Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sunday, July 26th: Psalms 40-42, Acts 18 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is  Psalms 40-42; Acts 18

Psalm 40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

In this Psalm David remembers God's past mercies to him, and at the end cries for God's help again.  Remembering God's faithfulness to us in the past helps us deal with our current troubles, by going to the One who is the only true source of help and comfort.

Psalm 41 reminds us that God rewards the faithfulness of His people.

Psalm 42  As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

Do we have that kind of desire for God?  To know Him?  To delight in Him?

In our Acts passage we see, once again, how much of an impact home ministry is.  Church is ministry is a wonderful thing, but we cannot forget what an opportunity we have to minister to people in our homes.  Yes, our homes are places of relaxation and retreat for us.  But that should not be all they are.  We should be extending hospitality to unbelievers and using our homes as the natural and effective avenue for ministry that they are.



Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Psalms 43-45; Acts 19:1-20

3 comments:

Nathan said...

Psalm 41:1-3
1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The Lord protects and preserves them—
they are counted among the blessed in the land—
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.

To me, this means I (we) need to look after the elderly, the sick, the grieving and the vulnerable amongst our congregation. They often sit or stand alone. Even a few words with them can go a long way, as well as keeping an eye out for any help they may need.

Pamela said...

The same verses stood out for me:

he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

There's nothing more comforting than to be on a firm foundation.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.

I spent the day at the beach yesterday in the scorching sun and I sure needed an ice cold drink of water to refresh myself. How much more are we refreshed when we are longing for God and find Him.



Conrad said...

"I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly." Psalm 40:10

Paul was dedicated in spreading word of God's love to others and not hiding it.

Like Tammy said, we need to have that same desire as Paul did to share what we already know to the people in need.