Saturday, July 31, 2010

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Slow Down

Every Chick-Fil-A drive-thru has one constant aspiration: to get a hundred cars through from twelve to one.  It is a very possible, but very complex, dream.  It is complex because every aspect of the drive-thru must run seamlessly in order for a hundred cars to go through in an hour.  The cooks in the back, the bagger, order-taker, cashier, and even the customers must all work together in perfect unison to make a successful lunch hour.

Everything was going just fine until they showed up.  A 50-ish couple came crawling to the window in their beaten-up car, slouching in their seats and staring at me like they had just woken up from a four hour nap.  I quickly read their order back to them and told them the total.  The man driving just sat there for five seconds, then realized he had to pay to get his food.  Slowly he reached into his pocket for this wallet.  Slowly he began searching through papers and receipts until he came across a twenty.  This man was more lethargic than a turtle!  Slowly he handed the money to me; trying not to look impatient, I hurriedly made the transaction and waited a few seconds before I asked if they wanted any sauce.  

I glanced at the man's quiet wife.  I thought to myself, "All the other women I've seen would hurry their husbands along and nag them if they weren't fast enough.  This lady hasn't even opened her mouth!"  For all I could tell, she was just as happy as she could be with her slower-than-molasses-in-January husband.  Then it dawned on me... This couple has made it this far in their marriage by simply enjoying the ride, not seeing how fast they can get through.  Their quiet joy screamed at the fast-paced world, "Slow down!"

Everyone I've run into claims that they try to enjoy life, but how can you if you're constantly trying to see how quickly you can get from point A to point B?  This couple could care less if they took ten minutes to get their food, but they had infinitely more joy than anyone who refused to wait more than two minutes.  I'm not trying to undermine the "100 Car Goal"... I'm just saying, slow down and enjoy life.  If you find yourself in an eternal spiral of appointments, deadlines, and tight schedules, take a few minutes and let a sunset, rainbow, butterfly, or flower soak in.  Don't miss out on the beautiful things in life because you're constantly on a time crunch.  Letting the busyness of modern life get to you will make you grumpy.  Instead, take time to smile, laugh, and enjoy the journey.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Even In the Valley

Even In the Valley God is Good is the heart's cry of every Christian who has seen God work in the bleakest of circumstances.

For My Good and For His Glory

I must admit I don't understand
Why God would let me face this painful circumstance.
All I have to cling to is His Word and His Name
But that's enough so I will trust

It's For My Good and for His Glory
This trial's not the end of the story
There's a bigger picture
God alone can see.

Faith will take me through this sorrow
For I know He holds tomorrow
And He assures me it's for my good
And for His glory.

I love the Lord and He has promised me
To work all things for good; through my tears I believe
That His ways are higher than any of my own
And though my heart aches He makes no mistakes.

Though I would not have chosen the suffering that has come
I'm willing now to say, "Lord, not my will but thine be done."

Friday, July 16, 2010

To Count for Jesus

Every Christian young lady's desire should be for her life to glorify the Lord.  This song reminds me of decisions I made in the youth group and challenges me to stay focused on my goal: To Count for Jesus.

This song is sung by GloryBound 2008 from Heartland Baptist Bible College.  For a list of more Heartland music, click here.  Any CD from Heartland will be a blessing to you!  This one happens to be one of my personal favorites.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Can't Complain

I always ask each customer how they're doing before I read back their order.  One of our regular customers, Don, had just come up to the window to pay for his chicken biscuit and I casually said hi and asked how he was.  He replied happily, "Can't complain -- won't do me any good!"  I nodded in agreement, finding the statement simple but profound.

How much does it benefit us when we complain?  We might get someone's sympathy, but does that make the situation any better?  Not really.  If anything, we've made it worse by dragging someone else into our pity party.  Granted, there are times when sharing our woes can be beneficial, in the case of a doctor visit or counselling session.  Usually, however, every day complaining consists of more than describing headache symptoms.  We start getting extreme with statements like, "The minute I come into work I just wanna go home," or "My life totally stinks.  I hate my life."

