A Thought on Mercy and Forgiveness

Praise the Lord for the mercy He shows to us every day! It is amazing to me that He is so very merciful and forgiving to us as fallen human beings. It is a great privilege to be able to go to my God and ask forgiveness, knowing that He will give it to me. Another thing that is so wonderful is the fact that once it is forgiven it is never brought back to mind by the Lord. Satan would use past failure to discourage, but God's word says that it is put as far away as the east is from the west! And because it is we can and should be constantly thanking the Lord for it.
The thought for today is are we dwelling on our failures (or success)? Paul says that he wanted to "forget those things which are behind" so that he could with new found zeal reach forward to that which was before him. Are we to busy wondering if the sin we confessed is really forgiven? or do we claim the promise of Scripture that it is far from the Lord? Let us walk in rejoicing for the forgiveness and mercy of God. Don't stay discouraged by Satan. Rise again (Prov. 24:16) with the Lord's help and put it all behind you--God has (it is all under the blood.)

(For more encouragement see Psalm 32 and Psalm 51--the end is great!)

Power to Prevail!

Psalm 119:95
Satan is seeking to destroy me (1Pe_5:8). He is out to ruin my usefulness for the work of the Lord, and will stop at nothing to do so. The question I have to ask myself is "What do I find myself meditating on?" Here the psalmist is saying that he knows people are out to destroy him and his usefulness in the ministry, but he is still going to consider the testimonies of the LORD. He is sitting in sweet meditation on the testament of God's truth and heeding the warnings God gives about sin in spite of people trying to ruin his reputation. He knows that God is more important than anything, and God will protect him from the attacks of those who are trying to destroy him (see Daniel 6). What a challenge...to sit in meditation on the testament of God's truth in the face of opposition from the enemy himself!
I need to choose to study the Word of God over the things that are going on around me. Without the Word I find myself in a very weak and vulnerable state because of spiritual malnutrition. I need to have a hunger for what the Word has to teach me, so when the enemy does come throughout the day I can fight with full strength. I need to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mat_5:6), I need an attitude that longs for the Word (Psa_42:1), and I need to trust in the power of the Word to change my life and help me overcome the enemy.
When I live in fixed meditation of Your testimonies the enemy cannot prevail. Help me to meditate on them continuously throughout the day. Help me to walk with a mind that is totally fixed on You! I need Your strength to overcome the enemy and it is not found anywhere apart from prayer and Your word. Help me to study Your word, to love Your word, to esteem it above everything else. Give me a thirst that cannot be quenched and a hunger that cannot be satisfied for Your precious word.

Thought for the Day: Stay in fixed meditation on the testaments of God's truth and His warnings against sin, and the enemy will not prevail!

A Thought on Psalm 119:165

As I have studied this verse I have seen some very wonderful thoughts. One of which I was very encouraged by. Spurgeon in his Treasury of David writes, "These men are ever striving, with all their hearts, to walk in obedience to the law, and though they are often persecuted they have peace, yea, great peace; for they have learned the secret of the reconciling blood, they have felt the power of the comforting Spirit, and they stand before the Father as men accepted." Here he is talking about those who love the teaching and instruction of the Lord. He precedes this statement by explaining that these men were not men who totally kept the law completely. He ends his commentary on this verse with another wonderful statement about the peace that those who love the Lord have. "That peace which is founded upon conformity to God's will is a living and lasting one, worth writing of with enthusiasm, as the Psalmist here does." This thought was an encouraging one to me because it even further confirms God's call for me, because the peace that I have is founded on doing God's will.
What an awesome thought! As I love the teaching and instruction of God's truth and follow it; He will give me peace, but not just peace...He will give me great peace...a peace that passes all understanding (Phi_4:7). It is a wonderful thought as well that the more and more I dwell on Him and His teaching of truth (found in His Word), He will keep me in perfect peace (Isa_26:3). Oh, that I would have a life controlled by the wonderful peace of God--found through the teaching of His glorious truth, so that I would not cause others to offend nor would I be offended.

Thought for the Day: Am I letting the peace of God rule in my heart by loving His teaching and instruction of truth? What am I doing to be a stumbling block to others today because I'm not living according to God's teaching and instruction of truth?