Reject your heart of stone, Get a new living model!

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heartToday I am beginning a new series on the heart.  There are at least 100 scriptures that focus on the heart, so it must be of great importance to God.   I found there are scriptures that talk about God’s Work in our hearts, the true nature of our hearts and what a transformed heart looks like.   The materials I have show the most ‘popular’ verses- people actually voted, so perhaps they were either most helpful, most revealing or most convicting.  I love it that the most loved verses deal with God’s Work in our hearts.  It gives us a good place to begin.

Ezekiel 36:26 is one of the key verses in this summary of prophesies God gave to the children of Israel in Ezekiel 36.  Look at what God said He would do:  22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name…  23 I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations… 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.  25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I heart of stone heart of fleshwill cleanse you.  26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.  28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.  29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.”

God said He would do all these things to and for His believing children.  He would vindicate or show the holiness of  His name to them and the world,  He would bring them back to the land (they were in Babylon in exile at the time), He would cleanse them, He would give them a new heart, He would put His spirit within them, He promised them long life in the land and great fruitfulness.  As I read this list of promises God gave them, I realized that some were fulfilled then with their return to the Promised Land but many were fulfilled much later.  Jesus came and brought cleansing and healing through His death and resurrection.   At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell the believers through faith because of Jesus’ work on the cross.  Israel is again a nation and is amazingly fruitful.  It is a wonder in the desert and blooms as God intended under their care.

new heartThrough Jesus’ Work on the cross and resurrection from the dead, we can live forgiven and be filled with His Holy Spirit.  We can have the new heart that God desires for us.  He says in verse 26, He will give us a new heart.  This heart will be soft, pliable and alive with faith and devotion to Him.  With this new heart, we can live for him.  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”   We are new creatures with a new heart through Christ.  Do you feel like you have a heart of stone?  Are you hard-hearted towards others, unfeeling about the difficulties in your life and their lives, do you shut out God?  Or do you claim a new heart through Jesus that is open, willing, compassionate and loving towards those in your life?

Claim your new heart in Jesus today and watch God transform you and give you a heart of flesh and feeling and take away your heart of stone that was filled with sinful self-desires.  Turn to Jesus and He will transform your heart.

Seeking transformation of heart,

Linda

A Treasure Chest of provisions for you and me!

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psalm119Today as I reflect on Psalm 119 for the last time, I am looking at the list I made of just a few of the things the psalmist found.   This glorious psalm is a song of praise to God and a declaration of the psalmist’s faith in God Almighty.

He found:   joy in seeking God,  2 “Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him    with all their hearts.”    a way to purity, 11 “I have hidden your word in my heart,  that I might not sin against you.”   answers for living, 32  “I will pursue your commands,  for you expand my understanding.”  answers for persecutors, 42 “Then I can answer those who taunt me,  comfort and hope,  49-50  “Remember your promise to me;  it is my only hope.  Your promise revives me;  it comforts me in all my troubles.  for I trust in your word.”  security, 86 “All your commands are trustworthy.  Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.”   meditations that bring understanding, 103-4 “How sweet your words taste to me;  they are sweeter than honey.  Your commandments give me understanding;  no wonder I hate every false way of life.”    guidance, 105 “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”  a shield and refuge, 114  “You are my refuge and my shield;  your word is my source of hope”   resolve to stand with the right, 128 “Each of your commandments is right.   That is why I hate every false way.”  expectations, 131 “I pant with expectation,  longing for your commands.”  sorrow over evil, 136 “Rivers of tears gush from my eyes  because people disobey your instructions.”  God’s righteousness, 137  “O Lord, you are righteous,  and your regulations are fair.”  truth, 160 The very essence of your words is truth;  all your just regulations will stand forever. “  the Sovereignty of God, 168 “Yes, I obey your commandments and laws because you know everything I do.”  that God seeks the lost, 176  “I have wandered away like a lost sheep;  come and find me,  for I have not forgotten your commands.”

This is an amazing list of things the psalmist understood because he believed in God and took His Word seriously.  How precious is God’s Word to you?  Meditate on this list of things the psalmist found- how many of them can you claim to have found in God’s Word?  Seek Him in His Word and see what you find.

