May 31 Treasures of my heart...

If my heart treasures and fears the Lord, my heart will be pure and my words will help others find their way to Jesus Christ and everlasting life.

If my heart treasures the ordinances of God’s Law, my heart will be assured and my words will be righteous.

If my heart treasures God’s Word more than fine gold and sweet honey, my heart will be rich, full to overflowing and my words will be generous and gracious.

If my heart treasures the warnings and values them as commands from my Master, then my heart will be at peace, my words will sow blessings into the lives of others, and that will be my reward.

If my heart treasures God’s revelation of my sin and His chastisement, my heart will crave forgiveness and my words will be humble.

What will your words be today?

May 30 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 19 can be divided into three parts. Part 1 (Vs 1 - 6) says Our God, the God of this universe shows His glory in all of His creation. There is no place where His glory is not seen or felt. Just as no one on earth can escape the impact of the sun no one can escape the majestic presence of God. Day and night, north and south, east and west every direction and secret place are open to Him.

Part 2 (Vs 7 - 11) says this majestic God has given us His law, His Words, to live by. His commandments, which lead us to righteousness. In every way they are good for us. In every way they are designed to get us to a better state. Where we are wrong they make us right, where we are right they strengthen and keep us.

Part 3 (Vs 12 - 14) declares but as for me I am undone. I can’t even comprehend the magnitude of my own flaws and failure. I need God to stem the tide of unrighteousness in me. I will be overwhelmed by my own nature if God does not deliver me. I want to be free from sin. I want my internal and external states to reflect the glory of God.

This is my prayer today for us all: Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.

May 24 – 31 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 19: 7 – 9 " 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”

This is our third week and third verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God bless your time with Him this week. Leslie

May 21 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 1: 1 " Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful...

To do or not to do, that is the question...

Ginny talked about choices: Who do I seek out and listen to for advice? Who do I want to be like? Who do I admire? What choices am I making when it comes to my life's decisions and directions? Psalm 1:1 says you are blessed, happy, fortunate if your answers to those questions do not include ungodly individuals. Got counsel?

Who do I hang with? Standing in the way of sinners represents a drawing near to them and paying attention to their agenda. It is dangerously flirting with temptation, perhaps not expecting to experience the consequences of wrongdoing. Like the moth flying too close to the flame, attracted by the pretty light, oblivious to the life threatening heat of the fire, eventually dying because of coming too close. Psalm 1:1 says you are blessed, happy, fortunate if the company you keep does not include sinners you desire to imitate. Got companions?

This is the closest and the worst positon of all. In the midst of ungodly, sinful, God rejecting souls. Taking bread, fellowshipping and counting yourself as one of the gang. This is not the recipe for happiness that God intends for us. I'm thinking of the prodigal son who found himself wallowing in the pig pen. Rejected and scorned by those whose counsel he stood in, whose ways he sat in and who was cast out as soon as his resources were depleted. Not blessed. Got committment?

To do or not to do, that is the question...as always, thanks for listening. Leslie

May 16-23: Choices, Choices (Reflections on Psalm 1: 1-2)

I love this verse of Scripture! Psalm 1: 1-2 clearly points to the fact that we have to make a choice in life. No one gets through life without doing so. Even when we think we are straddling the fence, we are making a choice. This scripture is one that I hide in my heart and remind myself of daily. With every breath we take, every step we make, we are choosing to live or die. Moses in Deuteronomy 30: 19, admonishes the people of God to choose life by living life on God's terms. These precious verses of Scripture help us to read the signs of life that support us in the choices we make. Blessed or "happy" is the man that is vigilant about the company he or she keeps. Our grandparents had the wisdom that only faith in God can bring. They taught many of us to choose our friends wisely. They encouraged us to not sit in the cynic's seat in terms of our speech and our thinking. They taught us that wrongs done in the dark will always come to the light.

I have been doing a study of the how the Word of God has come to us. It's amazing to me that whenever we spend time in the Word, we are hearing the voice of God. Not the voice of men...but God's Voice! Wow, what an amazing thing. What a joy it is to know that our Eternal, Holy and Majestic God cares enough to speak to us! Is it any wonder the Psalmist tells us there is JOY and Delight in the Word of the Lord!

God created man to worship and have fellowship with Him. It is part of the fabric and fiber of our souls. That's why spending time with the Lord meditating on His Word is such a delight--such a pleasure. I have included one of my favorite praise songs in this entry. I invite you to use it to meditate on the Word of God--and our complete need for it! Keep the joy in your heart this week! Spend some time with HIM in the WORD!

May 16 - 23 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 1: 1 - 2 " Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful .2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law he meditates day and night."

This is our second week and second verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before Saturday May 22, 2009. Bless you. Leslie

May 15 Meditating on the Word of God Part 3

Joshua 1:8c ...that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein...

Give God’s Word first place all the time and let it shape your actions.

God continues his conversation with Joshua, "As you do this it will become part of your lifestyle to do what it says. When you give it first place, when you know what it says. Then your actions will be consistent with what is written there. If you give my Word first place all the time your actions and my Word will match. What you do will be a reflection of me. And by the way the world will know me through you.”

Reading and studying the Word are good and necessary but don't stop there. God's instructions are that we DO what it says. He requires that we practice His commandments, that we obey His Words." I recall a teacher once saying that there weren't "Ten Suggestions.". How does that work for you? Would love to hear from you. God bless you and as always, thanks for listening. Leslie