Gigo - TAU

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:169-176

Key Verse: Verse 172 – “My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.”

Key Words: My tongue shall speak of thy word

“My tongue shall speak of Thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.” Our tongues usually speak our own words, and what words they are: so often deceptive, defiant, defiling, derisive, disrespectful, and damaging. James says that if a man can control his tongue, he is perfect; he can control his whole body. The tongue is an unruly member. Men can bridle wild horses more easily than they can tame their tongues. They can steer great ships with little rudders more easily than they can guide their conversation. The psalmist said, “My tongue shall speak of Thy Word.” If only we could harness our tongue like that.

Of course, if our tongue is to speak God’s Word, then that Word must first get down into our heart. It is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh,” Jesus said.

In recent years men have invented a new language, one never used on earth until the 20^th century. No barbarian tribe invented the language. It was invented by brilliant men of science. It is a strange language. It has only two words in it, the mathematical equivalents of yes and no. It is “binary” computer language. With that language men can solve problems in arithmetic at almost the speed of light. They can use that language to guide spaceships to the stars.

Programmers, who write the instructions for their computers in that new language, have an expressive word to describe the way things work out when that language is spoken to the machines they have made. It is the GIGO. The word GIGO means: “Garbage in, garbage out.” In other words, if they put misinformation into the computer’s electronic brain, they will get misinformation out when the machine responds.

If my tongue is to speak God’s Word, if that is what I am to get out, that is what I have to put in. I shall never be able to proclaim the Word if I do not meditate on that Word day and night, saturating my soul with its treasures of wisdom.

 

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Remember, it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

I Will Not Stumble - SCHIN

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:161-168

Key Verse: Verse 165 - “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

Key Words: Great peace have they

“Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” The word for offend is literally “make them stumble.” Those who love God’s Word are armored against the fiery darts of Satan; their feet are guided so they do not fall into his snares.

Situations cannot make them stumble. On the contrary they can say with the apostle Paul, “The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Thank God for that!

Scholars cannot make them stumble. They are in touch with truth itself, truth imparted by the omniscient wisdom of the Holy Spirit. The theories and philosophies of men are like surging seas which break themselves at last against the massive headlands and coastline of the Word of God.

Sovereigns cannot make them stumble. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water:”

(Proverbs 21:1), said Solomon, one of the most imperious of kings. “He turneth it whithersoever He will.” A human government can do nothing that God does not permit. God has His ways of hanging this world’s Hamans on the gallows; they prepare for His Mordecais.

Sinners cannot make them stumble. The temptations they put before them do not entice them; the terrors they threaten do not intimidate. “Great peace have they that love Thy law and nothing shall make them stumble.”

 Such is the peace of the psalmist. It is a peace the world cannot give, a peace it cannot take away. It is a peace that does not depend on what happens. It is the peace of God. Do you have that peace?

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞All of our decisions should be based on the peace of God.

Determination - RESH

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:153-160

Key Verse: Verse 157 – “Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.”

Key Words: Many are my persecutors and mine enemies

It is easy to go downhill. Anyone who rides a bike knows that. It is easy to go zipping along on a flat road; that calls for very little effort. But going uphill is another matter. Even a slight incline calls for more determination, and taking on a steep grade calls for all the strength and resolution a person has. But going downhill? Anyone can do that. Many a cyclist, faced with a really stiff hill, will simply turn around and coast back the way he came. The reason, of course, is that he was not really going anywhere in the first place. After all, he was just out for a joyride.

Being a believer, however, is no joyride. The psalmist was facing a stiff grade: “Many are my persecutors and mine enemies,” he said. Everywhere he looked he saw unfriendly faces. The temptation was to give up. “Yet I do not decline from Thy testimonies,” he added.

John Phillips tells the following story. “As a boy I was brought up in a town that was avidly devoted to soccer. It was the big game. On Saturday afternoons thousands of people would flock to the stadium to see the weekly match. In those days most people walked, took the occasional bus, or rode a bicycle. Very few people had cars. When the match was over and the crowds poured out of the stadium the sidewalks would be jammed with people walking back toward town. Anyone could have gone with that crowd. A small person could have picked up his legs and been carried along by the crowd, the people were so tightly packed. But try going against it – that was different. To go against the crowd called for determination. It was a struggle every single step.”

In spite of the struggle, we need the determination of the psalmist, “Yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.”

