Apr 2 (Psa 119)

Songs of Joy and Praise

Psalm 119

This psalm is long, but if we read it all the way through, we will be blessed. There is so much to learn from this one psalm! I challenge you to read this whole psalm, and see if it doesn't bless you and motivate you to follow God even more!

(v.9) This is good advice for a young man or woman...stay in the Word and walk with God, and you will avoid many troubles you would have if you let the world influence you!

(v.15) This is important for us...we need to sit back and think about God...His characteristics, His ways and His many blessings. So many people who call themselves Christians, don't think about hell, heaven, prophecy or the like. They just go do their church thing on Sundays, and live a worldly life the rest of the week. God wants us to pray to Him many times a day, and to include Him in ALL PARTS of our day.

(v.19) For those of us who are born again, our home is not on this earth. We are travellers here, and we are lost without God.

(v.34) The more we come to know God and His Word, we will understand the Bible better, and it will bring us to another level of comprehension...that's the Holy Spirit at work! John 14:26

(v.37) This is the hardest part about being born again...leaving the things of the world behind. Just like Lot's wife, we want to look back and partake of things we did before we were saved, but they are not constructive for us. God's plans are better for us, so we must let Him guide us.

(v.42) We need to pray and read the Word every day, so we can be confident in what we believe, and be able to witness to others. I sought the Scriptures to see if it was true Acts 17:11 when I was taught something, and I found the Bible to be incredibly accurate and written outside of time. Jesus was all over the Old Testament, and I saw how the Holy Spirit wrote about Him in every book of the Bible!

(v.50) When we are having struggles, we need to go back to God's promise to us...His salvation in His Son. All our worldly troubles are faded away when we remember that God is with us, and He has provided a final resting place for us!

(v.59) This is the definition of repentance...changing our direction, and turning to God.

(v.66) I pray this every day...that God will teach me His ways, and His Word so I can be a better son to Him, a better husband to my wife, and a better Daddy to my kids.

(v.71) Often times, we call out to God when we're in trouble...not so much the rest of the time. God wants us to call out to Him daily, in whatever situation. People often wonder why a loving God would allow death and evil to exist, but they are necessary for us to see Him and His goodness. God didn't create evil...it came about from pride by Lucifer. But as God says in Rom 8:28 He works everything out for good for those that love Him.

(v.73) Whenever I read this, I think of God making and molding us in the womb. He loves us, and He thought of us before He created the universe. John 17:24

(v.83) All of us become discouraged and even doubt our salvation. It's part of our sinful nature. However, as the psalmist writes, even in dark times, God's Word is ingrained upon us, and we never completely walk away from Him.

(v.94) I am yours, save me! How wonderful a verse is this? It is believed that this is what Martin Luther was taught, to help him stay strong in his convictions to reveal the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. We need to be at our end, and completely submit to His will, and He will guide and save us!

(v.98) Unbelievers are usually intellectuals. They think they have figured out life and think that mankind dictates its own destiny. There are so many people with MD, Phd, or the like behind their names, and yet, they are fools. They have rejected God, and they desire the "wisdom" of man instead of God. We who are His, are wise in His Word! 1 Cor 1:27

(v.100) This is something to think about, but we at this time are more knowledgeable of God's Word than those in the times of Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and even the early Church. There have been prophecies that were a mystery to them, that make sense to us today, since time and events in history have revealed their meanings.

(v.102) It is good to use other's input like this blog and great Bible scholars. This blog is a compilation of many years of teaching to me by great men of God. However, no one is a better teacher of the Word than the Holy Spirit. We all should read the Word ourselves, pray and meditate upon what we are reading, and the Spirit will teach us personally!

(v.105) What a vivid picture this paints! God's Word lights the way for us, and we will never be in darkness if we trust in Him!

(v.113) I read this to say that those who straddle the world and the things of God are hypocrites. Trying to love the world and God will not work...we must choose our Master, and follow Him. Matt 6:24

(v.120) We should be afraid of God's wrath. It is terrible. But do not let your heart be troubled, for God has given us a way to avoid His wrath...His Son! Since we know this, we are relieved and grateful to God for doing this for us, and we rejoice and serve Him because of it!

(v.133) Even though we are saved and righteous in Christ, we are still sinners. The psalmist makes a good distinction here...we will sin, but we must not live in habitual sin. In other words, if there is a sin that always turns us away from God on a regular basis, then we must stop. Any sin that has dominion or power over us is not good. Sometimes we'll slip and sin, but if we aren't doing that sin as a lifestyle, then we are still walking with God.

(v.154) How comforting is it, that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, in intercession for us? We have the only case of nepotism that is good! Rom 8:34

(v.160) The Bible is God's Word, and in it's original Hebrew and Greek, is incredibly precise.

(v.164) The psalmist worships God seven times a day, but we who have the Spirit inside us, we can worship God much more than that a day! In our giving, our love, our kindness, our prayers and conversations with God all the day, we worship Him!

(v.172) It is natural and good to share with others what God did for us...be bold and without fear when sharing the Gospel of Christ!

(v.175) God's corrections or disciplines on us are for us to be closer to Him. He uses them to bring us back to Him, and to prepare us for work He has for us.

(v.176) He is our Good Shepherd, and will not let us leave His flock! Matt 18:12