"Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?"
Psalm 34:12
Psalm 34:12
It is not Wednesday. Sorry about that.
My Take Aways
Something Old:
Even if we are anointed and appointed, we might find ourselves in a cave hiding from the enemy, praying and praising the Lord.
Something New:
I want a long and prosperous life, I do I do!
- Speak no evil
- Do no evil
- Seek and pursue peace
Dear sweet Jesus, help us as a body of Believers to follow these steps and take them to heart.
Something to Do:
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide me through the 3-step plan to a long and prosperous life, right after I ask Him to investigate my heart. (Psalm 139:24-25-The Message) Boy...am I ready for Him to get in my business? Yes, mold me and make me after thy will-Have thine own way. (I love old hymns1)
22 Comments:
Good morning everyone,
I was really refreshed reading all of your postings. Jennifer Renee, Michelle, Brandee, my prayers went up for you all and husbands (adult children, other family members) unsaved.
Lori, thanks. G&P you gave me a lot to ponder yesterday, thank you too.
Today I again focused on the NT revealed in the OT. David hid behind a stone pile (or stone Ezel). Studylight.org defines this as a memorial stone between Ramah and Nob. Both Jesus and God have names with "Rock" or "Stone" as part of them;
* Stone of Israel; (‘Even Yisrael) (Genesis 49:24)
*Corner Stone;(Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6)
*Rock of His Salvation (Tsur Yeshuato) (Deuteronomy 32:15)
*Rock of Israel (Tsur Yisrael) (2 Samuel 23:3)
*Refuge (Ma’on) (Psalm 90:1)
David took refuge (shelter) behind a stone, a rock of refuge.
Later in 1 Sam 32 I hear an echo of Pilate at Jesus' trial; “But why should he be put to death?” ... “What has he done?”
As David runs, he is fed with the Bread of the Presence (1 Sam 21:6). It sustained him and his men. Just as Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life (John 6:26-35); we eat and are satisfied, we eat and are filled. He is sufficient for us. He will nourish us and protect us. He will provide for our protection and our salvation.
Have a blessed day.
Karen, Basel
Good morning, GIG's
Karen, welcome back as "lead off batter". It makes me smile to see your name pop up :)
In today's reading, I was very touched and impressed by Jonathan's loyalty to David. I hope their supportive relationship endures.
My nugget: Saul never answered Jonathan when he asked, "But why should he be put to death? What has he done?" We read that Jonathan "was crushed by his father's shameful behavior towards David."
I can relate to how Jonathan is feeling, the disappointment and hurt, as there has been shameful behavior in my family of origin, and people treating others badly and refusing to give explanations as to why. Eventually, I understood that the sins of pride, arrogance and jealousy were involved, just as occurred with Saul and David.
My to do: It's basically what Wendy said in her vlog today:
"Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and work to maintain it."
Unfortunately, some people in our lives are negative and hurtful. I need to not dwell on those few (which is what Satan wants me to do) , and instead count the many, many blessings God has given me.
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
Happy Thursday GIG!
Something old: The depth of David and Jonathan's friendship amazes me.It takes priority even over Jonathan's duty and relationship to his father. That was a God thing. In verse 20:42 Jonathan tells David that "the Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever" and we find out later in our reading that David honors that promise when he saves Jonathan's grandson(?) who has the crippled feet.
Something new: Psalm 34:20 foreshadow's Jesus: "For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!"
Nugget: I want to live a long and prosperous life. May Jesus Christ help me to control my tongue; to turn from evil and do good; and to search for and maintain peace. Amen!
Praising Him!
Morgen
Happy Thursday - Thought about your NC weather Wendy, as here it is suppose to touch 90 degrees! Looking at you, I'm already missing my sweaters!
Good teaching, sister-leader!!! I opened my Bible today, and realized, how many pages we've turned! Quite a chunk, gals!!! Wendy, I was pondering over what you said, "can you just imagine if every church member took some time out of their day to read a couple of chapters of God's Word. This has become a burden on my heart. That everyone gets back to the basics, God's Word. Everything would be different. Look at how it is transforming each one of us!
