We Are Saved To Serve.

Numbers 25:1-26:22
Read of Israel’s adultery and idolatry and remember God’s Word of warning: ‘Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mould’(25:1-5; Romans 12:2). God is looking for people who have the ‘same zeal’ as He has (25:11). Those who are zealous for God may be few in number, but we must not be discouraged. Glorying in Christ our Saviour, we must continue to be zealous for Him. In Christ we have ‘peace’, ‘atonement’ and a ‘perpetual’ salvation (25:12-13; Romans 5:1-2,9-10). We are saved to serve - This is the thought contained in the phrase, ‘all in Israel who are able to go forth to war’(26:2). The wilderness wanderings were over. God was doing a new thing. He was looking for a new people, determined, by grace, to carry His work forward into the future. He is still looking!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Pray That You Will Be ‘In The Spirit’, Ready To ‘Hear What The Spirit Says.’

Numbers 24:1-25
When ‘the Spirit of God came upon him’, Balaam’s ‘oracle’ was described as ‘the message of the man who sees clearly’. His ‘eyes are opened’. He sees ‘with far-seeing eyes’. He ‘hears the words of God’. He ‘sees the vision of the Almighty’(2-4,15-16). Balaam looks beyond his own time. ‘With far-seeing eyes’, he prophesies concerning our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘I see Him, but not now’(17). Balaam catches a glimpse of Jesus Christ, the ‘King of kings’(Revelation 19:16). This is what we must pray for: ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’. Pray that you will be ‘in the Spirit’, ready to ‘hear what the Spirit says’(Revelation 1:1,10; 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). God is the unchanging God - Nothing changes Him (23:19). He is also the changing God. He changed Balaam. He will change us!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Before We Can Speak For God, He Must Speak To Us.

Numbers 23:1-30
Our words are to be an echo of God’s Word. We are to speak only what God says (8,12). Before we can speak for God, He must speak to us. ‘God’s Word is truth’(John 17:17). God does not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says, He does. He fulfils His purpose (19). How does God carry forward His purpose of blessing? We receive His blessing. We share His blessing with others. We can only bring blessing to others when we ourselves seek blessing from the Lord. His blessing comes to us. His blessing reaches out through us. We speak His Word, yet - through our words - He speaks (20). This is the work of the Holy Spirit. ‘God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit’(Ephesians 6:17). The Spirit uses the Word to convict us of our sin and lead us to our Saviour (Hebrews 4:12-16).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Learning From The Past

Numbers 22:1-41
Learn from the past. In 2 Peter 2:15-16, Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14, we are encouraged to learn from the events of this chapter. Each passage contains a warning. (a) 2 Peter 2:15-16- Don’t leave ‘the straight way’ and follow the crooked way! (b) Jude 11- Don’t let making a profit become more important than being a prophet! (c) Revelation 2:14- Make sure you don’t get drawn away from God into sin! What is God saying to us here? - ‘these things happened... as a warning... they were written down for our instruction... let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall’. With the warning, there is also the promise: ‘...God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide a way of escape...’(1 Corinthians 10:11-13).
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Let Christ Enter Your Heart And Take Possession Of Your Life.

Numbers 21:1-35
In verses 5-9, there is an illustration of God’s salvation (John 3:14-15). There is sin and death (Romans 5-6; 3:23, 6:23). Christ prays for our forgiveness (7; Luke 23:34). Lifted up on the Cross, He dies that we might have eternal life. In love, He appeals to us, ‘Look to me and be saved’(John 12:32; Isaiah 45:22). Enter, Destroy Possess (21-24, 33-35): Let Christ enter your heart, destroying Satan’s strongholds and taking possession of your life (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5). If we are to be victorious to the ‘praise and glory and honour... of Jesus Christ’(1 Peter 1:6-8), we must ‘go by the King’s Highway, not turning aside to the right hand or the left’(22; 20:17). For the Christian, ‘the King’s Highway is ‘the Way of Holiness’: ‘This is the way, walk in it’(Isaiah 35:8; 30:21).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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The Lord Never Changes - He Remains Unchanged, Unchanging And Unchangeable In His Love.

Numbers 20:1-29
No man or woman is indispensable. God’s work goes on, with or without us! (a) Miriam(Moses’ sister) served and worshipped the Lord (Exodus 2:7-8; 15:20-21). Now, her time had come. She was not to enter the land. She ‘died’(1). (b) Moses had been the leader of God’s people. He sinned, and he was excluded from the promised land (12). Do not rest on your laurels. Yesterday’s grace is not sufficient for today’s challenges. A day-by-day walk with the Lord is called for. (c) Aaron(Moses’ brother) had stood alongside Moses in leadership. He ‘died’(28) without entering the promised land. In the leadership of God’s people, the names and the faces change - but the Lord never changes. He remains unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable in His love. When Moses, Aaron and Miriam had gone, God was still there!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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The Completeness Of Christ’s Work For Us - ‘For All Time A Single Sacrifice For Sins’

Numbers 19:1-22
The sacrifice was to be ‘without defect’. There was to be ‘no blemish’(2). Here, we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ - ‘without sin’, He offered Himself ‘for the sins of the people’(Hebrews 4:15; 2:17). The gathering of ‘the ashes’(9-10) speaks of the completeness of Christ’s work for us - ‘for all time a single sacrifice for sins’(Hebrews 10:12). The danger of becoming unclean through touching a ‘dead body’(11) - there is a warning for us here. ‘Dead in trespasses and sins’, we have been ‘made alive’ in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). We dare not look back (Luke 17:32; Genesis 19:26; Luke 9:62; 2 Peter 2:20-22). We have been purified ‘from dead works to serve the living God’(Hebrews 9:14). Christ ‘saves to the uttermost’. How dare we ‘shrink back’ from Him? ‘Have faith. Be saved’(Hebrews 7:25; 10:39).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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The Lord Blesses Those Who Serve Him Faithfully Each Day.

Numbers 17:1-18:32
The call comes from God - to Aaron, to Christ (17:5; Hebrews 5:4-6). Christ is both the Offering for sin and the Great High Priest (Hebrews 5:7-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25). We look at ourselves, and we say, ‘We perish, we are lost, we are dead’(17:12). We look to Christ, and everything changes (John 3:16; Luke 19:10; Ephesians 2:1). ‘Service’ and ‘reward’(18:31): The Lord blesses those who serve Him faithfully each day (1 Corinthians 15:58). Building on Christ, we seek to do work of lasting value - ‘gold, silver precious stones’. We dare not rest content with shallow superficiality - ‘wood, hay, straw’. There is ‘a reward’ for those whose ‘work’ is ‘built on the Foundation, which is Jesus Christ’(1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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‘Let Everyone Who Names The Name Of The Lord Depart From Iniquity.’

Numbers 16:1-50
‘You have gone too far!’: They regarded themselves as ‘holy’, yet they refused to go ‘too far’ with God (3)! What kind of ‘holiness’ is this? There is a ‘holiness’ which is more concerned with respectability than obedience to God. Faced with ‘the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’, we dare not say, ‘We will not come up’(12; Philippians 3:14). We are to be ‘holy’: ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity’(4; 2 Timothy 2:19). ‘Separate yourselves’ (20): This is not the false separation of the Pharisees - Spiritual ‘pride’ is ‘an abomination to the Lord’(Proverbs 11:1-2). Maintain your high calling- Don’t get dragged down to the level of those who ‘will not come up’ to where God wants them to be - and remember: ‘By grace... not your own doing... the gift of God’(Ephesians 2:8).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Hallelujah! What A Saviour!

