Ps. 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
"You're being followed." These usually are not very comforting words to hear. They cause fear and uneasiness. They cause us to constantly look over our shoulder with the uncertainty of what might happen or with worry over what evil may come against us.
As believers, however, we can and should rejoice in knowing that we are constantly being followed. In a good way. God's goodness (blessings, favor) and mercy (loving kindness, forgiveness) follow us every single day. All the days of our lives. We live in the provision and pardon, the favor and forgiveness of God.
He is always with us (Mt. 28:20). In verse 4, David says that because God is with him, he will fear no evil. He doesn't need to be afraid or feel uneasy. He can enjoy and count on the perfect comfort and absolute security that come from God. And so can we. He gives us the rest (v.2) of green pastures. He gives us the refreshing (v.2) of still waters. He gives us the restoration (v.3) of our soul. His goodness supplies our needs and His mercy forgives our sins. And we can know it with the sames certainty, the same "surely", that David did. So rejoice, you're being followed!
Sock Monkey Snippet: His goodness and His mercy always follow us.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
One Ordinary Day
Ps. 4:7 (I have) More joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees. (MSG)
I like ordinary days. I enjoy what I do for a living. You know, ordinary things. And although my job will probably not make me a rich man, it's those ordinary days doing ordinary things that make me happy.
But for many people, ordinary days just aren't enough because they measure their happiness and joy by their material gain. By their worldly success and prosperity. By their "shopping sprees" as this translation from the Message Bible puts it. Sadly, they seek man's fortunes more than God's face. They are more concerned with what is in their hand than Who is in their heart, even though they will never be satisfied with what they manage to accumulate (Eccl. 5:10).
The joy, happiness and contentment we as Christians have in a single "ordinary day" is more than most rich and successful people will know in a lifetime. We see God's favor because we seek God's face. And His presence fills our hearts with a joy (Acts 2:28) that words simply cannot express (1 Pet. 1:8). He makes every day extraordinary for us. German composer, Richard Wagner, once wrote, "Joy is not in things, it is in us." The One who dwells in us is the source of our joy and strength (Neh. 8:10).
Our joy is found not in what we have but in Who we know. Not in a fortune accumulated over a lifetime but in the favor of God that can be found by seeking (and finding) Him in one ordinary day!
Sock Monkey Snippet: Our joy is found not in what we have but in Who we know.
I like ordinary days. I enjoy what I do for a living. You know, ordinary things. And although my job will probably not make me a rich man, it's those ordinary days doing ordinary things that make me happy.
But for many people, ordinary days just aren't enough because they measure their happiness and joy by their material gain. By their worldly success and prosperity. By their "shopping sprees" as this translation from the Message Bible puts it. Sadly, they seek man's fortunes more than God's face. They are more concerned with what is in their hand than Who is in their heart, even though they will never be satisfied with what they manage to accumulate (Eccl. 5:10).
The joy, happiness and contentment we as Christians have in a single "ordinary day" is more than most rich and successful people will know in a lifetime. We see God's favor because we seek God's face. And His presence fills our hearts with a joy (Acts 2:28) that words simply cannot express (1 Pet. 1:8). He makes every day extraordinary for us. German composer, Richard Wagner, once wrote, "Joy is not in things, it is in us." The One who dwells in us is the source of our joy and strength (Neh. 8:10).Our joy is found not in what we have but in Who we know. Not in a fortune accumulated over a lifetime but in the favor of God that can be found by seeking (and finding) Him in one ordinary day!
Sock Monkey Snippet: Our joy is found not in what we have but in Who we know.
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