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The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me.Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19)
Happy Thursday, dear Friend! I pray the blessings of God upon you and yours, and may the needs, challenges, obstacles you face today be turned over to Him and He will direct your path. May it be so, in Jesus' name, amen. Dear ones, we have been praying for my dear friend, Doug Smith for a long time. He has been valiantly battling cancer and yesterday he got the prognosis that he has about six months to live. These are not the news he and Autumn had wanted, but their faith is so tremendous. It's a hard thing to hear and receive, but we trust in the Lord. I ask continued ardent prayers for Doug, Autumn and their three children. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves. Amen, and bless you all.
If the heavens are tell the glory of God, what are our words telling the world? Hmm. Good question and a difficult question. I tend to say, well, it depends on the situation... does it? The second part of the underlined verse of this awesome psalm tells us that as David prayed, so should we. His prayer was that the word of his mouth and the meditations of his heart be acceptable to God, who was and is, his rock and redeemer. Jesus would say, and He did, that the words of our mouth are the direct result of the heart and the meditations it has (what did we put in there??). In other words, if our heart strives for the pure and holy, our words will flow out with the same. And I'm reminded of the talk show where a woman called it and said, "I love Jesus, but I cuss a little." That would open up a long discussion, but let's just say, we should be joining the creation as it sings the praises of a glorious God. The images of beauty in nature should permeate our heart with pure and wonderful thoughts about the goodness of God so that our words would be words that affirm, praise, buildup, and glorify God and God's creation (that includes people, even the ones you can't stand!). The end result desires is "acceptability" in God's eyes, not one another's eyes. We say what should please God. We should think on those things that please God. Our steady diet (and this is not tied into our resolutions for this year necessarily) should include the care and nurture of our spirits. A healthy spirit, bathed in prayer and soaked in Scripture makes for a clean, honest person. Anything less may not be acceptable.
PRAYER: Loving Father, as I pray, cover me and my family with Your love and peace. May this moment I have spent in Your word spur me to further reading and meditation on what You have to say for and about life. I do want my words to build others up, not cut them down. I want words that give life and joy to You and others. Remove from my heart the negativity that may be lurking there, waiting for the right opportunity to spring up and cut; instead may Your Spirit not wait but act quickly when needed. I want to be part of the chorus of creation singing of Your glory. In Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Find someone today who needs a good word and share it with them!
Eradio Valverde
This short book covers the entire Bible story in six short movements. It's a great read!
