Psalm 19

Read Psalm 19-The works of God are declared in the heavens, and the words of God lead to righteousness.
INSIGHT
A creator is known by his creation; an artist is known by his art; a musician by his music; and a sculptor by his sculpture. God can be known by the universe that He has created. Psalm 19:1 says: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." Romans 1:20 says: "since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen." Judging from nature, God exists and has power, intelligence, and a flair for beauty!

PRAYER
The Lord is greater than our deep longings, and we praise Him that He satisfies our hearts:
Praise the Lord! 
Praise the name of the Lord; 
Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord! . . . 
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; 
Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant. . . . 
I know that the Lord is great, 
And our Lord is above all gods. 
Whatever the Lord pleases He does, 
In heaven and in earth, 
In the seas and in all deep places. . . 
Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, 
Who dwells in Jerusalem! 
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 135:1, 3, 5-6, 21).

As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:
No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; 
nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness 
to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; 
My God, in Him I will trust" (Psalm 91:1-2).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• An eternal perspective
• Your spiritual goals
• Passion Night on Wednesday
• The Team coming from Oklahoma for Missions
• Motion Student Conference

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen
(1 Peter 5:10-11)

True Bride

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“Have you no other daughters?” “No,” said the man. “There is a little stunted kitchen wench which my late wife left behind her, but she cannot be the bride.” The King’s son said he was to send her up to him; but the stepmother answered, “Oh no, she is much too dirty, she cannot show herself !” But he absolutely insisted on it, and Cinderella had to be called. She first washed her hands and face clean, and then went and bowed down before the King’s son, who gave her the golden slipper. Then she seated herself on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, which fit like a glove. And when she rose up and the King’s son looked at her face, he recognized the beautiful maiden who had danced with him and cried, “This is the true bride!” The stepmother and two sisters were horrified and became pale with rage; he, however, took Cinderella on his horse and rode away with her. 

I love this part of the story—to see the heroine unveiled in all her glory. To have her, finally, rise up to her full height. Mocked, hated, laughed at, spit upon—Cinderella is the one the slipper fits; she’s the one the prince is in love with; she’s the true bride. Just as we are. 

(Waking the Dead , 71–72) 

Image

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure performed on people suffering cardiac arrest. When I first learned CPR 25 years ago the focus was on both chest compressions and rescue breathing. “Pump and blow” is what we dubbed it.

Today, the focus is primarily on the heart. When you approach someone who has collapsed in cardiac distress, new research suggests that you should focus on chest compressions. Supposedly, there is a sufficient amount of oxygen in the blood to keep vital organs working for a time. What the body lacks more immediately is a pumping heart to circulate the blood.

When you think about it, all of life comes down to the condition of one’s heart. Over and over again the Bible stresses that a spiritually healthy heart is vital. Throughout its pages we are told to search for, serve, and love God and others with all our heart (Deuteronomy 4:29; Matthew 18:35). It tells us to hide God’s Word in our heart so we won’t sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). It warns us that a “deluded heart” is what misleads us into worshiping false gods (Isaiah 44:20 NIV). And it urges us to “guard” our heart “above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).

While people focus on outward appearance, God “looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). He knows that the real story of our lives springs from what is inside of us. It’s not so much what we see on the surface. It’s what we can’t see below the surface that is the most important part.

Don’t get caught up in focusing on the externals of life. Don’t stop there. Look inside where it counts the most.

What’s the condition of your heart today? —Jeff Olson, Our Daily Journey