Friday, April 25, 2008

Whom Shall I Fear?

This will be a long post. This scripture comes from Psalm 27. this is absolutely my favorite Psalm and chunk of scripture. "I like it better NIV though." Here is Psalm 27, read i and meditate and think on it for a little.






Psalm 27:"27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life;of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,my heart shall not fear;though war arise against me,yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,that will I seek after:that I may dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelterin the day of trouble;he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted upabove my enemies all around me,and I will offer in his tentsacrifices with shouts of joy;I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;be gracious to me and answer me!8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you,“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

9 Hide not your face from me.Turn not your servant away in anger,O you who have been my help.Cast me not off; forsake me not,O God of my salvation!10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,but the Lord will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,and lead me on a level pathbecause of my enemies.12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;for false witnesses have risen against me,and they breathe out violence.

13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lordin the land of the living!14 Wait for the Lord;be strong, and let your heart take courage;wait for the Lord!







Do you see what I mean???? Isn't that Psalm great??? I love it. It is very profound. but, then again everything in the bible is Profound, and perfect. This is a Good picture for the christian life.



A charter boat had been fishing for blue marlin and
finally hooked one. A big one. Breaking the calm, one of
the reels began making the unmistakable “ziiiing” everybody
had been waiting for.

The first mate sprang into
action, coaching the novice fisherman as the marlin
slashed and fought frantically to shake itself free.
For two hours the 700-pound fish and the 60-foot boat
were locked in a battle of wills off the continental shelf.
Finally the giant marlin surfaced, exhausted, and floated
quietly on its side. Every ounce of fight was drained from
its majestic body. But neither the peaceful blue skies nor
the 2,000-foot deep indigo water gave any indication of
what was to follow.


The first mate, who had witnessed this drama dozens of
times, routinely grabbed the line and began maneuvering
the fish into position to haul it aboard. He knew the proper
technique was to wrap the line once around his gloved
hand and forearm. That way, if the marlin gave a sudden
jerk, he could loosen his grip and the line would slide
harmlessly off his arm. But this time, for some unknown
reason, the mate wrapped the line twice around his arm.
With an unexpected, violent thrash of its powerful tail,
the marlin made a final effort to jerk free. The line knotted
around the mate’s wrist. In an instant he was yanked
overboard. Horrified, the rest of the fishing party watched
as the giant fish swam casually down into the depths,
pulling the first mate behind him.

And, I have something that you should do a lot: “RTAMMA” approach: Read, Think, Ask, Memorize,Meditate, and Apply. I try to do just that everyday. remember that: RTAMMA.
I love the lord with all my heart with all my soul with all my mind...and all my strength.
RTAMMA= "approach: Read, Think, Ask, Memorize,
Meditate, and Apply. It’s not much of an acronym, but it
may help you remember the six steps necessary for getting
the most out of Scripture.
Read. You can’t benefit from the Bible without reading
it. That’s pretty obvious. But in order to read it effectively,
you’ve got to slow down and interact with it. Set aside
time in your day to read a couple of chapters in an unhurried
way, slowly bathing your mind with truth. Turn off
the stereo. Stop daydreaming about next week’s hunting
trip with Uncle Louie or the Grand Opening Sale at the
new discount mall. Focus on listening to God speak to
you through his Word.
For most of us, early morning



Though the entire Bible
is God’s inspired Word, new
Christians should choose
their diet carefully. Many
start off fast in Genesis, only
to die a slow death midway
through Leviticus. One way to add variety is to read a
chapter from the historical or prophetic books of the Old
Testament, then a chapter from the poetic books (Job,
Psalms, or Proverbs), followed by a chapter in the New
Testament. An average reader like myself can do all this in
20 minutes. Another option is to go chapter by chapter
through a particular book of the Bible.
Systematically working through the Scriptures is vital
for spiritual growth. Excuses abound why we can’t or don’t,
but…how can I say this tactfully?…they are all bogus. You
always find time to do what’s important to you.




Ask. When I receive a personal letter, I instinctively
want to know, “Who is this from?” The second question
that comes to mind is, “What is going on in this person’s
life that prompted him or her to write?” Asking questions
like these during Bible study will help you immensely in
grasping the deeper spiritual truths of a passage. Who is
the author? Who is the audience? What is the cultural and
historical setting of this particular book? What does the
passage tell you about yourself, about God, or about some
biblical truth? A good study Bible will answer many of
these questions in its introductory or study notes. Other
helpful study tools would include a concordance, a Bible
dictionary, and a Bible atlas.



Memorize. I am amazed at how many people say they
can’t memorize Scripture. These are the folks who can
recite verbatim the entire roster of their favorite baseball
team, the phone numbers of all their friends, ingredients
and measurements for 20 different recipes, or the days,
times, and channels of their favorite TV shows. But when
it comes to memorizing God’s Word, they are convinced
they have the brainpower of pea soup.