Numbers 15:1-41
We read of offerings for ‘atonement’(25,28). We think of Christ: He went ‘outside the camp’ for us (35-36; Hebrews 13:12) - to bring us forgiveness (25,28). We are to ‘be holy to our God’, the God of our redemption (40-41). Obedience to God is of the utmost importance: We need to be reminded of all His commandments (39). Our supreme motivation is redeeming love. This divine redemption creates a relationship. God is our God and we are His people. Out of this relationship is to come the obedience of faith (40-41). ‘E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die’; ‘When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring, then anew this song we'll sing, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”’(Mission Praise, 671; Church Hymnary, 380).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Standing In Christ’s Strength Alone, We ‘Resist The Devil.’ Defeated By Christ, Satan Can Do Nothing But ‘Flee From Us.’

Numbers 11:1-35
The people complained in the hearing of the Lord’(1) - Remember: All our words are spoken ‘in the hearing of the Lord’! There was ‘a rabble among them’(4): What problems there are when such people are mingling with God’s people! What are we to do when this happens? - Pray for God’s help (10-15). God will not disappoint us - He gives people who will ‘take their stand with us’(16), the Spirit who rests on God’s people (25), the Word, ‘strong meat’ to sustain our spiritual strength (31-32; Hebrews 5:12-14). The lure of the world, the pull of the flesh- ‘the rabble’ wanted to go back to ‘Egypt’(4-6): This is the attack of the devil. Standing in Christ’s strength alone, we ‘resist the devil’. Defeated by Christ, Satan can do nothing but ‘flee from us’(Philippians 4:13; James 4:7; 1 John 3:8).

Numbers 12:1-13:33
Miriam and Aaron complained (12:1-2). Caleb and Joshua encouraged (30; 14:6-9). Thank God for encouragers! How did Moses react to criticism? He ‘was very meek’(3). He was like Jesus - ‘When He was reviled, He did not revile again’(1 Peter 2:23). Moses - ‘a servant’- was ‘entrusted with all God’s House’: We look beyond Moses to Christ who is ‘faithful over God’s House as the Son’(12:7; Hebrews 3:5-6). In times of difficulty, we draw our strength from Him. Where there is the encouragement of faith, the discouraging voice of unbelief is not far behind it. Unbelief sees nothing but problems - ‘We are not able...’(30-31). ‘Not able’ or ‘well able’? The choice is yours. Choose faith. There must be no place for unbelief.

Numbers 14:1-45
‘All the congregation raised a loud cry...’, ‘all the people of Israel murmured...’, ‘all the congregation said to stone them...’(1-2,10). Was there any ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? Yes! - ‘The Lord... will bring us into this land’(8). With the promise, there was also the warning: ‘Do not rebel against the Lord’(9). Though angry, God remained patient: ‘How long will this people despise Me? How long will they not believe in Me?’(11). He was waiting patiently for a change of heart. Moses prayed for mercy without presuming on it: ‘He will by no means clear the guilty’(18-19). God announces His pardon (20). Nevertheless, there may be times when God says, ‘Enough is enough - It’s time for a new beginning’: Only Caleb, Joshua and the ‘little ones’ would enter the land (30-31): No one else! Not even Moses!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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God Says To Us, ‘I Am The Lord Your God.’ We Say To Him, , ‘Yes, Lord, You Are Our God.’

Numbers 8:1-26
The Levites were ‘set apart’ for God (14). They were ‘a gift to Aaron... to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting...’(19). We are to work together as a team. ‘Yield yourselves to God...’(Romans 6:13): Help each other to be better servants of Christ. The ‘lampstand’(1-4): ‘Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’(Psalm 119:105). Without Christ, the living Word, we remain in darkness. With Him we ‘walk in the light’, in the joy of His salvation (John 8:12; 1 John 1:7). ‘Service for the people of Israel’(19): As servants of Christ - He ‘came not to be served but to serve’(Mark 10:45) - , we are to serve others for ‘Jesus’ sake’(2 Corinthians 4:5). To those whom we serve, we say, ‘We are your servants but you are not our lords’. Jesus is Lord: It is ‘as the Lord commands’(22).

Numbers 9:1-23
God’s people were ‘in the wilderness’(1) - No longer in the land of bondage, not yet in the land of promise. This is our situation - We look back to what the Lord has done for us, we look forward to what the Lord will yet do for us. The Passover directs our attention to the death of Christ, ‘our Passover Lamb’(4; 1 Corinthians 5:7). The Cloud directs us to the return of Christ - ‘He is coming with the clouds’(Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30). God’s people are guided by the ‘cloud’ and ‘fire’(15): Not one without the other, but both together. We need both grace and faith: Not grace without faith, not faith without grace. God is ‘able to keep us from falling’(Jude 24) - This is grace. We are to keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21) - This is faith. ‘Kept by the power of God through faith’(1 Peter 1:5).

Numbers 10:1-36
God’s Word - ‘the testimony’(11) - reveals God’s purpose (29) and provides God’s guidance (33). The ‘cloud’ is like the presence of God’s Spirit hovering over us. Great things are about to happen. The Spirit of God is moving over the face of the people of God gathered for worship (11; Genesis 1:2). Through the Word, the Spirit draws our attention to the Lord who has promised good to us (29). Instructed by the Word and strengthened by the Spirit, we ‘journey’ with God (33). We are moving on with God, looking forward to the fulfilment of His good purpose. We have heard the trumpet sound, calling us to worship the Lord, to be His soldiers and servants (1-10). We hear the divine declaration, ‘I am the Lord your God’(10), and we say, ‘Yes, Lord, You are our God’(Psalm 63:1; John 20:28).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Is Speaking. Are You Listening To Him? God Is Listening. Are You Speaking To Him?

Numbers 7:1-47
Why do we bring our offerings to the Lord? - ‘that they may be used in doing the service of the tent of meeting’(5). We give ourselves to the Lord - ‘Love so amazing, so divine, Shall have my soul, my life, my all’- and we ask Him to put our gift to good use - ‘O use me, Lord, use even me, just as Thou wilt, and when, and where’(Church Hymnary, 437,485). Why is there so much repetition here? - God does not look only at the total offering. He prizes each separate offering. Each gift expresses the giver’s love for Him. Let us ‘lay up... treasures in heaven’, bringing our offerings in faith, as an expression of our gratitude to God for His abundant grace. Which matters most to you? - ‘earth’ or ‘heaven’: ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’(Matthew 6:19-21).

Numbers 7:48-89
At the end of this long chapter, we have Communion with God: ‘When Moses went into the tent of the meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat...’(89). This is what it’s all about: We ‘draw near to the throne of grace’. We ‘receive mercy and find grace...’(Hebrews 4:16). Listen for God’s Word. Speak to God in prayer. So often, the most important things get crowded out. We lose sight of God - His love, His grace, His mercy. Religion becomes a burdensome, legalistic thing. There is no joy in it. God comes to us in mercy - ready to forgive. In love, He offers us a new beginning. By His grace, we can live as the people of God. God is speaking. Are you listening to Him? God is listening. Are you speaking to Him? Nothing is more important than this!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘Do Not Get Drunk With Wine,... Be Filled With The Spirit.’

