2) The Impact of Our Choices (Dennis Stackhouse)
3) Wash Your Face (Leslie Diestelkamp)
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Psalm 119<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wayne Goff<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This psalm may be largely overlooked because of its 176 verses! It is, in fact, the longest chapter in the Bible. But for those who take the time to read it, there is great value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magnifying God\u2019s Word<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
As most might realize, the overriding theme of the chapter is the beauty, power and magnitude of God\u2019s Word and the great reward that comes from obeying it. \u201cBlessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart\u201d (v. 2). The \u201cblessings\u201d that come from obeying God\u2019s Word include a good way of life (vv. 3, 30, 45, 59-60, 101, 105), an upright heart (v. 6), cleansing (v. 8), Divine direction (vv. 7-11, 24, 133), valuable meditations (vv. 14, 23, 27, 48, 97, 148), wisdom (vv. 18, 46, 98-100), understanding (vv. 27, 66, 73, 169), comfort (vv. 28, 40, 50, 76, 111), great peace (v. 165), faithfulness (vv. 32-35, 44, 112), avoiding vain thoughts and ways (vv. 36, 104), and not the least \u2014 salvation (vv. 41, 81, 94, 123, 146, 166, 174). He even goes so far as to magnify his own affliction which was overcome by keeping God\u2019s Word (vv. 67, 71, 75, 107, 153)! The Psalmist is well aware of the frailty and uncertainty of life (vv. 84, 92-93, 141, 143-144).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast, the Psalmist repeatedly points out the condemnation and sad plight of the disobedient (vv. 21, 23, 60, 69, 78, 85-87, 95, 110, 118-119, 122), as well as his total disgust with their unbelief (vv. 51-53, 70, 115, 126, 134, 136, 150, 155, 157-158, 161)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s Word and all its benefits are more valuable than silver and gold (vv. 72, 127, 162) \u2014 it alone can lead to eternal life! \u201cForever, O LORD, your word is settled in heaven\u201d (v. 89). God\u2019s faithfulness is obvious in both the natural world and the spiritual world (v. 90-91). \u201cThe entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever\u201d (v. 160).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Synonyms for God\u2019s Message<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Notice the synonyms used for God\u2019s Word in this psalm: law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, righteous judgments, word, truth, ordinances, and righteous word. The chapter magnifies God\u2019s revelation and enumerates the benefits of obeying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reading it over several times gives one the benefit of focusing on the various aspects or angles of the psalm. It is well worth a little bit of your time, and it gives you something to think about in the quiet moments of life, or in times when sleep evades you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGreat peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble\u201d (v. 165).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path\u201d (v. 105).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts\u201d (vv. 99\u2013100).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via the Roanridge Reader,<\/em> Volume 34, Issue 43, Page 3 -2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dennis Stackhouse<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just prior to his physical death, Joshua tried to encourage the people of Israel with these familiar words: \u201cIf it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord\u201d (Joshua 24:15). Strong words from one of Israel\u2019s strongest leaders. And in reality, choosing to serve God is the most important choice any human being can ever make because that decision will have an impact not only in this physical life, it will also carry over into eternity. Let\u2019s consider for just a few moments the choice that must be made by all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One point to quickly understand is that our choices are rather limited: God or the devil. In Matthew 12:30 Jesus said this: \u201cHe who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.\u201d Many people fail to realize that if they have not made a choice to follow and serve Christ, they are serving the devil. To not make the choice to follow Christ is in reality making the choice to follow the devil. In fact, such people are doing damage to God\u2019s kingdom. Notice our Lord said that the one who does not follow Him \u201cscatters.\u201d From this we must also understand that there is no third choice. There are those who would like to \u201cride the fence\u201d and walk in some kind of imaginary middle ground. Unfortunately, there is no middle ground; we are following Christ or we are following Satan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should also realize that our choice to follow Christ is one that must be actively pursued. Jesus Himself asked a haunting question in Luke 6:46: \u201cWhy do you call Me, \u2018Lord, Lord,\u2019 and do not do what I say?\u201d The obvious course of action for someone who has confessed Jesus as their Lord is to obey and follow and serve Him through the remainder of their life. However, if one confesses Christ as his or her Lord and then fails to obey Him, they are simply wasting their breath. This is reinforced in the words of Luke 9:62, where Jesus said: \u201cNo one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.\u201d The Christian life is one that requires a constant, unwavering dedication to God and Christ. The apostle Paul put it this way: \u201cBrethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus\u201d (Philippians 3:13-14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of his choice to become a Christian caused Paul to press toward the goal of heaven, something that every child of God should be doing. The grand words of I Corinthians 15:58 need to be words the Christian lives out: \u201cTherefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.\u201d God will not forget the work that is done in His service (Hebrews 6:10). In the same way, we must never forget the impact our choices have on the kind of life we live. As Christians, we must be steadfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Via articles from the La Vista church of Christ -3-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leslie Diestelkamp<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you see a dirty face in the mirror, you wash your face, not the mirror. Likewise when we see error in our lives, portrayed by truth revealed in the Bible, let us simply clean up our lives and quit criticizing the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think of a man who breaks a mirror because he doesn\u2019t like what he sees? Then what do you think of one who criticizes the truth that simply reveals the inner man that we can\u2019t see with the physical eye?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Via The Beacon<\/em>, October 20, 2019 \u201cBe gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; 1) Hear<\/strong> the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matt. 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014- Contents: 1) Psalm 119 (Wayne Goff)2) The Impact of Our Choices (Dennis Stackhouse)3) Wash Your Face (Leslie Diestelkamp)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014- -1- Psalm 119 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":351,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions\/351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Impact of Our Choices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWash Your Face<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-<\/p>\n\n\n\nPsalm 51:1-2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin\u201d <\/em>(NASB).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2) Believe <\/strong>in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent<\/strong> of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith <\/strong>in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized <\/strong>in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith<\/strong>, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday<\/strong> services:9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday:\u00a0<\/strong>7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor:\u00a0<\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com<\/a>
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"