Key Chapter Psalms 37: 4

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

- So how do we delight ourselves to the Lord?

- What is the meaning to delight in something?

If you look into a dictionary, it gives you: ‘to take / great pleasure or joy.’
So what again is to take great pleasure or joy in the Lord about? If you look into the whole passage carefully, David was actually asking people to do it. From the top to the bottom, he was asking his people to do it!

So what is it about the Do’s and the delight got to do with each other? In other words David is asking that we need to delight (to take / great pleasure or joy) in the ways of the Lord!



The ways of the Lord are:

“Praise the Lord. * Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” - Psalm 112:1

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” - Psalm 119:35

“for I delight in your commands because I love them.” - Psalm 119:37


Here are three different levers of finding delight (to take / great pleasure or joy) in His commands.

1. First finding great delight in his commands

Knowing that his commands are there for us to live a life that is holy and pure so that we could be close to his footsteps, so finding his commands is a great joy because we are able to walk closely with God

2. Asking for direction

Some times in our lives the direction of where we want to go doing something and the direction of what God wants us to do may not be the same, God been God himself gives us the free will of doing our things, but doing so we have to complete the mission in a longer time!

E.g.:
Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. - Genesis 12:9

Here you see that Abram left his hometown toward Negev but while he was sojourning in the land, there was a great famine. So Abram brought Sarai out with him to Egypt. It was not the plan of God, but been a ONE who gives free will, God let Abram do as he wish but after going through 10 whole verses of what happen and amazing God was the person who help him got out. And from there…

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. – Genesis 13:1

Abram when back to the place he once started! So by seeking God, asking for direction may help us been surer of what is it to do next without going through a detour and coming back to the place we once started.



3. Love his commands

Why love his commands?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:1

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, * who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 1:14

Jesus is the living words of God. Jesus is God. By loving Jesus, do we not love His Words because the Word is He!

So loving his commands is just as loving Him Himself.

So delight in this context have three levers

- Finding great delight
- Asking for direction
- Love his commands

Now, the next part is
‘He will give you the desires of your heart.’

- What is ‘the desires’? David was talking about.
- Is it the same of the desires of the world?

In the first part we talk about following closely to his commands, by doing so we not longer do things for ourselves by for Him who is greatly to be praise! Amen.

The desire here David was talking about is the desires God has for us. So the desires God have for us is not what the world have because God is not from the world neither are we or should we be of the world but only in the world because we are still dwelling here.

Can you image how powerful it is?
We find great delight in his commands, walking His ways and the desires of our heart is also what God desires for us! Would He not greatly give it to us?
When two great fires come together, you have an explosion of passion after will never cense. When the consuming fire burns, everything beside will be consume and the fire around it will burn stronger each moment.


Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
-Psalms 37: 4

So first we must Find great delight (great pleasure or joy) in his commands, Ask for direction constantly and Love him and God will give us the desire which is what He desires of us as well that is in our heart.

The three points to this verse is:

1. Find
2. Asking
3. Love

I pray that we would find, ask and love not only in God but also with one another, that we no longer do things for our desires but His.

Ah Pa, I thank you for your wisdom…
Lord I ask that in the period would we find great delight in you, would we continue asking for your counsel not only when we are lost but even when we are not lost I pray that its you, we will seek. I ask that even above everything would we love you more than another thing, would you be the true lover in our life. Because Lord you say, ‘whoever know you know love and whoever do not know you do not know love because you are love’ Lord I know that our love can only exist if you are in us, without you there is no true love then our love only comes for the whole which cannot last. Because this world will fade and soon it would be forget together with it. But you are eternal, everlasting and will never be, could never be, shall never be forgotten because you called yourself “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh” אהיה אשר אהיה
"I will be what I will be" which in hebrew means ‘I am The Existing One’ so lord you can not pass for you are the Existing One!
AMEN...

Reference:http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.html

Key Chapter Psalms 37: 3

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy (/ befriend / feed) safe pasture.

- So what does it means to trust in the Lord?

