Let the thought of God allure thee

Lately I have been reading The Pursuit of God. I'm not familiar with the author, though I do recognize his name. I don't yet have any comments on the devotionals themselves, but I have discovered that I rather like 18th century Christian poetry.

Tis not enough to save our souls,
To shun the eternal fires;
The thought of God will rouse the heart
To more sublime desires.

How little of that road, my soul!
How little has thou gone!
Take heart, and let the thought of God
Allure thee further on.

-Frederick W. Faber
Beautiful!

Do you have a favorite poet? Now I want to browse my library to see if I can find some poetry compilations.

This week's memory text

I'm excited to memorize this text. I think it's extremely applicable to any stage of life.

Thus says the Lord,
'Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.'
Jeremiah 6:16, NASB

I want to know where the good way is, to walk in it, and find rest. God is good!

Memory Work

I really enjoyed learning Psalm 16. It was such a blessing to concentrate on a psalm of praise and prayer to God. I wasn't sure which chapter I wanted to start on next until I came across this verse in the last novel I finished.

I sought the Lord, and he heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened:
and their faces were not ashamed."
This verse is part of Psalm 34 and the entire Psalm is beautiful. This week I'll start memorizing verses 1 and 2.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

I will bless the Lord at all times. He has guided me so much these past few weeks and I am continually reminded to lean on Him.

Have you been blessed by a particular verse lately?

"Go forward," says the Lord!

It seems God keeps putting reassurances in front of me that we are meant to step forward in faith and pursue adoption. Yesterday, the pastor mistyped a slide in his Powerpoint, accidentally listing Titus 2:4 as his Scripture text. He didn't realize the mistake until someone stood up and read the text during the service.

that they admonish the young women to love their husbands,
to love their children
The congregation laughed but I smiled. The pastor could have typed Titus 1:4 or 3:4 or 4:4 or any other combination of numbers. But, he mistyped and had a text read aloud that reinforces God's calling for my life right now.

Then I open up Bible Gateway to copy the verse from Titus and find today's Scripture reading:

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Psalm 18:30
Thank you, Lord! We're stepping out in faith that this adoption is Your will for us!

Psalm 16

This week I finish up Psalm 16! This is the first Psalm I will have memorized in its entirety. It's such a beautiful Psalm.

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16 - almost complete!

This week I'm going to add Psalm 16 verses 7 and 8 to my memory work. Only three more verses after this!

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
I think it's awesome that these verses come during a time where we are desperately seeking the Lord's counsel. I keep begging God for guidance and am not yet certain what His will is for us.

"My heart also instructs me in the night seasons." What do you think this means? That we can find guidance in our dreams? I don't usually trust my dreams as they don't always seem grounded in reality. Maybe I should be praying that God will also instruct me in the night seasons.

He delights in me. Really!

I really like memorizing a passage instead of a single verse. So far I've memorized Psalm 16:1-4. This week I'm adding verses five and six.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I can be mighty grumpy sometimes. I shouldn't be. The Lord truly has given me a good inheritance. I have a roof over my head, food on my table, money enough to pay the bills, a beloved husband, and most important of all, a Heavenly Father who delights in me. HE delights in ME. Such a profound thought and I forget way too often.

This week's memory text

Last week I memorized Psalm 16:1-2. This week I want to add verses 3 and 4.

As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

Verse four is really sad... "their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god." May I never hasten after another god. I want it to be said of me, "[she is] the excellent one, in whom is all my delight."

This week's memory text

I want to return to memorizing Scripture. I do well at it for awhile and then kind of fade out. I've been reviewing what I've already memorized but haven't learned anything new in awhile.

This week I want to start memorizing Psalm 16. My goal is to have verses one and two memorized by the end of the week.

Preserve me, O God,
for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
"You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You."
I've been meditating on the Psalms lately and have found some fantastic promises. David experienced so many different things during his lifetime but God was there for all of it! Such blessed assurance.

As patient as Christ...

I love comparing more modern translations with the KJV.

"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (KJV).

I always took this text to mean that we are seeking to understand the love of God and patiently waiting for Christ to return.

The more modern translations have altered my understanding of the text.

"I pray that the Lord will guide you to be as loving as God and as patient as Christ" (CEV).

The NASB translates this verse similarly to the CEV.

"May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ" (NASB).

Dealing with those stubborn, hotheaded, slow-learning disciples day in and day out for three years shows that Jesus has an awful lot of patience! May I become as patient as He is!

This week's memory text

I am most familiar with the King James Version of the Bible. Growing up, it was the "official" Bible for our church use. The old English is comforting to me but sometimes I can become so familiar with a text that I miss some of the application. I ran across a newer translation of Isaiah 62:4 quoted in a Biblical fiction novel. The text struck me with its meaning.

The King James as I am familiar with it:

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken;
neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah,
and thy land Beulah:
for the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married.
(KJV)

The NIV, which translates similiarly:

No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,
and your land Beulah;
for the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
(NIV)

And the newer translation that touched me so much:

It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the Lord delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.
(NASB)

The text is speaking of Israel after the nation had wandered away from God. I wonder if it can be personally applied to me.