Blessings as you seek Him too,

Linda

Going astray-our struggle, seeking the lost-God’s eternal position

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As the psalmist reaches the end of the alphabet (taw), he reflects on the power of God and pleads for understanding and deliverance.  169 “Let my cry come before you, O Lord;  give me understanding according to your word!  170 Let my plea come before you;  deliver me according to your word.”   Next, he speaks of how he worships God both privately and publicly. 171 “My lips will pour forth praise,  for you teach me your statutes. 172 My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.”  He knows for certain that God will be with him and is always ready to deliver him.  He knows God is true to His Word and he depends upon it.  173 “‘Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.  174 I long for your salvation, O Lord,  and your law is my delight.  175 Let my soul live and praise you,  and let your rules help me.”  Lastly, he ends this great psalm with a true confession.  He admits that he has wandered away from God’s truths and he implores God to continue to seek him and remind him of His ways.  176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,  for I do not forget your commandments.”

sinThe apostle Paul speaks of ‘going astray’ as the constant struggle he has with sin and not doing what God wants him to do.  In Romans 7:15-20 Paul lays his heart bear and shares his personal struggle with sin just like the psalmist has been doing in Psalm 119.  As you read these verses, see if you too can identify with Paul and the psalmist.  “5 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

In addition to his struggle with ‘going astray’  the psalmist feels like a lost sheep, wandering away from the Lord.  Jesus told God’s view of lost sheep in his parable of the lost sheep that is found in both Matthew and Luke.  He knew God is the good shepherd who seeks and finds the lost believers.  “So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-lost sheepnine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”  Luke 15:3-7   When the psalmist begs God to seek and find him, we know that is exactly what God can and will do for each of us.  God will faithfully find those who are open to Him and are seeking to know Him.  Jesus saves those who are lost.

As you reflect and meditate on this last portion of Psalm 119, do you identify with the psalmist and Paul on the struggle to walk daily with the Lord and follow His pathway?  Are you confident that God continually seeks you because you are precious to Him?  

faithful God“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”  Hebrews 10:23

Linda

 

Faith=treasure, truth, peace and knowledge of God

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care-trustAs the psalmist nears the end of his lengthy outpouring of praises and petitions to God in Psalm 119:161-168, he lays bare before God his struggles with persecutors.  He relies upon God’s Word and character to uphold him.  “Powerful people harass me without cause,  but my heart trembles only at your word.   I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure.“(161-2)  He knows that God’s Word contains power to overcome and sustain.  He considers it a treasure.  He also discovered that as he called upon God throughout the day he received peace and had strength to face the tough circumstances he encountered. ” I will praise you seven times a day because all your regulations are just.  Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble. (164-5)  The psalmist concludes with what he knows about God.  He is the one who saves.  “I long for your rescue, Lord, so I have obeyed your commands.” (166)   God knows him intimately and loves his obedience. “Yes, I obey your commandments and laws  because you know everything I do.” (168)  

Is God’s Word a treasure for you? Do you gain power to overcome by reading and meditating upon it’s truths?  Do you pray throughout the day reminding yourself of the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit?  Do you find peace? Do you obey and trust God because you know His character?  Do you know that He knows you personally?   Can you join the psalmist in obedience to God’s Word because of who He is and what He does?  The psalmist trusted God in all things and called upon Him throughout his day in faith.  Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 and 6 “Faith shows the reality of faith tells mewhat we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”  “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”   Making God real involves faith in who He is and what He has done for us in Jesus.  Pleasing God involves seeking Him and accepting the gift of faith in Jesus.  He promises sincere seeking will be rewarded by faith.

Walking by faith in God and His Word is the psalmists answer to life’s problems, may it be mine also.

Linda

An Absolute for Life

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feed-on-the-wordIn Psalm 119:153-160 the psalmist proclaims God’s deliverance, salvation and compassion.  He has discovered these truths about God through his life’s experiences.  His conclusion in verse 160 is profound.  “All your words are true;  all your righteous laws are eternal.”  He concludes that God’s Word, the Bible, is entirely true and the principles God provides within are everlasting and unchanging.   He does not have to worry about discrepancy, errors, half-truths, or changing attitudes to adapt to society.  Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  We do not need to worry that God will change His plans, change His mind about loving and forgiving us as He is unchangeable in all His ways.  That fact alone is comforting as it gives us something to hold onto when everything else in life seems to be swirling and changing.  The psalmist also understood the trans-formative power of God’s Word. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”   God’s Word is alive and working in our lives.  His Word penetrates our thoughts and minds helping us to live like 2Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.“

Gods-Word-brings-peace-1How about you?  Do you know for certain that you can rely upon God and His Word?  Is it an absolute in your life?  As you meditate today on these verses, allow God to speak to you and clarify, strengthen and reveal to you the truth of His Word.  I pray that you will arrive at the same conclusion the psalmist did about God and His Word:  “All your words are true;  all your righteous laws are eternal.” 

Blessings today as you meditate upon the truth of God’s Word.

