"WHICH WERE JUST AS THEY HAD BEEN TOLD"

Merry Christmas Eve!

I just read Luke 2:8-20.  The part of Jesus' birth story about the shepherds and the angels.  There are so many learning opportunities in this passage.  So many lessons from the Holy Spirit.

We could sit and ponder -
     the shepherds keeping watch at night
          the shepherds being terrified by the glory of the LORD
               the shepherds going to see "this thing" the Lord told them about
                    the shepherds spreading the word concerning what they had heard and seen.

What caught my attention and held it were the last words of verse 20:

          WHICH WERE JUST AS THEY HAD BEEN TOLD!

I began thinking of all I have been told through God's word.

God created man in His image.

I know love because God first loved me.

I know the truth and the truth has set me free.

God sent His One and Only Son.

The plans for my life were in place before I was even created in my mother's womb.

Jesus WILL return.

God is my creator, my healer, my banner, my comfort, my peace, my Savior, my teacher, my love, my light, my bridegroom, my strength, my joy. . . . 

Jesus will return when His people proclaim, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD".

God does not want me to be lukewarm.

God's word will never return to Him void, but will accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it.

God's word is a lamp to guide my steps.

God will guard all that I entrust to Him.

How do you stop of list of all you have learned in God's word?  This list could just go on and on.  

My take away from this morning's quiet time is 

                        God's word proclaimed to me will ALWAYS be 

  

                              JUST AS I'VE BEEN TOLD!

 

                        

QUIET TIME 12-07-2012

I'm no writer but I do want to capture my rambling thoughts this morning.  I am even considering changing the name of this blog and using it to take notes during my quiet time. 

First reading from Matthew Henry's Commentary Job to Song of Solomon pages 560-561 Ps 119

"Who are upright and honest in their religion - undefiled in the way, not only who keep themselves pure from the pollutions of actual sin, unspotted from the world, but who are habitually sincere in their intentions, in whose spirit there is no guile, WHO ARE REALLY AS GOOD AS THEY SEEM TO BE AND ROW THE SAME WAY AS THEY LOOK."  Emphasis mine

Row the same way as they look. . . . Thought about this for quite awhile.  Actually read it for the first time two days ago and have been considering it ever since.

On to verses 7-8
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.  I will keep thy statutes:  O forsake me not utterly.  (KJV)
I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.  I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.  (NIV)

Thoughts:  So I will be able to praise with an upright heart when I have learned God's judgments/laws?

What does learn(ed) mean in the Hebrew

From The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance page 4374
Hebrew word  4340  lamad (the first A has a line over it)
to learn, train for; to be trained; to teach, instruct, cause to learn; to be trained; with implication that the learning will be put to use: - teach, teaching, train, trained, accept, adopted, cultivated, experienced, imparted, instructors, learn well, teachers, unruly, were trained.

Bold words jumped out at me.  Made me think of my goal to one day write a book entitled:
     P.E.A.R.L. - Purposely Engaging and Actively Responding to Life

Engaging - Learning
Actively -   Putting it to use
Responding - Imparting

My thoughts:
AS I learn your judgments/laws
              I will put them to use by rowing the same way I am looking
                      and impart them to those around me.

This can be applied to all areas of my life, not just my quiet time. 

More to come. . . . . . . .