Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Psalm 103:20-22

Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, 
who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 

Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, 
You who serve Him, doing His will. 

Bless the LORD, all you works of His, 
In all places of His dominion; 
Bless the LORD, O my soul! 

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." —Psalm 73:24

C H Spurgeon

The Psalmist felt his need of divine guidance. He had just been discovering the foolishness of his own heart, and lest he should be constantly led astray by it, he resolved that God's counsel should henceforth guide him. A sense of my own folly is a great step towards being wise, when it leads me to rely on the wisdom of the Lord. The blind man leans on his friend's arm and reaches home in safety, and so would I give myself up implicitly to divine guidance, nothing doubting; assured that though I cannot see, it is always safe to trust the All-seeing God. "Thou shalt," is a blessed expression of confidence. He was sure that the Lord would not decline the condescending task. There is a word for me and I should rest in it. I can be assured that my God will be my counsellor and friend; He shall guide me; He will direct all my ways. In His written Word I have this assurance in part fulfilled, for holy Scripture is His counsel to me. Happy am I to have God's Word always to guide me! What were the mariner without his compass? And what would I be without my Bible? This is the unerring chart, the map in which every shoal is described, and all the channels from the quicksands of destruction to the haven of salvation mapped and marked by one who knows all the way. Blessed be Thou, O God, that I may trust Thee to guide me now, and guide me even to the end! After this guidance through life, the Psalmist anticipates a divine reception at last—"and afterward receive me to glory." What a thought for me! God Himself will receive me to glory—me! Wandering, erring, straying, yet He will bring me safe at last to glory! This is my portion; I will live on it this day, and if perplexities should surround me, I can go in the strength of this text straight to the throne.

Once again thank you, Jib for the suggestion.

Be Holy for I am Holy

Oswald Chambers 1 Peter 1:16- Be Holy for I am Holy

We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.

Thank you for the suggestion, Jib.