The word "trust" appears 134 times in the King James Version. In Hebrew there are several different words behind a simple word in English. The word "trust" is an abstract but Hebrew is a concrete oriented language where each word is associated with something that can be sensed by one or more of the five senses. Each of these Hebrew words has their own nuance of meaning that can help in interpreting the passages they are found in.


1. [NKJV]
Ps 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust
This word contains the meaning of "leaning onto someone or something". Imagine if you are on a hike with a group and you sprain your ankle, you need to lean on one of your companions to help you out of the wilderness right? God is the one that we lean on when things get tough. We can also lean on our friends and family for support as well.

2. [NKJV]
Ps 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
This word has the more concrete meaning of "to cling". There is this melon (forgot the name) that clings to the vine. Even though the melon is huge, just as ‘all’ our problems seem to be and the vine is very small, yet it can sustain its weight. We may not see God but His is our strength, the one who sustain / hold everything together just as the vine holds the melon.

3. [NKJV]
Isa 51:5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

This word is usually translated as hope. But it makes me wonder if something will happen and "hope" it does, or the other hand to "know" that something will happen in the future. We do not hope that God will protect us, we "know" he will. Amen?
In the verse above, the image of holding onto God's arm for support can be image in mind easily. But the word arm (zeroah) is Hebraic substitution for “strength". This passage is saying that the people will know that God's strength will save them.

There I gave three form of Trust.
- Leaning
- Clinging
- Knowing

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

So what is the do-good means?


Hebrews 13:16 -
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

So what is pleasing to the Lord?

Psalms 104:34 –
May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord .

Col 1:10 –
So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

After reading those verse what are the things that comes to your mind that pleases the Lord?
Our God pleases with our meditation in Him with hearts that rejoices in Him and bearing fruits in everything we do and to increasing in the knowledge of Him.

And what is the next line?

Dwell in the land and enjoy (/ befriend / feed) safe pasture.

So what is the definition of ‘dwell’ that comes into your mind?

‘To exist in a given place or state’ is the best definition, not to live quietly in one corner but to exist in the place! To be make Known, or in other words to make an impact in that place.

I like the ESV
Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

And befriend faithfulness
Befriend = been or taken as friend to faithfulness. Wow is it not beautiful?
To summaries:

Psalms 37: 3
Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

To Lean, Cling, Know in the LORD, and to meditate in Him with hearts that rejoices in and bearing fruits in everything we do and to increasing in the knowledge of Him.
To EXIST by making an impact in this consecration and to become friend with faithfulness, having faith in Him and each other in this period. Amen…

Refernce:
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/emagazine/010.html

Lost

FOREWORD...
"This was written on (21/9/2006 21:16hrs) after I came back from a camp having the theme "LOST". It was a camp that change my life, a experience that meant forever, a calling that is higher than any other. For now I am He's to use and dispose. My life I regard as nothing compare to the glory of God.

saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7: 12

~ A fully Edited on 22/11/2007~

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19: 10

Many of us here are pretty much lost. Yes we... We are so blinding lost that we do not even knew it! Then you would be asking "But how can that be? I have big plans, I have big goals, I know where to go after my education and I know what level of comfort zone in life I would be living in... How could I possibly be lost?

Then here is the catch, ask yourself just one question... Why are you here for?
(The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.) Ecclesiastes 12: 13 (ESV)

What is the meaning of 'fear God'? for in 2 Timothy 1:7
(for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.)
Do you fear Your parents? What kind chemistry is in this fear? A respectful fear I would suggested. Then what about the creator of heavens and earth? A perfectly just and loving Father? A reverential awe would solve the question.
Next then how are we able to keep his commandments unless we first read his words? By doing QT and obey by acting it out.

You see... we are all here for a reason, and that is to serve a mighty and loving god...
(“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,) Deuteronomy 10: 12

God want us to serve Him with all our heart and with all our soul.

I believe one common dreams we have is to earn lots of money and spent as much as we want. But by doing so, you already place your desire into the heart of this world.
(You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. )
James 4: 4

The world we are living in is sinful and dark,
"Our world is scarred by injustice, by increasing disparity in wealth, by fabulous affluence for the few, and increasing poverty for the majority, by rising social violence and the disintegration of communities and societies because of this injustice, insecurity and fear. This is the bondage of SIN." written in memoir of Archbishop Oscar Romero murdered by an assassin's bullet on March 24, 1980.