Numbers 5:1-31
‘The Lord said...’(1): Let us hear and obey His Word. God is holy: His people are not to be defiled (3). Sin is not merely moral. It is spiritual. It is not only a deviation from law. It is an offence against God - ‘breaking faith with the Lord’(6). God is holy: ‘Atonement’ is more than a provision for our need of forgiveness. It is a ‘restitution... to the Lord’(8). Christ’s atoning death does two things: (a) It meets the demands of God’s holiness. (b) It meets our need of salvation. We must not do ‘the wrong’ and ‘break faith with the Lord’(6-7). We are to obey the Gospel call for ‘faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’: This is ‘repentance’. We obey God’s ‘command...to repent’(Acts 20:21; 17:30). No longer ‘trusting in ourselves that we are righteous’, we confess our sins and look to Christ for mercy (Luke 18:9,13).

Numbers 6:1-27
‘Separate... to the Lord,... Separate... from wine and strong drink’(2-3): These two thoughts are closely connected in the New Testament - ‘Do not get drunk with wine,... Be filled with the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18). We are to be ‘holy to the Lord’(8). ‘Consecrated to the Lord’, our whole life must be controlled by one thing: ‘Do all to the glory of God’(1 Corinthians 10:31). Motivated by a desire for God’s glory, we will enjoy God's blessing (22-27). God’s blessing is not a ‘cheap’ thing, something that doesn’t matter very much. Remember Esau (Genesis 25:29-34). He couldn’t be bothered. He couldn’t care less. God’s blessing meant nothing to him. He didn’t want God’s blessing. What did God do? - He gave it to Jacob. ‘The Lord bless you...’: Do you want this? Or must God find somebody else?
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

In All Of Our Service, One Thing Must Take Priority: Worship - Without real worship, it means nothing!

Numbers 3:1-51
The Levites were to ‘minister at the tabernacle’(5-8). Different people were given different responsibilities. They were not to compete with each other. There was to be no overlapping. One was not to interfere with the work of another. The call comes from God. ‘Every male from a month old and upward’(15,24,28,34,39-40,43): Long before we even thought of serving God, He was calling us to be His servants. God is in control: He determines who will serve Him, and how we will serve Him. Each of us has a part to play. The important thing is the whole work of God. Let each of us be faithful so that the whole work can move forward. Never forget this: We serve the Lord as a ‘redeemed’ people, for whom Christ has provided ‘redemption’- ‘we have redemption through His blood’(44-51; Ephesians 1:7).

Numbers 4:1-49
‘The sons... from thirty years old up to fifty years old’(2-3,22-23,29-30...): The service of the Lord calls for maturity. Long before we ever offered ourselves to God, He had His hand upon us. If, however, we are to prove worthy servants of the Lord, we must press on to spiritual maturity. Why is it that so many people upon whom God’s hand has been laid early in life never attain their true spiritual status? - They have been distracted. ‘Self’ has intruded where only God should be. Choose God-centred blessing - not self-centred rebellion. God is ‘holy’(Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Serving Him is a ‘holy’ calling (4,15,19-20). In all of our service, one thing must take priority: Worship. We can ‘put on a performance’. It can be very impressive. Without real worship, it means nothing!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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Let Your Life Be Centred On The Word Of The Lord - Listen, Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate!

Numbers 1:1-54
‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of Christ! To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’(Ephesians 6:10-20). We must remember that ‘the weapons of our warfare are not worldly’. They have ‘divine power’. They are ‘powerful weapons from God’. They are ‘mighty through God’(2 Corinthians 10:3-6). The Levites were to lead worship (47-54). The battle is the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). We will never be strong ‘soldiers of Christ’ unless we are learning to worship the Lord. Worship lies at the very heart of the life of God’s people. Without worship, we are weak. Worshipping God, we will grow ‘strong’. We will ‘firmly resist’ the enemy. We will ‘take action’ for God (Daniel 11:32).

Numbers 2:1-34
‘The Lord said to Moses’: These words appear more than eighty times in Numbers. Let your life be centred on the Word of the Lord - Listen, Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate! God’s people were ‘facing the tent of meeting on every side’(2). There were to be no gaps in the ranks. We are not to pull in different directions. We are to pull together. Everyone has their place. All who are willing to serve the Lord will find a place in His service. Let us be united in worship and witness. Without this spirit of co-operation, the work of the Lord will fail. Each of us needs to be ‘in position’(17) - on the Lord’s Day for worship and on other occasions, when we are called upon to ‘serve the Lord with gladness’(Psalm 100:2). Let our ‘standard’(17,31) be the Lord - not the world: We are God’s people!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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God ‘Blesses’ Us Through ‘His Word.’ He ‘Blesses’ Us In ‘The Spirit.’

Psalm 147:1-20
‘The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers the exiles of Israel. he heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds’(2-3). This is much more than the building of the city of Jerusalem with bricks and mortar. This is God building up His people in their ‘most holy faith’(Jude 20). This is God blessing His people as they gather together to worship Him. In Christ, we are ‘being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit’(Ephesians 2:22). The Lord draws us to Himself. He brings us into fellowship with His people. He calls us to worship Him: ‘Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving’. He ‘blesses’ us through ‘His Word’. He ‘blesses’ us in ‘the Spirit’: ‘He sends His Word... and the waters flow’(7,12-13,18; John 7:37-39).

Psalms 148:1-150:6
‘Praise the Lord’. Psalms 146 and 147 began and ended with these words. Now, we find the same beginning and ending in each of these three Psalms - ‘Praise the Lord’. Our personal song of praise to God - ‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock... I will sing a new song to You, O God... I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your Name for ever and ever; Every day I will praise You... My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord... I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’(144:1,9; 145:1-2,21; 146:2) - is just a small part of something so much richer and fuller - ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord’(150:6). May these great Psalms of praise inspire us to praise the Lord more truly and more fully.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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The God Whom We Worship Is So Much Greater Than The Worship We Bring To Him.

Psalm 145:1-21
‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding’. Let us worship our great God: ‘I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever’(1-3). The God whom we worship is so much greater than the worship we bring to Him. Our worship is to be a ‘joyful celebration’. We celebrate His great love: ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love’. We rejoice in His great faithfulness: ‘The Lord is faithful to all His promises’. Here on earth, we have only begun to worship our great God. Our worship will continue in His ‘everlasting Kingdom’. There, we will ‘praise His Name for ever and ever’(7-8, 13,21).

Psalm 146:1-10
‘I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’(2). Praising the Lord our God: This is a lifelong commitment. We cannot maintain this lifelong commitment in our own strength. We need the Lord’s help. We must never forget this: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’(127:1). We are not expected to maintain this lifelong commitment in our own strength. We have the Lord’s help. We must always remember this: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth’(124:8). ‘Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, the Lord who remains faithful for ever’(5-6).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"Let The Morning Bring Me Word Of Your Unfailing Love ... May Your Good Spirit Lead Me In Good Paths.’’