Linda

God’s Character Proclaimed, can you?

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god-speaks-listenThe psalmist reveals how he knows and sees God in this Qoph portion of Psalm 119:145-152.  He is struggling with persecution and fears for his life, but he stands on the truth of God’s Word and character.  Read this section from the Message and let it speak to you.   145-152 I call out at the top of my lungs,
    “God! Answer! I’ll do whatever you say.”          The psalmist knew God is Accessible.
I called to you, “Save me
    so I can carry out all your instructions.”            He knew God is a Savior.
I was up before sunrise,
    crying for help, hoping for a word from you.     
I stayed awake all night,
    prayerfully pondering your promise.               He knew God was with him 24/7.
In your love, listen to me;
    in your justice, God, keep me alive.                  He knew God listens. 
As those out to get me come closer and closer,                         
    they go farther and farther from the truth you reveal;          He knew God 
But you’re the closest of all to me, God,                            knew his enemies.
    and all your judgments true.
I’ve known all along from the evidence of your words      God and His Word are 
    that you meant them to last forever.                             eternal and trustworthy.

Do your words reflect what you know and believe about God?         Is He Accessible to you 24/7?           Do you feel that you can call upon Him to save you and preserve you in the difficulties of life?       Do you know that God is omniscient and knows what you face each day?         Do you stand on His Word with confidence and believe that His Word is eternal and will last throughout the generations? 

god-always-has-something-for-youThe psalmist was confident God would answer as he laid his heart open before Him?  Will you present your difficulties and fears before God today and call upon Him for help?   He will answer and bring you peace and comfort as you cling to the truth of who God is and what He can do.  God is totally trustworthy and keeps His promises.

Blessings today as you cling to God.

Linda

The reality of my righteousness and God’s Righteousness

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Psalm 119:137-144 focuses on God’s Righteousness as the psalmist says he sees God’s character in His Word.  137 Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules.
138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness  and in all faithfulness.   Later in verse 147 he points to the righteousness of God and His Word that is eternal.  Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true.

Why is it important to know that God and His Word are righteous?  Righteous is by definition being morally right, just, virtuous, and upright.  If we do not have  a holy and righteous God, we are lost without hope.  In our sinful state, fallen and alienated by sin, there is no way for us to be made righteous.  God, in His mercy, had a plan to redeem us and make us right with Him.  Jesus was His answer to our sinfulness and through Him He made a way for us to put on God’s righteousness.  Romans 3-22 RighteousnessRomans 3:22-23 ” 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   1 Corinthians 1:30 “30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,”  These are just a few of the many verses that speak of Jesus’ work on the cross that imputed God’s righteousness to us.  

The psalmist knew that he was not righteous.  He knew he was sinful and in verse 141 he says “Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.”   He knew the truth of God’s righteousness and the truth of God’s Word as he ends this portion with verse 142, “Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.”   He knew that believing that he himself was righteous would lead to wrong thinking, pride, arrogance and self-boasting.  Knowing we can rely upon the rightness of God’s Word, we can depend upon the direction and guidance we receive as we read and study His Word.

Today as you reflect on these verses, think about your own attitude towards righteousness.  Do you assume you are a good person, righteous and worthy of praise from men?  When I begin thinking like that, I am reminded in humility of Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 64:6 ” We are all infected and impure with sin.  When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.  Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,  and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

Praise be to Jesus, the one who saves and presents us in right standing before God!  Praise be to God that His Word is eternally true and guides us to live as He desires.

Linda

 

Why the tears?

