<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+139:1-24">Psalm 139:1-24</span></span></p><p>We continue exploring the fact that God is not only powerful, but personal. The constituent parts of personality are predicated of God on almost every page of the Bible. "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind," said the Lord to Eli in  <span class="scriptRef" ref="1sa+2:35">1 Samuel 2:35</span>. This shows (if it needs showing) that God has a mind with which He thinks. God has emotions also - another aspect of personality. Some modern-day theologians claim that God is unable to feel, but clearly this is not supported by Scripture. God can be angry  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+2:12">Psalm 2:12</span>), jealous  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="zec+1:14-15">Zechariah 1:14-15</span>), merciful  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+78:38">Psalm 78:38</span>), and joyful  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="de+30:9">Deuteronomy 30:9</span>). These are just a few of the emotions which Scripture talks about, but there are many more. Again, God chooses and decides. "And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth  And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created "  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="ge+6:6-7">Genesis 6:6-7</span>, KJV). While the majority of human beings believe in some kind of God, many view Him as being so great that He cannot possibly take a personal interest in such insignificant creatures as ourselves. Dr. Henry Norris Russell, one of the great astronomers of this century and a Christian, once gave a talk on the vastness of the universe. Afterwards someone asked him this question: "How is it possible for such a great and infinite God to have time for me?" This was his reply: "An infinite God can dispatch the affairs of this universe in the twinkling of an eye, thus giving Him plenty of time for you."</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, help me in the midst of every trial and difficulty to drop my anchor in this reassuring and encouraging revelation - no matter what my problem, You always have plenty of time to give to me. I am so deeply, deeply thankful. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+4:12-16">Hebrews 4:12-16</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+2:12">Psalm 2:12</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="zec+1:14-15">Zechariah 1:14-15</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+78:38">Psalm 78:38</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="de+30:9">Deuteronomy 30:9</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Can you think of other scriptures showing God's emotions?</li><li>What is God able to do through Christ?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" (v. 17)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+139:1-24">Psalm 139:1-24</span></span></p><p>We ended yesterday by saying that no one can become a peacemaker - in the biblical sense of the word - until they have found peace within their innermost self. As we are looking at the Beatitudes from the point of view of how effective they are in producing good spiritual and mental health, it is interesting to see how the psychology of Jesus is always ahead of the findings of those who study human behaviour. The view of many psychologists and psychiatrists is that much of the talk and activity by the masses in relation to international peace is actually a projection whereby they take the pressure off themselves. I am not convinced that all the concern can be dismissed in this way, but a lot of it can be explained in terms of the mechanism known as psychological projection. Listen to what Louis Linn and Leo Schwartz say in their book Psychiatry, Religion and Experience: "A psychological origin of an adolescent's social idealism lies in his yearning for peace within himself. He tends to project his feelings of helplessness and turmoil on to the outer world, so that his yearning for peace may take the form of a wish for world peace." Many of the activists who work for world peace may find this difficult to accept, but the truth is that if they did not have a world crisis on which to project their feelings, they would have to create some other condition. As long as we are not at peace within ourselves, we will create situations on which we project our insecure feelings. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Dear Father, help me to understand this strange mechanism of projection. For I see that I can do the right things for the wrong reasons. Only You can probe my heart. I pray today with the psalmist, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." Amen.</p>

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (v. 23)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+16:1-11">Psalm 16:1-11</span></span></p><p>Having seen the importance of differentiating between goals and desires, we return to the thought that we can experience happiness only as a by-product. If we make obtaining happiness a goal, it eludes us like a will-o'-the-wisp, but if we give up the chase and hold it only as a desire, then it takes up residence in our heart. Let me repeat: there is nothing wrong in wanting to be happy; it is a natural and valid desire. But the paradoxical truth is that I will never be happy if I am primarily concerned with becoming happy. My overriding goal in every circumstance must be to respond biblically, to put the Lord first and seek to behave as He would want me to. The wonderful truth is that as we devote our energies to the task of becoming what Christ wants us to be - righteous - He responds by filling us with unutterable happiness and joy. I must, therefore, firmly and consciously by an act of the will, refuse to make obtaining happiness my goal, and instead adopt the goal of becoming more like the Lord. An obsessive preoccupation with "happiness" will obscure our understanding of the biblical route to eternal peace and joy. And what is that route? Our text for today tells us: "At Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore." It follows that if we are to experience those pleasures, then we must learn what it means to be at God's right hand. Paul tells us that Christ has been exalted to God's right hand  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+1:20">Ephesians 1:20</span>). Can anything be clearer? The more we abide in Christ, the more we shall experience true happiness.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O God, forgive us that we have made the pursuit of happiness our goal, and the pursuit of righteousness merely a desire. Help us to get our values straightened out, and to set the goal of becoming more and more like You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+139:1-12">Psalm 139:1-12</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+140:13">Psalm 140:13</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ex+33:14">Exodus 33:14</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="isa+43:2">Isaiah 43:2</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did the psalmist feel about God's presence?</li><li>How much time are you spending in His presence?</li></ul></div></div>

