Read the Bible in a Year (08JUL19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, July 8’s Bible reading is Psalms 119:89-176. 

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, July 9’s Bible reading is Psalms 120-132. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD. 

PSALMS MOMENT – (08JUL19) “I hate double-minded people, but I love your law” (Psalm 119:113). The psalmist did not like the idea of people who at one moment was on one side, and then the next, they had changed their mind. Those type of individuals could never be trusted because they were unreliable in the position they took. The psalmist loved the law of God and was firm in what he believed. Whereas some people would bow down to pressure and influence, allowing themselves to compromise the law of God, the psalmist would not submit to ungodliness. He knew that the laws of God were more precious than gold and silver, so nothing could persuade him to be disloyal to God. Unlike Israel, who swayed with their worship of both God and Baal, the psalmist was determined to be committed to the Lord all the days of his life. He knew that the Lord had been tremendously good to him and he did not want to do anything to displease the Lord.

The Apostle James also talked on double-mindedness when we approach the Lord for favor. He wrote, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:6-8). The Lord wants us to be confident in His Word and believe that what we have prayed for, as long as it lines itself with His will, He will do. This, among many things, is one of the reasons why we must know the Word of God and His precepts so that we never ask for something that goes against who God is. When we stand on God’s word, we are not to toss back and forth in between doubt and unbelief. God never changes His mind and His WORD is where our faith, hope, and assurance should reside. The enemy causes us to be double-minded, but the Lord is our Rock and Firm Foundation on which we can stand.  Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (08JUL19) The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm119:105). He was revealing to the reader the importance of knowing and understanding the Word of God to prevent being led astray. The psalmist took great care to follow the ways of the Lord because he knew that in the Lord, there was much wisdom to be gained. It did not matter to him if someone was a teacher or elder if they were not wise to the precepts of the Lord and walked in total obedience. The psalmist was well aware of his failures, but he thanked the Lord for being there by his side and protecting him from his enemies. He contributed God’s favor to him desiring to walk in total obedience in the ways of the Lord.

Do you long to have the Word of God to light your way? Do you take joy in being able to study the Word of God? Have you hid the Word of God inside your heart? Today new agers believe that there are many paths to Heaven, but they are sadly mistaken. Jesus said, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is no other way to God but through Jesus Christ, and the only way that we can learn of Him is through His WORD. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the things of God and when we study His Word, we have the Light that we need to brighten our path in a world of darkness. The Bible says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Therefore, we never have to worry about being in a completely dark world and losing our way because we have the Light of Christ reigning on the inside of us as we study His WORD for guidance. Something to ponder….

PSALMS MOMENT – (08JUL19) “Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!” (Psalm 119:115).  The psalmist did not want to be affiliated with anyone who was disobedient to the laws of God. He had a special place in his heart for the Lord and wanted to be sure to walk in obedience to His ways. The psalmist knew that if he chose to befriend those who walked contrary to the Lord, that he would not only displease God, but may be tempted to act in similar fashion as Israel often did when they intermingled with the heathen nations. This is why God told the Israelites not to intermarry with the foreign nations so that their hearts would not turn away from Him as was the case with King Solomon. The Bible says, “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.  They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love” (1 Kings 11:1-2). King Solomon, who was the wisest man in the world, fell prey to his passions and allowed himself to turn away from God. He did not follow the ways of his father by being faithful to God till the very end, and caused a great punishment to come upon the land of Israel due to his disobedience.

The Bible says, “How can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so” (Amos 3:3). Although as Christians, we have an obligation to evangelize to the lost, we must be careful not to be in company with them whereas we allow ourselves to be compromised. We are to shun evil so that we may allow the Light to shine forth in us. This especially goes for those who call themselves Christians because they are to know better, whereas, the unbeliever does not know the things of God. The Bible says, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (1 Corinthians 5:11). This text lets us know that those who claim to be in Christ’s body are to be careful as to how they live. Nevertheless, if we see that they will not uphold the standards of God in their daily living, then we are to have no part of them. We are to love them, but we are not to do the things that they do because we may be corrupted and walk down the same path. Yet, we must be cautious with this because, we are to also help a struggling brother or sister return to Christ if they have fallen away. The Bible says, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. ‘But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17). Everything that we do, we must do so in love. Therefore, we are to love our fallen brothers and sisters, so that we can help them to find their way again. We must also love the lost, so that we can point them to Jesus. But if either of them refuses to follow in the ways of the Lord, we must not allow our relationship with them to compromise our walk with Christ. Something to ponder….