Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. Psalms 119:151(ESV) The Psalmist knows that Yahweh (LORD) is near, yet he did not have God’s Spirit indwelling him, nor was he united with Christ, the incarnation of the Son. So how much more is it true for us that God is near? He is inside us, nearer than any human could be. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV). “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13, ESV). What are the benefits of God being inside us? It means that we are united to him and that he is in on our side. He is aware of everything in our lives and guides us into his blessings. Regardless Continue Reading →

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalms 119:130 (ESV) We are born without an understanding of the truth. We cannot see the reality behind the physical world around us. But God had mercy on us and told us the truth, which showered light on our world so we could see the reality of God behind all things. Even better, his words are the path to reunion with him and the restoration of his image in us. Regardless of our education, we can be wiser than a university full of professors if we absorb and follow God’s words. God would not allow people with higher education to have a spiritual advantage over others. Instead, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” (1 Cor. 1:27, ESV). How blessed are we that we have the words of God? The Old Testament Continue Reading →

103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 111 Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. Psalms 119:103, 111 (NIV) The Psalmist did not have the words of Jesus, yet the Old Testament law was a sweet joy to him. How much sweeter are the words of Jesus and his Apostles? How much more joy do we have in the words of mercy and love that fulfilled and perfected the Old Testament law? Jesus said, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3, NIV). And “you are the light of the world” (Mt. 5:14, NIV). And “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Mt. 6:20). How more blessed can we be? We are the poor but we are the light of the world and we have an eternal treasure in Continue Reading →

Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Psalms 119:89-90 (NIV) In this life so much of what surrounds us is temporary. People come and go. Ideas come and go. Congregations come and go. Our favorite things come and go. We have no permanent anchor in this world. But truths and promises that God has spoken are permanent. They are eternal in the heavens, never changing and always good. His words are for our benefit and we can rely on them because God is faithful through all the generations of humanity. Our society may change for the worse and try to convince us that it is a waste of time to pursue holiness, but God’s words do not change and pursuing holiness will gain us far more than anything that can be gained on Continue Reading →

The law from your mouth is more precious to methan thousands of pieces of silver and gold. Psalms 119:72 (NIV) The Psalmist was referring to the laws that Yahweh gave Israel through Moses. Elsewhere, this Psalmist refers to them as precepts, decrees, commands and statutes. These laws were worth more than a fortune in gold and silver. Yahweh’s laws allowed the Psalmist to live an upright and fruitful life, in contrast to many others around him. Yahweh’s truths gave the Psalmist blessing (119:1), counsel (119:24), hope (119:43) freedom (119:45), knowledge (119:66) and good judgment (119:66). They kept him from worthless things (119:37). How much more valuable are God’s commands under the New Covenant! Jesus taught us how to live a fruitful and fulfilled life in a painful and hostile world. He taught us how to walk in the Spirit and put his Spirit inside us so we could follow his Continue Reading →