Michelle & Morgen, I too was drawn to Jonathan. What a precious example he is to us. He's not self-centered; he models self-denial and willingness to accept the will of God in promoting someone else above himself. Wow! David remembers the everlasting covenant they make together (20:23,42; 2
Sam. 9:1-13). Jonathan was willing to give up his rights in order that someone else would be honored instead of him.
What a Psalm to end our reading with! "The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right" (34:15).
"Search for peace, and work to maintain it (34:24). Jacque, I remember you writing "to bring peace and harmony in our home environment through me!" I think of this often, and know without a doubt the influence my tongue can be! Down to the sound of my tone!
Seeking to sprinkle some love in every single room of my home today...Lord, let my light shine as I seek you with all of my heart. Today, I want to know you more.
Peace,
Lori
Morning Everyone~
Seems like the friendship between David and Jonathan was something God pointed out to all of us this morning :) I was thinking how it would have been so easy for Jonathan to be jealous of David and join his dad in what he was doing, after all he would have been in line to be king (1 Samuel 20:30-31). But he wasn't. He and David shared a true bond of friendship, one that I want to have with my sisters and friends as well.
It made me think:
~How do I act if someone gets a blessing I have been asking God for?
~What if it seems God is using them and my place seems at a stand still?
We need to rejoice and not be jealous of the way God us using our sisters. It made me think of Lysa T's book "Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl" and something she wrote in there that I think is just so good. If someone else seems to have more, be doing more, blessed more, etc...We need to say to ourselves:
I am not equipped for her good.
I am not equipped for her bad.
I am not equipped to carry the weight of her victories.
I am not equipped to shoulder her burdens.
I am not equipped to be her in any way.
I am, however, perfectly equipped to be me.
Therefore, thank You, God, for only entrusting me with what I have and who I am.
Good stuff!
I also was drawn to the subject of peace that Wendy talked about on her video. Search for peace and work to maintain it. I am going to save those comments for my blog tomorrow though :)
You all have a great day! I have a little boy at home one more day. Long night of coughing and blowing. The pollen is TERRIBLE right now here in TN and he is really having a hard time.
Brandee
One of you, forgive me because I can't remember who, keeps mentioning that you have not gotten your first volume of your commentary. As I mentioned the other day I found the NLT Bible online, from Bible Gateway, when I found out that each day of the week for the reading schedule is a link that goes right to the reading. Before each section of reading there is a commentary link. I found the entire Bible commentary by Matthew Henry when I clicked on this link.
You can select this web address, copy, and then paste it on the address bar. I then added it to my favorites.
http://oneyearbibleonline.com/matthewhenry.asp?version=51&startmmdd=0101
Michelle, thank you for the birds yesterday. Whenever I wait for my ride to somewhere, especially during spring and summer, I like to wait outside and listen to the birds. There is something about listening to birds that bring peace.
I'll comment on our reading later.
Good morning,
What a heart David has. Even when his very life is on the line(kings will have their will done), he is praising the Lord. KJV for Ps. 34:1 says,"I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Of course, our King Jesus will have His will done too.
Verse 8 tells us to taste and see that the LORD is good. He is the Bread of Life. His Word is good for us and nurtures our soul. It is good especially when we are discouraged or hurt.
To Do:
I'm trying to get back to singing praises to Him all day long, but don't. We have to retrain ourselves, don't we. Even after reading verse 13, I said a critical comment. It shows me what a sinner I am.
Praise the Lord for providing for our needs-tax time.
Help me Lord to develop loving friendships as David and Jonathan.
Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing-21:7 tells about Doeg, who in chapter 22 kills 85 priests and and evidently spills the beans
about David. As I always say, not all things are as they appear. Watch out for the lion.
Blessings to all,
Linda from Ark.
