Tag: June 2019
Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 24
Godliness and Fruitfulness
Psalm 128:1-6 A Song of degrees. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. 2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. 5 The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.
Psalm 128 describes for us the quintessential of the godly man. This “man” described in verse 4, is the purest and most perfect example of a Spirit-filled believer, father of a household, with wife and children. This Spirit-filled man is a God-fearer who draws his strength from God through prayer. This man is blessed according to God’s Word. The word “blessed”is derived from the verb that has a root meaning in the Hebrew “to kneel”. The intensive expression in this verb of kneeling is blessing. The action of kneeling is the prayer posture, the act of seeking God and His will for our lives. Therefore, when we pray according to His Word, we are blessed of God, for God answers our prayer according to His will to bless our way. This man, the psalmist says is “Blessed” of the LORD, the first word in this psalm.
This is the same word that the King James translator rightly translated “happy” in verse 2. He is one who walks in his ways, labouring and not idling. There is an activeness in the life of the man blessed of God. He is engaged in labouring for the Lord in the work that God has put his hands to do. He is not afraid to engage in hard work, in honest industry. His labour is guided by God’s Word. He labours within the framework of God’s commandments – He loves the Being of God. He loves the Worship of God. He loves the Name of God. He loves the Day of God. He loves the Representatives of God. He loves the Body of man. He loves the Morality of man. He loves the Property of Man. He loves the Personality of Man. He loves Prosperity of Man.
21. Facing the Prospect of Death
Hymns: RHC 116 Higher Ground; 115 Constantly Abiding; Maybe Today (Page 7) Job 7:7-16 7O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good. 8The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I amnot. 9As the …
Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 23
How Is Your Daily Bible Reading?
At the start of this year, we re-launched the Read the Bible in One Year with “The One Year Bible”, the entire King James Version arranged in 365 daily readings. I trust that you have begun this unforgettable journey, taken the first step to read The One Year Bible from cover to cover and seeing how God’s Word is coming alive in your life right now. We are midway through the year of grace 2019. My purpose is to give encouragement so that you will persevere in your daily Bible Reading Devotion.
God’s Word is life to the soul. The reading of the Bible allows the Holy Spirit to feed our souls as we open God’s Word daily with prayer.
The psalmist articulates well the stable life built upon the wisdom of God’s Word when he said in Psalm 37:30-31 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Jesus also observed well in Matthew 12:35a A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things… The Lord help us by His Word to build in us a treasure house of wisdom in our hearts to live a fulfilled life.