The Devotional - 1522 - The LOVE of Faith

The Devotional – 1522 – The LOVE  of Faith

Psalm 119:153-160 – Consider my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget Your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes. Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; revive me according to Your judgments. Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word. Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. 

Comments and Challenges – RESH

1.      152 – Consider my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget Your LAW.

2.      153 – Plead my cause and redeem me, revive me according to Your PROMISE.

3.      154 – Salvation is far from the wicked, because they do not seek Your STATUTES.

4.      155 – Great are Your tender mercies, YAHWEH revive me according to Your ORDINANCES.

5.      156 – Many are my persecutors and advisories; I have not swerved from Your TESTIMONIES.

6.      157 – Look at the faithless with loathing, because they do not observe Your WORD.

7.      158 – Revive me YAHWEH, according to Your lovingkindness.

8.      159 – All of Your WORDS are Truth, everyone of Your righteous ORDINANCES endures forever. 

Whether an affliction is small or large it no doubt is a bother to our well-being. Events that can cause sleepless nights and day dreaming come in all SIZES and SHAPES. No doubt you are dealing with one even today. Some of us go to the wine that is red, when it swirls in the glass with alcoholic torment, in the end it stings and poisons like a snake bite; Proverbs 23:30-35. Others turn to stronger chemicals, like legal and illegal drugs, which is the torment of sorcery. Some turn to religion, others to crime and not one of us alone can rid ourselves of the “root” the affliction; by seeking relief in these temporal torments offered by world around us, Hebrews 12:12-17. If our afflictions are allowed run the course these soon become rooted in our heart and produce bad results.

I like what I heard someone say about the mind and soul just this Labor Day weekend; which is the hub (heart) of our being. In my understanding of what was said; the heart operates the brain in our head. Our heart deals with the circumstances of living and is capable of applying good or bad integrity of thought into the processing works of the brain. Good integrity produces good results, and the bad produces bad results. This is simple in thought for the mind and soul; but very complex in application when people give little or no thought to the soul side of their heart. Without a mind and soul the brain that has no ability to process; it is either dead or is absent of a normal and working heart. 

Most of us, because of this “double nature” human nature that is; have the ability in our mind to produce both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ works. The Holy Bible defines this production of the mind as “good and evil”. How is that true you might ask? Of course you know what I am about to say… “I’m so glad you asked, good question!” First, we were born, (just as Adam and Eve were created) and that is; in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26-27. Also, you may know the following events in the life of Adam and Eve, in that; they challenged the Word that God spoke to them and failed to obey His Word; please read Genesis 3:1-24 on your own.

 

Notice now the family of Adam; those that are born in and after Genesis 3; the murder of Abel, Cain’s brother, Genesis 4:1-24. Thus the LORD God gave another son to Adam and his name was Seth (meaning: a substitute) whose son was Enosh, It was not until this time (105 years) that men began to call upon the Name of the LORD, Genesis 4:25-26. Now note Genesis 5:1-4 – God continues even to this day to produce mankind in HIS image; Genesis 5:1-2, He blessed them and called them MANKIND. 

Now notice Genesis 5:3 – Mankind came from the loins of Adam and the womb of EVE and they begot sons and daughter, who also begot sons and daughters and verse 3 continues with these words “in his own likeness, after his image and he named him Seth. In the past I have said that we were no longer created in the image and likeness of God, based on this passage. That is an error and if it were true there would be no avenue to return to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Yet the passage in Genesis 5, gives us clear understanding of our two natures. One: divine and good and the other: selfish and evil and why so often we find ourselves dealing with life like the apostle Paul describes in Romans 7:1-25.

Now with this said let me return to Psalm 119; our writer understands the perils of living under the control of circumstance and the affliction of selfishness. Throughout the 176 verses we see the words “revival and rejoice” both of these words are directed at the “heart” that operates the brain. How does the psalmist allow God to work in his heart to produce good results over the bad ones that we, like him are capable of producing? He surrounds his day with God’s LAW, PROMISE, STATUTES, ORDINANCES, TESTIMONIES and WORD. We still are capable of failing, but this does not mean that we should continue in darkness; be revived and be rejoiced in the WORD.

He calls upon YAHWEH for tender mercy and lovingkindness. This is something that cannot be done in the Sunday morning one hour church service; just let me say in closing here. If you do not know and if you have not heard that the promises of God are the daily, moment by moment delight of the “soul” (God’s image and likeness), that provide MERCY and GRACE for little ole YOU, then shame on you since you will use the mind which is the source of evil in you (the image and likeness of Adam). If you are SAVED by FAITH you must be willing to surround your-self with the LIVING WORD of GOD this then is to surround your-self with eternity where LOVE is. God is love – 1 John 4:7-11.