Psalm 119:59
“I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” How long has it been since we took the time to ponder our behavior? As we begin to think on our ways, we must first examine our hearts. The condition of our hearts is shown forth by our thoughts, words, and actions. Matthew 15:18-19 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” A clean heart is a simple and sincere prayer away. If we will confess our sins, the Lord is Faithful and Just to just to forgive us, but to cleanse our hearts to be more like Him. If we desire to live pure, we must keep our hearts pure. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” As our hearts become clean, we will desire to change how we think, what we say, and where we go. Our surroundings have the greatest affect on our thoughts and actions. Where we allow our feet to take us will determine what we will become. Where will your feet take you today? Proverbs 4:26 “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” After the Psalmist thought about the ways of his heart, he turned his feet toward the Word of God. Proverbs 16:1-3 “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must turn our feet toward the Word. Bible Reading: Leviticus 25-27 | Luke 10 | Psalm 28
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Psalm 119:58
“I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.” As we claim the Lord as our portion, we must also seek Him. We must choose to seek Him not just sporadically or when its convenient, but with our whole heart. If we will seek the Lord, we will not return empty handed, for we are sure to find Him as the Word tells us. He is there, if only we will take the time to seek Him through His Word. Seek Him before it’s too late. Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” “be merciful unto me according to thy word.” He pleaded that God would keep His promise. We have read of God’s promises, and will find Him faithful to keep them for us as well. If you need mercy today, seek His face and ask for it just as David did. Seek His Mercy. Psalm 51:1-3 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” Make the choice to seek Him today, for He is waiting to be found. Psalm 27:7-8 “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must choose to seek Him through His Word. Bible Reading: Leviticus 23-24 | Luke 9 | Psalm 27 While the people around us choose to find their happiness in the things of this world, as God’s children we have the unique opportunity to find our joy in Him through His Word. We can choose the Word of God as our portion.
We can find hope in His Word. Lamentations 3:24-26 “The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” We can find strength in His Word. Psalm 73:24-26 “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” We can find refuge in His Word. Psalm 142:3-5 “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.” Whatever we need, His Word has the answer; we need only to seek Him to find it. While we wait, He is our Hope. When we are weak in faith, His strength will carry us through. When we are overwhelmed with the cares of this life, we can seek refuge in Him. If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must choose His Word as our portion. Bible Reading: Leviticus 21-22 | Luke 8 | Psalm 26 Psalm 119:56
“This I had, because I kept thy precepts.” Everything we have is given to us from the Lord. His mercy and grace is evident all throughout our lives. All the benefits we have as God’s children are because of our obedience to His Word. Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.” Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” The Lord cares for the birds, the flowers and the grass; how much more He cares for His children! We are not to think about what we need tomorrow, but rather we must seek Him first and He will supply our needs. Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must thank Him for the benefits of obeying His Word. Bible Reading: Leviticus 19-20 | Luke 7 | Psalm 25 Psalm 119:55
“I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.” While we read the Word of God, we must remember the Lord of the Word. Not only remember Him, we must remember His Name. Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Even in the night seasons of our lives, we must exalt the Name of our Lord. There is power in His Name, the power of salvation. Acts 4:10-12 “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Salvation lies within our faith in the Name of Jesus and what He did for us on Calvary. Where does our faith begin? Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As we remember His Name, we must also remember His Word for God magnifies His Word even above His Name. Psalm 138 “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” If at the Name above every name, the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, how much more powerful is His Word? His Words created every thing that we see and every thing that we are as He spoke the world and us into existence. His Word is where we see Jesus, the Word that “was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. His Word is where we behold His “glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must remember His Name and remember His Word. Bible Reading: Leviticus 17-18 | Luke 6 | Psalm 24 Psalm 119:54
“Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” For the child of God, this world is not our home; we are just passing through on our way to Heaven. While we are in this world, the Lord has given us His Word to sing as Songs in our heart on our way to Glory. Psalm 89:1 “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.” His Word can bring comfort to our hearts as we journey along in the midst of this dark world. As we proclaim the Light of His glorious gospel, we need His strength and protection along the way. We can choose to praise Him with a Song in our hearts. Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” God’s Word can speak peace to us through Songs that make melodies in our heart. We must simply trust and obey Him as He guides and provides for our every need. Be not afraid today, Christian; the Lord wants to be your Strength and Song. Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” Whether we can carry a tune or not, God has given us a Song to sing. Make a joyful noise unto Him today, and every day, through the testimony of His Word by singing with grace to the Lord. Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must sing His Word in our hearts. Bible Reading: Leviticus 15-16 | Luke 5 | Psalm 23 Psalm 119:53
“Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.” It is a disheartening thing to see those who openly disobey and forsake the Word of God. One could easily read this verse and think the Words do not apply to them because they are saved; however, they have forgotten not only where they came from, but also that they are still in the flesh and capable of wickedness. It is easy to look at other people and want to condemn their faults and failures. But have we forgotten to look at the state of our own selves beforehand? Matthew 7:3-5 “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Before we look down on someone else that is forsaking the Word of God, we must consider how much we ourselves are guilty of the same thing. How much more could we read? How much more could we study? Instead of comparing ourselves with those around us, we must only compare ourselves with the One Who spoke the verses above, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. For it is He we are forsaking when we neglect to spend time in the Word. The word “horror” here refers to incredible mental distress. How much does it affect us when we neglect the Word of God? Job, the upright man who feared God and escheweth evil, esteemed the Word of God as more than his necessary food (Read Job 23). When we go without a meal, our body is affected in different ways; likewise, our spiritual condition is hindered when we neglect to feed ourselves with the Scriptures. Luke 4:3-4 “And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must not forsake the Word of God. Bible Reading: Leviticus 13-14 | Luke 4 | Psalm 22 Psalm 119:52
“I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.” When we take the time to remember what God has done for us in the past, it brings comfort in the present. He is the same God today as He was when He came through for us back then; and He is the same God that parted the Red Sea and fed the multitudes. He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Remembering a verse or passage from the Word of God is invaluable in the time of need. We have the opportunity to hide the Word of God in our hearts not only apply the Word to our lives, but also to share the Scripture with others. Memorizing the Word with keep us from sin. Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Memorizing the Word will make us ready to share. 1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” The more we know the Word of God, the more we will love the God of the Word. One day we may have the freedom of reading the Word of God taken from us, and be left with only those Scriptures that we have written upon our hearts. If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must make an effort to memorize His Word. Bible Reading: Leviticus 11-12 | Luke 3 | Psalm 21 Psalm 119:51
“The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.” Everyone struggles with something. Some people battle with pride bubbling up inside of them, while others cannot seem to get away from the distraction of prideful people. Whatever keeps us “greatly in derision” is of our own choosing. We decide what we allow to affect our focus and purpose for the Lord. May we choose to lay aside every weight and sin that inhibits us from looking unto Jesus while running the race set before us. Declining from God’s Word cannot be an option. We must never allow fear of something, or someone, keep us from doing what we know God has given us to do. Psalm 118:5-6 “I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” Regardless of what distractions the devil puts in our way, we must decide to determine to finish well. Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must never decline from the Word of God. Bible Reading: Leviticus 9-10 | Luke 2 | Psalm 20 Psalm 119:50
“This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” In the midst of affliction, it is only through the Word of God that we can truly be comforted. It is not a matter of if we will face tribulation, but when; however, because of the Truth of God’s Word, we can “count it all joy” because the Lord has promised that He will deliver us. Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Rather than allowing our trials to discourage and distract us, we can choose to shift our focus to the pages of Scripture. Within Them we can find the comfort that only the Word can give. The comfort of the Scriptures gives us hope. Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” The comfort of the Scriptures gives us joy. Jeremiah 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” The comfort of the Scriptures gives us life. John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” God’s Word can give us hope, joy, life, and so much more; if only we will seek comfort through each Word that He has preserved for us to find exactly when we need Them. If we want the Lord to order our steps, we must seek the comfort of the Scriptures. Bible Reading: Leviticus 7-8 | Luke 1 | Psalm 19 |
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