Think about how odd it would have been if Don, who is usually happy-go-lucky, instead replied, "How am I?  Sick, that's what.  I can't believe they made me work today."  I would have been at a loss for words!  Don could have been sick, but I would have never known it.  He knows that saying every thought that comes to our minds does not change our circumstances; it merely vocalizes that misery loves company.

Don's simple proverb inspires me to hold back when I feel like letting out a whiny whimper.  Sometimes they still slip out, but I'm working on it!  =)  I've also tried to get in the habit of encouraging whiners instead of joining their "Poor Me Club."  If you work with or hang around a complainer, listen to her (because many times girls just want to talk out their feelings), then smile, nod, and say something that will make her happy.

Consider the following imaginary conversation:
Paula: I just clocked in and I already want to leave.
Eva: Yeah?  It's been one of those days.
Paula: I don't know if I can take much more of this.  I walk in and I'm already stressed out.  I can't do this.
Eva: (makes eye contact with Paula) I know you can do this.  Just hang in there!  I'll help you if you want.
Paula: I think I'll be fine... Thanks though!

See how Eva changed the mood of the whole scenario?  If she had started complaining too, they would have both been miserable!  Instead she gave Paula a mini pep-talk and, for the time being, they were both happy!  Imagine how much better Paula must feel now.  Now she feels like somebody believes in her and will help her in any way she can.  You can help others around you get through their day, and when you're having "one of those days" yourself, they will be an encouragement to you too!

Sacrifice

Some of the best advice I've ever received was this week while working at the drive-thru window.

A regular customer came through and ordered his usual, and when he reached the window he recognized me from before I left for the school year. As several of my faithful customers had already, he said hello and asked, "Back for the summer?" I told him yes, and that I was working as much as I could until the middle of August when I would return back to college. He smiled and nodded, then commented as he left, "Those who sacrifice get the good stuff."

The good stuff? I thought about it for the rest of the day, and concluded that those words are probably some of the simplest but most meaningful that I've heard at the drive-thru. I wouldn't be surprised if the man was in the military at some point, because all soldiers are trained to sacrifice their comforts in life for a greater good. They know that great victory calls for great sacrifice. They learn by experience that freedom is not free.

God called Abraham to sacrifice the most precious person in his life: his long awaited son, Issac. Has God ever asked you to give back to Him something or someone you thought for sure God was going to let you keep all to yourself? I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God gave Tim to me out of His amazing grace and mercy, but when the opportunity cam for Tim to join GloryBound, I prayed, "But God, you gave him to me! He's mine!"

God not only made it clear that He gave Tim to me, He made it clear that He wanted me to give Tim back to Him. Yes, God brought us together... yes, it was God's will for us to be together... But it was also God's will for Tim to be away from me for extended periods of time. Was God being unfair? No, actually. God is always fair. The truth is, Tim isn't really mine; He belongs to God. God saw fit to separate us for a time to help make Tim into the man of God that I always dreamed of him becoming.

And what is the lesson I'm learning through all of this? Those who sacrifice get the good stuff. When God leads Tim off GloryBound, he will be more prepared for the ministry than he ever could have been with me clinging onto his heels, never letting him out of my sight. I will be more prepared to accept sudden hospital visits and counseling sessions without complaining that he's "always busy." Both of us will benefit from this seeming inconvenience, because when I accept this sacrifice as God's will, we will reap joy that far exceeds any tears we shed.

Where does everything we "have" come from, anyway? Everything and everyone we hold dear belongs to God. That means that God asking Abraham to sacrifice Issac was reasonable because Issac, first and foremost, was God's. Letting go of Tim two summers in a row is the hardest thing I've ever done, but don't forget, God also wanted us together! That means when college and GloryBound are over we have marriage to look forward to! God's plan is always so much better than our own, and when He asks us to sacrifice something precious to us, always remember, "Those who sacrifice get the good stuff."

