Verse of the Week - Matthew 6:21 - January 12, 2015

I had a personal revelation about "treasures."

For months, the Lord kept whispering to me,"I will prosper you." I believed the words, but applied my own understanding to the words. 

I kept waiting for a financial upsurge, a surge in blog page views, or a period of prosperity to begin. However, the words," I will prosper you." do not just apply to earthly treasures.

I finally realized that my prosperity was spiritual, not financial. Understanding lit up the inside of my brain like a light bulb. My focus had been on the material, financial meaning of prosper, but the Biblical use of prosper does not just mean financial.

The word prosper, in Hebrew, has many shades of meaning. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the original word for prosper is tsalach, or tsaleach. This is what I read:

a primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive) -- break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper (-ity, -ous, - ously).

My spiritual relationship has pushed forward tremendously. The effect of my spiritual growth has been an increase in my work for the Lord, with a greater understanding of his plan for me. Today, the more I treasure the Lord, the more my heart will be there. Finances are not where I want my heart to be.

Psalm of the Week - 66:1-2 Praise Him! Praise Him! - January 12, 2015

This week I am going to praise the Lord! The worship service at church was all about Jesus and that set the tone for my joyfulness this week. As always, our arch nemesis has tried to steal my joy, but it did not work. 

An issue arose on Monday that could have reduced me to a tearful mess if I had relied on my own understanding. However, the Holy Spirit was definitely involved because I stayed calm and represented myself well.  However, after ward I called my husband and asked him to pray for me.  The power of a prayer partner is not to be taken lightly!

In 1869, Frances J. Crosby wrote this praise song,

1. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
   Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
   Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
   Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
   Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
   In His arms He carries them all day long.
   • Refrain:
     Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
     Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!
2. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
   For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
   He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
   Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
   Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
   Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.
3. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
   Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
   Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
   Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
   Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
   Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong.

No matter what happens in my life, I am going to shout with joy to God and make my praise to him glorious! 

Grains of Truth - Number 10

 "I am A hole in a flute That the Christ’s breath moves through - Listen to this music.”~Hafiz(The Gift)
— Lily Wang (@reflectionhaiku) October 25, 2014

I read this and felt awestruck with the simplicity and beauty of it. The Holy Spirit is Christ and it does move through me. I love the music.
SalleeB.

Verse of the Week - Ephesians 5:17 - Week of January 5, 2015

"the will of the Lord, which is the rule of a Christian's walk and conversation"

Gill's Bible Exposition

"Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design."

Matthew Henry's Commentary


God wants us to give our time to him. Our instructions are contained in the Bible, or basic instructions before leaving Earth, B. I. B. L. E. 

Study the Bible daily and God will reveal his plan to you!

Psalm of the Week - 119:98 - Week of 5 January 2015

David was speaking of his learning in Psalm 119:98. David gave God credit for making him wiser than his enemies. The cause of this wisdom? The commandments of God that he, David, had learned and kept with him in his heart. Following and studying the word of God gives us wisdom. 

John Gill wrote these words to explain Psalm 119:98:

...the children of light...by attending to the word and commands of God, and being under his direction and counsel, counter work the designs of their enemies, and overturn their schemes and measures, which are brought to confusion; honesty being in the issue the best policy. However, the people of God are wiser than they(their enemies) in the best things; in the affair of salvation; in things relating to a future state, and their happiness there; which wisdom they attain unto through the Word of God, which is written for their learning; through the Scriptures, which are able to make men wise to salvation: these are the means, and no more; for it is God that is the efficient cause, or makes the means effectual, to make them wise, and wiser than others; it is owing to his divine teachings, to his Spirit and grace.

An enormous amount of information is held in this one paragraph. 

We are the children of light. When the children of light pay attention to the word of God, stay under God's direction, and stay under God's counsel they(the children of light) can overcome their enemies. 

Honesty is to be valued. 

The children of light, or the people of God, attain wisdom through the Word of God. The Bible is written for learning. The people of God gain wisdom by studying the Bible, but it is owing to God's Spirit and grace that wisdom gained.

Conclusion
By studying the word of God, I can attain wisdom through God's Spirit and grace. 

Prayer

Father God, Thank-you for the helping me to gain wisdom through studying your words in the Bible. As you helped David gain wisdom, I know that you will help me to gain wisdom. I will carry your words with me in my heart everywhere that I go. Thank you for your Spirit and your grace through which you have granted me the wisdom I learn in studying your commandments, laws, precepts, and words that are set forth in the Bible.
Amen