Morning Meditation, Day 5
“So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17)
There are few things as important as faith in our lives. Of the three things that the Apostle Paul assured us that will remain, faith is found among them (I Cor. 13:13). Among the three things Jesus notes as the “weightier matters” of the Law faith is present (Mt. 23:23). The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that, it is impossible to please God without faith. We must believe that God is and that he rewards those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
Since, as the Bible teaches us, faith is essential to life, we ought to know how to get it and keep it. Faith, Paul teaches us, cometh by hearing and hearing by God’s own word. It is the material that produces faith in the heart and the oil that keeps it burning brightly within us.
Faith does not stay aglow by “having heard”. We are often of the opinion that having heard the word once, we have no further need for it. The grammatical tense (present continuous) Paul uses, in Romans 10:17, indicates that we need to hear God’s word over and over again. “Oh, I’ve heard that message before”, is not the posture we ought to maintain before God’s word. It is not a one-time experience. Faith grows and understanding sharpens as we continue to hear what God has spoken.
To Consider:
Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Are you actively pursuing God each day? (Psm. 27:4; 42:1-2; 61:1-4; 63:1-5)
Evening Reading, Day 5:
Psalm 119:33-40
ה He
33 Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.[b]
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.[c]
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
ה He
33 Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.[b]
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.[c]
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
3 comments:
How could you not pursue Him??? Once you know Him you realize how unmeaningful life was without Him. This morning as I waited for my radiation treatment. I truly was grateful to God that in pursuing HIm....He leads me to pursue others for His Kingdom. I always strike up a conversation with the other ladies getting treatment for various types of cancer. God leads me to minister and I find that hearts are open to hear and I stand in the fact that Gods Word is not bound. As I lay on the radiation table daily, I would never not want to have God present. He truly has been a present help in the time of need and we need to pass that on to others.
"Man shall not live by bread alone" seems an appropriate reminder today. We seek God first for the bread of life in the same way the Israelites went out first thing in the morning to gather their manna for the day. I pray that we find the fresh bread we need to feed our faith over and over again.
Barb, glad to see God using you as an instrument in the midst of your own trials. It is evidence of God's grace abounding.
Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things.
I keep this in my head as i think through this fast, and past the fast . Food is worthless when you use it in selfish ways..That is so Powerfull...Praise GOD
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