Grains of Sand

“ Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statues as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word ” —Psalm 119:12-16, NIV.   Look at the richness in these few verses. “ teach me your decrees ” — To every believer has been given the Holy Spirit who, among other roles, functions as our own private tutor. His delight is to respond to our request to learn more about the “operating manual” that God has placed on our hands. “ recount all ” — What we are given must be personally applied, but that is not the end of the journey. We need to share with others what we learn from the Word of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. “ rejoice in ” — For some, following the Lord seems like such an onerous task. But the psalmist reminds us that we have in our hands, in our hearts, in our minds,...

“ As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him ” —2 Samuel 22:31, NIV. This gem comes in the midst of many more. David is singing praises to God, recounting how God has brought him through so many difficult places during his years of exile being pursued by Saul, and then throughout his years as king. It took a long time for David to finally see the fulfillment of the promise that Samuel made to him when this servant anointed him as king. He was only a boy then, and he would go through some terrifying times before he finally ascended to the throne of Israel. Being king wasn’t always easy either. But as a boy, then as a young man, then as a mature man, David would have wondered in all his dark moments whether or not God was going to make good on his promise. As he sings this song of praise, he remembers those awful times as he rejoices in how God delivered him from them. Without a doubt, we repeat David’s story ...

I didn't quite make it to Word-Filled Wednesday today, but the picture begged to be posted with the verse anyway. The picture reminds me that it is possible to be close to the source of life but never take advantage of it. The result is dead wood instead of living green. Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) " Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers ." Driftwood might make a good decoration, but it's a living tree that produces fruit.