Feasting on the Word - Psalm 18

Psalm 18:1-3

I love You, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Have you taken your vitamins today? We take vitamin supplements to build up our bodies, boosting nutrients that we don’t otherwise get enough of. What about spiritual vitamins? Do we need that boost, too? We take in a steady diet of news, social media, thoughts and opinions of others, and we fix our eyes on the plate of our circumstances (a cross between twinkies and rat poison) only to discover it’s made us sick – depressed, lonely, frightened, overwhelmed, frustrated...

Perhaps a “supplement” of Scripture would help… But no, you can’t supplement a diet of twinkies with a great multi-vitamin and expect to be healthy. The truth found in God’s Word is not meant to be a supplement to a steady diet of earthly wisdom. It is instead, given for our daily sustenance. When we feast on it all day long, it satisfies our hunger and provides strength for each moment. The discovery of Christ in its pages leaves us rejoicing and grateful, full of love for God and ready to serve others.

Psalm 18:25-36

With the merciful You show Yourself merciful; with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless;

with the purified You show Yourself pure; and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous.

For You save a humble people, but the haughty eyes You bring down.

For it is You who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.

This God – His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? –

the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand supported me, and Your gentleness made me great.

You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.

So today I’m inviting you to feast on the wealth of nutrients in Psalm 18. Read it – the whole thing – savor it. Break it up over the next few days if that helps you to meditate on it more effectively. Ask some questions as you go:

• How is God described?
• What moved Him to act in this psalm?
• What did He do?
• In what ways do you see Him providing for His child?
• How has He provided strength for you this past week?
• How might you encourage others in this same way?

Psalm 18:46

The Lord lives, and blessed by my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.

Psalm 18:1

I love You, O Lord, my strength!

Sisters, my prayer for you is this: May you take refuge in the Lord. May He be your sheltering place and your strength. May He purify you as He trains your hands for war. May you know His salvation and the strong support of His right hand. May you find peace, joy and satisfaction as you feast on His Word and reach out to others with the hope of Jesus.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” I Thessalonians 5:23-24

Children of the Day - 1 Thessalonians 5:8-24

Grace and peace to you, dear sisters!

The past several days, I've been reading 1 Thessalonians 5 and can’t seem to move from this whole passage. While it is talking about the Day of the Lord, I believe the message contains important instructions for us right now, too…

“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

“We ask you, brothers [and sisters], to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

“Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers [and sisters], admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

1 Thessalonians 5:8-24

We are children of God – children of the day – and should not be taken by fear and surprise (as the children of darkness are) when this world does not function in the ways we’ve come to expect. God has warned us things like this will happen and we are told to be ready – ready to encourage one another, build each other up, just as we are already doing – thinking rightly about our circumstances as Philippians 4 instructs us, walking in faith towards God and love towards others, immersed and overflowing with the hope of salvation in Christ.

So my exhortation to you is this… Pray for our leaders and those who are impacted by their decisions, have the attitude of Christ who came to serve. Remember the promises of God who is the Shepherd of our souls. Refuse to bow to the gods of the culture - self, individualism, and creature comforts. Stand with the men of Daniel's time to say, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us... but if not, be it known... we will not serve your gods..." (For a great message on Daniel 3, check out this link from March 22, 2020: http://www.parksidebible.com/teachings/video, "But If Not")

WANT TO DIG IN MORE? Read all of 1 Thessalonians 5... In fact, read the whole book over the next few days and ask some questions of the text!

·        What does it mean to "be sober"?

·        What specific instructions are believers given in 1 Thessalonians 5:8-24?

·        How do you put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of salvation?

·        What does it mean to “rejoice always”?

·        How will you obey what you have learned?

You'll find these answers and more as you read the book! Be steadfast, sister, and commit your way to the Lord! Please comment with what the Lord teaches you through this!

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself. Therefore,my [sisters], whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved." Philippians 3:20-4:1