On Friday, the 28th, I began sharing from Psalms 119:16-17...
"I will delight myself in Your statues, I will not forget Your Word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live; and I will observe Your Word (hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it).
Again I direct your attention to the four words that are in parentheses...hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying. These are the actions and the attitudes that David had in his heart towards the Word of God. He made firm declarations as to how he would interact with it. He said he would "delight himself",and then he said he would "not forget" the Word.
We began on the 28th by discussing the word hearing. From Romans 10:17 we discovered that two kinds of hearing are being mentioned. I looked this up in Vine's Expository Dictionary, and it further clarified that the first "hear" is the hearing of sound of the message. The second "hear" is the perceiving or understanding the intent of the message. This is very crucial to the growth in faith. I will hear that "by His stripes I am healed". But, I must not just be satisfied with the first hearing. I have to press on to receive the intent of that message in order for my faith to increase, and then to actually receive the full manifestation or the working of that particular word in my life.
I don't want to belabor this, but only ask that you slow down and let what I just wrote enter into your heart so that understanding will spring forth. Raise your right hand and say..."Yes, Charlotte!" :)
Now, let us go on to the second word in the parentheses above...RECEIVING! I love looking up definitions because we so often miss the pulp of a word...it's meatiness...it's fiber, so to speak. When we study God's Word, it is so helpful to have a Bible dictionary handy. It will open up an entire vista on words, and your understanding will grow by leaps and bounds.
2. RECEIVING GOD'S WORD
a. Mark 10:15 gives us instruction on how to receive. Jesus told His disciples to "receive, accept, and welcome the Kingdom of God" as a little child would. In this you can begin to understand that Jesus was showing us to simply believe. A child is so trusting, and will readily accept what he or she is being told. Sometimes it is to their detriment, but Jesus meant this in the most wholesome way.
b. In Acts 7:38 we read where Moses received "words that live" to be handed down to Israel.
c. Ephesians 6:17 in speaking of the armor of God, we are told to "take" the helmet of salvation. This means a deliberate action of the soul. It means to take to oneself that which is being offered.
d. I Thessalonians 1:6 - Paul commended the saints in Thessalonica for the way in which they "welcomed" the Gospel.
In each scripture you can see that receiving God's Word is an action that is necessary in order to grow in faith. We must (1) Trust His Word (2) See His Word as living (3) Make a deliberate choice to receive it in the manner that God offers it (4) Welcome it with joy inspired of the Holy Spirit.
The way we approach God's Word will bring a blessing, if we do it in awe and reverence. Hebrews 4:12 reveals that God's Voice is His Word, and its intent toward us is to make us living, active, energetic, and effective. The child of God, who goes expecting to receive from God, will be blessed.
The mind is like a pencil that must be sharpened. It grows dull without the Two-Edged Sword of the Holy Spirit. Satan is quick to offer tidbits of worry, fear, greed, hate, laziness, etc., to clutter your mind with. Only God's Word and the Holy Spirit in cooperation with your will, can de-clutter your mind, and transform it into a holding place of God's glory.
Stay with me as we continue with the next two words...loving and obeying! Do you desire change? Then delight yourself in God's Word. Don't forget God's Word. That's the cupcake...now, let's continue to add the icing!
Loving Him and you,
Charlotte
No comments:
Post a Comment