Let my mouth be with THY PRAISE and THY HONOUR all the day long.

" I will PRAISE the name of GOD with a song, and will MAGNIFY HIM with THANKSGIVING.

This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs." Psalms 69: 30,31

This past week I was again reminded of how much the LORD is pleased when we put away murmurings, discontentment and discouragement from our lives... 

Oh, that we would fill our lives with songs of praise unto our God and offer thanksgiving to the Lord for all His love towards us. 

You  know, discouragement, murmurings, discontentment flees from us when we sing.  And we all have reasons to be thankful.

" Bless the LORD, O my soul, 

and 

forget not all His benefits." 

Psalm 103:2

Thinking upon this hymn this morning... may it encourage your heart.

REVIVE US AGAIN

author:William P. Mackay

We praise Thee, O God!

For the Son of Thy love,

For Jesus Who died,

And is now gone above.

Refrain:

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!

For Thy Spirit of light,

Who hath shown us our Savior,

And scattered our night.

All glory and praise

To the Lamb that was slain,

Who hath borne all our sins,

And hath cleansed every stain.

All glory and praise

To the God of all grace,

Who hast brought us, and sought us,

And guided our ways.

Precious Father, May our hearts rejoice today and bring before you our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving out of a pure heart.  

May you be encouraged to think upon the Lord's goodness to you and offer praise to the One who deserves all glory and honor.

~Ellie

This is my beloved Son: HEAR HIM

"Blessed is the man that walketh NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, NOR standeth  in the way of sinners NOR sitteth the seat of the scornful." Psalm 1:1

Do you ever find yourself caught up with the counsel of ungodly men and listening to their ways?

Do you ever find yourself  walking alongside and partaking with  those that despise the law of God and walk in wickedness?

Do you ever find yourself in the midst of those that express contempt or derision and scorn those around you? 

My thoughts went to Psalm 1 while reading through the gospel of Mark. It was while reading the account of the Lord Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain before the 3 disciples, Peter, James and John... that I thought upon the verse,

" ... A voice came out of the cloud, saying, 

This is my beloved Son: HEAR HIM." 

Mark 9:7

Earlier in chapter 8 of Mark, we find the Lord asking the disciples a question,

" ... Whom do men say that I am? " 

Mark 8:27

There were all sorts of talk as who the Lord Jesus was...

Sometimes we can get so caught up with the world, and what people say...that our focus and thoughts can be misaligned... 

...we listen to ungodly counsel, 

...we find ourselves standing alongside wickedness, 

...and sit in the seat of pride and arrogance.

We may find ourselves not mindful of the things that be of God... but rather the things that be of men. (Mark 8:33)

God's beautiful reminder: This is my beloved Son: HEAR HIM.

Oh, that we would delight in the law of the Lord; and in His law meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

Through the use and practice of God's Word... planted by the rivers of water... we can stand amidst the teachings of men...  his leaf shall not wither... and be able to have discernment from good and evil...  bringeth forth fruit in his season...so that in the end, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

How wonderful that we have the LIVING WORD... to guide and direct us unto godliness.... and to eschew evil, to do good, to seek peace, and pursue it.

"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." 

Psalm 34:14

Righteous Father, thank you for the reminder to hearken and obey your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your Word that is truth in an adulterous and sinful world. Help us to pursue peace and seek holiness that we may have confidence and not be ashamed at the coming of the Lord Jesus. 

May you be encouraged today to seek godly wisdom in the Word... that your way may be prosperous.

~Ellie

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me...

" The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: 

a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." 

Psalm 51:17

These past couple of weeks I have been memorizing Psalm 51... a psalm where repentance of sins are brought before a HOLY and RIGHTEOUS God.

Do you ever think yourself vile? Do you ever think that you are a sinner?  

I know sometimes we don't want to think we are evil... or wicked... or vile. We like to think that we are alright. We are not bad people. 

But lately I've been dwelling much upon Psalm 51... in relation to the rest of my daily reading in the old testament.... Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. If you've ever read through the prophetic books, you'll quickly realize and come away with the knowledge that we are a wicked and vile people...

... and that God is HOLY. 

Psalm 51 states it clearly...

  " behold I was shapen in iniquity...and in sin did my mother conceive me." (verse 5).

God's people... be it Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel... all came before a Holy God in humbleness.... seeking God's mercy. 

And we are to do the same...

Isaiah states: " The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." (2:11)

Jeremiah states: " Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches." (9:23)

Ezekiel states: " That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of His covenant it might stand." (17:14)

Daniel states: " Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten(humble) thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." (10:12)

O, that our Holy God would have mercy upon us! For His Holy name's sake.

How of utmost importance... to strip away our pride... for we are to come in the presence of our God seeking His mercy. We deserve nothing. 

And so I sat down to put my thoughts in a poem... acknowledging my sinfulness and the need for God's mercy. 

How grateful I am that God does indeed show His mercy...  to those of a broken and a contrite heart.

" from the multide of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."

 Ps 51:1

The Lord God, 

...so tender

...so loving.

Create In Us A Clean Heart

O Lord, forgive us our iniquities,

Have mercy and purge us from within.

Cast us not away from Thy presence,

Against Thee, Thee only, have we sinned.

We have done wickedly and sinned in Thy sight

Thou alone art righteous and just in Thy ways.

We have rebelled, we have not hearkened,

O God, in mercy teach us to number our days.

According to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,

Help us Thy will and truth to understand.

Make us to apply wisdom unto our hearts,

That in Thy presence clean may we stand.