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I Have Found the Enemy

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.   If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
 

Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
 

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
 

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
 

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
 

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
 

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
 

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
 

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 
Romans 7: 15-25

What you are about to read is the most anti-humanistic post you will ever read in your life!  It has been wisely said, "If God wanted to destroy you, all He would have to do is give you over to your own wicked heart."  Have you ever been bitter, jealous, selfish, or proud?  All of us have, and thinking back to those times reminds us that we are depraved sinners in need of help outside of ourselves.  If all we look to for hope is ourselves, we will find a very shallow well indeed.  In fact, the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, according to Jeremiah 17:9.


When the Heartland staff asked Tim to consider GloryBound, I developed a very selfish attitude and a nasty bitterness.  As far as I was concerned, my summer was ruined and my precious time with Tim was cut in half.  As I mourned in self-pity, I became more and more discouraged, and soon I found myself in deep depression.  As you can see, left to myself, I had no hope.  God was not welcome in the picture and consequently I began sliding down the slippery slope of self destruction.  However, as soon as I trusted God with these circumstances that were beyond my control, my attitude changed.  Consequently, the quality of my summer has changed.

"I have found the enemy.  It is me."  It took me my whole freshman year to come to grips with this unflattering reality.  If you struggle with anger or bitterness toward a situation, let me remind you of something:  Satan doesn't have to do anything to destroy you if he sees you're already destroying yourself.  We destroy ourselves with bad attitudes, because when we develop them, we chip away at our trust in God.  Remember playing the block-stacking game, Jenga?  Every time we give into a fleeting selfish thought we are taking away from our trust in God.  Essentially, we are telling God, "I don't trust You.  I want to run my own life."  After we start removing blocks, it is only a matter of time until our spiritual lives are in ruins.

It is a solemn thought, I know.  On the other hand, nothing can compare to the joy and peace of accepting God's leading hand in our lives.  When I finally let go of all my anger and jealousy, it was like a burden had been lifted off of my back.  No, I wouldn't have chosen what I was going through, but I still had joy.  If you are on the slippery slope of misery, get off!  Life doesn't have to be that way!   He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (Psalm 40:2).

I challenge you to find a quiet place and set aside at least an hour to get serious with God about your attitude.  Don't to the following step until you spend that time with God.  Then, change the way you think.  Next time you automatically think negatively about your less-than-perfect situation, push pause and replace it with Scripture, a catchphrase, a song, or a prayer.  It's not the power of positive thinking, it's training your mind to trust God.  If you can, day by day, gain victory over the way you think, you will have won a battle against your greatest enemy.

Ways to Correct Your Thoughts

After reading "I Have Found the Enemy," consider some of the following ways to think correctly about a situation that would normally cause a negative reaction from you.  Remember, without spending time with God first in prayer and His Word, any attempt we make at improving ourselves will not last.

Thoughts from the Bible

Isaiah 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Genesis 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Philippians 3:13-14  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: 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.

Ecclesiastes 3:11a  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time...

Philippians 4:11-13  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.   I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 Thoughts from the Wise

"Don't pity the petty.  Don't hate the great."   -Bro. Sam Davison

"You may feel lonely at times, but you're never alone."   -Bro. Dave Hardy

"Don't give up what you want the most for what you want at the moment."   -Bro. Jason Gaddis

"Watch your thoughts, they become your words.  Watch your words, they become your actions.  Watch your actions, they become your habits.  Watch your habits, they become your character."   -unknown

Monday, July 12, 2010

Faithful is He

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
I Thessalonians 5:24


This verse is one in a long list of short, seemingly random thoughts Paul spouts off at the very end of his first letter to Thessalonica.  It's right there with the really easy memory verses like "Pray without ceasing" and "Rejoice evermore."  Each verse is so short, and yet, bursting at the seams with truth.  However, what threw me for a loop was the end of verse 24, "who also will do it."  This puzzled me; what exactly is "it"?

These short passages are nice because you can take them almost literally a word at a time and strike with gold with every swing.  "Faithful is He that calleth you" is pretty straightforward.  God has a specific plan for each of us to accomplish in this life, and He is faithful!  Even when we stray from the path, he never gives up on us.  No matter how rough the path may seem, He will never forsake us.