"' in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (v. 11, Amplified Bible) 

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+139:1-24">Psalm 139:1-24</span></span></p><p>We continue meditating on the right way to handle our negative feelings. We said yesterday that the two wrong ways to handle hurting emotions are to deny them or express them. Denial pushes them down inside us, while expression dumps them on to other people or things. Neither of these, in my view, is a Biblical way of dealing with negative emotions. In fact, recent research by some psychologists shows that the uncontrolled expression of negative feelings can compound, rather than clear up, one's emotional difficulties. In my judgement, the correct and Biblical way to handle negative emotions is to acknowledge them fully before God and share with Him how we feel. Now understand clearly what I am saying, for at this point many have responded to this advice by coming to God when they are hurt or sorrowful and saying: "Lord, please forgive me for feeling hurt." That misses the point entirely. A Christian psychologist puts the issue most effectively when he says: "We are not to pretend that we feel penitent when we feel hurt." When our stomachs are churning with grief, sorrow or hurt, we must come before the One who sees and knows everything, and pray a prayer something like this: "Lord, right now I am hurting more than I think I can endure. I feel like screaming, running away or hitting somebody. I don't want to feel like this, dear Lord - but I do. Thank You for loving me as I am. Help me now to handle my feelings in a way that glorifies You and honours Your Name." When we pray a prayer like that - and mean it - we are on the way to maturity. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, help me not just to receive this concept into my mind and do nothing about it, but enable me to put it to work in my daily Christian living. I ask this for the honour and glory of Your peerless and precious Name. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+51:1-19">Psalm 51:1-19</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+69:1-36">Psalm 69:1-36</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+46:1-11">Psalm 46:1-11</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How did David deal with his feelings?</li><li>Write a short psalm expressing your true feelings.</li></ul></div></div>

<p>The omniscience of God means that He has perfect knowledge of everything. He has never learned and can never learn.</p><p>One of the great passages on the subject is <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+139:1-6">Psalms 139:1-6</span>, where David wrote: "O Lord, thou has searched me and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it."</p><p>In <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+147:4">Psalms 147:4</span>, we learn that God counts the number of the stars and calls them all by name. The wonder of this increases when Sir James Jeans tells us that "the total number of stars in the universe is probably something like the total number of grains of sand on all the sea shores of the world."</p><p>Our Lord reminded His disciples that not a sparrow falls to the ground unnoticed by our Father. And in the same passage He said that the very hairs of our head are all numbered (<span class="scriptRef" ref="mt+10:29-30">Matthew 10:29-30</span>).</p><p>It is clear then that "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+4:13">Hebrews 4:13</span>), causing us to join with Paul in saying "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+11:33">Romans 11:33</span>).</p><p>The omniscience of God is filled with practical meaning for every one of us. There is warning. God sees everything we do. We can't keep anything secret from Him.</p><p>There is comfort. He knows what we are going through. As Job said, "He knoweth the way that I take" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="job+23:10">Job 23:10</span>). He counts our tossings and numbers our tears in His bottle (<span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+56:8">Psalms 56:8</span> RSV).</p><p>There is encouragement. He knew all about us and yet He saved us anyway. He knows what we feel in worship and prayer but cannot express.</p><p>There is wonder. Although God is omniscient, yet He can forget the sins He has forgiven. As David Seamands said, "I don't know how divine omniscience can forget but it does."</p><p> </p>

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"God…knoweth all things." (1 John 3:20)

<p>O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.<br><br>The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. § The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths. § God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. § The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.<br><br>Jesus … knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. § Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.</p>

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees. 

<p><span class="bible-text "> <sup class="verse-num poetry-line">4 </sup><poetry>Before a word is on my tongue<br/><indent>you, <smallCap>Lord</smallCap>, know it completely.  </indent><br/></poetry> </span></p>

Before a word is on my tongue<br/><indent>you, <smallCap>Lord</smallCap>, know it completely.<cr>1</cr> </indent><br/>

Psalm 139:4

 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.   

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

<p><span class="bible-text "><poetry>Before a word is on my tongue<br/><indent>you, <smallCap>Lord</smallCap>, know it completely.  </indent><br/></poetry> </span></p>

 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.   

Bible Verse of the Day

July 18, 1999

Psalm 139:4 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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