Verse of the Day 11/29

 

Psalm 16:11    You make known to me the path of life;

    in your presence there is fullness of joy;

    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Many of the psalms are broken  up  by  the  word "selah" which means  to pause  and  think calmly about that.  This  psalm does not have that, but  reading this verse yesterday had that effect on me.  As I read those words I had to stop and reflect on those  words  and  what  they mean to  me.

 

We have heard and read many things  about  the  Christian "walk",  the  path  that we are on.  One  of  the most read books of all  time is  John  Bunyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress" which is  an allegory  of  life  along  that  path, there were ups and downs, but the overall  trajectory of  that sojourn was upward  and  onward.  So it should be  with our  lives.  Wherever you are in life, God  has placed  you on  that  path and as you look  back you may see places  where you  have wandered or  strayed  but God has brought  you  back.  You will  also  see in  looking  back, that those  times of  "fullness and joy" when you felt His presence, His guidance and direction in your  life, as if  He were right there His right hand right there to take a hold of to lead you as His child.

 

I love the way The  Message  puts  it in verses 7 and  8 of the  psalm:

^7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I'll stick with God;
    I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.

 

May it be the attitude of our  hearts today wherever we find  ourselves  along  this  path of  life.  John Eldredge writes in "Fathered by God", "our life  is  a quest, my brothers, arranged  by our Father,  for  our  initiation.   There are gifts along the way to  remind  us  that  we are his beloved sons."  May our "quest",  like John Bunyan's be upward and onward, realizing that  it is  our  initiation  for an eternal future in  His presence.

 

Read the passage from Psalm 16 from  The Message  below.  May  we say:

 

^5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I'm your choice!

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Psalm 16:5-11The Message (MSG)

^5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I'm your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

^7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I'll stick with God;
    I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.

^9-10 I'm happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that's not my destination!

¹¹ Now you've got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I'm on the right way.

 

 

 

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