March Poppies
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength,
and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,
and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
Psalm 121
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD,
which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is thy keeper:
the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve
thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth,
and even for evermore.
Remembering God’s Promises at Cozy Acres
We are like to Him with whom there is no past or future,
with whom a day is as a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day,
when we do our work in the great present,
leaving both past and future to Him
to whom they are ever present,
and fearing nothing,
because He is in our future
as much as He is in our past, as much as,
and far more than we can feel Him to be, in our present.
Partakers thus of the divine nature,
resting in that perfect All-in-all
in whom our nature is eternal too,
we walk without fear,
full of hope
and courage
and strength to do His will,
waiting for the endless good
which He is always giving
as fast as He can get us able to take it in.
G. MACDONALD.
Psalm 119:41-50
Let Your mercy and loving-kindness come also to me,
O Lord, even Your salvation according to Your promise;
Then shall I have an answer
for those who taunt and reproach me,
for I lean on, rely on, and trust in Your word.
And take not the word of truth
utterly out of my mouth,
for I hope in Your ordinances.
I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever
[hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].
And I will walk at liberty and at ease,
for I have sought and inquired for
[and desperately required] Your precepts.
I will speak of Your testimonies
also before kings and will not be put to shame.
For I will delight myself in Your commandments,
which I love.
My hands also will I lift up
[in fervent supplication] to Your commandments,
which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.
Remember [fervently] the word and promise to Your servant,
in which You have caused me to hope.
This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction:
that Your word has revived me and given me life.
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Song of Trust in God’s Protection
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
[the Lord] sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.
“Open the gates, that the [uncompromisingly] righteous nation
which keeps her faith and her troth [with God] may enter in.
“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace
whose mind [both its inclination and its character]
is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You,
leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
“So trust in the Lord
(commit yourself to Him,
lean on Him,
hope confidently in Him) forever;
for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock
[the Rock of Ages].”
Amplified Bible
Proverbs 3:1-14
The Rewards of Wisdom
My son, do not forget my [a]teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
For length of days and years of life [worth living]
And tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life’s blessings]
they will add to you.
Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you
[instead let these qualities define you];
Bind them [securely] around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
[b]In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth
[removing obstacles that block your way].
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience]
and turn [entirely] away from evil.
It will be health to your body
[your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts]
And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth
And with the first fruits of all your crops (income);
Then your barns will be abundantly filled
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
My son, do not reject or take lightly the discipline of the Lord
[learn from your mistakes and the testing
that comes from His correction through discipline];
Nor despise His rebuke,
For those whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
Happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired]
is the man who finds [skillful and godly] wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding and insight
[learning from God’s word and life’s experiences],
For wisdom’s profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her gain is better than fine gold.
from the Amplified Bible
By faith Moses, after his birth,
was hidden for three months by his parents,
because they saw he was a beautiful and divinely favored child;
and they were not afraid of the king’s (Pharaoh’s) decree.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
because he preferred to endure the hardship of the people of God
rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.
He considered the reproach of the Christ
[that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God]
to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt;
for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God].
Amplified Bible
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, October, 2009
Psalms 121
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper:
the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.
I love watching the grapes during all seasons.
Ruth 1:14-17
And they lifted up their voice, and wept again:
and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back
unto her people, and unto her gods:
return thou after thy sister in law.
And Ruth said,
Intreat me not to leave thee,
or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God:
Where thou diest, will I die,
and there will I be buried:
the LORD do so to me,
and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
from Smith’s Commentary:
The Targum adds several things to this conversation between Naomi and Ruth. I shall subjoin them:
“And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee,” for I desire to become a proselyte.
And Naomi said, We are commanded to keep the Sabbath and other holy days; and on it not to travel more than two thousand cubits.
And Ruth said, “Whither thou goest, I will go.”
And Naomi said, We are commanded not to lodge with the Gentiles.
Ruth answered, “Where thou lodgest, I will lodge.”
And Naomi said, We are commanded to observe the one hundred and thirteen precepts.
