No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your godly one to rot in the grave. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16: 10-11 NLT
I am planning for this devotional to be published on blog post the day of my wedding anniversary. These verses remind me of that wedding day. I was nervous at first but by the time the ceremony ended, I was so happy! The promises that my husband and I made with one another were much like the ones we make with God. And the phrase about being shown the way of life and having joy and pleasure in living with God also remind me of the anticipation of being married to the love of my life.
Of course, marriage is different from our relationship with God in many ways. There are days in marriage where joy seems far away and it may not seem as pleasurable to live with your mate forever.
But our relationship with God is so much different from marriage. For one thing, only one of us is human while the other is capable of infinite love and mercy. While marriage partners help one another through the maze of life, God is the partner who shows us the way. And it is only when we go to be with the Lord that we truly know the joy of God's presence and the pleasure of living with God forever. I don't think that means lying on clouds and playing a harp, either. I think it will be something so truly joyous that we cannot comprehend it in this lifetime.
God, thank you for marriage. But most of all, thank you for our eternal relationship with you. We celebrate your joy, your presence and your pleasure forever and ever. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
Showing posts with label Psalm 16. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 16. Show all posts
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
I will bless the Lord
I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16: 7-8 NLT
These are such comforting words! What if you were able to memorize these two verses? Then whenever you feel fear or discomfort, when things seem to be getting to you or even when things are going well in your life, you can pray these verses out loud.
I will bless the Lord who guides me. Sounds funny to be blessing God. Shouldn't God bless me? But blessing is reciprocal and God wants us to bless him.
Even at night my heart instructs me. Even when I am asleep, I shall do the right thing. My dreams will also be blessed.
I know the Lord is always with me. We say this but we don't act like it sometimes. We act more like God has left us.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. I will stick to my convictions because God sticks to me.
Will you pray this prayer out loud today?
I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
These are such comforting words! What if you were able to memorize these two verses? Then whenever you feel fear or discomfort, when things seem to be getting to you or even when things are going well in your life, you can pray these verses out loud.
I will bless the Lord who guides me. Sounds funny to be blessing God. Shouldn't God bless me? But blessing is reciprocal and God wants us to bless him.
Even at night my heart instructs me. Even when I am asleep, I shall do the right thing. My dreams will also be blessed.
I know the Lord is always with me. We say this but we don't act like it sometimes. We act more like God has left us.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. I will stick to my convictions because God sticks to me.
Will you pray this prayer out loud today?
I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The True Heroes
The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow. I will not take part in their sacrifices or even speak the names of their gods. Psalm 16: 3-4 NLT
When this psalm was written, people worshipping other gods was very real. In fact, the Israelites were the only culture in the area who were monotheists. It was very tempting to have other gods when everyone surrounding them believed in all these gods. How can one hold onto just one God? Can one God do all these multiple gods do? What if you have specific needs? What would be the harm in believing in more than one god?
While there are still some polytheistic religions today, most of us don't know anything about them or are even tempted to worship as they do. The gods we face, especially in a Western culture, are the gods of happiness, power, money, good looks and fame. We are always tempted to try something to make us happy. We want power through our political associations, our job/volunteer positions and even through our cell phones. We are consumed with thoughts of getting money, spending money, borrowing money, and being in debt because of lack of money. We spend hours on our bodies - whether we are dieting or eating, exercising or buying clothes, dying our hair or botoxing. And even if we claim we don't want notoriety, we are all susceptible to being liked by others and greatly admire celebrities.
Our gods have changed. Chasing after them and being filled with sorrow has not changed.
God, help us to look to the godly people in our land and in our acquaintance. May we take pleasure in them and see them as heroes. May we turn aside from chasing after all our modern gods. Fill us with your joy. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
When this psalm was written, people worshipping other gods was very real. In fact, the Israelites were the only culture in the area who were monotheists. It was very tempting to have other gods when everyone surrounding them believed in all these gods. How can one hold onto just one God? Can one God do all these multiple gods do? What if you have specific needs? What would be the harm in believing in more than one god?