Could it be understood like this?

"Cassandra, it will no longer be said to you, 'forsaken.'
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, 'desolate';
But you will be called, "Cassandra, My delight is in her,'
And your land, 'Married";
For the Lord delights in you, Cassandra,
And to Him your land will be married."

Is it possible the Lord delights in me? Fallen, often melancholy, sometimes judgmental, me? He delights in me?

I believe He does.

The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Zephaniah 3:17, NASB

What a wonderous God we serve!

2013 - An emphasis on Jesus

2012 was a great year, the highlight of which was finally realizing our dream to move to the Pacific Northwest. I'm not tired of the rain yet!

I am hoping and praying that 2013 will be an even better year. Normally I make a ton of New Year's Resolutions but this year I am only making two. The first and biggest focus of my year is to spend more time learning about God and my relationship with Him.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves" (John 14:6-11).

This year I plan to concentrate my morning devotions and my Bible study time on the life of Christ. I used to think Jesus was just in the four Gospels but He is actually evident throughout the entire Bible. It was Jesus who spoke to Moses in the burning bush and it was Jesus who appeared in vision to John the Revelator. He is witnessed everywhere between the two accounts.

I already have a number of books that I am excited to start reading.

My Bible and two quarterlies -
"How to Study Your Bible" and "The Spiritual Life"

Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts
Jesus: Pure and Simple
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus
4 additional Sabbath school quarterlies

A. D. Chronicles (a reread)

If I can get through all of these, I will raid the library collection or order additional books on Amazon. I would really like to read The Gospel of John: a Commentary. I can't wait to get started!

Bible in 90 Days Update

I am currently three days behind schedule of the Bible in 90 Days reading plan. I have been consistently three days behind for the past week, each day completing a full day's reading but making little effort to catch up.

Today I finished reading the Old Testament! I started reading on August 20, so it's taken me just over two months. What a ride! I've done this once before but I forgot what a whirlwind it is to read the Bible in only three months.

I can't wait to dig into the New Testament. The reading schedule is going to involve a lot of flipping back and forth through the Gospels, since I'm reading through the chronological plan. I can't believe how many passages are included in each day's reading, most of them only a few verses each.

Even though I understand the benefit of reading the Bible this fast, I can't wait to finish so that I can spend some time studying something specific. I haven't decided what I need to study, but I want to really dig into a text and spend time learning as much as possible about God. Less than a month left!

This Week's Memory Text - Proverbs 31:27

She looketh well to the ways of her household,

and eateth not the bread of idleness

Proverbs 31:27.

This text sums up my September 30 day challenge. More details tomorrow.

This Week's Memory Text - Proverbs 21:9

I'm not going to add any commentary for my selection of this week's memory verse. It's just a personal reminder. Here it is:

It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop,
than with a brawling woman in a wide house
Proverbs 21:9.

Amen.

This Week's Memory Text - Proverbs 8:17

I've been feeling rather inadequate lately. I seem to go through phases where I wonder if I'm enough for God. If I offer Him enough to make Him want to love me.

I know this feeling, this attitude isn't Biblical. I know that God loves me. But sometimes I feel like I'm not enough. This week I want to memorize a promise that relates to how I've been feeling lately. Maybe it will pull me out of this slump.

I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me
Proverbs 8:17.

This Week's Memory Text - Psalm 8:1

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Psalm 8:1
It has been awhile (April) since I last picked a text to memorize. This week I decided to go with a praise. I aim to repeat this text every day as part of my morning worship and Bible reading. It is good to praise God because it helps me focus on what is important and everlasting - my heavenly Father. He is good!

This Week's Memory Text - Isaiah 33:15-16

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure
Isaiah 33:15-16

I love this promise. There are so many beautiful promises in the Bible if we take the time to listen and read. It's a long passage but I'm going to try to memorize it in one week. My other memory texts are going well.

When you memorize a text, do you test yourself by giving the passage location and seeing if you can recite the text from memory? That is my biggest challenge. Using this week's passage as an example, if I ask myself: "What is Isaiah 33:15-16?" I draw a blank. But if I ask myself to finish the following passage: "He who walks righteously..." then I can recite the text. I can usually remember the book and chapter in which it's found and possibly the verses. If I know the passage itself, I can usually find it in the Bible without much difficulty but have issues reciting a passage when given its location.

What is your favorite Bible promise?

This Week's Memory Text - Zephaniah 3:17

As I read through the Old Testament, I am finding more and more promises that would be wonderful to memorize. When I find a text, I jot it down in my notes and then each week I pick one. This week, I'm memorizing a promise I read just this morning!

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing
Zephaniah 3:17.

It's such a beautiful promise. The Lord is in our midst! He is here, not distant. And He will save.

Amen! Praise the Lord!

This Week's Memory Text - Lamentations 3:22-23

Lamentations is another book I never thought I'd be memorizing texts from. However, when I read this passage, it really spoke to me.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness
Lamentations 3:22-23

The Lord's mercies are new every morning. What a relief! I fall short of His glory every day and have to ask for forgiveness. This text promises that He will give new mercies every morning.

Praise the Lord!