Psalm 16 was such a comfort and a renewal of truth for me today.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;I spent a week in a mansion, I kid you not, last week in North Carolina. It was beautiful. It had many 'things'. While I throughly enjoyed myself there, I left wanting stuff. And that's sad, really. This scripture reminds me that even if I had everything in that house and around that house, I would still have nothing. Matthew 16:26 reminds me that "what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" These fine folks were Christians, and generous Christians at that. But I need to remember that no matter how much 'stuff' I have or don't have, it is the Lord who is my portion. As the psalmist remembers as well:
apart from you I have no good thing.”
5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.I worry so much about finances. Who doesn't? I worry about VBS getting done 'right' this year (this is my first year to co-direct and the other gals first year too!). I worry about my kids getting sick, I worry about gaining weight. I worry, worry, worry. And constantly, CONSTANTLY, the Lord provides again and again and again.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.The psalmist spells it all out right here. Keep your eyes on Jesus. What is that famed hymn?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
I don't know about you, but often I feel the Lord teaches me so much more in these posts than I'm able to convey. I worry so much about many things. But I need to remember that I have the Lord, He is my portion and all I really need is to keep my eyes on Him. It's all about Him. It is so easy to get carried away with my checkbook, or the lists I have for VBS, or even a broken heart, but all of that, all of it, fades in comparison to the face of Jesus. And I believe we do that everyday when we feast upon His word.
Thank You Father God for Your word, Your gentle reminders. May we be faithful as You are faithful.
Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 17, Psalm 19, John 9:24-41
6 comments:
What a great post. Such a gentle, loving reminder. In my own personal devotion, before reading our Bible in a Year devotion, God revealed these same messages to me - how cool is that?! He is ALL I need and it's just so easy to forget that in the day to day life of us humans. Thanks so much for the reminder Kathryn.
Oh, that we had that vision of His face CONSISTENTLY!! We are SO prone to turn away and rely on our strength, abilities, resources, etc., and when they fail us, we get so upset. Beautiful reminder. I really love that verse ~ might have to write it out and put it somewhere to remind me!
Great post, Kathryn! I've been thinking a lot lately about "stuff". We are not financially wealthy and yet we seem to have so much STUFF. Mostly inexpensive stuff, but still too much stuff. And there are always more things we'd like to have! I've decided that because the renovations we've been doing are making re-organization necessary, as I re-organize, I will be purging. If we're not using it, we might as well get rid of it. When you don't have things, you worry about how you're going to get them, and when you do have things, you worry about something happening to them. We are so blessed in our family and friends, our church, our neighbourhood... I need to think more about the people and less about the stuff.
Great post. It is easy to forget what is really important because we are constantly bombarded by things that make us feel inadequate-we need more stuff, we need to look better, we need a bigger house, new vehicle, etc. etc. and we lose our focus.
This verse stood out for me as well:
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Focus is key! All those worries come when we focus on ourselves. When we focus on God, our perspective is restored and priorities fall into place. Great post.
Great post! What an awesome reminder that he is all we need and will ever need...
Post a Comment