"Who also..."  God didn't just set your life in motion to sit back and watch it spin.  He had your best interest in mind when he called you and He still has your best interest in mind.  These two words illustrate how personal God is.

"...will do it."   What, did you expect to reach your life's goals on your own strength?  If you've ever tried to do anything in life without God's guiding hand, you already know that your chances of success are slim to none!  God is faithful, and has a calling just for you, but only through His strength can you reach it.

Wow, the second half of this verse really puts it all in perspective.  So often we major on the "I can do all things!" but forget that it's only "through Christ which strengtheneth me."  If God brought you to where you are today (which He obviously did!), just trust Him to take care of things.  The "it" in this verse is everything!  If your calling, as of now, is surviving high school and living at home, God will take care of which college you should go to and finding the time to do projects.  If you're in the will of God at college or beyond, trust Him to handle the next bill payment and how much it'll cost to fix the weird sound the car is making.

It only makes sense to trust in Him because He's the only one who can really handle it anyway.  We can control very little of what takes place in our lives, but if God brings us to it, He will bring us through it.  All we have to do is give it over to Him in prayer, leave it there in His hands, and expect that He "also will do it."

Psalm 42

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Almost Morning















If I could summarize all my posts, Psalm and song selections, and comments into one song, it would be this one.

This makes me cry every time I listen to it!  (Don't you hate those?!)  I guess it means that much to me because I know through experience that every word of it is true.

Remember, it's the darkest right before dawn.  Though your night may be as dark as can be... it's Almost Morning.

Stand Still sung by Assurance Trio

At the end of your rope?  Click to listen to Stand Still.  This incredible song is just what we need when we feel like we've reached the end.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Why Go to a Christian College?

My junior and senior year of high school I got bombarded with letters and postcards from various colleges; major universities, local community colleges, and even a few Christian colleges.  I even got information from various branches of the military!  College is a hot topic to the older teen, and requires much prayer and counseling.  I am definitely not an authority on the subject of which specific college each individual should attend, but I will stand adamantly on one issue: Secular colleges should not even be on your list!

One of my professors shared an eye-opening story with us this past year.  His first day of General Psychology at a secular college (bear in mind, this was in the 60's, when Christianity was generally still socially acceptable), his professor asked everyone who believed in God to stand up.  Virtually every student in the classroom rose to their feet.  The professor pointed to each student who was standing and proudly proclaimed, "When you're done with this class you won't."  On the last day of the semester the professor again asked everyone who believed in God to stand up... only a handful stood.  The secular humanist college teachers' agenda is not to teach psychology, biology, or mathematics; it is to destroy your faith in God.

Only a tiny fraction of Christian students remain in church after four years of secular college.  In the above story, my teacher's faith was shaken to its foundations.  He stopped going to church for a while because, for the first time in his life, he was given hundreds of reasons not to believe in God.  He was at a crossroads, and eventually had to choose for himself which book was more credible: the Bible or the Origin of the Species.  His story is not the only one of its kind; each college diploma is a story of how that person decided to stand their ground... or drown in a sea of secular humanism.

If liberal arts is what you'd like to study, there are several Christian colleges that fit the bill.  There you will find not only a challenging academic program, but Christian professors who will strengthen your faith, not weaken it.  If you'd like to become a teacher, musician, or secretary, you might want to look into a Bible College.  They are also a good choice if you're not sure what you'd like to do, as most of them have a one year Bible certificate.  Below are a list of Christian Colleges and Bible Colleges:

Christian Colleges
Pensacola Christian College
Bob Jones University
Liberty University
Bryan College

Bible Colleges
Heartland Baptist Bible College
Crown College
Hyles-Anderson College
Commonwealth Baptist College
Fairhaven Baptist College
Golden State Baptist College
West Coast Baptist College

Saturday, July 10, 2010

He Will Hide Me sung by GloryBound

I love "He Will Hide Me" because it reminds me that we can draw strength from the same God that Job, Elijah, and Moses did!

