Prayer – Lord, as I look at all the verses in Psalm 119,
I am reminded of the joy and blessing that You give to those who follow Your
commandments. Your path leads to happiness. Although there is more to life than
just being happy, it is certainly something for which to strive. Give me understanding
of Your instructions so that I can obey them. Open my eyes to see Your path
ahead of me and may I walk on that path, bringing others with me to show them
the joy that You alone offer. Thank you for Your love and guidance.
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the
instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him
with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in
his paths. ...How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. ... Give
me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into
practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for
that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather
than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life
through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you.
Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. I long to obey
your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. ... Do not snatch your
word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. I will keep on
obeying your instructions forever and ever. ... How I delight in your commands!
How I love them! I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. Psalm
119:1-3, 9, 34-40, 43-44, 47-48 So many verses…so little time and space. Please
read Psalm 119:1-48 for yourself in your preferred translation. 
Following Jesus' command--
Go and make disciples...and baptize them.
Baptism in the Jordan River, Israel
Meditate. Consider what path you are walking on through
life.
For the next four days we’ll be looking at Psalm 119—the
longest chapter in the Bible. It is so rich with God’s promises and love, providing
wisdom to those who read it. It is another Psalm that was done as an acrostic,
beginning each section with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each verse with
that same letter. We lose that aspect of this in the translation into English.
The message is the same as God intended…just not as powerful with that type of
prose. Enjoy the Psalm as you search for God’s path for your life.
This psalmist was excited about keeping God’s commandments
and obeying His instructions. He was eager to celebrate, obey, and practice
them in such a way as to honor God—even being concerned about purity in youth.
Obedience is the key. Consider how obedient Jesus was—even unto death. Jesus
wants us to walk on that same path of obedience—although He died and shed His
blood for us, so we don’t have to do that. His blood covers our sin—wipes it
away—and we are clean as fresh fallen snow. It is winter…and we are seeing
evidence of that purity in new snow.
Jesus challenged His followers to consider which was more
important to them…money or God, so I liked what the psalmist wrote about this. Give
me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from
worthless things, and give me life through your word. Money can be so
important at this time of the year when people are wanting to purchase the
perfect gift for each of their loved ones—but that is not the reason for the
season. Life with Jesus is the important thing…especially during this time of Advent…of
preparing our hearts for Jesus. Jesus’ first Advent was when He was born in
Bethlehem. His second Advent will be when He comes with His eternal kingdom.
What a glorious day that will be. Be ready. This is where we need understanding.
For now…we just need to obey. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search
for him with all their hearts.
Verse of Salvation ~ LORD, give me your unfailing love,
the salvation that you promised me. - Psalm 119:41
Memory Verse of the Week ~ Let us think of ways to
motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24
This one last day is still November – consider today:
For what are you Thankful?
Happy
Heavenly Birthday Vicki
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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