Author: David Short

TASTE AND SEE

Psalms 33:8-12 LXX (34:7-11)

The Angel of the Lord shall encamp around those who fear Him,
And He will deliver them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who hopes in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His saints,
For there is no want for those who fear Him.
Rich men turned poor and went hungry;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
(Pause)
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our Lord is so good to us that it is palatable. When we fear Him, not in a cowering afraid way, but in a spirit of awe and respect, we will see Him at work in our lives. He will send His angels to encamp around us and protect us. He will deliver us from the attacks of the world. We will surely taste and see His goodness. As we put our hope in Him we will know His blessings. Glory be to God!

AT ALL TIMES

Psalms 33:2 LXX (34:1)

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Personal Challenge

Is this something that we do? Bless the Lord at all times and have His praise in our mouth continually? I must admit that I do not do this nearly often enough. It is so easy to get distracted with everyday life and forget how much God participates in our lives, always lovingly and full of mercy. Praise the Lord!

MERCY

Psalms 32:22 LXX (33:22)

Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
As we hope in You.

Personal Challenge

As followers of Christ, our hope is in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We do not/will not put our hope in people, institutions, or anything else other than Him. The core essence of that hope is for God’s mercy to be upon us. We believe, we know, that we do not deserve His mercy and yet relish in the fact that He still pours it out upon us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Saint of the Week

St. Porphyrios

THE EYES OF THE LORD

Psalms 32:18-19 LXX (33:18-19)

Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their souls from death
And to keep them alive in famine.

Encouraging Words

We, the followers of Christ, believe that God is everywhere at all times. Because of this He can be there for us every moment of our lives, observing what is going on and being ever ready to deliver us from the tragedies of life. He guards us, protects us, and cares for our needs, in ways that He knows are best for us. Praise be to God!.

UNDERSTANDING

Psalms 31:8 LXX (32:8)

“I will give you understanding, and I will teach you in the way you should walk;
I will fix My eyes on you.”

Encouraging Words

Understanding is so much better than knowledge or information. We live in an age where unlimited information is available at our finger tips. What is so often lacking is the wisdom to turn that information into understanding. As followers of Christ, we are promised to be given that understanding so that we can walk in His ways. Jesus is the source of wisdom to turn information into understanding. Glory be to God for His eyes are fixed upon us.

HOPE IN THE LORD

Psalms 30:24-25 LXX (31:23-24)

Love the Lord, all you His saints,
For the Lord seeks out truth,
And He repays those who act with great arrogance.
Be courageous, and let your heart be strengthened,
All who hope in the Lord.

Command with a Promise

We are told here, and throughout the scriptures, to love the Lord. The results of doing this in truth and sincerity are great. He will strengthen our heart, which will help us to be courageous on our journey of life. Through our love for Him our hope in Him grows and drives us even deeper into His love. Glory be to God!

IN YOU, O LORD

Psalms 30:2-6 LXX (31:1-5)

In You, O Lord, I hope; may I not be ashamed forever;
In Your righteousness deliver and rescue me.
Incline Your ear to me;
Rescue me speedily;
Be to me a God who protects me,
And a house of refuge to save me.
For You are my strength and my refuge,
And for Your name’s sake You will guide and sustain me;
For You will bring me out from the snare they hid for me;
For You are my protector.
Into Your hands I shall entrust my spirit;
You redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

Encouraging Words

Today, the scriptures will stand on their own. Our Lord is everything in our lives. Glory be to God!

DANCING AND GLADNESS

Psalms 29:12-13 LXX (30:11-12)

You turned my lamentation into dancing for me;
You tore up my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
That my glory may sing praise to You,
And not be pierced with sadness;
O Lord my God, I shall give thanks to You forever.

Encouraging Words

We cannot go through life without encountering times of difficulty and conflict. That is part of the consequence of living in a fallen world. However, as a follower of Christ, we know that times of lamentation will be followed by times of dancing because God loves us. There will be times, always when most needed, that the sackcloth we are wearing will be removed, torn up, and replaced with gladness. Our response to this love, grace, and mercy poured out on us will be our singing praise to our God. Thank you, Abba Father!

Saint of the Week

St. Ephraim the Syrian

Dedicated to my father, Billy, who would have been 99 today.
Memory Eternal!