"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."
-Psalm 16:1-2
If your day resembles mine in the least bit, it starts and ends with decisions. Some of those could be just a simple, what's for breakfast decision; while others could be a life-altering, I may change jobs decision. Some decisions are made with ease and with very little thought, while others take lots of time to process and think through. Either way, it requires something on our parts... conscious effort and thought.
Psalm 16 is one of my absolute favorite chapters in the Bible for more reasons than one. But for time's sake, we will just cover one of those today. King David, who was known as the greatest King that ever reigned over Israel, obviously had to make some major decisions. I'm sure you can imagine that as a King, he was confronted with decisions left and right. To go a step further, every decision he made, would have an effect on not only himself but the people of Israel as well.
Psalm 16 begins with the words "Preserve me", which leads me to believe that King David was in some sort of distress. However, you don't see him weighing in on the problem, he simply makes one important decision with many more to follow.
"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge."
King David made a decision that regardless of what dilemma he was confronted with; God would be his shelter, his safety, his protection, and his refuge. We aren't told the struggle he was facing, because truthfully, it doesn't matter. What matters is that regardless of the difficulty, he made a statement of certainty that he would allow his Father in Heaven to be his safe place. It was uncompromising and absolute.
"I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;"
This, my friend, is simply a statement of confidence from King David. Confidence that he knew that God was the Lord of his life. And as long as he was following the path the Lord had directed him on, he could rest assured in the promises of his Creator and the safety and refuge that came with that. There is so much power encompassed in the word "LORD". It means that He had full authority over David's life, that He is sovereign, and that He has a perfect plan and a purpose. That statement from the King is unwaveringly certain and most definitely not up for debate or compromise. But you see, it wasn't just a statement or a decision, it was a commitment that David made to God the Father. He decided that he would recognize God as Lord over his life and follow His ways.
"I have no good apart from you."
This leads me to my favorite line. Concise, yet full of all-consuming power. Please don't miss this part... Even at your very best, apart from God, you are absolutely nothing. You were created and placed here by God for His perfect plan and purpose. Without Him, you are an empty vessel and a sinking ship. You were given life to live in abundance through HIM, never without Him.
It all comes down to a decision! We make them every day... lots of them. But have you made the most important one? The decision that declares that Jesus is the Lord over your life? Sadly, so many have made the opposite decision. The one where they have given their hearts, their desires, and their lives to the world? This may be you, and if it is I want you to know that you may very well find temporary happiness there, but by design, the flesh will fail you time after time after time. The only decision that you will never regret is surrendering your life to the Lord and allowing Him to be your refuge.
If you have never given your life over to Christ, I pray that today would be the day. Make the decision to repent of the life you have been living and walk towards Him in confidence and assurance. Ask God to be the Lord over your today and every day to follow and then make the choice to follow Him in obedience.
spiritual disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines have been such a ginormous part of my growth in Christ. These disciplines changed my daily walk with the Lord and have taught me about reliance and dependence on Him! My prayer is that this space can help deepen your knowledge and understanding by teaching you to lean in closer to God. With that being said, my goal is to incorporate these disciplines slowly so that you can gain a clear picture and understanding of each one as well as learn how to incorporate them into your daily walk with the Lord. Here is a list of the 8 disciplines that we will cover. If these disciplines are already a regular part of your day, now is a great opportunity to reach out to a friend that could use some help learning and growing.
Bible Study
Memorization
Meditation
Prayer
Worship
Evangelism
Fasting
Solitude
Week 3
meditation
Meditation is acquiring a deeper understanding of the Bible. When you meditate on Scripture you do not just read it. You read it all while soaking up every word as well as making it personal and applicable to your life.
This week's Bible Study:
**Psalm 15-18
(The reading for the week is a little shorter than the past few weeks. This was designed to help you meditate and gain a full understanding of what you are reading. Take your time and go verse by verse.)
This week's verse to memorize and meditate on:
**Psalm 16:1-2
Tips and challenges this week:
Take the verse one word at a time.
meditating on a verse helps me to memorize it.
Make it applicable to your life.
Give meaning to every word.
Private Facebook Discussion Group
Would you like to dig a little deeper into your weekly reading and spiritual disciplines? Join our Facebook group where we learn, grow and encourage one another.
Questions?
If you ever have questions or read something that you don't understand, please email me your question and I will add it to our q&a sections.
Growing in God
Would you like a tool to encourage your growth in God? Check out my newly released 12-month spiritual disciplines book/journal. This journal will give you a brief understanding of 8 tangible spiritual disciplines inLord over your life today and every day to follow and then make the choice to follow Him in obedience.nce.ce.e...life
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