When it comes to memorizing Scripture, the issue is
not ability but motivation. Let me illustrate.
One day I was trying to help my children learn some
Bible verses. They looked at me as if I had just asked them
to go over Niagara Falls in a bathtub. They were convinced
it was too hard. So I made each of them a deal. In order to
get their allowance, they would need to memorize at least
three verses of my choice per week. Otherwise, they would
miss out.
Within two or three days they had the verses memorized
by heart and could recite them perfectly. Hmmmmm…
This led me to a couple of conclusions. First, my children
could handle the brain strain of memorizing Scripture.
Second, I was headed toward personal bankruptcy.
I periodically jot verses on a 3 x 5 card and review them
throughout the day. Janis will often post verses next to
the kitchen sink so she can
glance at them as she works.
This simple discipline is a
great way to inscribe God’s
Word on your mind and
heart.




Meditation. As important
as these first four steps are
for absorbing God’s Word,
nothing packs the spiritual
wallop of meditation. Think carefully about this quote
from Charles Spurgeon, the British pastor who captivated
thousands with his preaching during the mid-1800s:
Our lives are not nourished merely by listening
awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the
other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking,
and learning, all require inwardly digesting to
complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting
of the truth lies for the most part in meditating
upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although
they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in
the divine life? Because they neglect their closets,
and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word.6
Biblical meditation has nothing to do with Buddhist
shrines and saffron robes. The word meditation simply
means to “talk to oneself,” or to reflect on a thought.
Think of a cow repeatedly chewing its cud—that’s what
your brain does when you meditate on something.
People meditate all the time without realizing it.
They meditate on the paper they are trying to write by






semester’s end. They meditate on next week’s board
meeting or the cost of installing new kitchen cabinets.
I’ve seen people at stoplights jabbering to themselves
about something so consuming, they just had to talk
about it!
Meditation is work—
exhausting work at times.
Why? Because your mind
tends to be the most undisciplined
part of you. Yet God
still commands Christians to
meditate on his Word.
Reflect on the following
comment by John Flavel, a
Puritan pastor who lived in
the 16th century:
We have a deep distaste for meditation. This is not a
matter of temperament. The recluse or introvert has
no advantage over the active, busy Christian. True
meditation is a work to which we are all naturally
indisposed, but it is one to which the Holy Spirit
prompts those whom he indwells, those who have
trusted Christ. To the work of meditation…believers
must apply themselves; but first they must recognize
it as a duty and understand what it involves.8
Think about Scripture. Memorize it. Say it over and
over to yourself. Emphasize different parts of a verse and
consider the various shades of meaning that surface. For
instance, you might meditate on Psalm 1:2 like this:
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord…”
Why “delight” and not some other word? What does it
mean to delight in something? What do I delight in?
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord…”
How could a law be delightful? What’s my attitude
toward the law?
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord…”
What does the title “Lord” imply? How well do I
respond to human authority? To God’s authority?
Ponder the text. Chew on it. Extract from it the priceless
insights that feed and inspire your soul. If you wish to
benefit from the spiritual discipline of meditation, here
are the requirements: a will submitted to God’s Word,





Application. The last and often
most neglected part of Bible study is
application. “Like chewing without
swallowing,” writes Donald Whitney,
“so meditation is incomplete without
some type of application…If we don’t
apply those verses to life they won’t be
of much more lasting value to us than
they are to [a] parrot.”9
You can’t grow strong as a
Christian unless you learn to apply
God’s Word to your life. Application,
not just information, should always be
your ultimate objective when studying the Scripture.
One of the most effective ways to apply Scripture is to
interact with it in a question-and-answer format. Let’s
close by entering into a dialogue with the two verses that
[undergird] this entire chapter:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Does this passage show me something about God?
It sure does. He has personally “breathed” Scripture
into being. He has given me a resource that’s practical.
And he is concerned about the effect of his Word on me.
Does this passage show me something about myself?
Righteousness doesn’t just happen—I must be trained
in it. That training will involve rebuking and correcting.
Am I willing to pay that price for righteousness? Am I
yielded to Scripture’s teaching and convinced that it is
God-breathed? If so, I can look forward to being “equipped
for every good work”—what potential! My life isn’t meaningless.
God has work for me to do!
Does this passage tell me to stop doing something or
start doing something?
It shows me four specific uses for the Bible: teaching,
rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. Do I
know what these things mean? Am I doing them? This
passage also tells me to be thoroughly equipped for every
good work. What’s my current status? In what areas am I
ill-equipped? What parts of Scripture should I be studying."


This is a quote from a book that we are studying in TEN 31. Well, this has been a long post. took me....Oh, yikes. I've been working on this for one and half an hour. sheesh.

okay, well that is good enough


Leemac Over 'n Out

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Leemac, you really need to quote your source before your post...tell us why this writing impacts you...just a thought...

Anonymous said...

that was long!

B.L.S. said...

hmmmmm. probably the person: a human said... is probably joe. your just thinking you probably can't do an as long post as I can.