The 'Ivy' League Devotional

Again we are blessed to be able to hear from our sister Michelle. The Ivy League Bible Study Fellowship started their study on Psalm 119 on last Friday. It was a powerful time in the Word of God. So for the next four months we will be gleaning from the 119th Psalm. May we all seek to hide the Word in our hearts. "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Psalm 119:11

Psalm 119
Ivy League Bible Study Fellowship
Week of August 20, 2007

God is good and worthy to be praised. We are blessed with yet another day to lift our voice in praise.

As many of you are aware, over the next several weeks the ILBSF will be studying the 119th Psalm. As we have discussed in a previous devotion this is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. The Psalm is 22 stanzas long; one stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

No one is 100% sure who wrote Psalm 119. Some say that it was David; some say that it was Ezra, or Daniel or even King Hezekiah. Who ever the author of the Psalm was, there is one thing for sure; the author wrote it as praise to the glory of the Truth of God’s Word.

I am not sure if you have ever read the entire psalm; but in my readings I found myself amazed at the author’s commitment to be obedient to the Word of God. I will be honest with myself and with all of you. There are many passages in the Bible that challenge me to the point of discomfort, and the 119th Psalm is one of those passages. It made me uncomfortable in the fact that the author is so dedicated to the living of the law and the commandments of God and it seems that we often find ourselves doing just the opposite.

We read the Bible. We study the Bible. We love the Bible, but are we committed to living our lives according to His Word? In our relationships, in our conversations, in our habits, in our jobs, in the things that we pick for entertainment or the way we choose to spend our leisure time. Are we persistent in the pursuit of the statues of God? My answer would unfortunately be “no”. How would you answer this question?

The author of Psalm 119 makes a promise to not only memorize the Word of God, but to live the Word of God. He loves the Word of God and will forsake all others for the precepts of our Lord. The writer recognizes that God’s love is steadfast and that the Lord is constantly blessing His people. The psalmist is able to offer praise to the Lord by passionately seeking after the Lord and his counsel.

Though hardships and trials may come, the writer knows that there is hope in the Word of God! Though evil may come and try to distract us and try to draw us away from God, the author of Psalm 119 assures us that there is freedom and deliverance in God’s Word. Can we, when being tempted by evil or challenged by others for the love of the Word of God, still be faithful to the Word? When facing persecution for love of the law, the psalmist clung more tightly to the Word of God.

God’s way is not easy for us to understand. As a matter of fact, we are not even capable of understanding God’s Word without the Lord’s guidance. The Lord gives us detailed instructions on how to pursue His way and His testimonies. God’s words have been true and good from the beginning of time and they are true and good today. His testimonies are eternal! If we follow the way of the Lord we will be blessed to gain wisdom.

God has given us His Word since the beginning and since the beginning we have been disobedient to His Word. But even in the Lord’s discipline; we are still blessed. As the psalmist states; our discipline is used to draw us nigh unto God.

Our daily lives are full of struggle and sin, but God’s law is a refuge from our daily struggles. Go to the Word and it will offer comfort and strength. I mentioned earlier that I was not doing a very good job in my dedication to the Word of God. Even in our short- comings and our sins, God’s judgment is full of grace and mercy! His judgments are always just.

God’s testimony is true and not capable of lying. Draw nigh unto His Word my Sistas. As the psalmist instructs; meditate on God’s laws day and night. God’s instructions give us peace and comfort and life and joy.

I pray that through this journey of Psalm 119 we all find ourselves making a vow to live by the precepts of our Lord. By being loyal to God’s laws we will gain a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Be blessed and spend your days finding ways to make God smile.

Jesus loves you and so do I!

Michelle
Indianapolis, IN

Vacation Time!!!

Hello everyone. I am sorry I have been absent for the past week. Things have been CRAZY!!! My family and I are preparing for our family vacation. It will be our last trip before school starts and we want to make a memorable one.

I will be returning on next week. I have several things I'll be posting once I return. Pray for our safety and also that we'll be examples of the most Holy One, so that those in our families who don't know Him might see Him through us.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him

with the whole heart. Psalm 119:1-2

The 'Ivy' League Devotional pt.2

1 John Chapter 4

My dear sisters in the battle; do not be fooled by the latest charismatic speakers. If they are not clearly confessing that Christ came in the flesh, they are not of God. They are “that spirit of the antichrist.” We need to be lead in the Word by men and women of God. By men and women that love His Word and that teach according to His Word. We do not need motivational speakers, with need Bible teachers.

We need to be taught the love of God. Taught how God loved us so much that He allowed His precious Son to suffer and die for us. What parent has not nearly lost their minds with the concept of having to watch a child suffer or struggle? God did that for us. Not because we deserved it, but because He loves us that much.

We cannot say that we love God, whom we have never seen but struggle to show love to our brothers and sisters whom we see everyday. We cannot only love those we choose to love, but love those that God told us to love.

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13.

Be blessed women of God and may all your tomorrows be filled with the desire to show someone the love of Christ.

Loving you always,

Michelle

The 'Ivy' League Devotional pt.1

1 John Chapters 3 & 4
Ivy League Bible Study Devotion
Week of August 6, 2007

Praise the Lord Women of God!!!! “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

God is good and worthy to be praised! He continues to bless our study group as we grow in number and in the Spirit.

This week we will continue our meditations in the book of 1 John. Last week our devotion covered chapters 1 & 2 and this week we will cover Chapters 3 & 4.

“BEHOLD, What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; there fore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” 1 John 3:1.

1 John Chapter 3

They will know we are Christians by our love. We should be in awe and humbled by the concept of the almighty God calling us His children. His love for us is that great. We should be excited about showing love toward each other in a way that is strange to the world. We should realize that we are not worthy to share the title of “strange” with our Savior. They do not know us as they did not know Him, they will not understand the way that we love.

Our motivation for showing this unworldly, uncommon love is an eternity with Christ. Seeking after righteousness, turning the other cheek and praying for our enemy; these challenges are well worth the struggle. Our reward is to one day, be face to face with our Savior!

Do not be surprised if the world hates you as you seek after righteousness. Cain killed his brother because Cain himself was evil and his brother was seeking after righteousness. Why are Christians always portrayed as weird or as fanatics? Because the world hates that the light of our love reveals their wickedness.

Love one another. Not just with our mouths, but with our actions. I have been blessed to be the recipient of an uncommon love. I have been loved by others in a sacrificial way. I have been loved in a manner that makes me yearn to daily show others the love of Christ. Once we commit to blessing others with a Christ like love we are not only blessing that one individual, but we are loving our God.

Happy Anniversary!!!!!

Today marks my 14th year of marriage. It seems that just a short time ago, I was walking down the isle to meet my beloved, the one whom God had specially designed for me. I often thank the Lord for being so gracious to me, in the giving of a gift that is priceless. My husband.

When one understands the sovereignty of God, you gain a perspective on the things that happen in your life. It amazes me that before the beginning of time, God's sovereign plan was to specifically shape, mold, and fashion my husband for me and me for him. And through the years the Lord continues to water and prune us both, so that we will continue to grow in love with Him and with each other.

I praise the Lord that our season of life together is not over. My prayer is that our love for one another would be reflective of His great love for us and that it would be pleasing in His sight. Using the words of the Shulamite woman in the Song of Solomon, I'd like to say this of my husband,

My lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
His head is purest gold; his hair is wavy and black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves by the water streams, washed in milk, mounted like jewels.
His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh.
His arms are rods of gold set with chrysolite. His body is like polished ivory decorated with sapphires.
His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.

His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Song of Solomon 5:10-16

Praise the Lord for 14 wonderful years.