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Psalm 119:129-136 opens with praise and awe over the amazing depth of God’s Word.  Your laws are wonderful.
    No wonder I obey them!
130 The teaching of your word gives light,
    so even the simple can understand.   So many times I have heard people say that the Bible is too hard to understand.  Here the psalmist is declares that even the young or less trained can understand.  How is that possible?   Understanding comes from God, so with prayer, meditation, the right translation and through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit believers can read and understand that which God has for them in His Word.  
131 I pant with expectation,
    longing for your commands.
132 Come and show me your mercy,
    as you do for all who love your name.   The psalmist looks with great expectation into God’s Word.  He is looking for mercy and love.  These are tangible confirmations of faith for him.  When you read God’s Word, do you read with expectation?  Do you look for His mercy and love?  Think back, when you read the Bible do you find that you are filled with peace, understanding and hope?  Have you ever opened its pages seeking advice or help or comfort?  The psalmist has faith that God will answer his needs and then provide him with direction.
133 Guide my steps by your word,
    so I will not be overcome by evil.
134 Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
    then I can obey your commandments.   He trusts in the guidance of God and knows titus 2 14that the Word will lead him to victory.  He claims God as his guide and redeemer!  He refers to being ransomed or bought back from evil.  This is what Christ did for us.  In Paul’s letter to Titus he puts it this way, “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” Titus 2:14
135 Look upon me with love;
    teach me your decrees.    The psalmist trusts God to look upon him with love.  He knows that God is immutable and will always be loving, slow to anger and filled with compassion.  He looks for teaching from God as he trusts God.
136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
    because people disobey your instructions.  The last lines of this section of Psalm 119 really spoke to me.  The psalmist is proclaiming to God that he is distressed to the point of tears over those who disobey and reject God’s Word.  I asked myself, does the psalm 119 136rejection of the truth of God’s Word and His ways bring me to tears?  Do I sorry for those that do not believe or those that profess to believe and do not live by the standards God desires?  If I am  brought to tears, then my response should be one of love and restoration not condemnation.  Pray, pray, pray for the light of God to be made known to them.  God has ways of  reaching those who we consider unreachable.  Look what He did to confront Saul, the chief persecutor of early Christians. He brought him to his knees and to faith in Jesus.  Read his miraculous story in Acts 9.   Lift your tears up to God and ask Him to work on the person who you are concerned about, to bring them to faith and change their life.  Many times I have heard stories of people praying for individuals for years and years before they came to faith.  God calls us to be persistent and filled with hope at their redemption. 

God’s Word fills us with expectation, hope, love, and guidance as He points us to His truths that are eternal and filled with redemption.

Linda

What is your resolve in hard times?

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As I meditate upon Psalm 119:121-128, I am reminded of how often we get ‘stuck’ in a place in life and feel it will never end.  When we pass through that time and look back it does not seem that it was that long.  Yet, while we are in the midst of the struggle it seems forever.  In these verses the psalmist is struggling with oppressors that are closing in upon him and pleads with God “do not leave me to my oppressors.”  He asks for help, “Ensure your servant’s well-being and let not the arrogant oppress me.”  He feels that apart from the salvation of the Lord, “My eyes fail, looking for your salvation , looking for your righteous promise.”  But he rallies and asks God to show him love. “Deal with me according to your love.”  He then asks for understanding and discernment so he can understand God’s plan.  “I am your servant give me discernment that I may understand your statues.”   He concludes with his own resolve about God, “Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong.”  

ResolveHow do you recover your resolve when you struggle with hard people, difficult circumstances or your own unbelief?  The psalmist resolved to trust God and stand on His Word.  Even when we do not understand we can make up our minds to believe God for who He is and what He says.  This will give us hope and bring us through those hard times.  Resolve today to stand with God and believe His Word.  He always proves Himself faithful.

Endeavoring to walk in Trust,

Linda

Standing in awe or doubt?

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In Psalm 119:113-120 there are a couple of key verses I want to focus on in today’s blog.  The psalmist contrasts those that oppose God and the resource of God’s Word for those that believe.

psalm 119 120113  I hate double-minded people,
    but I love your law.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
    I have put my hope in your word.
115 Away from me, you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commands of my God!   

 He first points out the presence of double-minded people that waver in their commitment to God as being a distraction to the believer.  James 1:6,8 describes this type of individual.  “6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”  A double-minded person is trying to be guided by and committed to the world and does not have a solid faith in God.  The effect of such thinking and actions is instability in conduct and thought.  The next group the psalmist reveals as opposing the believer are evildoers.  The Bible speaks often about evildoers or those that work against God and his followers.  1 Peter 2:12 puts it this way, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”  Evildoers seek to bring us down with their accusations and ruin our witness in the world. 

The psalmist seeks to contrast the effects of the double-minded and evildoers with the consistency and reliability of God’s Word.  He speaks of God’s Word as a refuge that shields us and gives us hope (114).  He concludes this section with a profound statement about God’s Word.  In verse 120 he says, “My flesh trembles in fear of you;   I stand in awe of your laws.”  He has such great reverence for God that he describes himself as trembling and his faith in God results in profound adoration and awe for God’s Word.  Praise God for the power of His Word!

The psalmist’s response to God’s Word challenges us today.  Do you hold to God’s Word when assaulted by evildoers and double-minded people?  Is God’s Word your hope and shield?  Do you see the power and might of God revealed in His Word?  The psalmist assures us that we will find hope, strength, love, peace and direction when we stand in awe of God’s Word and cling to it.  His Word will keep us from being double-minded, firmly rooted and grounded in faith and able to withstand the waves of doubt we encounter each day.

restoring the aweStanding in awe of the power of God’s Word,

Linda