by George | Jul 26, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Condensed Version
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.”
Psalms 28:7
Reader’s Digest Condensed Version Books… If you are less than 50 years old, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. I remember them well. My mom had several of them.
They were a collection of four books, shortened in length, placed in one volume. The idea was that a busy person could read a book faster, and still get the main idea of the book.
I think the same is true of some Bible verses. So much is packed in one verse!
So it is with this one. Let’s unpack it.
David is the author.
- “The LORD is my strength.” David needed God’s strength to face many battles.
- “The LORD is my shield.” Protection. God kept David safe from the enemy.
- “My heart trusted in Him.” David could look back to his childhood, to the first time he trusted in God.
- “And I am helped.” He declares that God is already helping him.
- “Therefore my heart greatly rejoices.” When David thought of all the above, he felt great joy.
- “And with my song I will praise Him.” David is so joyful that he burst out into a song. Look over the verse again, and personalize it. Then, you can make it into a prayer if you like. Take your time. There’s a lot of truth in this one verse!
by George | Jul 22, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Wearing the Right Footwear
“Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.”
Deuteronomy 33:25
If you were about to go mountain climbing, would you put on the sandals that you wear to the beach? House slippers?
No, hopefully you would wear boots made for that purpose. Something like these boots I found on Amazon: “All terrain rubber outsole, great grip, non-slip and wear resistant.”
Today’s verse comes from Moses’ blessing on the tribe of Asher, one of the12 tribes of Israel. MacLaren’s Exposition says of Asher:
“the tribe being located upon rocky sea-coast, having rough roads to travel, and so needing to be well shod.”
God equips us for the journey, providing the right kind of “footwear” for when the road is rough.
Habakkuk 3:19 says:
“The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills...”
He equips us for the journey, and promises to give us the right amount of strength to make it through the day, no matter what we face.
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
by George | Jul 15, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
James 1:19
Did you ever wonder where the expression “flying off the handle” came from?
It is first found in Thomas C. Haliburton’s The Attaché; or, Sam Slick in England, 1843
“He flies right off the handle for nothing.”
Writing.org explains:
“… the allusion is to that of an ax flying off its handle. Imagine if you were cutting a tree with an ax, and the metal part of the ax suddenly flew off the handle. It would happen very quickly and be very dangerous.”
What if I get my ax ready to chop down a tree, and I spend hours meticulously sharpening the ax, and I forget to make sure it’s firmly attached? Yes, you guessed it. It’s “an accident waiting to happen.”
I raise the ax in the air, and summoning my strength I take a swing, but all that hits the tree is the wooden handle. The sharp metal part is zooming towards a window. I turn to react, but it’s too late.
And so it is with our reactions… If I only work on knowledge in my life, and I’m not grounded, at peace with God and my lot in life, I won’t be ready to react right. It’s a matter of preparation. Deciding in advance a plan of action.
I resolve to listen first. Take a deep breath, think and pray. Then… I will speak.
Hopefully the ax will stay in one piece!
