WORDprints

places where God's Word has touched my life and left it's impression

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

perspective

from Psalm 102:23-28
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"In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days."
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I came upon that last night and it jumped out at me....... that is me! Reading on...
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"So I said: 'Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;"
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And I have prayed that, and similar things, many times. But what happens next, is that in this prayer as he shifts his focus away from himself toward God, God gives him perspective, and maybe that perspective is his answer....
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"...your years go on through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."
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And I especially love the last verse. The hardest part of going through this is the concern for my wife and girls; and here God answers that as well....
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"The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you."
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Thankyou Lord

Monday, February 21, 2005

influences

"I will walk in my house with blameless heart.
I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
The deeds of faithless men I hate;
they will not cling to me.
Men of perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with evil.
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence."
Psalm 101 misc. verses
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In making my meandering way through the Psalms, I came across this Psalm at the same time that I was reading The Ishbane Conspiracy by Randy Alcorn. One of the things the book does is expose some of the doorways, or footholds which we often allow satan and his demons to have into our lives and homes. That is where the book meets this Psalm. What am I setting before my eyes? Am I allowing the deeds of faithless men to cling to me by allowing them to live in my home...... either in books or music or videos? Nothing to do with evil? Or do I allow a bit in for whatever reason? Do I allow those who practice deceit or speak falsely to dwell in my house or stand in my presence..... again, in books, music, videos? Instead, do I allow only the faithful to dwell with me, and those who are blameless to minister to me?