Ruth answered, What thy people observe, that will I observe; as if they had been my people of old.
And Naomi said, We are commanded not to worship with any strange worship.
Ruth answered, “Thy God shall be my God.”
Naomi said, We have four kinds of capital punishment for criminals; stoning, burning, beheading, and hanging.
Ruth answered, “In whatsoever manner thou diest, I will die.”
Naomi said, We have a house of burial.
Ruth answered, “And there will I be buried.”
(A Targum is an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) written or compiled from the Second Temple period until the early Middle Ages (late first millennium). Wikipedia)
The testimony of Naomi’s life offered Ruth such hope that forsaking all she knew; Ruth followed Naomi and the true God.
From the archives – Reading this again – I thought “Lord, I renew my commitment to continue to follow you where so ever you lead”.
the Farmer tending his seedlings.
Psalm 8:1,3-5,9NIV
Lord, our Lord
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens. . .
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in plalce,
what is mankind that you are mindul of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor . . .
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The longer I live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world. –John Burroughs
Amen
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
Some of the seedlings, hot peppers and tomatoes
Psalm 19:1, 7-14
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Who can understand his errors?
cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me:
then shall I be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Amen
Grandsons learning to play Mexican Train during our February Family Night.
Good Morning
Jeremiah 10:23-24
O Lord, I know that the (a) way of man is not in himself:
it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
O Lord, (b) correct me, but with judgment;
not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
(a)Proverbs 16:1-3
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
(b)Jeremiah 30:10-11
Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Enjoy this Lord’s Day
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
Today, Rain, thank the Lord.
Bulbs are still blooming (picture taken before rain).
Good Morning
Psalm 13:3-6
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God:
lighten mine eyes,
lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest mine enemy say,
I have prevailed against him;
and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
But I have trusted in thy mercy;
my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
I will sing unto the Lord,
because he hath dealt bountifully with me. KJV
Psalm 13:3
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
lighten the eyes
[of my faith to behold Your face in the pitchlike darkness],
lest I sleep the sleep of death, Amplified Bible
Lighten my eyes . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
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Thoughts of Grace 
Sunday Bible Reading – Psalm 56
Psalm 56
To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.
Be merciful unto me, O God:
for man would swallow me up;
he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up:
for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
(from Clarke’s Commentary:Most of the Versions begin the next verse with this word: “From the light of the day, though I fear, yet will I trust in thee.” From the time that persecution waxes hot against me, though I often am seized with fear, yet I am enabled to maintain my trust in thee. Dr. Kennicott thinks there is a corruption here, and proposes to read: “I look upwards all the day long.”)
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust;
I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Every day they wrest my words:
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,
they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
Shall they escape by iniquity?
in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
Thou tellest my wanderings:
put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
When I cry unto thee,
then shall mine enemies turn back:
this I know; for God is for me.
In God will I praise his word:
in the LORD will I praise his word.
In God have I put my trust:
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me, O God:
I will render praises unto thee.
(from Clarke’s commentary: Thy vows are upon me – I have promised in the most solemn manner to be thy servant; to give my whole life to thee; and to offer for my preservation sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.
Reader, what hast thou vowed to God? To renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful desires of the flesh; to keep God’s holy word and commandment, and to walk before him all the days of thy life. These things hast thou vowed; and these vows are upon thee. Wilt thou pay them?)
For thou hast delivered my soul from death:
wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
(and again from Clarke’s: My feet from falling – Thou hast preserved me from taking any false way, and keepest me steady in my godly course; and so supportest me that I may continue to walk before thee in the light of the living, ever avoiding that which is evil, and moving towards that which is good; letting my light shine before men, that they may see my good works, and glorify my Father which is in heaven. To walk before God is to please him; the light of the living signifies the whole course of human life, with all its comforts and advantages.)
- Sunday Bible Reading
on July 6, 2014 at 4:32 am Leave a CommentTags: Clarke's Commentary, Coneflowers, Psalm 56, Sunday Bible Reading