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Be determined to follow the Lord. It will be an uphill struggle, but be determined to stay the course.

Redeeming The Time - QOPH

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:145-152

Key Verse: Verses 148 - “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.”

Key Words: that I might meditate in thy word

Someone once said:

“Long before his bed became a wrack, he would pray. Lying in bed waiting for sleep to come, he would pray. ‘Mine eyes prevent [anticipate, forestall] the night watches, that I might meditate in Thy word.’  He turned those moments before sleep came into good use. He composed himself for sleep by prayerfully turning over the Word of God in his mind. In other words, he had what today we would call a quiet time.

“Surely most of us waste far too much time. Someone has calculated that the average believer, if he lives to be 75 years of age, spends 25 years asleep, 17 years at work, 6 years in traveling, 7 ½ years in dressing, 9 years in watching television, 6 years being sick, and only 4 years in prayer and Bible study. Imagine 4 years out of 75 preparing for eternity, less than half the time spent watching television. Suppose we converted half the travel time, mostly idle time, into praying or memorizing Scripture instead of daydreaming. Suppose we invested most of the time spent dressing engaging our minds in prayer. Suppose we took an hour less sleep at night and devoted the time to concentrated Bible study. Suppose we cut two-thirds of the time spent watching television and devoted that time to reading the Bible, studying the Word, and praying for family, friends, missionaries, and all those hundreds of other things we say we are too busy to pray about. Why, we could increase the time we spend in prayer and Bible study by 19 years. Instead of a paltry 4 years, we would spend 23 years in getting ready for the judgment seat of Christ.

“F. W. Boreham used to tell the story of a gypsy he knew in his youth. She would come to the village green near where he lived and open her chest of treasures. From that chest she would take all kinds of things, fingering and fondling the items one by one and offering them for sale. She would announce the price, permit no haggling, offer the item, and unless it was purchased at once, back it went back into the chest. On no account would she take it out again and give the people standing around a second chance to purchase it. The bargain had to be taken at once or the chance was gone.

“Redeeming the time,” says Paul. God offers each one of us a fleeting moment of time. We can seize it and freight it down with something for eternity, or it passes back unredeemed into God’s keeping to be a witness against us at the judgment seat. Life’s golden moments never return. This wise old singer made it his plan to buy up the time.”

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Make sure you’re using your time wisely on things that count for eternity.

We Live By The Word - TSADHE

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:137-144

Key Verse: Verse 138 - “Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.”

Key Words: Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.

“Thy testimonies that Thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.”  It is impossible for God ever to lead us astray, for Him ever to ask us to do any wrong. 

In the halls of the American Congress one finds two kinds of people, the legislators and the lobbyists.  The politician is there to make the laws.  The pressure groups are there to influence those laws, to see that the only laws passed are the ones their particular group wants.  The gun lobby wants no laws that will interfere with the right of people to own weapons.  The pro-abortionist wants no laws that will restrict a woman’s right to end unwanted pregnancies.  The sexual deviant wants laws that will protect his lifestyle.  Thus it is with our laws.  All too often, instead of being righteous and faithful, they simply reflect the interest of whichever side can bring the most pressure to bear on politicians.

God’s laws are not like that.  He is not swayed by public opinion.  He is not running for office, nor is He running this planet along democratic lines.  His laws are not influenced by polls or pressure groups.  God’s laws are righteous and faithful.  They are impartial, imperial, and impeccable. They are magnificent in scope and substance.

In His law, God has spoken to moral issues, political issues, and social issues. He has spoken His mind about sex, sanitation, and stealing. He has spoken about diet and dress, family and financial matters, warfare and welfare. There is no one nor topic in God’s Word left to our imagination. Every Word of God is righteous and very faithful.

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:  

✞ Live by the Word.

Look Where The Light Is - PE

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:129-136

Key Verse: Verse 130 - “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

Key Words: The entrance of thy words giveth light

In his book on Psalms, John Phillips says, “God’s Word gives light.  People can shut light out of their life, of course, and remain forever in the dark, or they can open the windows of their soul and let that light flood in.