Loice,I saw your post from a couple of nights back in my email this morning. Praying for your daughter as she finds her way in a new school. I know it's a difficult stage to be. May God lead godly friends in her path. Keep her away from bad influence and from those who seek to harm her. It just breaks my heart to hear that she cries every morning. (((HUGS)))
Brandee, now that we have Psalms in our readings, you can start reading your Courson Commentary vol. 2! He said some good points on Psalm 34.
Karen, I also saw that reference to the rock of Ezel. Courson said "Ezel" means "the rock that shows the way." He goes on further to say "Like David, you might be at a crossroads, worried you won't figure out where you're supposed to go. I have great news for you: God will direct you. All you have to do is stay close to "the Rock that shows the way." That is, all you have to do is stay in touch with Jesus day by day by day. Even if your devotional life isn't what it should be, even if there are struggles which you wrestle continually, even if you feel like you missed the boat previously. God is faithful. God blesses us in spite of ourselves if we simply plop ourselves by the Rock that shows the way." (p. 871)
Like many have mentioned, I also admire Jonathan and his devotion to David. Would I do the same if someone else is getting what I think is rightfully mine? If we're being honest with each other, then, the answer is no, I don't think so. I love Jonathan's heart. He even stands up to his father because he knows his father is wrong. That takes real courage.
It also surprised me that Saul threw a spear at Jonathan during the dinner (1 Sam 20:32-33). Courson had this to say:"Jesus told us to love our enemies because if I don't love my enemies, like Saul, I'll find myself out to get even with my own family. You see, we think we can confine hatred toward this person or control it toward that group - not realizing that hatred or judgment of someone will ultimately spill over into the lives of everyone around us." (p.872) I suppose we can also substitute "bitterness" for "hatred" and the results are the same. Essentially what we harbor and keep in our hearts will spill over and affect our families. (Actually the word "spew" comes to mind.) Yet more pondering to do today.
Have a blesse day everyone.
In 1 Samuel 21 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. He asked for bread to eat (v.s. 3). The priest said they didn't have any regular bread but there was the holy bread that David could have if his young men hadn't slept with any women recently (v.s. 4). Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread (v.s. 6).
Jesus made reference to this in Matthew Chapter 12 (KJV).
1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
I love Psalm 34:1-3 in the KJV.
1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I have a correction to make. I found the Matthew Henry commentary on the page where the one year chronilogical reading schedule is.
Good Afternoon;
Psalm 34 was written when David had pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech. It was not a good time for David. Instead he writes of praises to God.
My to do - Try to have an Attitude of Gratitude. As I reflect on my life, I have never gone hungry from lack of availability of food. Not one day in all these years! Sometimes I have chosen not to eat for whatever reason, but food has always been available to me. So much, in fact, my body is generously storing fat. : ) I have never been without a roof over my head as so many are. I have never had to go naked because of lack of clothing. Let me reflect on this today and Praise the Lord at all times, even when I am hiding away from my enemies. "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time." Well the unrighteous person also faces many troubles too, but without the strength of the Lord!
Not claiming in any way to be righteous, but I think about the many troubles in life the Lord has rescued me from. Remember, I am the one who would have been stoned outside the city gates! Not always in my timing, impatient that I am, but in His timing.
Nugget -"But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned." Amen and Amen......
I close with a sincere Attitude of Gratitude. Care to join me?
Dixie in Florida
Hi folks,
Once again I find myself in this place of being overwhelmed and frustrated. Although my heart sincerely wishes to be able to do readings, watch vlog and comment - it's just not working out for me. It takes all my free time in a day to keep up and I am not getting any time for myself. This is really having a negative impact on my mood which flows into my relationships. So I hope you will forgive me, but I will probably just stick to watching vlogs for now. I need to take care of me and find some balance in all this.
Many thanks to everyone for their prayers. You are amazing prayer warriors and I love how you take care of each other. Your insights are very helpful, I wish you all many blessings on this journey. I will try to pop in from time to time and keep you in my prayers as well.
