Bible League: Living His Word Search for the LORD and for his strength;continually seek him. Our verse for today is part of a thanksgiving psalm that King David composed. It was meant to be sung by Asaph and his fellow Levites when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem and placed in the tent that David had pitched for it. This part of David's psalm counsels that we should "search for the Lord." What does it mean to search the Lord? To search for the Lord means that we decide to turn away from everything else and turn to the Lord. It is to enter into the Lord's presence. This can be done in a number of ways, but perhaps it is primarily done through prayer and through reading the Bible. When people search for the Lord they are expressing the desire to enter into a personal relationship with the Lord in order to bless Him and in order to be blessed by Him (Psalm 134:1-3). David also counsels that there is one particular blessing of the Lord that we should search for. We should search for His strength. People who search for the Lord are people who know that trying to accomplish anything on their own apart from His strength and ability is a losing proposition. Trying to go it alone apart from the Lord leads us nowhere and wears us out. Searching and seeking the strength of the Lord is an absolute necessity if we are to accomplish anything in this world that is worth accomplishing. Finally, David counsels that we should continually seek the Lord. This does not mean that we should exclusively relate to the Lord and neglect our relationships to other people and to the natural world. It means that we should regularly search for and seek the Lord. It means that we should keep the lines of communication open to Him and regularly turn away from our other relationships and focus our attention on Him. The person who continually seeks the Lord is a person who knows how important it is to be in a personal relationship with Him. Search for the Lord today, for the Lord God blesses those who bless Him. Indeed, the Lord God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Kings 6, 7 1 Kings 6 -- The Building of Solomon's Temple NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 7 -- The Building of Solomon's Palace NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 23:27-38 Luke 23 -- Jesus before Pilate and Herod; Jesus' Crucifixion and Burial NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Young people, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.Insight We often hear people say, “It doesn't matter.” But many of your choices will be irreversible—they will stay with you for a lifetime. What you do when you're young does matter. Challenge Enjoy life now, but don't do anything physically, morally, or spiritually that will prevent you from enjoying life when you are old. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon John 16:33 In the world ye shall have tribulation.Art thou asking the reason of this, believer? Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold him pure and holy. Dost thou know that thou art one day to be like him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to his image? Wilt thou not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee? Will it be an easy thing to get rid of thy corruptions, and make thee perfect even as thy Father which is in heaven is perfect? Next, Christian, turn thine eye downward. Dost thou know what foes thou hast beneath thy feet? Thou wast once a servant of Satan, and no king will willingly lose his subjects. Dost thou think that Satan will let thee alone? No, he will be always at thee, for he "goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Expect trouble, therefore, Christian, when thou lookest beneath thee. Then look around thee. Where art thou? Thou art in an enemy's country, a stranger and a sojourner. The world is not thy friend. If it be, then thou art not God's friend, for he who is the friend of the world is the enemy of God. Be assured that thou shalt find foe-men everywhere. When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield; when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to bite strangers more than natives, so will the trials of earth be sharpest to you. Lastly, look within thee, into thine own heart and observe what is there. Sin and self are still within. Ah! if thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no enemies to fight thee, and no world to ensnare thee, thou wouldst still find in thyself evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee, for "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Expect trouble then, but despond not on account of it, for God is with thee to help and to strengthen thee. He hath said, "I will be with thee in trouble; I will deliver thee and honor thee." Daily Light on the Daily Path Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.Genesis 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. Leviticus 20:26 'Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine. 1 Corinthians 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. Colossians 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. 2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, Psalm 119:1 Aleph. How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD. James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. Psalm 139:23,24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; • And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. 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. |
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