“Light reveals dirt.  There was a time when I lived in a cold climate, where every year storm windows had to be put in place to help keep out the cold.  That annual chore always necessitated washing windows.  The storm windows, stored all summer, had to be cleansed of the dust and dirt that had accumulated on them.  The regular windows had to be cleansed, too – by strict order of the lady of the house.  Finally, after an exhausting day, the last storm window would be fitted into place, and with a sigh of relief I would sit back, thankful that the job was done for another year.  The next day the sun would come out and the slanting rays would shine on the windows and reveal the streaks, the spots, the places that were missed.  The light revealed the dirt.  The windows had looked quite acceptable in yesterday’s shadows, but in today’s sunshine all the grime was conspicuously revealed.

“Light reveals disorder.  Things might be badly out of place in a room; and, as long as it is dark, it makes no difference.  But when the light is turned on, the mess and muddle can be clearly seen.  Just so, God’s Word reveals the disorder in our lives.

“Light reveals direction.  A man stumbling through the darkness may have no idea where he is or what immediate perils lay at his feet.  Light changes all that.  It gives us a sense of direction, enabling us to see signposts and landmarks.  This is one of the chief blessings of God’s Word.  It gives light.”

If we are to find truth, we must search for it in the light of God’s Word.

Instead of trusting God’s Word, modern-day thinkers insist on using human wisdom alone for answers to eternal questions.  The tragedy of this situation was graphically illustrated in a humorous skit performed by Karl Vallentin, a Munich comedian.  Walking on a stage where everything was dark except for a small area under a street lamp, he began to look for something on the ground.  He told the policeman who came on the scene that he was trying to find a key, whereupon the two continued the search.  Finally the officer asked, “Are you sure you lost it here?”  “Oh, no,” said Vallentin as he pointed to a corner, “it was over there, but here is where the light is!”

                                                                                                 Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Make sure you are walking in the light of God’s Word.

Its Time - AYIN

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:121-128

Key Verse: Verse 126 – “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.”

Key Words: It is time for thee, LORD, to work

“It is time for Thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.”  As though we can tell God when He ought to go to work!  Like Job, we think we have all the answers.  Like Job, too, we find that we really know nothing at all about the great issues, of the working of those “wheels within wheels” of His will.

The only person who can pray like that, with any authority or assurance, is a person who lives close enough to the Lord to know God’s Word very well.  Such a person can appeal to God on the basis of intimate knowledge of His will.  Daniel could do that.  He had so thoroughly mastered the Word of God as given to Jeremiah, he had so marked the passing of the years, he was so conversant with the signs of the times that he could pray, “It is time, O Lord, for Thee to work.”

George Mueller also could do that at times.  He was so sensitive to the leading of the Lord in his life that he could say, in effect: “It is time, O Lord, for Thee to work.”  On one occasion, George Mueller was sailing down the Saint Lawrence into Montreal to keep an appointment he knew to be in the will of God.  A heavy fog came down and the ship reduced speed to a crawl.  The captain of the ship was a believer, so Mr. Mueller approached him and asked him if they would make Montreal on time.  The captain said, “Not unless this fog lifts at once.”  Said George Mueller, “Very well, we shall ask the Lord to take the fog away.”  He knelt down and, in a simple prayer, made his request.  When the captain was about to pray, Mr. Mueller gently put his hand on his arm.  “Don’t you pray,” he said.  “Why not?” the captain asked.  “You don’t really believe the fog will lift.  Besides, it has already gone!” said Mr. Mueller.

 

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Live close to God and then you’ll know when it’s time for the Lord to go to work.

The Hiding Place - SAMECH

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:113-120

Key Verse: Verse 114 - “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”

Key Words: Thou art my hiding place

The psalmist shares with us his emotions in these eight verses.  In verses 113 to 117 we see the psalmist trusting.  He says in verse 114 that God is his hiding place, but then in verses 118 to 120 we see the psalmist trembling.  See verse 120. He says “my flesh trembleth.”  The psalmist knew that it was a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

The two thoughts before give us a picture of mankind.  Either man is trusting or he will end up trembling.  The psalmist chooses to trust in God as his hiding place.

“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy word.”  We need a hiding place when danger threatens: we need a shield when danger makes its thrust.  A hiding place suggests that the danger, though real enough, is not yet at hand.  It can still be averted perhaps.  A shield is needed when the hiding place no longer affords protection.  The danger has become immediate, a present-tense peril.

The psalmist’s first line of defense against his foes is God, and his final line of defense against his foes is God.   He has no other defense, nor does he need any.  His hope is not in his friends or family, in his own resources or resolution, in his skill with sword or spear.  His hope is in God and in God’s Word.  Since that cannot fail, his victory is assured.

The Great Wall of China is a gigantic structure which cost an enormous amount of money and labor.  When it was finished, it appeared to be impregnable.  But the enemy did break it – not by breaking it down or going around it or under it – they did it by bribing the gatekeepers, proving we are only as strong as our weakest link.  No wonder David turned to God and declared God as his hiding place, for in Him there is no weakness.

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse        

 What to do: 

✞Let God be your hiding place today and every day.

A Heritage Forever - NUN

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:105-112

Key Verse: Verse 111 - “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”

Key Words:  Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever

“Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”  A heritage is something we inherit.  The most priceless heritage we have is the Bible.  Nothing can compare to it down here.  The Bible, however, is like some other inheritances people receive – it yields its treasures only under certain conditions.

A man owned a vineyard, and his sons believed their father to be very wealthy.  Since he was secretive about it, they could not be sure, but they hoped to inherit a fortune when he died.  On his deathbed he told his sons that the secret of his wealth was to be found in the vineyard.  The boys immediately began to dig, hoping to find the treasure they believed to be hidden under the vines.  They toiled for months, being careful not to damage the vines.  In the course of time they dug over every inch of the vineyard and discovered nothing.  But that fall their vineyard produced the finest crop of grapes on record.  Then they realized what their wise old father had done.  He had forced them to stop loafing around and instead to cultivate the vineyard.  The secret of his wealth was the vines which, properly cared for, would keep them rich.

Our heritage, too, is priceless but it will not yield its wealth to us without work.  When we work at it, the Bible never fails to yield its riches to our souls.

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Put the Word of God to work in your life, and it will rejoice your soul.

Wiser Than They - MEM

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:97-104

Key Verse: Verse 98 – “Thou through thy command -ments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

Key Words:  thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies

Geoffrey Bull, recounting his experience in a Chinese communist prison camp, tells of three years he had to live without a Bible.  The communists hoped to cut him off from his source of spiritual solace and strength.  It was a vain hope.  He had for years been storing up that Word in his heart.  Then they began brainwashing him.  He describes the nagging and noise, the scrutiny and spying, the tension.  He tells how they would threaten him with execution – threats always baited with a promise of pardon if he would reform and acknowledge his crime against the people.  The tension was aggravated by ceaseless provocation and baiting, by attacks on his integrity and self-respect, and by endless prying into his thoughts.  From morning to night, day after day, month after month it went on – argument, haranguing, criticism, and struggle.  Every movement he made was under intense scrutiny.  Officials, wardens, fellow prisoners kept at it.  For fear of their own future they dared not relent.  There was no love, no peace, nothing but indoctrination and examination.  The whole thing was aimed at a single end: to bring his mind into captivity to Marx. 

In the end they gave him back his Bible.  Geoffrey Bull describes the ecstasy with which he once again held it in his hands: “Ringing in my ears were forty months of man’s words, man’s wisdom, man’s arguments, man’s hurt.  Now on the page before me ran the quiet yet pungent words of Holy Scripture: ‘Where is the wise...where is the disputer of this world?’”  Long after his release he wrote, “Even today, I feel like running up and down the corridors of learning shouting out: ‘Yes, where is he?’  After the mad haranguings and fanatical ragings of the Marxists, let me ask...’Where is the wise?  Hath not God made the foolish the wisdom of this world?’”

Geoffrey Bull’s tormentors had their wits sharpened by enmity.  His mind was sharpened by God’s Word.  He was wiser than they.

                                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Study the Word of God; it will make you wiser than your enemies.

God's Taking Our Picture - LAMED

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:89-96

Key Verse: Verse 89 – “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

Key Words:  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven

The Word is permanent because it is the Lord’s word.  That is why God does not have to change His mind.  In His omniscient wisdom, God knows everything – everything possible and everything that is.  He is acquainted with every fact, every detail, about everything and everyone in Heaven, earth, and hell.  He may be invisible to us, but we are not invisible to Him.  He saw Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, saw Cain murder his brother, heard Sarah laugh in the privacy of her tent.  One of the first revelations of God occurs on the Bible’s opening page: seven times the Holy Spirit says, “And God saw.”

God knows every detail about everything that has happened in the past.  He knows everything going on right at this moment throughout all the vast reaches of space.  He knows every event, from the smallest to the greatest, that will ever happen in the ages and eternities to be.  If it were possible for something to happen that God did not know about, He would cease to be omniscient; He would cease to be God.

When Donald and Simmie Godwin took their four-year-old grandson camping at Lake Superior, they got a basic theology lesson.  When a bad thunderstorm came up, the little guy was fascinated by the flashes of “whitening.”  He watched the sky light up for several minutes then gave his commentary: “Look!  Jesus is taking my picture.”  Our activities and attitudes never escape the attention of God.  It’s as if God were constantly taking our picture.

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Always act and think as if God is watching – because He is.

Heaven's Point of View - CAPH

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:81-88

Key Verse: Verse 81 – “My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.”

Key Words: My soul fainteth

“My soul fainteth for Thy salvation: but I hope in Thy word.”  Salvation is a concept of various textures and tones.  The Biblical context must always determine what kind of salvation the writer has in mind.  There is, of course, salvation from sin – its penalty, power, and presence.  There is salvation from sorrow as well as salvation from situations.  This last aspect of salvation is in view here, although we do not know what the singer’s situation was.  We do know, as the Scripture puts it elsewhere, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.”

I remember one time taking off in a plane straight into a bank of heavy clouds.  The day had been completely overcast, a laden sky scowling down on a gloomy landscape.  The plane taxied down the runway, took off, and instantly a gray world enveloped us.  Looking out of the window, I could see nothing except a blanket of foggy vapor so thick it even streamed down the windows.  Then suddenly the plane broke through and we were above the clouds.  The sky was a blazing sapphire, the sun was shining.  Looking down at the clouds, now far below, I saw them transformed into things of beauty, billowing fleece of whitest wool.  The blue skies were there all the time and, seen from above, the dark clouds were already being hurried away by the wind.

The Word of God is like the sun, shining always in the sky. Our frowning circumstances are the clouds.  When we stare up at them from down below, they appear threatening.  But when we allow God’s Word to change our viewpoint we see them as temporary troubles, soon to vanish, and, in any case, glorious from Heaven’s point of view.

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Let God’s Word change your point of view.

Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart - YODH

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:73-80

Key Verse: Verse 80 - “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.”

Key Words: Let my heart be sound in thy statutes

The psalmist speaks of the Lord in three ways.

First of all, he talks about the hand of the Lord in verses 73 – 75.  Next he talks about the help of the Lord in verses 76 – 77, and lastly he talks about the heart of the Lord in verses 78 – 80.  The psalmist is anxious to get his heart right with the Lord.

The following story is taken from Al Smith’s Treasury of Hymn Histories, but it illustrates the importance of having a right heart with God.

One Sunday morning Mountain Lake Park, a Methodist camp meeting ground in Maryland, was the scene of a soul-stirring and deeply moving service.  Evangelist L. H. Baker had brought a searching message on “Repentance.”  Among the many who had responded to the invitation was a woman whose dress and manner evidenced refinement.  Mrs. C. H. Morris, well-known Gospel song composer, was present at the meeting and upon observing that the woman was having difficulty, began to talk with her.  She found that her problem was one of fearing that God would not receive her.  Putting her arm around her, Mrs. Morris exclaimed, “Now, just now your doubtings give o’er.”  The song leader, Dr. H. L. Gilman, who had witnessed the struggle and had also gotten on his knees by the woman, added, “Just now reject Him no more.”  Evangelist Baker, who also by this time had gathered in the circle surrounding them replied, “Just now throw open the door,” and Mrs. Morris added a last appeal with, “Let Jesus come into your heart.”

That morning in a most unusual way, the woman let Jesus come into her heart.  That morning, also in a most unusual way, was born the chorus of an invitation song that has been the means of winning thousands to Christ.

Before the close of the camp meeting that week, Mrs. Morris had written a complete set of four stanzas and had also written the music for “Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart.”  God had worked in a “mysterious way” His wonders to perform.

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Cry out with the psalmist, “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes.”

God Aint Dead - TETIT

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:65-72

Key Verse: Verse 71 – “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”

Key Words: It is good for me that I have been afflicted

Surely, the last thing we think about during affliction is the fact that it is good. 

As you read the Word of God you find that affliction is good.

