October 3 – Even Before

“Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.” – Psalm 139:4 (NASB)   

King David had superlative understanding of God’s awesome attention to our details. The first verses of Psalm 139 cover how intimately God attends to His own. More than a hint of knowing…God knows the details down to the smallest insignificant bit of our activity. Now, it is likely that many of us live without paying much heed to God’s involvement in our day-to-day. But when a crisis erupts, so do we with prayers begging for God’s attention. We respond as if before we pray, God is elsewhere attending to more important things. But God is Supreme and that means there is no limit to the attention he gives each of us. Here is today’s promise: God know every word that we will utter even before it forms in our brain, before our breath rushes past our voice box, before our tongue, teeth and lips can form the word. Before any thought takes shape to the point it can be cast into the appropriate word, God knows what it is going to be.  Even before…God knows every word so He knows every thought that passes through our head and comes out our mouth. Friends, this is God’s superlative knowledge.  

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January 7 – Fully Trustworthy

“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.” – 1 Samuel 3:1 (NASB)

“Where there is no vision (revelation), the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.” – Proverbs 29:18 (NASB)

In the time recorded in the Old Testament, the people did not yet have God’s complete revelation as we do in our Scriptures, the Bible. God would communicate and reveal himself through prophetic messages and through visions.  The visions were God’s revelations mediated through an auditory or visual encounter. The time of the judges was a period of extremely limited prophetic activity. The few visions that God did give were not widely shared or known and observance of the Law of God was a low priority. There are obvious and veiled dangers in the practice of disregarding the teachings we have in God’s Word. No longer delivered in visions or prophetic messages, our Bible provides for us the complete revelation that God intended us to have. Because it is “God breathed” through people who were given the inspired word by the Holy Spirit and wrote it down for us, we trust it fully to be without error in its original writings. From it we learn about God and His expectations, His commandments, and how God wants us to live trusting His Word. Our promise is happiness for those who abide by the revelation we have in our Holy Scripture. 

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December 13 – Grace and Truth

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NASB)

The signs of Christmas are all around us. We've seen the lights for some time and are now hearing the music of Christmas.  The true meaning of this celebration is found in today's verse from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. While Christ as God was uncreated and eternal, the word “became” emphasizes Christ’s taking on humanity. This is a most profound promise that the Infinite became finite; the Eternal was conformed to time and space; the Invisible became visible; the supernatural One humbled Himself  and became natural. But God the Son did not cease to be God. He became God in human flesh, and was undiminished deity in human form as a man. As a disciple who knew and walked with Jesus, John says that they got to see His glory. The glory the disciples saw was in His person because He was God in human form. John and those who saw Jesus when He was here on earth understood the event that we celebrate at Christmas.  This Christmas season, remember the promise that Jesus is with us today and we can see His glory each day because He lives in us.  

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November 24 –Out Of His Love

“…but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:” 1 John 2:5 (ESV) 

This season can be distracting, stressful, confusing, and difficult. The message from the world out there does not always give us the truth. The passage we have today is part of a longer sentence in which the Apostle John compared those who claim to know God but fail to keep His commandments and those who manifest God’s love through their obedience. John repeats the words “know … keep” to emphasize that those genuinely born again display the habit of obedience. Obedience results in assurance of salvation. God has revealed Himself to us through His Word, our Bible. All this comes from the Lord because He loves us. When we follow the standards God has shown us in His Word that His love for us is made complete. Let’s be willing to let God's love work in our hearts and obedience becomes a part of our lives. So when we learn of something in the Bible that God wants us to do or a principle He wants us to follow remember, He wants it because He loves us, not because He is a dictator. His promise to us is to make us complete through our faith in Him.

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October 24 – Forever Settled

“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.” – Psalm 119:89-90 (NASB)

Following immediately the meditation on yesterday’s promise we are assured in today’s selection that the Word of God has firmly been established. There is no question in heaven about whether His word is worthy of trust. God’s promises, both the negative and the positive will always be fulfilled because it is from the mouth of God. This is important. Some will take issue with God’s word claiming confusion over many conflicting “interpretations.” But those who choose willfully to disregard the truth in God’s word will not be excused from the consequences. The Bible may often be interpreted wrongly and some do proclaim false teaching by corrupting the intended meaning of God’s word, but that does not mean the Bible is every wrong in what it teaches when it’s carefully studied. Wayward Christians and unbelievers (sometimes it’s difficult to understand which is which), will use these excuses to avoid facing the truth about their own actions and attitudes which are contrary to the teaching in God’s word. Gods Word is settled in heaven and God’s faithfulness endures throughout each generation. Things like this and His revealed word are established by God and cannot be shaken.