Psalm 143:1-12
The Psalmist prays, ‘Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord’(9). He is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about the glory of God: ‘For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life’(11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in our lives? He brings to us the teaching of His Word- ‘Let the morning bring me Word of Your unfailing love’(8). He gives to us the strength of His Spirit- ‘May Your good Spirit lead me in good paths’(10). Through His Word and Spirit, God shows us His ‘unfailing love’. He enables us to say, ‘You are my God’, ‘I have put my trust in You’ and ‘I am Your servant’. He ‘shows us the way we should go’. He ‘teaches us to do His will’. He gives us victory over our ‘enemies’(8,10,12).

Psalm 144:1-15
‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle’(1). The Lord is ‘the One who gives victory’ to His people (10). What a great God we have! He is ‘our loving God, our Fortress, our Stronghold, our Deliverer, our Shield’(2). What great blessing the Lord sends into our lives! He fights for us (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3: 22; Nehemiah 4:20). He is ‘our Strength’(28:7-8; 59:17). ‘With God we shall gain the victory’(60:12). Let us pray that God will pour out His blessing upon us: ‘Part Your heavens, O Lord, and come down... Reach down Your hand from on high...’(5,7). Let us think of how much the Lord has blessed us. Let us sing our song of praise to Him: ‘I will sing a new song to You, O God’(9).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Has Given Us ‘Weapons’ Which Have ‘Divine Power To Demolish The Strongholds’ Of Satan.

Psalms 140:1-13
When we are threatened by ‘men of violence’, we must must put our trust in the Lord, our ‘strong Deliverer’. We must pray that the ‘men of violence’ will not succeed in their ‘evil plans’: ‘Do not let their plans succeed... May disaster hunt down the men of violence’(1-2,7-8,11). The ‘men of violence’ may seem to be getting things all their own way. We must not allow ourselves to be brought down to their level. In our battle against the ‘men of violence’, we must use God’s ‘weapons’: ‘truth... righteousness... peace... faith... salvation... prayer’. These ‘weapons’ have ‘divine power to demolish the strongholds’ of Satan (Ephesians 6:13-18; 2 Corinthians 10:4). Never forget this: ‘“Vengeance is mine, I will repay”, says the Lord’(Romans 12:19).

Psalms 141:1-142:7
The Psalmist continues to emphasize the importance of ‘prayer’ in our battle against ‘evildoers’: ‘My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers’(141:5). We pray that their ‘wicked deeds’ will not succeed. We pray that they will see ‘the error of their way’, returning to the Lord and being ‘led in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake’(141:5; 23:3; James 5:19-20). We may feel that our ‘persecutors’ are ‘too strong’ for us. We must never think that ‘no one cares’. We must bring our fear to God, praying, ‘Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your Name’. Faced with powerful enemies, we must remember this: The Lord is our ‘portion in the land of the living’. In the face of fierce opposition, we must learn to say, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for ever’(142:4-7; 23:6).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

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Through Christ Our Saviour, We Are Led ‘In The Way Everlasting.’

Psalms 137:1-138:8
‘How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?’(137:4). It is not easy to keep on worshipping the Lord when so many show no interest in worshipping Him. What are we to do when our faith seems so weak and we are on the verge of giving up? ‘Ask the Saviour to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you’. What will we find when we come to the Lord, looking to Him for strength? ‘He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through’. God gives us strength - ‘You answered me when I called to You. With Your strength, You strengthened me’(138:3). ‘To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown. Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down. He who is our Saviour, our strength will renew. Look ever to Jesus. He will carry you through’(Church Hymnary, 482).

Psalm 139:1-24
Through Christ our Saviour, we are led ‘in the way everlasting’: ‘God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son’(24; 1 John 5:11). God’s great purpose of eternal salvation seems ‘too wonderful’- ‘too good to be true’! ‘It is a thing most wonderful, almost too wonderful to be, that God’s own Son should come from heaven and die to save a child like me, and yet I know that it is true...’(6; Church Hymnary, 385). God has a glorious future planned for us. We can hardly even begin to take it in: ‘Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain’. We know that ‘no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him’ yet we rejoice in this: ‘God has revealed it to us by His Spirit’(6; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10). ‘Lead me in the way everlasting!’(24).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Is Great In Power. He Is Also Great In Love.

Psalm 135:1-21
‘Praise the Lord’(1-3,19-21). ‘The Lord is good... The Lord is great’(3,5). In our worship, we focus on both God’s greatness and His goodness. God is great in power: ‘Great is our Lord and mighty in power’(147:5). He is also great in love: ‘How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!’(1 John 3:1). When we praise the Lord, singing of His greatness, let us not think only of the greatness of His power: ‘I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed’. Let us think also of His goodness, the greatness of His love: ‘And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin’(Mission Praise, 506).

Psalm 136:1-26
‘His love endures for ever’. This is the great message contained in every single verse of this Psalm. It’s a message worth repeating - over and over again! God’s love is an everlasting love - ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’(Jeremiah 31:3). God’s love is an unfailing love - ‘My unfailing love for you will not be shaken’(Isaiah 54:10). Let us ‘give thanks’ to God for His love (1-3,26). In His love, the Lord has provided for us ‘an everlasting salvation’. His ‘salvation will last for ever’(Isaiah 45:17; 51:6). We must not be like those who refuse to love the Lord - ‘Pharaoh... great kings... mighty kings ...’(15,17-20). Those who reject God’s love will not receive ‘eternal life’. Their future will be very different - the ‘raging fire that will consume the enemies of God’(John 3:16-18; Hebrews 10:26-27).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

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God Sends ‘His Blessing’ When His People Gather Together For Worship.

Psalms 130:1-131:3
We are not to pray to God with superficial words that don’t mean very much to us. Our prayer is to be a real cry from the heart: ‘Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord’(130:1). We are to ‘cry for mercy’ with a deep awareness of how sinful we really are: ‘If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?’(130:3). We must come to God with deep humility - ‘My heart is not proud, O Lord’(131:1). When we truly confess our sin, we receive God’s ‘unfailing love’ and ‘forgiveness’(4). ‘In the Lord’ we have ‘full redemption’(7). It is for ‘now’- ‘The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives’. It is ‘for evermore’- ‘But purer and higher and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see!’. ‘Praise the Lord!... Give Him the glory!’(131:3; Church Hymnary, 374).

Psalm 132:1-18
‘Let us go to the Lord’s House; let us worship before His throne’(7). God is calling us to worship Him. We are to gather together as His worshipping people. As we gather for worship, we remember that ‘the Lord is King’. We do not only give Him the praise of our lips. We give Him the praise of our lives. We do not only sing to Him. We live for Him. We come ‘before His throne’ with this prayer, ‘Take my heart - it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne’. God hears and answers our prayer. He gives us His strength. We rise to His challenge: ‘Rise up, O Church of God! Have done with lesser things; Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of kings’(Church Hymnary, 36,462,477). The service of worship comes to an end. Let our service of living begin - and never end!

Psalms 133:1-134:3
God sends ‘His blessing’ when His people gather together for worship: ‘How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!’(133:1,3). Many people like to think of themselves as ‘believers’, yet they show no interest in worshipping together with God’s people. What does God’s Word say about this? - ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...’(Hebrews 10:25). ‘Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the House of the Lord’(133:1; 134:1). Some people never miss a Sunday morning service - but they always miss the Sunday evening services! They are missing out on so much of God’s blessing. ‘May the Lord... bless you...’on Sunday evenings as well as Sunday mornings (134:2)!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘Those Who Trust In The Lord... Cannot Be Moved...’, ‘Blessed Are All Who Fear The Lord, Who Walk In His Ways.’