Take care and God bless,
Jodie
All,
Thank you again for the great posts! I was struck, like many here, by the relationship that Jonathon and David had. May I have that type of relationship with others, I pray!
Jodie, don't give up! I was in your shoes, (and to a certain degree, still am) and am finding it draining at this point of the year. However, there is so much you miss without the relationships built on Christ's rock. I will pray for you!
I remember hearing the story of David and Saul as a child, but truthfully, never read the story myself. I did not know that Saul hated David so much, and did not know that the Lord made Saul so bitter because of Saul's pride and disobedience.
David's praises when he was "insane" are remarkable--how could you praise when you are not yourself? When God is your Rock, mainstay and hope.
Is God my Rock, Mainstay, and Hope? I know I need to work on that.
Dixie, closing with a gratitude attitude! :)
Karla, Morgantown, WV
Brandee, oh my goodness, thank you for your post today! I read it early this morning, and could not get it off of my mind, the whole time I was in the shower! I had read it in Lysa's book, too...but, this morning, you lead me to go a different way with it. When you said, "We need to rejoice and not be jealous of the way God is using our sisters," I immediately thought about when my kids don't get the things they desire, but their friends do! And, the sin (in my heart) God showed me, was, that really if I'm honest, it affects me, probably more than it affects them! I won't go into where my thoughts can take me re: the "other" kids that seem to get blessed more than mine do! Let’s just say my mother-hen feathers can get a bit, ruffled, -aahh, to put it mildly!
BUT, oh my goodness, this just puts it all into perspective! God has created our children, and only He knows their tomorrows! Only God knows exactly what our children are equipped for!
This just opens up a loving desire on my heart for anyone and everyone to win...it doesn't have to my child. Now, I know, maybe it's best for them when they don't get "what I want!" Thank you, Brandee, God spoke out of you into my heart today! Love you!
Hope little Will is getting better and better. Hugs, Lori
Good teaching Wendy. Thank You.
Praise God for the healing of that woman who was consumed by fear. I also have been healed by Gods word of my fears. I was afraid of everything. A very fearful person but I have been set free by HIS word. As I prepare to do my testimony next week and will speak of my healing.
Thank You Father! You are our healer!
First of all, Dixie, I loved your commentary about God meeting all of our needs...wonderful reminder and you worded it so well; and yes an attitude of gratitude...I am in!
Jodie...don't beat yourself up too badly. When I had little babes there would have been very little time for me to do any Bible study. If you can fit the vlog in, then good for you. If you find a spare moment in the week...get out your Bible and read what you can. God understands.
Lori - I liked how you put together Brandee's post with how we handle our kids' disappointment...and sista...did you see how perfectly it goes together with what you've been talking about at Brandee's site about LOVE everyone? It is another connect the dot moment!
Yeah! You betcha!
Good evenings all...my hubby is doing a rotisserie (sp) chicken for us on the grill! yum, yum!
Praise Him!
Morgen
Hey, y'all! I have just a couple of minutes, but wanted to let you know how much I got from your comments. Ya'll are amazing!I am facilitating an Anne Graham Lotz Bible study for the next 5 weeks, and talk about details....Mercy! I was using commentaries this afternoon....but on Revelation! I took a minute to breathe and read yours...love the nuggets...especially about David hiding behind the Rock--thanks! And I watched to see how Jonathan and David reacted at the end where they had to say goodbye. What wonderful words to read today. Wendy, thank you for the wisdom in your vlog!
I have a photo shoot in the morning! Thanks for your prayers! Business will pick up. Just pray that God blesses this time and allows me to see through His eyes. Love to all!
Susan
Jodie, I agree with Morgen. When you first joined us via posts, I remember being in awe of anyone with a baby committing to doing this, as I know I would not have done so. Some short daily devotionals, either in print or on line, might be another "no pressure" way to keep in touch with God. Thanks for letting us know your plans. You know us well enough to realize that we mothers and GIG's would WORRY about your absence, particularly with what you've been through of late. You are a very considerate woman. Have a wonderful time at your brother's wedding. It sounds like it it about the same time as my daughter's (June 6).
