The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." Psalm 19:8 NIV
Precepts: the laws, the ways the instructions. They give joy. Commands: the instruction, the direction, the motivation. They give light. Joy & Light are attractive ~ they are desirable attainments. Precepts & Commands are difficult ~ they require subservient action. You can't have one without the other, though. If you want joy then you need to do what you know needs to be done. If you want to be a light to those around you there needs to be a different set of actions at work in your life. You need to follow God's Word and His commands more than you do the crowd. (This includes the command, "love others as you love yourself.") The two, Joy & Light, go hand in hand. Have you ever seen a joyful person who wasn't also a light to those around? Or a person who just seemed to shine who didn't have joy? However, the hands don't work without the muscles in them...the tendons and the mind to tell them what to do. These are the Precepts & Commands. Without knowing and doing what is right in God's eyes there will never be Joy & Light. You can act happy and be nice to people, but without fully immersing Yourself in Him...body, mind and spirit...you will never know complete Joy & Light.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ephesians 1:11
"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for."
Ephesians 1:11 The Message
So many times we hear it. "Who am I? What am I supposed to do with my life? Where am I supposed to go after this time in my life? What's Your Will, Lord?" I love how Eugene Peterson takes the fact that we are made for a purpose..."predestined according to His purpose" as the NASB version says...and takes away all the question of what does this mean? It means that when we seek HIM and HIS righteousness we will know who we are...where we should go...what we should do...and for Whom we do it all. As we draw closer to The Very One who created us in our mother's womb ~ who knit us together as He laid out His plan for our lives ~ we discern the road before us. And when we get there we know the path which we should take.
But only when we remember the first three words of this verse: "It's IN CHRIST..."
Ephesians 1:11 The Message
So many times we hear it. "Who am I? What am I supposed to do with my life? Where am I supposed to go after this time in my life? What's Your Will, Lord?" I love how Eugene Peterson takes the fact that we are made for a purpose..."predestined according to His purpose" as the NASB version says...and takes away all the question of what does this mean? It means that when we seek HIM and HIS righteousness we will know who we are...where we should go...what we should do...and for Whom we do it all. As we draw closer to The Very One who created us in our mother's womb ~ who knit us together as He laid out His plan for our lives ~ we discern the road before us. And when we get there we know the path which we should take.
But only when we remember the first three words of this verse: "It's IN CHRIST..."
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Exodus 13: 17
Exodus 13: 17 (NIV)
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."
I will confess that I wonder at times what my life would be like if my path had taken me someplace else. Would I have the same sex and age of children? Would there be other similarities in my life? How would life really be different if (fill in the blank) had (or hadn't) happened? Well, this verse tells me I can wonder all I want but ultimately I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. How? "For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."" God knew the Israelites better than the Israelites knew the Israelites. This says to me what Garth Brooks says oh so eloquently..."Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." He truly knows the path of least resistance...and He knows how to get us where He wants us to go. Our job is to follow Him and trust His hand implicitly.
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."
I will confess that I wonder at times what my life would be like if my path had taken me someplace else. Would I have the same sex and age of children? Would there be other similarities in my life? How would life really be different if (fill in the blank) had (or hadn't) happened? Well, this verse tells me I can wonder all I want but ultimately I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. How? "For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."" God knew the Israelites better than the Israelites knew the Israelites. This says to me what Garth Brooks says oh so eloquently..."Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." He truly knows the path of least resistance...and He knows how to get us where He wants us to go. Our job is to follow Him and trust His hand implicitly.
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