Verse of the Day 10/31

Psalm 37:3-4 Amplified Bible (AMP)  ³Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.   ⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

 

In a study with our high school students on the "rich young ruler" in Mark 10 we referenced today's verses to draw a comparison.  The wealthy young man approached Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus replied that he had to sell his possessions and give to those in need.  The young man walked away because he was wealthy and his possessions possessed him.  He was trusting in his possessions, what he had accumulated and very likely inherited, and could not give them up.

 

I like the Amplified Bible's explanation of trust in this verse - "lean on, rely on, and be confident" in the Lord, knowing and having the assurance of faith that he will provide what we need.  Physically and spiritually we will be fed.

 

Sometimes we may not feel that we have a lot to offer, that what we have to give may be too small and insignificant to give, that we might as well keep it for ourselves. In a sermon on this passage, John Piper stated "If you start thinking that your gifts are too small, that you don't live up to what the need of the hour is, Jesus does live up to the need of the hour. He can take the tiniest little you and multiply it. I've got a little plaque over my door at home that Virginia Maderis gave me out in Maryland about 15 years ago. It says, "The world has yet to see what could be accomplished by a man wholly consecrated to the Lord. By God's power I aim to be that man" - D. L. Moody.

 

Three times in these verses we are reminded not to "fret" or worry.  When I think of the word fret, I think of the things that keep us awake at night, keep us from sleep, rest and peace.  I'm sure the rich young man in Mark fretted over his possessions, many of us may deal with the same thing.

 

Let us head into this week with these verses as a backdrop.  Trust in the Lord and do good.  What might we be willing to give up in order to achieve this goal?  May we be willing to do so, to give, knowing that we will be fed.

 

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

 

Psalm 37:1-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) [A Psalm] of David.

 

 ¹FRET NOT yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God).

    ²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

    ³Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

    ⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

    ⁵Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

    ⁶And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.

    ⁷Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.