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September 15 – Solid Gold Trust

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” – Psalm 56:3-4 (NASB)

Fear can paralyze us, freeze our feet to the ground and cause us to lose our balance. The psalmist, David composed this song which is labeled as “A Mikhtam.” We do not positively know what this label means. But we do have clues. For one clue, this is a very important and valuable song. It extolls God’s goodness and faithfulness. It sings of why we can put our trust in God especially when we are afraid. It reaffirms for us that human kind and their devices cannot truly hurt the faith believer in God. David pleads and rejoices in the help and deliverance God gives him. The root of the word means to stamp or grave (as in engrave). It leads us to believe that it labels the song as a composition so precious as to be worthy to be engraved on a durable tablet for preservation. Others might render “a psalm precious as stamped gold,” from the word kethem meaning fine or stamped gold. Perhaps like today’s top-selling songs that are “certified gold” could be considered “michtams” of a sort. We don’t know for sure anything except that God’s Word is all more precious than gold.

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November 1 – The Word , It Was, It Is

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 (ESV)

Farther back than we can think, in the beginning…the Word existed. God was the Word. In fact, we can learn and know that because the Word in this context is a name for eternal God. The very existence of God was manifested in the message, with words spoken in the beginning with God. This is a truth that is quite deep to understand. It does require some time of thinking and meditating on it and praying for the Holy Spirit to open its meaning up for us. Since the Word was God, God is also the Word. Since God is from the beginning and before that, the Word is also from the beginning with God. Jesus Christ is the Word. He is the Word spoken from God. The Son's Word spoke the world into being and spoke everything that exists into being. It is only through His Word that anything exists at all. Let’s remember, the Word was with God in a special relationship of eternal fellowship in God. We are in Christ and the Holy Spirit abides in us, that means we have the promise of The Word in us as well

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November 30 – Hearing the Essential Message

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (ESV)

Most of us have many opportunities to hear the Word of God. Not all people have the opportunities we have in a free society. What difference does that make to us?  So, when we hear His Word taught what effect does hearing it have on us?  The Word says in our verse of promise today that we will find our faith from receiving the substance, the truth found in the message about Christ.  It is the word of God that the Holy Spirit uses to awaken a response of faith within us, and it is the reliability of the Word of God on which we rest our faith for salvation.  If our hearts are open to the message of Jesus Christ when we receive it, our faith is increased.  The paraphrase called “The Message” renders our verse this way,  “The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.”  The words of Scripture are the words of eternal life. This is why proclaiming the gospel is absolutely necessary.

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October 9 – The Word Is True

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”  -Psalm 119:10-11   (ESV)

It was recently that we considered verse 11 in this Psalm.  We wish to consider it again in a broader context.  Each one of the 176 verses in Psalm 119 is a lesson about value of God's Word.  Eight words are used to identify God's Word including, law, testimonies, precepts, statues, commandments, judgments, word, and ordinances. The author, who is not known, seems to be experiencing serious duress as can be seen specifically in about 21 of the verses.  He has turned to God's Word with his whole heart for help and guidance.  We have from this the hope that if we seek God in His Word we also will be kept from straying off the path He has set before us.  It will help us find our way when we are confused and need clarity.  If we trust in what God has given to us in His word, it will lead us where He wants us to go.  That is our promise today –  176 times.

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July 25 – It's True – Hear and Believe

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”  John 5:24 (NASB)

In today's selected verse we have words spoken by Jesus to remind us that He came to make it possible for us to have eternal life.  When we believe His word, we receive that life even while we continue in our bodies and their temporal state.  Jesus reminds us that His teachings, while He was here on earth, are very important in bringing us eternal life and leading us along in faith.  We need to remember what Jesus said in our verse about our position today.  By faith in Jesus we now have eternal life and we have crossed over from death to life.  Let's be sure we live that way today.  If we are alive with eternal life we live for today looking forward to living forever because of the promise of Jesus in our verse.  Read it again and rejoice that if we have believed in His word, we have also passed out of eternal death into eternal life.  

