GOLDEN WORDS

For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.

(Psalm 103:14)

For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

Psalm 103:14 (NASB)

for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:14 (NIV)

How easy it is to become discouraged and to hate ourselves, but God has placed us in our circumstances and surely He realizes our weaknesses. Even if others chide us for our lacks, He will not condemn us.

Verse 8 of this psalm encourages us: "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness." Let us give thanks again and again for His patience with us.

Despair is Satan's cherished tool to pry open the hearts of those who belong to God. God's instrument is hope which in turn gives us assurance.

Pat Nordman

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman

February 6

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup...Psalm 16:5; "My cup overflows" Psalm 23:5b.

In his book, THE GOD WHO WOULD BE MAN, H.M.S. Richards tells of the visit of a chaplaingeneral of the forces, Bishop Taylor Smith, to a military hospital during World War I. He noticed two wounded men sitting by a table on which was a bowl turned upside down. He asked the men, "Do you know the two things that are under that bowl?" "No," one of the men said. "Darkness and uselessness," the chaplain replied. Quickly he turned the bowl right side up. "Now," he said to the two curious men, "it's full of light, and ready to hold porridge, soup, or anything you might like to use it for. It's a converted bowl."

What a grand concept this is. God has assigned us our cup. We can choose to turn it upside down and be dark and morose and finally useless, or we can choose to turn it right side up and fill it to overflowing with His blessings and then share these serendipities with others.

Sometimes we are asked to drink a cup of sorrow. Rather than inverting or controverting what can be a spiritual lesson for us, we can convert our cup of sorrow into a dessert of comfort instead of a desert of corrosive grief. God then blesses the upturned cup for ourselves and others.

"When [we] walk through the Valley of Weeping it will become a place of springs where pools of blessing and refreshment collect after rains!" Psalm 84:6 TLB. "The pilgrim band, rich in hope, forget the trials and difficulties of the way. Hope changes the rugged and stony waste into living fountains. The vale blossoms as if the sweet rain of heaven had covered it with blessings. Hope sustains them at every step. From station to station they renew their strength as they draw nearer the end of their journey, till at last they appear before God." Perowne. From The Biblical Illustrator, Psalm 84, page 468.

Pat Nordman ©

Today's Bible Question ?

What servant of a prophet had his skin turned white as snow?

Previous question and Answer:

How many times does the word Levite occur in the Book of Leviticus?

Answer - only 4 — Even though Leviticus is a book that describes in detail the law of the priests, the word levite occurs only 4 times in the book..
Leviticus 25:32-33

Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions
Spurgeon's Morning for February 6	Spurgeon's Evening February 6
"Praying always." - Ephesians 6:18	"Pray one for another." - James 5:16
What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when he had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more prayers for ourselves.	Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvelous deeds.

T
H
I
N
K

A
B
O
U
T

I
T

The Lesson of the Squirrel

The things we want the most can sometimes be the worst for us. This principle often applies to material possessions.

Our dog Dusty learned this principle the hard way. She loved to chase the squirrels that came into our yard. If one appeared, she took after it in a flash, chasing it up the maple tree and barking at it furiously. Although she chased them for 6 years, she never caught one. But all that changed one winter day. A squirrel warmed by the sun was out in the yard, and Dusty went after it. With snow on the ground, the squirrel couldn't scamper as fast as usual - and Dusty caught it! She finally had what she always wanted, but soon wished she didn't. The terrified squirrel wrapped itself around Dusty's nose, kicked her throat furiously with its hind feet, and bit her under the chin. Dusty couldn't let go fast enough. She came out of the fracas with a deep gash and several nasty scratches. I've noticed now that even though she still chases squirrels, she makes sure they get away.

You can see the point. If we insist on getting what we want - wealth, fame, love, or whatever - it could hurt us. If it's illegitimate, it surely will. Let's learn the lesson of the squirrel.

The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

Proverbs 11:6

dbiblc.gif (5194 bytes)

February 6 Psalms 1:1-9:20

Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

Today's Devotion

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Job 16:5 (NIV)

Mary's Are Proven Twice

by Cathy Vinson

What Mary and Martha's dilemma has been both told and lived throughout every age.

The worth of Jesus captured the heart of Mary those isolated moments. Not wishing to be insensitive, she must have seen a rare vision of her Lord that she could not refrain from. In Martha's inability to understand what Mary's experience, the age-long saga of Mary's and Martha's begins with Mary the object of frustration for her wearied sister.

If the story were to continue, Mary could have become flustered in realizing her sister's displeasure. Her rest before the Lord would have to proven again. For to sit in repose at Jesus' feet would now be accompanied with knowledge of her sister's murmuring.

If Mary would leave Jesus' side to re-enter the cycle of her sister, what would she find? Jesus insightfully says "Martha, Martha, you are anxious about MANY things" (vs 41). The truth is, dinner is just one of her concerns. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, Mary would find to keep in her sister's pleasure would be accomplishing little more than walking Martha's treadmill..."they made me take care of the vineyards, my own I have neglected" (Song of Sol 1:6). Such a sigh of loss, a portion that will be taken away.

Mary's have to be proven twice, for they draw contempt from those working without vision enough to calm their anxieties. Mary's HAVE TO SIT IN THE KNOWLEDGE of such clamoring. Mary's are not idle; their works carry much worth. Mother Theresa, a contemplative pray-er, has changed her world. "It's not how much you give, but how much love is in your giving," she teaches.

Proven Mary's will also find the refuge of the Lord. Psalm 31:20 will accompany them to His feet: "In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from the intrigues of men; in Your dwelling You keep them safe from the strife of tongues." Mary's are proven twice.

Mary was greatly troubled at his words.

(Luke 1:29)

.. this moment caught Mary off guard and met her abruptly. But her initial response isn't what mattered in the end.

Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.

Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE