Spirit & Soul

I once learned something I should have known long ago.

Many of the greatest biblical scholars—such as Luther, Spurgeon, and Matthew Henry—believed Psalm 119 was the center of Almighty God’s explanation about His inspiration in the Bible and His desired relationship with His people.

Mathew Henry understood the life-changing potential of this golden psalm. His father required each of his children to read and reflect on the Hebrew letter divisions in Psalm 119—one a day, equaling twice a year (there are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet). Each letter division in this psalm, called an acrostic, has eight verses containing seven different words for inspiration.

His father’s insight into the importance of the longest chapter in the Bible, and what some call “The Bible’s Golden Psalm,” appear foundational to Matthew’s ministry and famous commentary.

If we wish to understand the shades of inspiration, Psalm 119 is the center of God’s explanation. He explains in eight primary words, which explain the aspects of inspiration: law, teaching, word—revealed words from God, judgment, testimony or witness, commandment or orders, statutes, precept, and word again—anything God has expressed.

Spurgeon said, “Each of the aspects of God’s inspiration should be understood by God’s people and placed in the warm personal relationship recorded in the golden pages of Psalm 119.”

Make Psalm 119 a center of your understanding of God speaking to you about inspiration and your relationship with Him.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and blenderfan.)

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I work in an inner-city community health center, serving the needy in our neighborhood.

The center can be a harsh environment, but even here, a person can find pockets of beauty. One spring, one of the physicians and I planted wildflowers outside the large window of our conference room. We placed two feeders in the flowerbed—one with sunflower seeds for birds and another for hummingbirds. Immediately, sparrows found the sunflower seeds and devoured them. However, no hummers visited our feeder, although I patiently kept replacing the hummingbird food.

One morning, before an early meeting, I refilled the feeder with fresh sugar water. Was I crazy to keep putting out food? I wondered if any hummingbirds lived in the city anyway. But as I sat, I saw something darting about out of the corner of my eye. Could it be true? At last, a hummingbird found the food I had faithfully supplied all summer. I hoped more would follow.

I couldn’t help but see the analogy to our work in our health ministry. We reach out daily, offering our skills to improve the well-being of our patients. Like the hummingbirds, many barriers prevent people from finding and accepting our care. However, when we help one person, they tell others, and eventually, we change whole communities.

Think of some ways you can reach out to help others.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and geralt.)

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Welcome to hope.

I want it. I search for it. I hold onto it when I find it. I sing, teach, greet, write, and listen to pastors speak words of hope. Yet hope has proven elusive from the beginning of time.

Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and God drove them from the Garden of Eden. Cain killed Abel, and God banished him from his homeland. Joseph’s brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. The Hebrew people endured years of Egyptian bondage. Old Testament prophets warned God’s people time after time about their unfaithfulness to the one and only holy God.

If I read, watch, or listen to the news, I hear about a world devoid of hope. People destroy one another with whatever weapons they possess, including hate-filled words. Disease, disaster, death, political unrest, and economic upheaval cross our screens in an endless litany of woe. Children live in homes lacking direction—filled instead with addiction, pain, hunger, and distress. People of every age suffer abuse from both strangers and caregivers. Persecution of Christians results in demolished homes and churches, imprisonment, and death. Hatred, prejudice, greed, and a me-first attitude dominate the pages of history.

But do I throw up my hands in defeat? If not, how do I fight this never-ending battle against evil? Where do I find hope, and how do I offer it to a world in despair?

If I look within, I find no hope. If I trust those in authority, they eventually let me down. Instead, my hope first appeared in the most unexpected way and place—a baby in a feeding trough in the small town of Bethlehem. In Jesus, I find the hope I so desperately desire.

Jesus left His home in heaven and entered the earth’s turmoil as an infant to provide hope for the world—the only genuine hope that lasts. His gift remains available to all who turn to Him in repentance and faith, including abusers, drug users, murderers, and persecutors. Romans 5:8 (NKJV) reminds me, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What are some ways you find hope?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and ZigmarsBerzins.)

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An old country church was being torn down and a new one built across town. To raise money for the new church, members sold the wooden pews that had served the country church well.

One man bought a twelve-foot pew and took it to his farm. With much difficulty, he put it in the attic of his home.

Years later, when the man’s health declined, he had to sell the farm. Unable to get the pew out of the attic, he sealed the attic and left the pew there.

Like the old church pew, I felt my age prevented me from doing anything more in ministry. Over the years, I had taught Bible studies and served in many ministries. But now I was spending much of my time at home and keeping doctor appointments.

Lacking the strength and vigor I possessed in my younger years, I believed I could no longer make long-term commitments or do much. Later, I discovered this was a lie the Devil spoke in my ear. I could still do plenty. God made me special and gifted me to serve.

The spiritual gifts listed in I Corinthians and Ephesians stay with us for life. We can use them in new and different ways as we enter our senior years. I discovered I had additional time to pray for others and the church’s needs. I could help in the nursery, giving young couples a needed break. I learned to use technology from home to connect to church and other ministries.

Our senior years can bring much satisfaction and joy if we look around and discover new ways to use our spiritual gift. Like the psalmist, we can serve the Lord with gladness. We don’t have to shut ourselves away. We can get out of the attic and serve the Lord again.

Never forget that there are ways you can serve God, regardless of your age.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and Kincse_j.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)

Years ago, a commercial described a laundry soap as “stronger than dirt.”

In the early 1970s, we lived near San Francisco. The hippie movement was in full swing. I was a new Christian. My husband’s brother Larry was a wild man who didn’t like me and thought his little brother had gone off the deep end with religion. But he and his wife ended up in church because they needed money. He told us later that he planned to scam the Christian couple who had evangelized us.

The church folks were thrilled that this ragged, wild-looking hippie couple had come to church. Larry made a big show for them so he could get more out of them later. Larry was the first when the pastor asked if anyone wanted to come to the altar and pray. “A good sympathy move,” he said.

While kneeling—not so humbly—at the altar, Larry thought about ways to steal a car from the couple. But then something unexpected happened. Jesus came. Larry found himself crying and praying. Before knowing what had happened, he earnestly prayed and asked God to forgive him. He lived for God 100 percent for the rest of his life.

I had zero faith in Larry and didn’t believe that even God could help him because the soil of his heart was so hard, like cement. But the truth is that we can’t see what is really going on inside the hearts of others.

I think of terms like digging up dirt, a dirty trick, dirty dishes, and talking dirty as allegories for the human heart. The Bible discusses dirt with rocks and thorns and good dirt where seeds can grow. When we look on with a faithless eye, none of the dirt looks too promising. It can be discouraging when we sow a seed (God’s Word) and nothing happens. But God taught me a lesson with Larry that I’ve never forgotten.

Good fruit doesn’t happen accidentally. Someone must sow, weed, water, fertilize, and love. We might think some people are unreachable or that a problem is just too big, but never forget that God keeps sowing because His love and mercy are stronger than dirt.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and klimkin.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)