grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the Lord
They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
So a plague broke out among them until Phinehas intervened.
Finally they even made Moses angry and he sinned as well!
Which is an example of how careful believers have to be when with non-believers!!!
and in fact, because the Israelites hung out with the heathens they were influenced by the heathens and not the other way around, and they adopted the heathens customs, idols, to the horrific point of sacrificing their own children!!!
I can't help but think, that's what has happened in our country with abortion.
It was a cycle of their angering God, He would chastise them and then recuse them, and they would sin again and round and round it went.
v. 43 "Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry; "
The psalm ends as it begun we ( I) are ( am) to
Praise the Lord
We’ve defined idols as anything that is inflated to take the position of God in our lives, anyone or anything that becomes an ultimate thing. We’ve discovered that some of their roots trace back to experiences of being unloved, rejected, abused—or the flipside, of having it all while ironically having an insatiable desire for more. We’ve identified a few of their more prominent characteristics, which revolve around subtle deceit, blatant lies, and flashy seduction. ...
...The greater our pain and the deeper our wounds, the more vulnerable we are to them. Our pain will make us cross the street for whatever idol promises relief. Anything to pluck us from the misery—even if it’s for an hour, a night, or a few good years. Ashley was ready for me to drop a Bible on the table, tell her that sex outside marriage is destructive and sinful, and say to stop on a dime. I suppose I could have gone that route except that it was stuff she already knew. Truth that hadn’t made it into her heart because her pain and desire to be loved and held was so overwhelming she would justify any man in sight. Truth that she only understood in a sterile, academic sort of way. She never grasped God’s heart behind his creeds, his love behind his borders. After all, her cavernous longings had been satiated; for a night, she was not alone. But this momentary solution made a crude mockery of sincere love, one that left her a bit more desperate the next morning. Ashley’s abuse and rejection had set her up for this kind of god. Someone else’s pain might have driven them to workaholism, drugs, overeating, Friends reruns. For me, my brokenness propelled me to achieve and accomplish for insatiable amounts of approval. What can’t you possibly live without? Where has your overwhelming hurt led you? Because our pain will always lead us somewhere, whether to false gods or to Christ.
They were primo candidates for some idol seduction, as places of pain, hunger, and a desire for relief will make any of us more vulnerable to false gods.“But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test.” It doesn’t say that they gave in to their craving while in the lap of luxury, or in the king’s court, or in the Promised Land. It wasn’t in the new house, or at the hotel suite overlooking South Beach. They gave in to their craving in the desert. In the heat. In the hunger. In the pain. Later in this psalm is where we find verse 36: “They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.” This snare is the heavy and burdensome yoke of false gods. It’s the snare that hooked my friend Ashley. It’s the snare that’s gotten me a time or two or thousand. If you find yourself treading upon the hot sand, craving relief and satisfaction, you may become especially vulnerable to the bidding of false gods. It’s in these times of desperation that most of us are more likely to circle back to the deceiving comforts of our past, willing to try anything that might smooth the edge off. But it is also in these times that we need to especially guard our hearts, to recognize our vulnerability and fortify our belief in God, remind ourselves of his love and faithfulness to us, remembering his yoke—the one that is attached to Christ. As Ps 106:13 reads, life would have been wondrously different for the Israelites had they waited for God’s counsel. This is the yoke of Christ: being bound to his guidance and instruction, as two people walking hand in hand, though in this case his steady yoke is much more secure than our finicky hands. When we take this binding, yet mysteriously freeing, yoke upon ourselves, we naturally follow his commands and find that indeed they are not burdensome, but life-giving, truth-telling, and freedom-granting. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). No other gods
Yes, that's what's happened in our country with abortion and with everything else as well. In fact, it's what's happened in our country (and others) with even our local churches, the way they are becoming more like the world. Christians have become more like the world, or so the world thinks anyway. Those who claim to be Christians but live like the world aren't really Christians, but sadly, even they don't know it. Now we need to send missionaries into our churches even!
5/21/17
Psalm 107
It seems this psalm has a major phrase to be repeated, after each telling of some wonderful thing God did for His people. It is:
"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind"
some of the mercies were saving his redeemed from enemies, delivering them from distress, and finding them a home, satisfying their hunger, nevertheless, He also chastised them for their rebellion until they cried out to Him, and He once again, saved them out of their sorrows and troubles.
He even rescued them from such utter foolishness they were near death. ( Reminds me of my youth and how many many times, because of my utter foolishness, I was near death, and God rescued me)!
God saved them out at sea in killing storms,He turned rivers into deserts and deserts into rivers ( He still does), He lifted them out of poverty, etc.
And the last verse holds my application:
v. 43 "Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord."
Well not so much I am 'wise' LOL but I need to ponder the loving deeds of the Lord!!
