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At the same time, we look
forward anticipating the opportunity of another year in which we
may magnify His name. Glenda and I covet your prayers as we step
through the doorway of another year; may we use that which has
been given to the fullness of its potential!
There are several things that
we would appreciate you helping us to pray about. (1) My
mother’s health continues to decline a little every month. She
is still able to maintain her independence at this time, but is
increasingly requiring more and more attention. We desire the
leadership of the Lord in providing for her needs. (2) While I
have no direction at this time concerning the purchase of a
vehicle, my car has almost 210,000 miles on it. Having done some
major work on it in September, I hope to get another 30,000
miles out of it. Please pray for God’s perfect will to be done
in this matter. (3) Please pray for the doors of opportunity
that God has placed before Glenda and me. There continually
seems to be a rising trend of apathy in the borders of our great
land. Our churches are increasingly becoming more socially
sensitive at the expense of being spiritually sensitive. The
congregation is manipulated by the treads of society and
repulsed by the truth of the Scriptures. It is increasingly
becoming a day in which the people rule; it is a sign of the
last days! Please pray for a move of God and that the fires of
revival will begin to burn! (4) Please pray that God will
continue to supply Glenda and me the necessary means to do the
work that He has called us and that He will give us sufficient
health and strength to help reap the harvest.
Thanks for being part of our
spiritual family! We appreciate you visiting with us and look
forward to seeing you next month. May the Lord richly bless you
with the awareness of His presence and the sweetness of His
peace!
The Right Thing to Do!
Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.”
We are daily bombarded with
choices in life. There are physical, emotional, social, and
spiritual choices that continually call for our discernment.
These are crossroads that are not to be taken lightly! It is
necessary to be mindful that every choice brings with it
consequences; some positive and some negative, depending on the
wisdom of the choice. The Psalmist places before us a choice
that he has made! It is a spiritual choice and it is a smart
choice! It is the right thing to do!
(I) The Right Principle -
“Thy word”
When it comes to the foundational
principles of life, there are many, many things from which to
choose! Of those many things, what does one chose for the basis
of life; that which gives guidance to the pursuits of life?
There are many that would say that we need look no farther than
one’s self. The book of Judges closes with such a
mentality, “every man did that which was right in his own
eyes” (Judges 21:25). One does not have to live very long to
realize that this is a faulty principle! Tainted by sin, the
internal compass of man consistently leads man in the path of
destruction. Another principle of guidance was one that
consistently manifested itself in the days of our Lord was,
“ye hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). This principle is
no better than the first because it finds its origin in man!
When we turn to either of these two principles the results are
the same, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but
the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). The
Psalmist turns from the principles of men and unto the Master,
“Thy word.” The right principle for life is found within
the borders of the Word of God. You will never go wrong by
turning to the Word of God for guidance in any area of your
life. It is right because of the Word’s endurance, “For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). It is right because of the Word’s
enlightenment, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light
unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). What will you choose to be
the guiding principle of life? Make the right choice; make it
“Thy word.”
(II) The Right Practice –
“have I hid”
The psalmist had not only the
right principle; he had the right practice, “have it hid.”
There are numerous individuals that will readily admit that the
Word of God is the right principle, but treat it like a
decorative ornament for the house. It is something to be set up
and viewed from a distance. It may have even been declared as
something of great worth and worthy of honor, but it never
becomes personal. It forever remains an inanimate object. The
phrase “have I hid” means to hide by implication to hoard
or reserve, to protect, to esteem, to keep in a secret place. If
the Word of God is to be that guiding principle, then it must be
given access to one life. Its worth is not just revealed in
appreciation, but application.
(III) The Right Place –
“in mine heart”
The psalmist has made an
important discovery that multitudes fail to grasp in a lifetime!
The right practice must be coupled with the right place! Of
those that will give the Word of God access to their lives, most
will limit the Word’s access by time or territory. For some the
word is given access on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and
Wednesday night. For them, there is a spiritual and a social
side to life and the Word is only permitted access during the
time set aside for spiritual activity. For others, the time is
not limited, but the territory is! The word has access to the
head, but not the heart. When the word is limited to the head,
man judges the word. When the word is given access to the heart,
the word judges the man. The phrase “in mine heart” means
the heart and it is used for the feelings, the will and even the
intellect. It is the very center of everything. The psalmist has
given the Word of God total and unrestricted access to his life,
that’s the right place.
(IV) The Right Purpose –
“that I might not sin against thee.”
It is only when you give the Word
of God the right place that you can expect it to accomplish the
right purpose, “that I might not sin against thee.” It is
at this point that we can get the cart before the horse. While
the psalmist is deeply concerned with sin, “that I might not
sin,” he is more concerned with the Sovereign, “against
thee.” When confessing the wickedness of his sin; David
said, “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is
ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done
this evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51:3-4). When one becomes
concerned about offending the character of God, that concern
will generate a desire to be obedient to the commands of God!
Many individuals hold sin in check because they fear combat with
God while they care nothing for what their sin does to the
character of God. They are more concernd with the punishment of
God than they are the person of God.
When it came to the choices of
life, the psalmist made the right choice. He chose the right
principle, the right practice, the right place, and the right
purpose. Why? It was just the right thing to do!
Thanks for coming by. May God
Bless you!
Because of Him,
Brother Bobby &
Sister Glenda
Hebrews 9:28
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