Psalms 125:1-127:5
‘Those who trust in the Lord... cannot be moved...’. When we put our trust in the Lord, we are like the ‘wise man who built his house on the rock’. His house ‘did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock’. When we do not put our trust in the Lord, we are like the ’foolish man who built his house on sand’. His house ‘fell with a great crash’. ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain’(125:1; 127:1; Matthew 7:24-27). ‘Jesus Christ’ is the ‘sure Foundation’ upon which our faith is built. He is ‘the solid Rock’, our ‘mighty Rock of spiritual refreshment’(1 Corinthians 3:11; 10:3-4; Church Hymnary, 10,411). ‘Christ died for our sins... He was raised on the third day’. Let us rejoice in Him: ‘The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy’(126:3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Psalms 128:1-129:8
‘Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways’(128:1). If we are to enjoy the Lord’s blessing, we must fear Him and walk in His ways. Many people despise the place of worship. They ‘pass by’. They have no desire to know ‘the blessing of the Lord’. God warns us that we must not allow this attitude to grow in us: ‘May all who hate Zion be put to shame’. We must take care that our love for the Lord doesn’t ‘wither’ away. We must keep on praying that our love for Him will ‘grow’. If we place no value on the Lord’s blessing, our lives will be empty. Come to the Lord with this prayer: ‘The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You, loving You, serving You. I want to know You more, love You more, serve You more’. He will ‘fill’ your life with His blessing (129:5-8; Mission Praise, 646).

130:1-131:3
We are not to pray to God with superficial words that don’t mean very much to us. Our prayer is to be a real cry from the heart: ‘Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord’(130:1). We are to ‘cry for mercy’ with a deep awareness of how sinful we really are: ‘If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?’(130:3). We must come to God with deep humility - ‘My heart is not proud, O Lord’(131:1). When we truly confess our sin, we receive God’s ‘unfailing love’ and ‘forgiveness’(4). ‘In the Lord’ we have ‘full redemption’(7). It is for ‘now’- ‘The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives’. It is ‘for evermore’- ‘But purer and higher and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see!’. ‘Praise the Lord!... Give Him the glory!’(131:3; Church Hymnary, 374).

132:1-18
‘Let us go to the Lord’s House; let us worship before His throne’(7). God is calling us to worship Him. We are to gather together as His worshipping people. As we gather for worship, we remember that ‘the Lord is King’. We do not only give Him the praise of our lips. We give Him the praise of our lives. We do not only sing to Him. We live for Him. We come ‘before His throne’ with this prayer, ‘Take my heart - it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne’. God hears and answers our prayer. He gives us His strength. We rise to His challenge: ‘Rise up, O Church of God! Have done with lesser things; Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of kings’(Church Hymnary, 36,462,477). The service of worship comes to an end. Let our service of living begin - and never end!

133:1-134:3
God sends ‘His blessing’ when His people gather together for worship: ‘How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!’(133:1,3). Many people like to think of themselves as ‘believers’, yet they show no interest in worshipping together with God’s people. What does God’s Word say about this? - ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...’(Hebrews 10:25). ‘Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the House of the Lord’(133:1; 134:1). Some people never miss a Sunday morning service - but they always miss the Sunday evening services! They are missing out on so much of God’s blessing. ‘May the Lord... bless you...’on Sunday evenings as well as Sunday mornings (134:2)!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘I Was Glad When They Said To Me, “Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord.”’

Psalms 120:1-121:8
‘Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips’(120:2). God calls us to ‘believe the truth’, ‘love the truth’ and ‘follow the truth’. We are to be people who ‘do what is true’(2 Thessalonians 2:10-11; 3 John 3-4; John 3:21). How can we be such people? We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is ‘the Truth’(Hebrews 12:2; John 14:6). When we are tempted to turn away from the pathway of truth, we must remember this: ‘My help comes from the Lord’. We must remember God’s promise: ‘The Lord is your Keeper...The Lord will keep you from all evil’. God’s promise is not only for ‘this time’. It’s ‘for evermore’(121:2,5,7-8). This gives us glorious hope as we keep on looking to Christ,‘eagerly awaiting’ His Return ( Hebrews 9:28).

Psalms 122:1-124:8
‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord”’(122:2). Why do we go to the House of the Lord? We go ‘to give thanks to the Name of the Lord’(122:4). We seek His mercy for our past sins: ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!’(123:3). We seek His help for our future temptations: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord...’(124:8). As we receive mercy and help from the Lord, we worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord’(124:6). In our worship, we ‘look to the Lord our God’, drawing encouragement from His Word: ‘The Lord is on our side’- In Him we have the victory (123:2; 124:1-5). Rejoicing in God’s blessing, we pray for others: ‘May they prosper who love You’(122:6).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God's Blessing Will Come To Those Who Seek Him With Their Whole Heart.

Psalm 119:97-120
Throughout life, we have to make choices. Some choices are relatively straightforward. Others are very much more difficult. Some choices don’t affect the rest of our life very much. There are, however, choices which affect the whole of our life. There is one choice which is more important than any other - Choosing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Those who refuse to choose are ‘double-minded’(113). They can’t make up their mind. They know that they should be following Christ - but they are still ‘in love with the world’. They are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’(I John 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:4). Make your choice. Say to the world, ‘Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God’. Say to God, ‘I have decided to obey Your laws until the day I die’(115,112).

Psalm 119:121-144
‘The entrance of Your words gives light’(130). The Word of God brings light into our lives. Sadly, many people ‘love darkness rather than light’. They refuse to ‘come to the light’. They prefer to remain in the darkness. They refuse to listen to what God is saying to them through His Word. Then, when things are not going so well for them, they blame God. They say, ‘It’s all Your fault’! Things could have been so different. They could have learned to spend time with God. They could have learned the lessons of faith which are found in God’s Word. They could have learned to cope with life’s difficulties. They could have been filled with the strength of the Lord. They would not be complaining against Him. They would be rejoicing in Him: He has ‘called us out of darkness into His marvellous light’(1 Peter 2:10).

Psalm 119:145-176
‘With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!’(145). God is calling us to pray. There is nothing more important than this. If other things have become more important in our lives, we need to think about the way we are living. God wants to send His blessing into our lives: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’(Matthew 7:7). His blessing will come to those who seek him with their whole heart: ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart’(Jeremiah 29:13). If we do not ask, we will not receive: ‘You do not have, because you do not ask’(James 4:2). God’s blessing is not given to those who are half-hearted. God is calling us to love Him with our whole heart: ‘I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight’(174).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Keeps On Loving Us No Matter What’s Going On In Our Lives.

Psalm 119:49-72
God’s Word makes such a difference! When everything seems so hopeless, we turn to God’s Word and we find that there is ‘hope’(49). When we are going through a time of terrible ‘suffering’, we turn to God’s Word and we find ‘comfort’(50,52). When everything seems to be going so badly, we must keep on reading the Word of the Lord: ‘The wicked have laid a trap for me, but I do not forget Your law’(61). Through His Word, God is teaching us to see His purpose in our sufferings: ‘The punishment You gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your laws’(71). God is showing us what is really important: ‘The law that You gave means more to me than all the money in the world’(72). He is teaching us to see His ‘love’ in every part of our life (64).

