Friday, January 25, 2008 @ 9:19 PM Psalm 25: Friend of God.
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
13 He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
***
Do you have a best friend? Someone you know that you can trust, someone you can bare your soul to and be totally transparent (坦白), someone you share your secrets with?
I have a friend who can be considered nearly a best friend, though I would reserve that special place for my wife next time.
But this friend has went through thick and thin with me since secondary 1. Even though our views on life is very different because he's not a Christian, I know that I can be truly real with him, because I know that as a true friend, he will accept me even though our values are very different.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
In our relationship with God, ever asked God if He considers you a friend? If it is, then He would have talked to you about His plans, and shared His heart with you.
Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Genesis 18 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? .... 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?
From Abraham and Moses, to David and Elijah... these are men who was won God's heart because they feared the Lord, shared His burdens, and decided to walk in His ways, as this psalm described.
How blessed is the man whom God considered a friend!
But... just like earthly friendships, people dont become friends unless they share the same heartbeat and passion... When is the last time your heart is burdened by concerns that's on God's heart?
Friday, January 25, 2008 @ 9:19 PM Psalm 25: Friend of God.
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
13 He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
***
Do you have a best friend? Someone you know that you can trust, someone you can bare your soul to and be totally transparent (坦白), someone you share your secrets with?
I have a friend who can be considered nearly a best friend, though I would reserve that special place for my wife next time.
But this friend has went through thick and thin with me since secondary 1. Even though our views on life is very different because he's not a Christian, I know that I can be truly real with him, because I know that as a true friend, he will accept me even though our values are very different.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
In our relationship with God, ever asked God if He considers you a friend? If it is, then He would have talked to you about His plans, and shared His heart with you.
Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Genesis 18 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? .... 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?
From Abraham and Moses, to David and Elijah... these are men who was won God's heart because they feared the Lord, shared His burdens, and decided to walk in His ways, as this psalm described.
How blessed is the man whom God considered a friend!
But... just like earthly friendships, people dont become friends unless they share the same heartbeat and passion... When is the last time your heart is burdened by concerns that's on God's heart?