Bless you Jodie. You will always be "one of us" as we travel this special road together in 2010!
Peace and Gratitude (I'm with ya, Dixie),
Michelle in New England
P.S. Wonderful news Susan! Good luck in the morning!
Michelle
Morgen, coming to your house for dinner..:-)
Thank you all for the prayers on my behalf. My journey continues with each step demanding faith in the Father so it can all be for HIS glory.
Dixie, joining with you in an attitude of gratitude for all He has done for me, most of all for His grace.
Jodie, my prayers are with you- God knows your heart!
Gaylene
Gaylene
Morgen, Exactly! It was a connecting the dot moment...I saw this, too! It's been such an awesome day as I see how when we pray and ask him to help us do this, He even opens it up more! God, truly wants us loving others' and by His sweetness He is equipping us to do this! It was such a light bulb moment for me today!
Enjoy the chicken, - Dave grilled last night & you can imagine how good it tasted after skipping lunch! smile!
Love,
Lori
Thank you for your blessings and your understanding. God has blessed me with a beautiful son and I think He understands where I am at these days. My love to you all. Like I said, I will try to pop in from time to time.
xoxo
Jodie
p.s. if any of you are planning to attend she speaks...I am working on flights this week :) Let me know, would love to meet some of you "face to face."
Hey GIG,
It has been so long since I have posted...for various reasons. However, when I read Jodi's comment, I felt I needed to write. I had written my nugget as: I Sam. 20:39...:"only Jonathan and David understood the signal." This verse spoke to my heart in all that I have been dealing with in "just being close to Him." Only God and Jeanne know what is going on in Jeanne's heart and soul. I have never been as close to Him as I have been since starting this study. This study has led me to Brandee's blog and the prayer time that I so desperately want to make a part of my daily life; I have "taken in" other blogs of God's Women; I am reading John 14-17 every day (trying to faithfully do that reading when I first get up; I'm reading other books...Beth Moore, etc. MY POINT: This study has drawn me closer to Him, but since I was not use to spending so much time with Him and for Him and In Him, it is (sometimes) overwhelming; so I ask myself...What do I give up? He says, "None of it, Jeanne; just discipline yourself for you have never done this for Me before and it is a discipline of obedience to Me." So, I feel that He signals me with what He wants me to have for that particular day...but I must have Him....As Anne Graham Lotz says, "Just give me more of Jesus!"
He is teaching us, Jodie...it may be a little or it may be a lot for one day, but I honestly feel that He knows what we need--> as you said,"I think He understands where I am at these days." He definitely knows what is best for each of us--He created us; He holds us in the palms of His Hands. He does understand, and I think you are being wise to make a choice in what is right for you and Him. He'll give you time to post when He is ready for others to hear with what He has blessed you. That is the feeling I have about all of this. Just think of far we have come...I NEVER dreamed that God would change me so much from this study. NO ONE KNOWS ME OR MY HEART AS MY SAVIOR DOES!!! He is doing a work in each of us, and He has brought us together for a purpose...whether we post or don't post a lot. We need the sisters like Brandee, Grace and Peace, Karen, Dixie, Lori, Morgen, Jacque, Michelle, Jennifer Renee, and the others for He uses them to help those of us like me and Jodie. ;) seriously I give God praise everyday for Wendy Pope and her gift of teaching us.
By the by....which GIG suggested reading John 14-17 each day?? I looked back in my journal, but not carefully; I love this discipline; I cannot believe that I see and understand something new every time I read it.
We truly do give each other so much in some way, but think about what we are giving to Him that we didn't give before. As Lori posted: Ps. 34:15, " The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right." I'm joining you, Dixie with a sincere attitude of Gratitude,
Jeanne,NC
PS: It feels good to write again...until next time when He leads. ;) I love each of you!!!!!
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