Testimonies and Decrees

-


Scripture:

Psa. 119:137        You are righteous, O LORD,
        and your judgments are right.
138     You have appointed your decrees in righteousness
        and in all faithfulness.
139     My zeal consumes me
        because my foes forget your words.
140     Your promise is well tried,
        and your servant loves it.
141     I am small and despised,
        yet I do not forget your precepts.
142     Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
        and your law is the truth.
143     Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
        but your commandments are my delight.
144     Your decrees are righteous forever;
        give me understanding that I may live.

Observation:

The faithfulness of God is affirmed through the Psalmist. In this translation the word “decrees” is used, while in another the word “testimony.” The word “decree” sounds like a declaration from God and “testimony” more of a witness to the activity of God. But in this case God’s decrees are testimony to the very nature of God. Decrees and testimonies have something to do with righteousness — the rightness of God in the midst of difficulty. Words and actions become one and the same when it comes to God and therefore we can trust and believe.

Application:

Years ago when we were pastoring in Austin, Texas we would have “testimony” services. I loved hearing the testimonies or witnesses to the faithfulness of God. These words were a blessing to me as they encouraged me in my faith. They brought together the witness of the word and the witness of God’s activity in this world.

Words and actions are one and the same when it comes to God. For God’s children who are being transformed into the image of God, the same should be true. There should be no distinction between the two as as we seek to live a life that reflects God in this world. It is in doing so that our lives becoming living and active testimonies to the decrees of God. God becomes faithful and trustworthy through the witness of the lives of his children.

Prayer:

LORD, Please help me to live into your decrees and may you be reflected in my life. Amen.

If you would like to read more "Reflecting the Image"  click on the image to take you to the NPH bookstore.The book is also available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.



http://www.nph.com/nphweb/html/nph/itempage.jsp?itemId=9780834135277

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more