Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Daily Encouragement (03/06/13) "Give Me Discernment"

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sheep and barn background (3/1/13)
These sheep were enjoying some weather several days ago. As we prepare to send this message out we are expecting a nice snow storm so the scene may look different!

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"Give Me Discernment"

"I am Your servant; give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes" (Psalm 119:125).


People reading phonesThese days we are barraged with information that deals with every subject imaginable. Our increased access to this information grows almost daily. Now we can have the latest news from practically anywhere in the world instantly on our smart phones and keep up with all that's going on.

The "information superhighway" just keeps getting bigger and bigger and provides an abundance of information that can be very useful and informative. But there's also alot of information that will confuse or sidetrack the more important message. Not only life-giving truths but disastrous errors crowd the information superhighway.

Psalm 119 is well-known as the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. What is less familiar is that each verse, in one way or another, has a reference to God's Word; His laws and statutes, etc. I believe the various Scriptural expressions are used synonymously and all reveal the heart's desire of the Psalmist; to live by God's revelation.

Psalm 119Another interesting feature in this long Psalm is that it consists of 22 parts, according to the number of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet, with the names of which these letters stand for between each part. Each part consists of eight verses, all of which begin with the same letter in the Hebrew: thus, for instance, the first eight verses begin with the letter a, "aleph," and the second eight verses begin with the letter b, "beth," and so on throughout; hence the Masorah calls this Psalm "The Great Alphabet". *

In today's Scripture the Psalmist prays in humility, "I am your servant." I find blessing in the Psalmist's humble approach to God. We must always remember who's in control; He is the Master and we are the servant.

The nature of the Psalmist's request is urgently needed by those who live by faith today: "Give me discernment"
The Hebrew word for discernment means "to separate mentally." We need to be clear-minded in properly discerning many things. Certainly each generation needs to have those who are like the men of Issachar, "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chronicles 12:32)

But the specific request regarding discernment made by the Psalmist is "that I may understand your statutes."  God's statutes; His laws and precepts are intended not only for our good, but He desires His very best for us. The longer we walk with Him the more we come to understand His rules for governing our lives. We need to fundamentally realize that God's statutes are always for our good. Nehemiah stated, "You gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments" (Nehemiah 9:13).

We do well to oft repeat the Psalmist's prayer; "Give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes." May we not only read about God's statutes but seek to understand their meaning as we apply them to our lives.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer: Father, I ask for discernment that I may understand Your statutes. I pray for understanding that I might know how to implement these truths into my life. I also pray that I will grow to love and embrace Your laws so that it becomes a natural outflow of my commitment in following You. Amen.

* John Gill's Exposition of the Bible




Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Slow Down"  Video   Chuck Girard  Today's message prompted a search for this song, a concept that I suppose was needed in the seventies but so much more now.

"Little Pilgrim"  Video  Chuck Girard  A classic with a great message.

Video  Some great music from my earliest days as a follower of Christ in the seventies sung by Chuck Girard's daughters and granddaughters.

"Heart Of America"  Video  Chuck Girard is still around and is faithfully serving the Lord. This is a prayer for America.

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
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