These are the verses that stood out to me this morning:
Psalms and Wisdom Literature: Psalm 119:1-88 -How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (verse 9) -Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. (v.37) Pentateuch and History: Leviticus 25 (Fear God) -You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God. (v.17) -If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. (v. 35-36) (I too am a servant of the Lord God, whom He brought out of bondage to sin) -For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (v. 55) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 33-34 (Notice what fear of the Lord is; and why.) -The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure. (33:5-6) Gospels and Epistles: Ephesians 4:1-16 -I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (v.1-3) -Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (v.15-16) My Ramblings: Paul urges the believers in Ephesus to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. I am reading D.A. Carson's book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers. Last night I was reading the section on Paul's prayer for the church at Thessalonica: "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, ESV) I highlighted a good bit of what Carson had to say about this prayer. One thing that stands out to me this morning is this quote: "By God’s free grace we have been forgiven; by his free grace we have been made “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). By his free grace we have been justified, we have been given the Spirit, we have tasted eternal life. But Paul wants us to be worthy of this calling. Certainly none of us was worthy when we received it. Now, however, Paul wants us to become what we were not, and he prays to that end. He prays that Christians might become worthy of all that it means to be a Christian, of all that it means to be a child of the living God, of all that it means to be worthy of the love that brought Jesus to the cross." Imagine what our churches today would look like if we prayed this way for each other! Of course, now the question becomes how do I go about walking in a manner worthy of my calling to which I have been called. Time to pull out those Christian self-help books. Those books on spiritual growth and discipline. (No, just kidding.) I was struck once again by Psalm 119 and what it has to say to me about God's word and its role in my life as a believer. Over and over again I read the words, "teach me." In fact there were quite a few requests within today's reading for God to do something for the psalmist. -teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, -give me understanding, -Lead me, -Incline my heart to your testimonies, -Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, -Give me life in your ways, -Confirm to your servant your promise that you may be feared, (I love how this connects with the verses I jotted down from Leviticus and Isaiah) -teach me good judgement and knowledge, -Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise. -Your hands have made and fashioned me, give me understanding. (God, my Creator, is still active in shaping me-better to work in conjunction with His master plan!) If I start praying like this I believe my walk will indeed be worthy; and the longer I live on this earth the more I desire it to be so. Grace, Peace, and Mercy, Deb
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AuthorI am a woman with a Mary heart and these are my musings as I read and study God's Word Join me on facebookArchives
October 2014
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