Paul had a thorn in the flesh, and he asked God on three occasions to remove it, but God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”  Paul’s affliction allowed him to experience the grace of God.

We read in II Corinthians 1:4, “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Our affliction allows us to comfort others when they are going through a time of affliction.  It actually becomes a ministry.

It was the affliction of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace that revealed the power and deliverance of God.

So the psalmist is right when he says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.”

I am not a connoisseur of great art, but from time to time a painting or picture will really speak a clear, strong message to me.  Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack.  All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession.  In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls.  It was evident that the child was crying.  Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy.  They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life.  Those words were, “Hush child, God ain’t dead!”

That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words “God ain’t dead” keep returning to my mind.  Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope!  I need reminders that there is hope in this world.  In the midst of all of life’s troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control.  

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Remember, God doesn’t do things to us but allows things for us.

Robbed - CHETH

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:57-64

Key Verse: Verse 61 – “The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.”

Key Words: The bands of the wicked have robbed me

The psalmist had suffered mental loss, but he still had not lost his joy because he still held to God’s Word.  Our joy in life does not come because of circumstances, but often our joy is in spite of circumstances.

The following story illustrates the power and importance of joy in our lives.  The story is taken from A. B. Earle, a pastor of years gone by.

“An incident occurred in one of our meetings near Boston that taught me a great lesson in leading souls to Christ.  I can never lose sight of it.

“A lady connected with one of the city churches, but residing in that place, found she was not the humble, happy Christian she once was.  She came to me, asking how she might obtain anew the joy of salvation; she felt she loved Jesus but so faintly that the warmth and power of that love were gone.  The conflict was long and severe.  On one occasion she said to me:  ‘My husband has become skeptical.  He rejects the Bible.  It is of no use to speak to him.  I have scarcely any hope of his being converted.  But, oh, that I could enjoy the Savior’s love as I used to!’

“At last the desire of her heart was granted, and all the joy of her first love to Jesus was restored to her.  And now, though she had been a Christian, and a kind, careful wife and mother, she seemed almost like another person.  The false representations of religion were ended.  Its sweetness and happiness shone in every feature of her face, gave melody to the tones of her voice, and added a new charm to all she did.

“She went about the house singing the songs of Zion.  Anything that was not sinful that would make her husband happier and her home pleasanter, she cheerfully performed, saying but little, however, about the change in her feelings; she did not need to, it was so apparent.  Her husband saw it, and compared her present state with her past.  Somehow this led him to look into his own heart.  The conviction was forced upon him that religion was a reality, and one he could not do without.

“Some four days after this change in his wife, I called on him to learn why he rejected the Bible and religion.  I asked him to be frank with me and tell me if he had no desire to be a Christian.

“He replied: ‘Mr. Earle, I have said nothing about it to my wife; but sir, I feel I am a lost sinner and if you will pray for me, I will kneel down with you right here.’  And, pointing to his wife, who was at that moment passing through the room with the tears on her bright face, he continued: ‘That woman, my own dear wife, has had more power over me for a few days past than everything else put together.  She has been a professor of religion for years, but I knew she did not enjoy her religion, and I said if that was all there was in religion, I did not want it.  But for the last few days she has looked and acted almost like an angel; and sir, I cannot stand it; there is a power in her sweet, happy face that melts my heart.  I cannot withstand the attraction of such a religion.’

“And all this because the joy of salvation was restored to the heart of that Christian wife!  Oh, the power of Christ’s love when it burns and glows in the heart!”

There is power in a joyful spirit.

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Let God’s Word rule your life and joy will rule your spirit.

Songs in the House - ZAIN

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:49-56

Key Verse: Verse 54 – “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.”

Key Words: my songs in the house

The psalmist was continually wrestling with problems and adverse situations.  These problems and situations were caused by wicked men who hated David because of his Godliness.

In spite of all this, David clings to God’s Word.  As a matter of fact, it’s because of God’s Word that David is able to have a song both in his heart and mouth.

His father was a successful barber, so everyone assumed young George would follow in the family trade.  Unfortunately for his dad, George was more interested in music.  Unfortunately for George, his dad thought musicians were nothing more than “vagabonds.”  At age seven, the Duke of Weissenfels accidentally heard George playing around on an organ.  The Duke encouraged George’s father to develop his son’s obvious talent.  Since a Duke’s request was not to be taken lightly, George was given lessons while his father hoped the boy’s love for music would pass.  Mr. Handel was mistaken.  His son’s passion only grew, and he became the “Celebrated Saxon.”  George Friedrich Handel believed his music was a gift from God and composing was his calling.

