Matthew 4: 1-4

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "

Friday, July 12, 2013

Day 4 of 30 Days of Summer Psalms Chapter's 16-20

Psalm 16 opens beautifully, David tells the Lord, "I have no good apart from thee." How many times have I felt the same. I have no good apart from him. As I grow older, I feel this truth more and more. One day, one hour, one minute away from the Lord is lonely, is somehow wrong. The world just isn't right without God as the focus. At the end of Psalm 16, David adds, "Thou dost show me the path of life, in thy presence there is fulness of joy." Joy is a word that keeps popping up for me lately. God is purposely leading me to the word "joy." In my scripture readings, meditations, even through my yoga readings there is an emphasis on Joy, Joy, Joy!

David is mindful of all of God's blessings in Psalm 18: 32-50. He praises God with a running list of them. From girding him with strength for battle, training his hands for war, to protecting him from his enemies, David sings God's praises. His words are a reminder to me that I too should always be cognizant of the Lord's blessings in my own life. So here is my starter list:

My Praises to God for His Blessings Today

You are my loving God!
The God who placed my home so perfectly in this world
Where with my spouse, we raised a daughter and son,
A home, close to sisters, a brother, nieces, nephews, my mother, and friends
You who made my senses strong to see, hear, smell, and touch your wonders in nature
In my backyard, near forests, parks, on bike trails
You who gave me lakes, streams, mountains, flowers, plants, and trees to behold
And the means to enjoy them by bicycle, kayak, Jeep, and on foot.
You who provided my career in teaching to earn a living, one with challenges for every day
And opportunities to learn from others as much if not more than they learn from me
You blessed me with talents, Lord, to enrich my life and settings to share those talents
Through my book club, yoga, church, and adventures outdoors
For these things I will extol thee, O Lord, I sing your everlasting praises!

So much to say... my list as David's, I'm certain, could continue. It offers me a sense of peace to count my blessings; a sense of the good in this world. "I'm sorry, my dear Lord, when I ever doubt your blessings. You are, as David notes in Psalm 19: 14, 'my rock and my redeemer.'"

Tammy Smith



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2 comments:

  1. Tammy SmithJuly 12, 2013 at 7:26 AM

    Good Morning Tammy,
    Psalm 18 begins with a scripture song which I sang to all my children each night as I put them to bed: "Praise the name of Jesus, Praise the name of Jesus, He's my rock, He's my fortress, He's my redeemer in Him will I trust, Praise the name of Jesus." Each night I felt after that song that I had relinquished my hold on my children and put them safely into God's hands for the night. By the end of the Psalm David feet are secured like hind's feet upon high places strengthen to continue on with his walk with God. That is how I feel today just remembering God's care for our family through the good, the bad and the ugly. My faith is a blessing to me and when I falter I hope to remember the Lord will steady me and my unbelief. I am convicted in the closing verses of Psalm 19 to watch my words that all that I say and think "be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord". As I end my thoughts on today's reading I want to reflect back to the beginning Psalms 15 and 16. I pray that the qualities of the one who pleases God will be reflected in my life, what a lifetime challenge! Righteousness, godly conversation and speech, honor and fear of the Lord, steadfastness of faith challenge me today. I have been noticing the words You will, and I will referring to God's intent and when the Lord says He Will.....He will. I am thankful for his love for us to not abandon his people. So how will He do this? Psalm 16:11 "Thou will make known to me the path of life; In Thy Presence is fullness of joy and in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. My goal is to practice the presence of God in my life more each day. I will need your prayers and God's faithfulness.
    Becky Ferguson
    5-12-13

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  2. TamCalSmithJuly 14, 2013 at 5:11 AM

    Thanks Becky. Your children's prayer is perfect. With another child added to your family, I'm sure you are still repeating it. I'm practicing HIS presence right along with you. My chant is "joy, joy, joy, joy..." to keep alert.

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