"Blessed is the man who...in His Law (/Words)...meditates ('muse,' or, 'think about something carefully and thoroughly') day and night." (Psalm 1)
"May Day," and the start of a new month of going through the Psalms, i.e. the Words of Jesus, upon which He said that if I build my life, life cannot throw enough of its power at me to defeat me. "As for everyone who comes to Me and hears MY WORDS (Logos) AND PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who DUG DEEP, and laid the foundation ON THE ROCK. When the flood came, the stream beat vehemently against that house BUT COULD NOT SHAKE IT, BECAUSE IT WAS FOUNDED ON THE ROCK." Make absolutely no mistake here. "The Rock," is, "My Words," Jesus' Words, "God-Breathed," Words. Some of us have had, "....the stream beat vehemently against that house", and are still here in overcoming power only because of, "....come to me and...My Words."
Now the natural mind would say that reading the same book over and over is ludicrous. But even the "natural" shows us that you never get everything from anything the first time you encounter it. This is true of books; this is true of movies; this is even true of devotionals, e.g., consider those who have read My Utmost For His Highest every year for years. "My (Jesus') Words," however, are not like other words. They are the Breath of Jesus. One definition for "mouth to mouth resuscitation," is, "Kiss of life." What a marvelous expression for, "The Word of God, " and His Words. Maybe we could say with The Song of Solomon, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." I may sound a little too "far out" here, but the psalmist too says, "Kiss the son...." There is worship here, and there is the reception of the very Life of Jesus, Jesus' Words, unlike all other words, "alive and active...."
So begins another month through the Psalms. I have noted before that the Book of Psalms begins with telling humanity that the really, "Blessed," person is the person who, "....in His Law...meditates day and night." Have you ever listened to and taken note of what people say "blesses me?" Whatever "blessing" you and I have, it is not permanent or unshakable. Any blessing other than, "My Words," are temporary, dependent upon circumstances, less than what can face , "....when the stream beat[s] vehemently against that house." This day and our coming days you and I will not have to wait for some blessing depended upon what we may or may not encounter. We have the "guaranteed" blessing of, "Blessed is the man who is...in His Law...day and night."
Father, in Jesus' name, in a world of, "....the stream beat vehemently against that house", I am so thankful for Your Unshakable Words. Amen.
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Please pray for me as I interview a Holocaust Survivor for the National Day of Prayer and March of Remembrance observances in Pittsburgh. Also I will be praying for our government and Israel in a Pittsburgh suburb's National Day of Prayer observance that evening. May 10 I will be speaking in a prayer breakfast for community leaders, business people, and government officials. We can do so little without the prayers of The Church.
"May Day," and the start of a new month of going through the Psalms, i.e. the Words of Jesus, upon which He said that if I build my life, life cannot throw enough of its power at me to defeat me. "As for everyone who comes to Me and hears MY WORDS (Logos) AND PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who DUG DEEP, and laid the foundation ON THE ROCK. When the flood came, the stream beat vehemently against that house BUT COULD NOT SHAKE IT, BECAUSE IT WAS FOUNDED ON THE ROCK." Make absolutely no mistake here. "The Rock," is, "My Words," Jesus' Words, "God-Breathed," Words. Some of us have had, "....the stream beat vehemently against that house", and are still here in overcoming power only because of, "....come to me and...My Words."
Now the natural mind would say that reading the same book over and over is ludicrous. But even the "natural" shows us that you never get everything from anything the first time you encounter it. This is true of books; this is true of movies; this is even true of devotionals, e.g., consider those who have read My Utmost For His Highest every year for years. "My (Jesus') Words," however, are not like other words. They are the Breath of Jesus. One definition for "mouth to mouth resuscitation," is, "Kiss of life." What a marvelous expression for, "The Word of God, " and His Words. Maybe we could say with The Song of Solomon, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." I may sound a little too "far out" here, but the psalmist too says, "Kiss the son...." There is worship here, and there is the reception of the very Life of Jesus, Jesus' Words, unlike all other words, "alive and active...."
So begins another month through the Psalms. I have noted before that the Book of Psalms begins with telling humanity that the really, "Blessed," person is the person who, "....in His Law...meditates day and night." Have you ever listened to and taken note of what people say "blesses me?" Whatever "blessing" you and I have, it is not permanent or unshakable. Any blessing other than, "My Words," are temporary, dependent upon circumstances, less than what can face , "....when the stream beat[s] vehemently against that house." This day and our coming days you and I will not have to wait for some blessing depended upon what we may or may not encounter. We have the "guaranteed" blessing of, "Blessed is the man who is...in His Law...day and night."
Father, in Jesus' name, in a world of, "....the stream beat vehemently against that house", I am so thankful for Your Unshakable Words. Amen.
*********************************
Please pray for me as I interview a Holocaust Survivor for the National Day of Prayer and March of Remembrance observances in Pittsburgh. Also I will be praying for our government and Israel in a Pittsburgh suburb's National Day of Prayer observance that evening. May 10 I will be speaking in a prayer breakfast for community leaders, business people, and government officials. We can do so little without the prayers of The Church.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