While there are still some polytheistic religions today, most of us don't know anything about them or are even tempted to worship as they do. The gods we face, especially in a Western culture, are the gods of happiness, power, money, good looks and fame. We are always tempted to try something to make us happy. We want power through our political associations, our job/volunteer positions and even through our cell phones. We are consumed with thoughts of getting money, spending money, borrowing money, and being in debt because of lack of money. We spend hours on our bodies - whether we are dieting or eating, exercising or buying clothes, dying our hair or botoxing. And even if we claim we don't want notoriety, we are all susceptible to being liked by others and greatly admire celebrities.
Our gods have changed. Chasing after them and being filled with sorrow has not changed.
God, help us to look to the godly people in our land and in our acquaintance. May we take pleasure in them and see them as heroes. May we turn aside from chasing after all our modern gods. Fill us with your joy. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Master!
I said to the Lord, "You are my master! All the good things I have are from you." Psalm 16: 2 NLT
Take a moment right now to think about all the good things you own or have. Do you have a place to live? Clothes? Food to eat? Some kind of income?
Think about the people you are related to - whether by marriage, blood or even association. Are any of those relationships good?
Think about your relationship to God and what Christ has done for you. Would you say those are good as well?
If you have any good things in your life, would you be able to say that God has given them to you?
Lastly, is God the master of your life? Another way to think about this is to ask whether you consider yourself to be God's servant. Or, is God more a co-pilot? Or perhaps an advisor.
God has given you all the good things in your life. When will you be ready to declare God your master?
God, you are my Master! All the good things I have are from you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
Take a moment right now to think about all the good things you own or have. Do you have a place to live? Clothes? Food to eat? Some kind of income?
Think about the people you are related to - whether by marriage, blood or even association. Are any of those relationships good?
Think about your relationship to God and what Christ has done for you. Would you say those are good as well?
If you have any good things in your life, would you be able to say that God has given them to you?
Lastly, is God the master of your life? Another way to think about this is to ask whether you consider yourself to be God's servant. Or, is God more a co-pilot? Or perhaps an advisor.
God has given you all the good things in your life. When will you be ready to declare God your master?
God, you are my Master! All the good things I have are from you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
God's Refuge
Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. Psalm 16:1 NLT
Where in your life do you need God's protection?
I think right now in my own life that I am my own worst enemy. I am easily distracted, I tend to take on too much, I plan huge projects that no real human being could ever complete on their own and I put off some things while going ahead with the items that could wait. I guess I need God to keep me safe from myself. This is because I often create my own storms, my own tornadoes, my own tsunamis.
My refuge in God would be to delegate, to spend more time in prayer and Bible reading, to find ways to worship where I am not in charge and to just be present rather than having to be doing. Is my imagined refuge too big to tackle? Most of it contains things that I must do rather than what God will provide. I am asking for God's refuge, not Amelia's refuge.
What would refuge in God look like for you?
God, keep me safe. I have come to you for your refuge, not mine. And, Lord, keep me from interfering with what you are doing to provide such shelter. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
Where in your life do you need God's protection?
I think right now in my own life that I am my own worst enemy. I am easily distracted, I tend to take on too much, I plan huge projects that no real human being could ever complete on their own and I put off some things while going ahead with the items that could wait. I guess I need God to keep me safe from myself. This is because I often create my own storms, my own tornadoes, my own tsunamis.
My refuge in God would be to delegate, to spend more time in prayer and Bible reading, to find ways to worship where I am not in charge and to just be present rather than having to be doing. Is my imagined refuge too big to tackle? Most of it contains things that I must do rather than what God will provide. I am asking for God's refuge, not Amelia's refuge.
What would refuge in God look like for you?
God, keep me safe. I have come to you for your refuge, not mine. And, Lord, keep me from interfering with what you are doing to provide such shelter. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
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