Last night I actually read the beginning pages of my journal!!!
I prob won't actually get back to working in it for a day or maybe two....trying to move out for a week while bathroom gets remodeled.....I have 2 hours left to pack and clean etc. Yikes!!!
if you read Psalm 107:25–30 again, you may notice that it sounds an awful lot like what happened with Jesus and the disciples. Mark 4:35–41; or Matthew 8:23–27; Or maybe it's about the time Paul was in one of the shipwrecks: Acts 27:21–24. So this could also be a prophecy.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 22, 2017 14:00:16 GMT -5
As always thank you!!! Especially the different look at pain!!!!
We are finally in landlord apt. and they are remodeling our bathroom. Of course, as to be expected, there turned out to be 'more' than what they thought!
I think these were built around the turn of the century maybe 1910 or 1920....and some of the work done on them over the years was not so great ( roof built over rotting roof, clay plumbing right on sand, stuff like that), but they have to be done by Fri because a new temp guest will be moving in then,
so we 'have' to move back to our place.
The good thing is we can go into our place to grab some food,
etc.
At first, I thought I was going to have to pack all the food too....
we are bring over some of course, but its no where as bad as I thought, because we can go in and not really be a bother to the work being done.....yeah!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 22, 2017 14:11:26 GMT -5
5/22/17
Psalm 111
This psalm extols many of the great things God has done for His people.
The 2nd half of v.7 and the 1st half of 8 speak of God's precepts:
v. 7 "....." all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established for ever and ever,....."
and v. 10 is pretty well known, especially the first half
v. 10 T"he fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;...."
.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 23, 2017 11:35:52 GMT -5
5/23/17
Psalm 112
This is another psalm that starts with 'Praise the Lord".
Then it says those that fear the Lord and delight in His commandments will be blessed.
I cannot imagine not wanting to be blessed by the Lord!
So then it goes on to name some of the blessings:
one's children will be mighty
wealth, riches, and righteousness
even in darkness there will be light.....
I am thinking that although a type of 'darkness' may come, with the Lord Jesus, there will always be light, because Jesus said He is the light.
other blessing are listed and then it says that they will not fear bad news. Again I am thinking bad news might come, but with God there is no need to fear bad news, knowing it the end they will triumph.
v. 9 says:
"They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,..."
Because of your telling me about your grandchildren leaving gifts for the homeless, I too have begun to do the same.
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Post by Cindy on May 23, 2017 12:33:25 GMT -5
As always thank you!!! Especially the different look at pain!!!!
We are finally in landlord apt. and they are remodeling our bathroom. Of course, as to be expected, there turned out to be 'more' than what they thought!
I think these were built around the turn of the century maybe 1910 or 1920....and some of the work done on them over the years was not so great ( roof built over rotting roof, clay plumbing right on sand, stuff like that), but they have to be done by Fri because a new temp guest will be moving in then,
so we 'have' to move back to our place.
The good thing is we can go into our place to grab some food,
etc.
At first, I thought I was going to have to pack all the food too....
we are bring over some of course, but its no where as bad as I thought, because we can go in and not really be a bother to the work being done.....yeah! 5/22/17
Psalm 111
This psalm extols many of the great things God has done for His people.
The 2nd half of v.7 and the 1st half of 8 speak of God's precepts:
v. 7 "....." all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established for ever and ever,....."
and v. 10 is pretty well known, especially the first half
v. 10 T"he fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;...."
.
“Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.” (Psalm 111:1)
Psalm 111 is for people who study. It explains how to be a student who pleases the Lord and grows in understanding of truth. Start with worship (v.1). The lower you bow before the Lord, the more He will instruct you. Go right to the Source! With the Word
“Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.” (Psalm 111:2–6)
See God in His works (v.2–6). Whether it is science or history, you are examining God’s works in this world. His works are great and glorious, revealing His power and wisdom. To see the creation but ignore the Creator is to move into idolatry and sin (Rom. 1:18ff.). With the Word
In the Psalms, fearing God is often likened to trusting God (Pss 40:4; 115:11). The designation of “those who fear God” is used to refer to the community of those faithful to Him (Pss 22:25; 66:16). Those who fear God receive protection, deliverance, and blessing (Pss 25:12–13; 31:19; 34:7,9; 85:9; 111:5; 115:13; 145:19). They also enjoy a close relationship with God (Pss 25:14; 33:18). The Psalms likewise equate worship and praise with the fear of God (Pss 5:7; 22:23; 135:20). Faithlife Study Bible
“The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.” (Psalm 111:7–9)
See God in His Word (7–9). The Word of God and the book of nature do not contradict each other, for the same Author wrote them. The theories of scholars come and go, but God’s Word stands forever. With the Word
The psalmist expands the sense of “fear of God” beyond terror of punishment, presenting it as trust in God’s provision and character (v. 10). Faithlife Study Bible
The “redemption” from Egypt gave proof of God’s faithfulness to his covenant. By that great deliverance Yahweh revealed himself as a God who is holy and must be feared. To fear him, therefore, is the starting point of all true wisdom. That wisdom manifests itself in obedience to God’s commandments. In obedience one gains insight. All the attributes of God which demand man’s praise are eternal. Therefore, people should praise God forever. The wisdom literature and Psalms
Holy: This is a general term for the moral excellence of God. Holiness, on the one hand, implies entire freedom from moral evil and, on the other, absolute moral perfection. Freedom from impurity is the primary idea of the word. To sanctify is to cleanse; to be holy is to be clean. Infinite purity, even more than infinite knowledge or infinite power, is the object of reverence. God: Coming face to face with His Majesty
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” (Psalm 111:10)
Obey what God teaches you (v.10). The search into truth is not simply an academic endeavor of the mind; it must involve your whole person. If you are willing to do God’s truth, He will teach you (John 7:17). “Obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge.” All truth is God’s truth. If you love truth, learn truth, and live truth, the truth will set you free (John 8:31–32). With the Word
The fear of the Lord: True religion, that is, a life that expresses its accountability to God. This awareness of accountability to God is seen as the foundation of wisdom. The proper fear of God is living as accountable to an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-righteous Creator. The Open Bible
The wisdom of God resulting from the fear of the Lord leads to obedience. When we fear the Lord, we submit to His wisdom and commit ourselves to keeping His commandments. We aren’t always as obedient as we ought to be, but the pattern of our lives turns from disobedience to a submissive heart of obedience. A person’s claim to be a Christian is meaningless if he’s not obedient. From a positive perspective, fearing the Lord involves obeying His commandments; from a negative perspective, it involves turning away from evil. Obeying the Lord’s commandments & shunning evil are dynamics that work in the soul of one who truly fears God. The fear of the Lord is not some feeling you try to generate within yourself; it’s the result of believing in the true God & living a life of love & obedience to Him. Strength for today.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 23, 2017 19:26:33 GMT -5
I did add to my private messages that will eventually go in my journal about pain.
I don't know if its because our weather keeps flip flopping, or being in a new place or what, but I have been very tired lately.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 23, 2017 21:07:11 GMT -5
5/23/17
Psalm 112
This psalm gives some of the blessings that come to those who fear and praise the Lord, like:
their children will be mighty, and God will provide for them.
Even when 'darkness' comes they will have light,
which reminds me that Jesus said He is the light.....so no matter what kind of darkness comes,
nothing can banish Jesus from the righteous. I think there could be times ( like under severe torture), a believer might say almost anything for a time ( like Peter), and deny their Lord, but Jesus will never deny them.
part of v. 5 and part of v. 8 says:
v. 5 "Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely....
v. 8 "they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,...."
Because you told me of what your grandchildren have been doing for the homeless, I too have taken to doing the same, when I can walk ( and its not pouring so hard anything might get drenched and ruined)....thank you so much for that idea!!!
v. 7 says they have no fear of 'bad' news....we also know that God can turn all things to our good...eventually!
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Post by Cindy on May 24, 2017 10:14:38 GMT -5
I did add to my private messages that will eventually go in my journal about pain.
I don't know if its because our weather keeps flip flopping, or being in a new place or what, but I have been very tired lately. 5/23/17
Psalm 112
This psalm gives some of the blessings that come to those who fear and praise the Lord, like:
their children will be mighty, and God will provide for them.
Even when 'darkness' comes they will have light,
which reminds me that Jesus said He is the light.....so no matter what kind of darkness comes,
nothing can banish Jesus from the righteous. I think there could be times ( like under severe torture), a believer might say almost anything for a time ( like Peter), and deny their Lord, but Jesus will never deny them.
part of v. 5 and part of v. 8 says:
v. 5 "Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely....
v. 8 "they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,...."
Because you told me of what your grandchildren have been doing for the homeless, I too have taken to doing the same, when I can walk ( and its not pouring so hard anything might get drenched and ruined)....thank you so much for that idea!!!
v. 7 says they have no fear of 'bad' news....we also know that God can turn all things to our good...eventually!
This Psalm begins where Psalm 111:10 left off, showing how God blesses those who fear and obey Him and praise Him as you said. And again, the psalm ends showing that the wicked won't get away with what they do forever. In the end, they will see the good we receive and realize how foolish they were to not fear God and live righteously instead. Now they will spend eternity in Hell. It reminds me of the wicked man and the poor man who died and how the wicked man could see the good things that Lazarus got and begged Abraham to send someone to his brothers so they would stop living wicked lives like he had.
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