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July 8 – Real True Fellowship

“...what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”   1 John 1:3 (NASB)

In this verse, the writer of this letter, John the disciple of Jesus, says that he wanted to share with his readers the blessings which he had received from knowing Jesus and from knowing his heavenly Father.  The writer of our verse speaks of having fellowship with God in heaven and with His Son, Jesus Christ.  This, of course is specifically about the promised wonderful relationship that is open to all of us here today as well.  And, when we experience this relationship with God and with His Son Jesus, we become aware that God has much more to share with us.  This promise is true every day and through every hour of each day or night.  Let's be sure to be open to experience this blessing by faith in Jesus and His Word given to us. And, let's help those whom we have fellowship with  to know the fellowship they have is with God our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior. 

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June 6 – For Us, In Heaven

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”  Hebrews 1:3  (NIV)

This verse, of course, is about our Lord Jesus, the glorious Son of God.  It is also about what He has done for us and what He is doing now.  We read that, first of all, He provided purification for our sins.  We know that He did this by dying on the cross for us.  When we accept what He did for us our sins are wiped away.  When Jesus had died on the cross and then had risen from the grave to a new life, He was ready to go back to heaven.  We are reminded by our verse that He returned to His Father's side and that He took His place there a position that is very important for each of us.  What is He doing there?  He is interceding for us as we pray to our Father God in His name.  Let's remember this today that Jesus is both abiding in us and seated in Heaven working on our behalf. 

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May 27 – Finding Refuge In Our Faith

“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.”  2 Samuel 22:31 (NIV)

While we have selected a verse from a passage in 2 Samuel, we recognize it as the same song recorded in Psalm 18.  It is a song written by David during the time that King Saul was hunting him to kill him.  It is a song of thanksgiving and praise to God for the deliverance and protection God had provided David.  We can accept the words of this song as true and join in thanking God for His help to us in our lives.  Perhaps we are not being pursued by evil men intent of killing us, but many Christians in our time are living in fear of their lives because of their faith.  It is important for all to believe that God's ways are perfect and so are His words and promises.  We can base our actions and reactions, and our very lives on what God has promised.  For those who take refuge in Him are shielded by God.  Nothing will happen to us that God does not allow and our future is secure in Him.  When we take refuge in our God by exercising our faith in His promises, we can trust Him for the outcome. 

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April 30 – We Can Know

“but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him”  1 John 2:5a (NASB)

We can be reminded again today that our God is a wonderful God.  He has demonstrated His love toward us by providing a Savior, a Helper, and a Guide.  Of the many gifts we have received from our God in heaven and that is a sign of God's love is His Word which we have in the Bible.  We find our example of righteous living in the Bible and learn from the accounts of those who believed and followed God from Genesis through to Revelation, the first book to the last.  Our verse today reminds us how important it is for us to obey God's Word, because God has given it to us to show us how much He loves us. When we obey God's Word we are allowing God's love to complete His plan in our lives as we follow the path He has made for us.  So, when we read the Bible, we are reading a message of love sent by God, because He knows we need this kind of help.  Let God's love work in each of us today. Let's live today, tomorrow, and beyond according to the Way He has taught us.

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April 3 – Our Home. His Home.

“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  John 14:23 (ESV)

We again look at some of the words Jesus shared with His disciples at the last Passover supper He had with them before He was crucified by the Romans.  Jesus knew that his time with them on Earth was soon coming to an end.  He knew what he was facing in terms of his death.  He also knew what was coming after that time of intense suffering. Jesus is encouraging His followers then, and us now, to show our love for him by keeping His word. God promises that He loves us unconditionally and He wants to be a close part of our lives.  He has promised that we can experience the joy of having Jesus and our heavenly Father living with us as a part of our lives today and every day.  Jesus continues to want to make His home with those who love Him and believe in Him so friends, let's show our Lord that we do love Him today by obeying what He has taught us and let's live as He wants us to live, appreciating His presence in our lives each day.  