For Thy name's sake, have mercy on us,

And sprinkle clean waters upon us today.

Cause us to hear and walk in Thy statutes,

Thy HOLY name sanctified in us alway.

Have pity for Thy Holy name's sake,

And create in us a clean heart.

Renew and restore a right spirit,

That praise from our lips shall ne'er depart.

Glory and honor be unto Thee, O God,

For Thou delivereth, and Thou rescueth.

Thou art the living God, steadfast forever.

Great is Thy power that continually worketh!

Ellie 2/18/2015

May God's forgiveness bring restoration to you today...

~Ellie

HIS banner over me was LOVE....

" The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

The love of God....

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

Frederick M Lehman ~1917

Nothing can separate us from the love of God... which is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:38,39) 

No, nothing.

I live by the faith of the Son of God, 

Who LOVED me, 

and 

GAVE Himself for me. 

Galatians 2:20

May you be comforted in the LOVE OF GOD for you today.... a love that lasts forever.

~Ellie

Only TAKE HEED to thyself and keep thy SOUL diligently...

" For what nation is there so great, who hath GOD so nigh unto them, as the LORD our GOD is in ALL THINGS that we call upon him for? "

 Deuteronomy 4:7

Have you ever looked at a spider and its web? Have you seen the spider at work... diligently working the web ever so meticulously? Have you seen how the spider reacts when something foreign invades his "home"?

Recently while sitting near a large window I noticed the spider at work. A leaf fell in his web. Within seconds the spider appears to remove all form of "foreign invasion". Patiently he begins the removal of the foreign object that has attached itself in his web. The object is much bigger than he... 

But it's obvious to anyone watching the spider at work that it is of utmost importance for the spider to have the object removed. 

He diligently and patiently works. His web needs to be free of any danger to his "home". 

And what I noticed most is that within seconds the spider came to remove the foreign object... the leaf. 

I thought of our own lives. Our hearts... 

Are we like the spider that quickly removes all "foreign dangers" that can mar our hearts? Do we diligently keep our hearts free from any form of danger that can infiltrate our souls and make us useless for the kingdom of GOD... and hinders us to grow?

Do we quickly put aside all form of  "dangers"... before they can debilitate us? 

Dangers can come in all forms... bitterness, jealousy, slander, pride, malice, hypocrisy.  

" Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, 

And hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings..."

1 Peter 2:1

But it can also be what we put in our hearts... through what we see/read/hear. Dangers from wrong books, movies, music.etc...

"Be sober, be vigilant;

 Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 

Walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 

1 Peter 5:8

Our God has instructed us, through HIS righteous WORD... to guard our hearts. Diligently.

" Keep thy heart with all diligence, 

For out of it are the issues of life."

Proverbs 4:23

We are always to be on the alert.  And we have a GREAT GOD who is near us when we call. 

What an awesome privilege to have the GOD of heaven act on our behalf.... even when dangers come our way.

" When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, 

Even in the latter days, 

If thou turn to the LORD thy GOD, 

And shalt be obedient unto HIS voice; 

For the LORD thy GOD is a MERCIFUL God; 

HE will not forsake thee... " 

Deuteronomy 4:30,31

And so I was grateful for the little glimpse in the world of the spider... a different outlook than I would otherwise see.  

Marvelous are God's reminders...

May you be reminded today to guard your heart from evil.... and may you have victory through HIS power that can set us free.

~Ellie

Create in me a clean heart, O God ....

"... God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Matthew 22:32

Lately I've been contemplating what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. What it means to be humble. What it means to be clean on the inside. What it means to have mercy and faith. And above all, what it means to have Christ as your master...

" For one is your master, even Christ." 

Matthew 23:8

Maybe all this stemmed from a recent visit to a group of people that take pride in their "cleanliness"... and having "orderliness" as a top priority. Lots of rules and regulations. I suppose there's really nothing wrong in being clean, it's a wonderful trait to have. But as I visited these people I was burdened. Can outwardly cleanliness count for anything in God's kingdom? Does it count for eternity? 

How are we, as followers of Christ, able to shine clean in a world of "filth"? Filth being sin, and all things unclean.   Well, I needed to go to the WORD... to find God's answers.

The gospel of Matthew relates Jesus' condemnation of those being clean on the outside and failing to apply cleanliness on the inside. 

" Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 

For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, 

But within they are full of extortion and excess. " 

Matthew 23:25

The Lord sure is direct! How often we make ourselves look good so that others may see our "righteousness".   

We can easily "pay" the tithe... whatever it may be that requires us to "look good". But we forget what counts most in God's eyes... judgement, mercy and faith.

"  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, 

But within ye are full of hypocrisy, and iniquity." 

Matthew 23:28

So as I was reading through the chapter in Matthew, I stopped a bit to evaluate my own life. How do I live for Christ? Do I worry about man's view of me? Or do I care about being clean before God?

If Christ is alive in me, then I too shall live... no longer for myself, or the world around me... but for the ONE who died for me. And if Christ be my master, the greatest amongst us(also a servant), then I too am called to follow in His steps.... to walk humbly, to show mercy, to be guided by Him in all things. No boasting in my own abilities...

What assurance to know that His blood has cleansed me from the filth and dross of sin. Great is God's power to cleanse! 

His cleansing, not my own... 

And so I delight in the wonderful work of God on my behalf... the joy of being clean within, by the power of His blood.

" Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: 

Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow." 

Psalm 51:7

May you know the real meaning of being clean... and shine for HIM.  

  

~Ellie