Psalm 34:4-7 (ESV)
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
David understood firsthand the temptation of pride (i.e. scandal involving Bathsheeba) and the trial of being driven away as a young man from his family by Saul. Yet he wrote this Psalm of praise to God marveling at His righteousness and His steadfast love. When we “take refuge in the shadow of His wings” our lives can also be atoned for -free to serve God “hidden with Christ in God” -Colossians 3:3. When we keep our hearts and minds on things above, only then will arrogance and wickedness not impact our end game. Jesus rewrote this story.- Teresa #goodnews #preciouslove
Psalm 36 English Standard Version (ESV)
How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
36
Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;[a]
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4
He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.
5
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.
7
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
10
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
11
Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12
There the evildoers lie fallen;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 36:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Jerome (compare Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts in my heart
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Colossians 3:1-6 (NIV)
Christ
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died,
and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your
life,
appears,
then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death,
therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
sexual immorality,
impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,
which is idolatry.
When playing this game called “cookie face”, contestants must move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth without dropping it or touching it! The participants employed a variety of strategic plans including (but not limited to) standing still and only moving facial muscles vs. purposely jumping around, catching it and eating it- before anyone noticed! God’s plan for all generations is heartfelt and will not be thwarted. He always wins in spite of the vanity of many nation’s counsel, even in the face of aggresively bold people! Psalm 33 describes how-not only does His counsel stand but His plans succeed to all generations! – Teresa #generationtogenerationwillcommendHiswork #thearthisfullofthesteadfastloveoftheLORD #whenmyplansfail,HehasTHEplan
Psalm 33: 1-11 (ESV)
33
1
Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4
For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
Psalm 30: 11,12 (ESV)
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
For young men who are trying to decide if it’s cheaper to “date” than marry, this is my interpretation of the Proverb in verse 26 below. A wife stops at nothing to make life precious for her husband! In contrast, an evil woman (one who does not love that man) will give him a meal by reducing him to a loaf of bread. It temporarily satisfies them both but has little sustenance for a lifetime of joy. – Teresa #bewise #Godloveisagapelove #pursuinglove #Christinvestedinthechurch
Proverbs 6: 20-26 (ESV)
Proverbs 6:20-26 English Standard Version (ESV)
Warnings Against Adultery
20
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22
When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24
to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[c]
25
Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,[d]
but a married woman[e] hunts down a precious life.
Footnotes:
a Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
b Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
c Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman
d Proverbs 6:26 Or (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate) for a prostitute leaves a man with nothing but a loaf of bread
e Proverbs 6:26 Hebrew a man’s wife
We may be sweetly broken by falling on the One who has authority to destroy both body and soul in hell. This is the beginning of salvation. The fulfillment of salvation is to be entrusted with His kingdom by abiding in Him (like a branch bearing grapes, connected to the vine). The process is painful but significant. This type of weighty importance brings God’s glory to the forefront. – Teresa #bougieandblessed #brokentobehealed
Matthew 21:42-45 (ESV)
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”[c]
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
When you have given all your physical strength and God asks you to give more, I propose that He will provide from His life-giving source (eternal life). Eternal life means to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). We can know in our heads a few things about God. However, when we experience in our hearts His overwhelming, life-changing perspective of us (how much we are worth to Him), we are only then empowered with eternal life.- Teresa
Matthew 20:26b- 28 (ESV)
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[c] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[d] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
This young girl was teaching me how to read the Luganda version of John 3:16. Her head was sparkly with glitter (for winning one of the games we had just played) and her voice was so intent on passing this beautiful scripture on to me! Her victorious presence reminded me of this Psalm giving us hope that with clean hands, pure heart we can ascend the hill of the Lord. Make no mistake that it is not our “filthy rag righteousness” giving us access but our trust in His righteous act! Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior from sin’s penalty. Authenticity is what He requires of us. – Teresa #foolingnoone #therealthing #glitteronourheads #Hisvictoryoveryou
Psalm 24 English Standard Version (ESV)
The King of Glory
A Psalm of David.
24
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,[a]
the world and those who dwell therein,
2
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
3
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5
He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[b] Selah
7
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Footnotes:
a Psalm 24:1 Or and all that fills it
b Psalm 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text who seek your face, Jacob
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
When God is in our midst, we are healed, not despised or rejected. He fills us with good things and brings deliverance! Grace and Alice showed me so much of God’s goodness in Kampala and even at the school dance competition at Togo. They danced and worshiped with their whole hearts, and were quick to include all of us! – Teresa #raiseurvoice #joyfuldancing
Psalm 22:19-31 English Standard Version (ESV)
19
But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued[a] me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22
I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26
The afflicted[b] shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
27
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 22:21 Hebrew answered
b Psalm 22:26 Or The meek
Reconnection 