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November 20 – Whatever Word or Deed

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Colossians 3:17 (NASB)

We are thinking this week of the privilege which we have of thanking God for His involvement in our lives.  This is often mentioned in our Bible so we have chosen a verse on the subject from the letter to the people in Colossae in Asia Minor, now Turkey.  We are accustomed to the principle of praying to God in the name of Jesus.  We believe that when we ask God to do something for us and we base our request on our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior, God does act in our behalf.  It is very interesting that when we want to express our gratitude to God and to thank Him we approach Him in the same way, in the name of Jesus.  So, our access to God for giving thanks as well as for making requests, is always in that wonderful name of Jesus.  Let's remember this now during Thanksgiving week and beyond.  

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August 27 – Until the Dawn

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”   2 Peter 1:19 (NASB)

Our God knows the needs of His people. He knows that we could not get along spiritually by ourselves in this world.  That is why He has revealed His thoughts to us in the Bible.  We have our Bibles to read and we have opportunity to hear God's Word taught and preached.  This privilege is what the Apostle Peter wrote about in the verse we have chosen for today.  What would we do without the Scriptures which God has had recorded and preserved so well for us?  We would really be in the dark about God and His creation and His love for us, wouldn't we?  Peter compares God's Word to a light shinning in a dark place.  And, Peter recommends that we pay attention to what it says and teaches us.  If you've ever walked a path at night without light to guide your way, you know how important a torch or flashlight is to avoid the rocks, holes and even snakes on the path.  God's Word is a light to our path in life which helps us to avoid the pitfalls and the snares and the evil workers who wish to trip us up.  Trusting God's Word will guide us until the dawn when there will no longer be any darkness. 

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August 3 – Acknowledgment

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”  Matthew 10:32 (NIV)

When Jesus was here on earth He gave His followers some promises about what He is doing in heaven even today.  We believe that promise, found in today's verse, applies to us who live here on earth now. What Jesus tells us here is that He is watching us as we have contact with people here on earth.  If we speak a good word for Jesus here, He is aware of it. And what is He doing for us in Heaven?  He is speaking a good word about us to His Father in heaven.  Isn't this an encouraging promise for us?  To  think that you or  I could be the subject of conversation between Jesus, the Son of God and His Father in heaven is a promise we can cling to. It can lift our hearts as we continue daily trusting and fulfilling our purpose here on earth.  Doesn't this cause your heart to be filled with joy, my friend?  Let this promise today, give us motivation and desire to acknowledge Jesus in our lives.  

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July 25 – Passing Out Of and Into

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”  John 5:24 (NASB)

We choose this verse especially because of the last words.  Jesus used these words because He knows what a big difference comes to us when we believe in God and in His Son Jesus.  Jesus said that when we believe we cross over from death to life –  He was speaking about our eternal state.  When we cross a river by boat or on a bridge we can look back and realize that we are now on the other side. In most places the difference may not be so great but just think of the great difference between eternal death and eternal life.  When we believe in Jesus a tremendous change takes place because of this promise.  Our lives are transformed and while our present bodies may die, our souls will live forever in God's presence – if we have believed in Him.  Now that's a promise we can hold onto and  treasure in our hearts.

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July 19 – Meditate, Fix, Delight, Remember

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”  Psalm 119: 15-16 (ESV)

As we mentioned, this is the third posting which is from Psalm 119 and it is about the Word of God. The Psalmist uses ten different words to reference God's Word and today there are three besides the word 'word'.  This may differ in various translations but the one we have today uses, 'precepts', 'ways', 'statues', as well as 'word.'  The messages which we find in the Bible were not conceived by human beings.  The human writers were just passing on to us what God knew we all need.  And that is how the psalmist reacted to what God had said.  We notice that he mediated on God's messages, focused or fixed his eyes on what God had said and noticing how He dealt with people.  As a result of thinking about all this, it brought him delight and gave him a desire to pay attention to what God said.  We can do  the same. Meditating, focusing, delighting and determining to not forget what God has given us to help us on our journey with Him. 

Note on Psalm 119