Joy Comes in the Morning

If you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching, broken heart,
When the things you gave your life to fell apart;
You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,
But the Master promised sunshine after the rain.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

To invest your seed of trust in God in mountains you can't move,
You have risked your life on things you cannot prove;
But to give the things you cannot keep for what you cannot lose,
Is the way to find the joy God has for you.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.
Just in sight!



by Barbara and John Tubbs

Psalm 30

I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Where Is God?

Click to listen to Where Is God?  I love this song because it is encouraging and happy!

Jesus Knows How You Feel

Doesn't it annoy you when someone claims they know how you feel, and you know they don't?  "I know how you feel" is a popular phrase to throw around carelessly, and it gets aggravating to hear when the time comes that you'd like someone around that actually does know how you feel.  Right before Tim left for his second summer on GloryBound I encountered this more times than I could count.  I heard a lot of, "Yeah, my boyfriend and I live in different states, so I know how you feel," and "He and I only see each other at school, so I know how you feel."  The truth is, very few of them actually knew how I felt!  It drove me crazy!

Well, for everyone who shares this sentiment, I have good news for you.  Whether you've been through the mildest or worst of circumstances, there is One who really does know how you feel.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15a).  I know what it's like to suffer loneliness, so I can relate to someone who has suffered the same pain.  I don't know what it's like to have parents go through divorce, so I can't feel the infirmities of someone who does.  However, Jesus can relate to anyone, because when He was on the Cross, he not only bore our sins, but all of our pain, guilt, bitterness, suffering, and infirmities.  Any sin or by-product thereof, He put upon Himself.  Whatever your case may be, Jesus has already been there, and He knows how you feel!

Where Is God?

Remember mom taking you grocery shopping when you were a kid?  The only thing in a grocery store that amused me was the automatic coupon dispensers, and I would spend every spare second playing with them.  I was so obsessed with them that I wouldn't even notice if mom meandered into the next aisle.  Remember the fear that gripped you when you turned around and she wasn't there?!  I would instantly panic and start scanning the aisle for her.  To my relief I discovered she still had her eye on me, and wasn't that far away after all. 

Even though most of us don't still break out in cold sweat every time mother leaves our sight, everyone has experienced the fret of loneliness.  At one point Job felt like he couldn't even find God!  In Job 23:2 he cries out, "Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!"  Job had gone through quite a bit to come to this point.  He had lost his land, livestock, possessions, children, and health.  Everything he had worked for and dreamed of was gone.  Where was God?  Was He gone too?

It is encouraging to know the end of the story.  God had not left Job for a second; He was with him to the very end.  In fact, after Job went through the refiner's fire, the Lord gave him back everything he had lost, times two! The account of Job is encouraging because if Job was never really alone, we have no reason to think we are either.  Yes, there are times when we contemplate the refining process we are going through and ask, "Where is God?"  The answer is found in Job 23:8-12, namely verse 10.

8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:

9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Even when it looks like you're all alone, don't worry... you're not.  The loneliness inside of you may say, "I'm all alone" but God's Word says, "I will never leave thee" (Hebrews 13:5).  In the above passage from Job, verses 11-12 lay out a simple plan for staying on the right path even when it's hard.  It's called a daily walk with God.  Esteem your time with Him as your most important appointment of the day.  Some say breakfast is the most important meal of the day; Job 23:12 says your daily time with God should take precedence over your necessary food.

The Lord knows the way that you take from the "big picture view."  When meteorologists track a storm, they use satellites and other equipment that provide a bird's eye view.  Which would you trust more, a forecaster who uses weather balloons and in-space cameras, or someone who just looks out the window and says, "Oh look, a hurricane... everybody take cover!"  God sees the big picture, which means we can trust Him!  Even better, He is not an impersonal God who just watches things happening down here on earth; He is intricately involved in every area of your life.  Nothing happens to you without His approval and involvement.  No matter what is going on in your life at this very moment, He is right there with you.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

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