It is said that Handel’s music was a result of God’s Word flowing from his heart.

So I ask you, is there a song in your heart?

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

 

What to do:  

✞Make sure Godly music is a part of your life.

The Trustworthy Word - WAW

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:41-48

Key Verse: Verse 42 – “So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.”

Key Words: for I trust in thy word

The psalmist uses the personal pronoun “I” twelve times in these eight verses, and on every occasion but one he is referring to his life and love for the Word of God.  Surely, he sees God’s Word as worthy of his trust. 

There is a great example of trust and dedication to God’s Word found in the life of Russian, Anatoli Shcharansky.

Anatoli Shcharansky, a dissident Soviet Jew, kissed his wife goodbye as she left Russia for freedom in Israel.  His parting words to her were, ‘I’ll see you soon in Jerusalem.’  But Anatoli was detained and finally imprisoned.  Their reunion in Jerusalem would not only be postponed, it might never occur.  During long years in Russian prisons and work camps, Anatoli was stripped of his personal belongings.  His only possession was a miniature copy of the Psalms.  Once during his imprisonment, his refusal to release the book to the authorities cost him 130 days in solitary confinement.  Finally, twelve years after parting with his wife, he was offered freedom.  In February 1986, as the world watched, Shcharansky was allowed to walk away from Russian guards toward those who would take him to Jerusalem.  But, in the final moments of captivity, the guards tried again to confiscate the Psalms book.  Anatoli threw himself face down in the snow and refused to walk on to freedom without it.  Those words had kept him alive during imprisonment.  He would not go on to freedom without them.

Now, let me ask you, do you love and trust God’s Word as much as Anatoli?

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞We have the trustworthy Word of God; read it, memorize it, live by it.

The Pleas of the Psalmist - HE

Bible Reading:  Psalm 119:33-40

Key Verse: Verse 33-40 – “Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” (vs. 33)  “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. (vs.34)  “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.” (vs. 35)  “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.” (vs. 36)  “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” (vs. 37)  “Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.”  (vs. 38)   “ Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.” (vs. 39)  “Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.” (vs. 40)

Key Words: me; my; mine

The psalmist is not only singing, he is also praying.  His prayer involves at least seven requests.

1. Teach me, verse 33;
2. give me understanding, verse 34;
3. make me to go in the path, verse 35;
4. incline me...unto thy testimonies, verse 36;
5. turn me, verses 37 and 39; 
6. stablish me in thy word, verse 38; and
7. quicken me in thy righteousness, verse 40.

All of the psalmist’s requests are for God to make him “righteous.”

Donald Grey Barnhouse tells the following story about the righteousness of God.

“Along the Avenue Louise in Brussels are several stores that sell nothing but lace.  I looked at the exquisite scarves, veils and handkerchiefs in the windows and decided to purchase a handkerchief for my mother.  The two old sisters who ran the store showed me some handkerchiefs; I was rather astonished at the price and asked them if they could explain why they were so costly.

“It was a few months after World War I, and I still wore my army uniform.  The ladies had no other customers at that time of day and seemed pleased to tell the young American officer about their wares.  One of them spread a roll of black velvet on the counter, and then began to show the lace against this contrasting background.  I was initiated into the mystery of bobbin lace, and a few knots were tied for me in order to show me the method of making it.

“Finally, they went to their safe and took out the marriage veil that had just been completed for the wedding of the Duchess of Brabant.  Rather gingerly, I took hold of the edge of it – the thing was valued at over ten thousand dollars – and began to look at it more closely.  One of the ladies immediately lifted the black velvet that I might use the contrasting background to bring out the intricacies of this Brussels rose-point lace.  From that day on, I have always been interested in the beauties of lace, beauties which two old ladies taught me to comprehend against the blackness of the velvet.

“It is unquestionable that the glories of God’s love and mercy and righteousness and goodness, and tenderness – all of the attributes of His grace – are known by the fact that God took the black velvet of man’s sin and threw the web of His grace against it.”

 

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞It would be good if we all asked the Lord to teach us, give us, make us, incline us, turn us, stablish (establish) us, and quicken us.