Psalm 119:73-96
We rejoice in God’s ‘constant love’. This is our ‘comfort’- God keeps on loving us no matter what’s going on in our lives. We may be going through really hard times - ‘Men persecute me with lies... They have almost succeeded in killing me’. There’s one thing that never changes - God’s ‘constant love’. He loves us in the hard times as well as in the happy times. His love inspires us to keep on loving Him when we feel like giving up in despair (76,86-88). We see many changes taking place in our world. Sometimes, we wonder, ‘Where is God in all of this? Has He abandoned us? Can we keep on trusting Him and rejoicing in His Word?’. When our minds are full of negative thoughts, we must remember God’s Word - ‘Your Word, O Lord, will last for ever... Your faithfulness endures through all the ages’(89-90).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Way Of Blessing Is The Way Of Obedience.

Psalm 119:1-24
The way of blessing is the way of obedience (1,9,11,17). Many will choose the way of disobedience - ‘influential people sit together and slander me’. We must choose the way of obedience - ‘Your servant will meditate on Your teachings’(23). Following Jesus Christ will not be easy. We see many people turning back from following Him. We are tempted to join them. We feel the pull of the world. We must not take our eyes off Jesus. We must not return to the world’s way of living. We must remember all that Jesus has done for us - ‘He loved us and gave Himself for us’(Galatians 2:20) - and recommit ourselves to following Him: ‘I have decided to follow Jesus... The world behind me, the Cross before me... Though none go with me, I still will follow... No turning back, no turning back’(Mission Praise, 272).

Psalm 119:25-48
‘Revive me according to Your Word’(25). How does God revive us according to His Word? He gives us His salvation: ‘Let Your unfailing love come to me, O Lord - Your salvation according to Your Word’(41). He gives us His strength: ‘My soul is weary with sorrow. Strengthen me according to Your Word’(28). He gives us a change of heart: ‘I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on Your laws... I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free... Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with my whole heart... Turn my heart to Your testimonies...’(30,32,34,36). He gives us ‘new life’: ‘When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!’(40; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Word Of God Speak

Do we listen, when others speak? Or do we only want to hear, what we want to hear?



In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

‘I Love The Lord... I Will Call On Him As Long As I Live.’

Psalms 116:1-117:2
‘I love the Lord... I will call on Him as long as I live’(116:1-2). Our love for God is to be a lifelong life. It is to be the love of our life. What are we to do when our love for God grows weak? We must remember His love for us - ‘Great is His love towards us. The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever’(117:2). When we we find it difficult to keep on loving God, we must remember how much He loves us. When we feel like giving up on loving God, we must remember that He never gives up on loving us. He loves us when our love for Him is strong. He loves us when our love for Him is weak. In love, He reaches out to us. He brings us out of our weakness and into His strength. Let His strong love reach you in your weakness and give you His strength: ‘Loving Him who first loved me’(Church Hymnary, 450).

Psalm 118:1-29
‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’(14). Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour gives us a song to sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine... This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long’. Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we sing His song with strength, committing ourselves to His service, earnestly seeking to win others for Him: ‘We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right ... We’ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord...We’ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord, who reigneth above, hath sent us His Son to save us... We’ve a Saviour to show to the nations...’(Mission Praise, 59,744). Don’t keep your Saviour to yourself. Share Him with others. Win others for Him.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God's Love ‘Never Comes To An End.’

Psalms 113:1-114:8
‘The Lord is high above all nations... Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high?... Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, who turns the hard rock into springs of water’(113:4-5; 114:7-8). The Lord is greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness like the greatness of the Lord. All human greatness cannot even begin to compare with the greatness of God. His greatness is not only the greatness of His power. It is also the greatness of His love. When we sing, ‘How great Thou art’, we sing not only of His power - ‘Thy power throughout the universe displayed’. We sing also of His love - ‘And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin...’(Mission Praise, 506).

Psalm 115:1-18
‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory because of Your love and faithfulness’(1). God loves us. He loves us with a faithful love, ‘an everlasting love’, a ‘love that will not let us go’. His love ‘never comes to an end’. Nothing can separate us from His love (Jeremiah 31:3; Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 8:38-39; Church Hymnary, 677). What have we done to deserve such love? Absolutely nothing! We are ‘sinners’. We do not deserve to be loved by God. We have done nothing to earn His love. Love begins with God. It comes from Him. How do we know that He loves us? Have we proved ourselves worthy of His love? No! - ‘God shows His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’. ‘To God be the glory!’(Romans 5:8; Church Hymnary, 374).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Those Who ‘Fear The Lord’ Have No Need To Live In Fear Of Man.

Psalm 110:1-7
‘The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand...’(1). These words direct our attention to our Lord Jesus Christ: When ‘He was taken up into heaven, He sat at the right hand of God’(Mark 16:19). When Jesus ascended to the Father’s right hand, the Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven to fill our lives with God’s blessing (John 7:37-39). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our lives are changed: ‘In the Day of Your power, Your people will come to You willingly...’. We come to the Lord in our weakness, and He ‘renews our strength’. We come to Him in our weariness, and we are ‘refreshed’ by His ‘streams of living water’(3,7). ‘Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise’(Revised Church Hymnary, 435).

Psalms 111:1-112:10
‘Praise the Lord... To Him belongs eternal praise... Blessed is the man who fears the Lord... His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes...’(111:1,10; 112:1,8). Those who ‘fear the Lord’ have no need to live in fear of man. Those who know that ‘eternal praise belongs to the Lord’ can face their enemies with confidence. Our confidence is not in ourselves. Our confidence is in the Lord. We know how good the Lord has been to us - ‘He provided redemption for His people’. We have heard and believed the Good News of Christ. We need not ‘fear’ any ‘bad news’ which the devil sends our way. We ‘trust in the Lord’, confident that the ‘light ‘will triumph over the ‘darkness’. The Good News of Christ will triumph over the devil’s bad news (111:9; 112:4,7).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘With God We Shall Win The Victory.'

Psalm 108:1-13
‘With God we shall gain the victory. He will trample down our enemies’(13). In ourselves, there is only defeat. We are no match for ‘our enemies’- the world, the flesh and the devil. We are surrounded by the world - ‘The world is ever near. I see the sights that dazzle. The tempting sounds I hear’. We live with the constant problem of the flesh - ‘the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will’(Church Hymnary, 434). Behind the world and the flesh, there is an even stronger enemy - the devil: ‘Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... the spiritual forces of evil...’(Ephesians 6:12). Our situation seems to be utterly hopeless. How can we possibly win the victory? The simple truth is: We cannot. There is, however, a deeper truth: God is with us- and ‘with God we shall win the victory’!

Psalm 109:1-31
We must come to the Lord, recognizing that, without Him, our situation is hopeless - ‘I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow’(22). When our enemies are on the attack, we are no match for them. What are we to do when the world, the flesh and the devil are threatening to overwhelm us? We must come to the Lord, praying for His help, asking Him to save us - ‘Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with Your love’(26). Let us look away from ourselves and our own weakness. Let us put our trust in the Lord and His strength. The Lord will not fail us. He ‘stands beside’ us in our time of testing. He ‘saves’ us from our enemies. Let us praise Him: ‘I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth. I will praise Him among many people...’(30-31).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Story Of God’s Amazing Grace Is Worth Repeating Over And Over Again.

