Bible League: Living His Word The steadfast love of the LORD's never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning great is thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him."— Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV As one surveys the landscape of life and all its troubles, sufferings, and challenges, we know there is always hope for the believer—"the LORD is my portion." The Lord is always the source of hope. In our passage, describing the Lord as "my portion" may be a reference to a time past in Canaan when the land was portioned out among the different tribes. It was there that Aaron and the priestly tribe of the Levites were given no land, but instead, the Lord said, "I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel" (Numbers 18:20). It is a picture of a special and personal relationship with God since the priests were set apart in service to Him. It is the same kind of relationship with God that inspired the Psalmist to proclaim through a crisis that "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26)! A personal relationship with God, made possible by the redemption that comes through Christ, is the foundation of faith and the essence of hope. Such divine hope exists by knowing the true character of God. Our passage comes from a time past, but faith brings it into an experience with God that can be had in the present. God's character—yesterday, today, and forever—is that of steadfast love, promising the faithful His constant presence and His unchanging love. God's mercies show His compassion toward His people which never ends. "Because of our God's merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:78-79). And He is faithful. It is God's faithfulness in which we can rest with hope; it is a faithfulness that never fails. When Moses received the Ten Commandments the Lord spoke to him saying, "The Lord, the Lord God, is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth" (Exodus 34:6). Love, mercy, and faithfulness are characteristics of God that are available and new every morning. No matter your sins of yesterday, the trouble, the suffering, the challenges today, God is there for us each and every day. Sometimes it is a blessed do-over that comes with a new day. Other days one is given a fresh anointing, power, strength, and courage to get through something hard. And for those who believe, each day is an opportunity to walk in a fresh, personal, loving relationship with God. He is all we need, and He is our portion forever fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Christ is the aroma and assurance of God's steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness. His death and resurrection took the relationship with God from the past into the present, where He is with you every day. By Pastor David Massie, Bible League International staff, California U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingIsaiah 37, 38 Isaiah 37 -- Hezekiah Mourns; Isaiah foretells Jerusalem's Deliverance; Hezekiah Prays and God Fulfills NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 38 -- Hezekiah's Illness and Healing NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Philippians 3 Philippians 3 -- Pressing on toward the Mark NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”Insight Our attitude when we give is more important than the amount we give. Challenge We don't have to be embarrassed if we can give only a small gift. God is concerned about how we give from the resources we have. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Isaiah 36:5 Now on whom dost thou trust?Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian's answer, and see if it is yours. "On whom dost thou trust?" "I trust," says the Christian, "in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are. I trust the Son. Very God of very God is he--the man Christ Jesus. I trust in him to take away all my sins by his own sacrifice, and to adorn me with his perfect righteousness. I trust him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before his Father's throne, and I trust him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust him for what he is, for what he has done, and for what he has promised yet to do. And I trust the Holy Spirit--he has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust him to drive them all out; I trust him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness; I trust him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light forever." Oh, blessed trust! To trust him whose power will never be exhausted, whose love will never wane, whose kindness will never change, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect goodness can never know a diminution! Happy art thou, reader, if this trust is thine! So trusting, thou shalt enjoy sweet peace now, and glory hereafter, and the foundation of thy trust shall never be removed. Daily Light on the Daily Path 2 Samuel 7:29 "Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever."1 Chronicles 17:27 "And now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O LORD, have blessed, and it is blessed forever." Proverbs 10:22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. Acts 20:35 "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Luke 14:13,14 "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, • and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. • For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; • For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; Psalm 41:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
    |