Verse of the Day 9/7

Verse of the Day 9/7

 

Psalm 84:10-11Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹⁰ Better a day in Your courts
    than a thousand [anywhere else].
    I would rather be at the door of the house of my God
    than to live in the tents of the wicked.

    ¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield. 
    The LORD gives grace and glory;
    He does not withhold the good
    from those who live with integrity.

Our church started a four week series last night titled "Exploring the Way".  It is a series on spiritual transformation with the hope that we would find a bigger, larger life in Christ.  The title and the premise brought my mind to Psalm 84:5 which we recently had as the verse of the day.  It says "blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage".  Today's verses express the heart of one such person and what the priorities are, what he values, what he "puts stock in" in his life.  The NKJV says "I'd rather be a doorkeeper in God's house, where He dwells than to live anywhere else in this world.  God's house is eternal.  The biggest, grandest home here is only a tent, a temporary residence.

 

The doorkeeper would see how his Master comes and goes.  How Jesus lived His life and desire, strive to imitate it.  What one such person would see is that His way was is very different than what we see in the world around us.  I read the following quote the other day in "Of First Importance".  It is a view of what another  pilgrim saw in Jesus while on his  journey in exploring the way,  being such a doorkeeper in Jesus' house.

"Man's maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother's breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die..  — Augustine

What does this vision from Augustine do to you?  This pilgrimage is only possible when we realize, believe, and trust as the psalmist did in verse 11.  I like how the Amplified Bible translates it "present grace and favor and future glory".

 

Psalm 84:11  (AMP) ^"For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Through the Bible - Judges 1-3, John 2

 

Psalm 84:5-12  New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁵ What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
      who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
 ⁶ When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
      it will become a place of refreshing springs.
      The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
 ⁷ They will continue to grow stronger,
      and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

 ⁸ O Lord God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer.
      Listen, O God of Jacob.
                         Interlude

 ⁹ O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!
      Show favor to the one you have anointed.

 ¹⁰ A single day in your courts
      is better than a thousand anywhere else!
   I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
      than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
 ¹¹ For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
      He gives us grace and glory.
   The Lord will withhold no good thing
      from those who do what is right.
 ¹² O Lord of Heaven's Armies,
      what joy for those who trust in you.