Psalm 106:1-48
We read here about sin and salvation. There is a very realistic description of Israel’s sin - ‘They soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel... They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise... They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord... They rebelled against the Spirit of God’(13,24-25,33). This is not only ancient history. It’s the story of our life! We read this, and we must join in Israel’s confession of sin: ‘We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly’(6). The history of Israel is not only a history of sin. It is also a history of salvation: ‘He saved them...’(8,10). As we read of God’s salvation, we must echo the prayer of God’s people - ‘Save us, O Lord our God...’- and join with them in praising God - ‘Praise be to the Lord...’(47-48).

Psalm 107:1-43
There are some things that are worth repeating! The story of God’s amazing grace is worth repeating over and over again - ‘Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress’(6,13,19,28). The call to praise the Lord is also something we need to hear again and again - ‘Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men’(8,15,21,31). Let us ‘consider the great love of the Lord’. Let us ‘give thanks to the Lord’(43,1). ‘The great love of God is revealed in the Son, who came to this earth to redeem every one. That love, like a stream flowing clear to the sea, makes clean every heart that from sin would be free... It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given! The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven!’(Church Hymnary, 415).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.’

Psalm 105:1-22
‘Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonderful works that He has done...’(4-5). The Lord gives strength to those who put their trust in Him. Trusting in Christ, we have this great testimony: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’(Philippians 4:13). How do we receive the Lord’s strength? We must ‘seek His face always. We must not think we can face difficult circumstances in our strength. Without the strength of the Lord, we will be defeated. He has helped us in the past. Never forget this. Give thanks to Him for every victory won. As you face temptation, remember the Lord’s promise of victory: ‘God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. With the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape...’(1 Corinthians 10:13).

Psalm 105:23-45
‘He brought His people out with joy’(43). When things are going badly and we feel like giving up, we must remember the Word of the Lord: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’(Nehemiah 8:10). We are to ‘rejoice in the Lord always’. The Lord does not leave us on our own when our time of testing comes. He is there for us in our time of need: ‘My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’(Philippians 4:4,19). When we are deeply conscious of our own weakness, the Lord comes to us with His Word of strength: ‘My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness’(2 Corinthians 12:9). Through the Word of God, we receive strength. His Word brings joy to us. Let us sing ‘glad songs of victory’: ‘The Lord is my Strength, my Song, my Saviour’(118:14-15).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let’s Thank God For His Love. Let's Live To Please Him.

Psalm 103:1-22
‘Praise the Lord’(1-2,20-22). Let’s praise Him for His ‘steadfast love’. He is ‘abounding in steadfast love’(8). How are we to respond to His ‘steadfast love’? Are we to say, ‘God loves me. I can do what I like’? No! We must not think like this. We’re not to say, ‘I’ll keep on sinning. God will keep on forgiving’(Romans 6:1-2). God’s Word tells us something very different. Loved by God, we learn to love Him. When God’s ‘steadfast love’ has really touched our hearts, it changes our lives. This is the great change which the Psalmist has in mind when he writes, ‘As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him... The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him’(11,17). Let’s thank God for His love - and live to please Him!

Psalm 104:1-35
‘I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’(33). Do you feel like giving up? Other things are becoming more important to you. Worshipping the Lord is being pushed out to the edge of your life. Wrong attitudes are creeping in. It starts with the idea, ‘Worship’s just an hour on a Sunday’. Then, it becomes, ‘I’ll worship the Lord when I feel like it’. It soon becomes, ‘I’ll worship the Lord when I’ve nothing better to do’. Before long, all desire for worshipping the Lord has gone! Little-by-little, you are drifting away from the Lord. It’s time to start thinking about what’s happening. It’s time for a new beginning. It’s time for an ‘all my life’ commitment to worshipping the Lord - not just on a Sunday, not only when I feel like it, not only ‘when there’s nothing better to do’!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let Us Worship The Lord With Holy Fear And Heartfelt Love.

Psalms 98:1-100:5
‘Exalt the Lord our God... Make a joyful noise to the Lord’(99:5,9; 98:4,6; 100:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. We are to glorify God. We are to enjoy Him. In our worship, we must never forget the holiness of God: ‘He is holy!... The Lord our God is holy!’(99:5,9). In our worship, we rejoice in the love of God: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever... He has done marvellous things!’(100:5; 98:1). The God of ‘awesome purity’ loves us with the most perfect love of all: ‘No earthly father loves like Thee...’. Let us worship Him with holy fear and heartfelt love: ‘O how I fear Thee, living God, with deepest, tenderest fears... with trembling hope and penitential tears! Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art, for Thou hast stooped to ask of me the love of my poor heart’(Church Hymnary, 356).

Psalms 101:1-102:28
‘I will sing of Your love... I will walk with integrity of heart...’(101:1-2). These words were written many centuries ago. ‘Things are very different now’- so we’re told! Worshipping the Lord and walking with Him: Are these things out-of-date now? Are they to be forgotten? So many people have no time for the Lord. They feel that they can do without Him. They refuse to worship Him. They do not walk with Him. In our ever-changing world, there is something we must never forget: The Lord is ‘enthroned for ever’. His ‘Name endures to all generations’. In all the changes of life, the Lord ‘remains the same’. His ‘years go on through all generations’. His ‘years will never end’(12,24,27). These words were ‘written for a future generation’. They were written for us. We must not forget to ‘praise the Lord’(18)!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Lord Is King. He is The King Of Love.

Psalm 95:1-11
‘Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord... Let us come before Him with thanksgiving... Come, let us bow down in worship...’(1-2,6). We are to worship the Lord with joyful thanksgiving. We rejoice in the Lord. We give thanks for His love. He is ‘the great God’. He is ‘our God’. He is the God of creation - ‘In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land’. He is the God of salvation - ‘We are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care’(3-5,7). If we are to learn to worship the Lord with joyful thanksgiving, we must open our hearts to Him: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’(7-8). When we hear the call to worship, we must open our hearts to the Spirit of worship.

Psalms 96:1-97:12
‘The Lord reigns’(96:10; 97:1). ‘The Lord is King!’. He is not only ‘the King all-glorious above’. He is ‘the King of love’. He is ‘our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!’. He is not only ‘the King of heaven’. He is ‘the God of grace’. He is ‘the King of mercy’(Church Hymnary, 35,36,388,360,86). His reign is not to be restricted to some faraway heaven. It is not to be a reign that is far removed from the practicalities of our everyday life. He is to reign in our hearts. He is to reign in every part of our life. Let His reign of love begin. Let His grace and mercy control all that you do. We must pray, ‘Reign in me, Sovereign Lord, reign in me’. When we say, ‘Let Your Kingdom come’ and ‘let Your will be done’, we must pray, ‘Captivate my heart. Establish there Your throne’(Mission Praise, 570).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let Us ‘Magnify’ The Lord - ‘O Lord Our God, How Majestic Is Thy Name’.

Psalms 92:1-93:5
‘You, O Lord, are exalted for ever... The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty...’(8; 93:1-2). The Lord is ‘exalted’. We are to exalt Him in our worship. He is not exalted because we exalt Him. We exalt Him because He is exalted. He is ‘exalted far above all gods’. That is why we sing, ‘I exalt Thee, O Lord’. ‘He is exalted, the King is exalted on high’- This is the truth concerning the Lord. ‘I will praise Him’- This is our response to His truth. We sing, ‘Jesus, we enthrone You, we proclaim You our King’. This is our response to the eternal truth concerning our Saviour: ‘The Lord is enthroned as King for ever’. ‘From all eternity’ the Lord is ‘robed in majesty’. Let us respond to His majesty. Let us ‘magnify’ the Lord - ‘O Lord our God, how majestic is Thy Name’(97:9; 29:10; Mission Praise, 158,217,388,507).

Psalms 94:1-23
‘When I said, “My foot is slipping”, Your love, O Lord, supported me’(18). The Lord is ‘able to keep us from falling’. We are ‘kept by the power of God’. Putting our trust in the Lord, we may be confident of this: ‘God, who began His good work in us, will carry it through to completion on the Day of Christ Jesus’. We are called to ‘press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenwards in Christ Jesus’. As we ‘press on’, we must never forget this: ‘It is God who works in us to will and to work according to His good purpose’. ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus’, trusting in His promise: ‘My sheep listen to My voice... I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of My hand...’(Jude 24-25; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Philippians 1:6; 3:14; 2:13; Hebrews 12:2; John 10:27-30).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

True Christians

There are a lot of hurting people in the world. Truth is we don't have to look far to find them. They are around us daily. At work, at the grocery store, within our communities, on the very streets that we live on and sometimes in our own homes.

What can each of us as Christian's do to reach out to others? Maybe the simplicity of a smile, maybe inviting and buying someone lunch, maybe that single mother that's struggling, maybe that girl or boy down the street that lost a father or mother through a divorce. Truly the opportunities to bless others are all around us, and everywhere. May we all be a friend to someone in need and simply be Christ like.


Blessings, from
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

God's Blessings: Eternal Life And Victory Over The Devil.

Psalms 89:38-90:17
‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations... From everlasting to everlasting, You are God’(1-2). The Bible begins with the words, ‘In the beginning, God...’. Before the world began, there was God - ‘the eternal God’. He is ‘the high and exalted One’. He is the God ‘who inhabits eternity’. He is the God ‘who lives for ever’. He has no beginning. He has no end. He is ‘the beginning and the end’. Our life on earth has a beginning. It has an end. Trusting in ‘the eternal God’, we rejoice in His precious promises - ‘The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms’; ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’; ‘The free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’(Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 57:15; Revelation 21:6; Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 6:23).

Psalm 91:1-16
‘Surely He will save you from the traps of the hunter’(3). God has given us His warning. We must ‘be alert’- ‘Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’. He also gives us His promise - ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. How are we to resist the devil? - We are to ‘resist him, standing firm in the faith’(1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7). We must not try to resist the devil in our own strength. We will be defeated. He is much more powerful than we are. We must resist him in the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, we have the victory - ‘Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’(1 Corinthians 15:57). Satan is out to get us. He’s trying to trap us. Let’s never forget this: Jesus is able to ‘deliver us from the evil one’(Matthew 6:13).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"I Will Sing Of The Lord's Great Love For Ever."

Psalm 88:1-18
The Psalmist is really ‘down in the dumps’. He feels like he is ‘in the depths of the Pit”, He feels like he is ‘in the darkest depths’(6). This is the way he feels, but he has not stopped praying - ‘O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before You... I call to You, O Lord, every day... I cry to You for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before You’(1,9,13). His prayer doesn’t make pleasant reading: ‘My soul is full of trouble... I am like a man without strength... Your wrath lies heavily upon me... the darkness is my closest friend’(3-4,7,18). How can we be helped when we feel like this? We can be helped by Jesus. He knows what it feels like. For us, He has entered the ‘darkness’- ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?’. For us, He has triumphed - ‘risen from the dead’(Matthew 27:45-46; 28:5-7).

Psalm 89:1-37
‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’(1). Many years have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our world. The years come and go. The centuries run their course. One generation gives way to another generation. Time moves on relentlessly. None of us can halt the march of time. Many changes have taken place over the course of time. There is something which must never change. The Lord is to be praised ‘for ever’. He is to be praised ‘through all generations’. We must look back and remember. Jesus Christ was crucified for us. Jesus Christ has risen for us. This is the Good News which inspires our praise: ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever...’.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Our Whole Life Is To Be A Celebration Of God's Love.

Psalms 86:1-17
‘You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you... Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth... I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart... For great is Your love towards me’(5,11-13). God loves us. He forgives our sins. We receive His love. We want to love Him more. His love inspires our praise - ‘I will praise You...’. His love inspires our prayer - ‘Teach me Your way...’. Our whole life is to be a celebration of His love - ‘Great is Your love towards me’. We are to celebrate His love with ‘joy’(4). We rejoice in the Lord because of who He is- ‘You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness’- and what He has done for us - ‘You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me’(15,17).

Psalms 87:1-7
‘Glorious things are said of you, O city of God... The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion”. As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in You”’(3,6-7). The ‘city of God’ is our glorious destination - ‘we are looking for the city that is to come’, ‘the Holy City’(Hebrews 13:14; Revelation 21:2). It is also the place of our heavenly birth - ‘This one was born in Zion’. The heavenly birth - This is where our journey to the ‘city of God’ begins: ‘No one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above’(John 3:3). Between our heavenly birth and our glorious destination, there is life in the Spirit: The Psalmist says, ‘All my fountains are in You’. Jesus says, ‘Rivers of living water shall flow from the heart of anyone who believes in Me’(John7:38).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com


Worship the Lord And Pray For Revival.

Psalms 84:1-12
‘How I love Your Temple, Almighty Lord! How I want to be there! I long to be in the Lord’s Temple. With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God’(1-2). This is much more than paying lip-service to the Lord. This is real. Worshipping the Lord meant everything to the Psalmist: ‘I long for You, O God. I thirst for You, the living God; when can I go and worship in Your presence’(42:1-2). He found great joy in worshipping the Lord: ‘Let Your light and Your truth guide me... to the place where You dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight...’(43:4). He worshipped God with his whole heart: ‘O God, You are my God, and I long for You. My whole being desires You... my soul is thirsty for You’(63:1). This is real worship, joyful worship, heartfelt worship. May God help us to worship Him like that!

Psalms 85:1-13
We are to pray for revival - ‘Restore us again, O God our Saviour... Will You not revive us again that Your people may rejoice in You?’(4,6). We are to pray that God will ‘grant us His salvation’. We are to pray that ‘His saving presence will remain in our land’. We must pray that ‘His glory may dwell in our land’(7,9). We are to pray for real listening - ‘I will listen to what God the Lord will say’- , a real turning to the Lord - ‘turning to Him in our hearts’- , and a real sense of His blessing - ‘He will speak peace to His people’(8). Prayer for revival does not begin as a prayer for others. It begins with ourselves: ‘O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; send a revival - start the work in me’. It begins with this prayer: “Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine; fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine’(Mission Praise, 587).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com