As Christian we fall into the devil's trap easily because we are so into this world that some times we can no longer hear the voice of God in our life and so we do things without first seeking God. Little traps like keep ourselves too busy to have 5 minutes in our 24hrs a day to even speak to God and to read His words. In return we place our desire on the things of this world without realizing and thurs, we are lost without even knowing it.

But the Lord want us no longer be lost into this world.
(“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.
“I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.") Ezekiel 34: 15 - 16

That God, himself would seek us and bring us back.

(“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”) Luke 19: 10

That God, would sent his Son down to seek and save us.

(“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
“And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’) Luke 15: 4 - 6

That God, would rejoice when he has found any of us that was lost...
This is the heart of our Father...

Peter tells us:
(His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.) 2 Peter 1: 3 - 9

(I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.) Romans 12: 1 - 2

I ask and I pray that we no longer allow ourselve to be lost in the things of this world. But place
But let our only desire is that
(That will I seek:That I may dwell in the house of the LORDAll the days of my life,To behold the beauty of the LORD,And to inquire in His temple.) Psalm 27: 4

For His mercies endures forever...
AMEN

The FatheR GardeneR

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." John 15: 1

Plants are just like human. It needs water, air, food (Sunlight) , love, care and lots of patience. When it is sick, it needs more love and care, when a part of it is died, it need to be remove to prevent it spreading.

Just like human, We need water to drink, air to breathe, food to eat, love to sense, care to feel and lots of patience to forgive and to be forgiven. When we died, we cannot be left in the open, the germs will spread and the healthy around the corner may fall with illness. We are all plants in god eyes. He show us His love, care and patience, in return we show Him the beautiful flowers we will be. The happest thing a gardener can feel is to see the efforts he put in are showing, but at the same time, it is grieving to see flowers and plants that are dying or already dead.

How would you feel when you put in so much efforts to see them goes down the drain. We are all dying flowers, there are a few reason:

1) Because that we ourselves are sinful in nature, we quench our thirst from the water of this world. Water that brings death, pain, sorrow, hate and everything that is not of God. (Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—) Romans 5:12 (ESV)

2) That we did not reach for the sunlight everyday, we depend on the light that the world shine for us. But the matter of fact is that it is no light but darkest. (I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness.) John 12:46 (NLT)

3) That we no longer see our needs for Him, that we no longer have the passion to bear fruits for Him. (If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.) John 15:6 (NIV)

4) That we doubt our little effort may not be much to Him. We are just small little seed "not even flower yet" (He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”) Matthew 17: 20 (NIV)

But God, a loving Father cannot and would not see us perish.

1) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3: 16 (NIV)

-That is the heart of our Father; for He so loved the "world" "US" that He gave His "one and only Son" "Jesus Christ" that whoever believes in "Him" "Christ" shall not perish but have eternal life.

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1: 29 (NIV)

-That now we are free from the bondage of sin because of the blood of Jesus.

2) We should reach out to God everyday, cause He is our sunlight, our souce of living.

(Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.") John 8:12 (NIV)

(One [thing] I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.) Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)

3) (“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing..) John 15:4 (ESV)

Only remain in Christ, then can we bear fruits for God, without Christ we can do nothing for God

4) (“It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, “yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”) Mark 4: 31 - 32 (ESV)

That is the mustard seed God want us to grow up to...

When you plant a small seed, you will notice it and can't wait to see you grow into a flower. Like how I notice the single small flower on the plants that is filled with other flowers. Is our God eye sight any worst than mine?

He love us so much that He put His ONLY son to death for us. You may be thinking, why He did sent Him down? Most father wound rather kill themselve then to see their son die in the hands others. As Jesus bear the pain, so did He. We are His childrens just like Jesus and He love as just as much!

If you try to reach out to His love, it may seems impossible, but if you just try... Who knows, you might the the next flower in His eyes in no time...

FOR HIS GLORY!

AMEN...