A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Monday,
August
31,
2020
![]() Late
yesterday afternoon I took a 17 round trip bike ride along
the Susquehanna River on the Northwest Lancaster County
River Trail. The Shocks Mill railroad bridge is always
photogenic and I can never resist pulling out my camera to
capture this magnificent bridge that has been utilized for
115 years.
Click
on photo to enlarge
"Blessed
Is The Man"
Message
summary: Are you trusting in the Lord today?
![]() “O
Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in
You” (Psalm 84:12). "Blessed is the man who
remains steadfast under trial, for when he has
stood the test he will receive the crown of life,
which God has promised to those who love Him" (James
1:12). "For we have come to share in Christ, if
indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the
end" (Hebrews 3:14).
We recall a visit with 92 year old Raymond who was homebound for several years. His body was weak, his eyesight dim, and his hearing dull, but his mind was still sharp. After singing a couple of hymns we reminisced awhile before sharing Scripture and preparing to depart. But before leaving we wanted to pray for Raymond and asked him, "What specific things would you like us to pray about?" He
looked up and said in his weak, shaky voice, "Pray
that I will stay faithful to God to the end." We can
all say Amen to that request! Several years later I
conducted Raymond's funeral service and was able to
attest that he had indeed stayed faithful to the
end.
In today’s message I would like to consider the qualities that make a man blessed. There are twenty references in the Scriptures that use the phrase “Blessed is the man”, found in both the Old and New Testaments. Perhaps the most familiar is from Psalm 1:1 that states, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the mocker". Psalm 84 was written by "the sons of Korah" who were the musicians in the temple at the time of David. It has been referred to as "The Pearl of Psalms" and "the most sweet of the Psalms of peace". Verse one begins, “How Lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty” and each verse continues as a powerful expression of faith in God. Many of us have sung the well-known song, “Better is One Day in Your Courts” which is based on this Psalm. Our first daily text is the concluding verse in this Psalm, "O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You". Charles Spurgeon comments on this verse, "Here is the key of the Psalm. The worship is that of faith, and the blessedness is peculiar to believers. Believers must know the Lord by the life of real faith, or they can have no true rejoicing in the Lord’s worship, His house, His Son, or His ways". Let us ask ourselves today, "Do we trust God for everything in life?" What about the specific present issues we are each dealing with? What about the deep concerns we have for the direction our country is going? As trusting people can we accept this truth from the verse that precedes our daily text: "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (84:11). Louisa Stead wrote in 1882 (the year of my grandfather’s birth): I’m
so glad I’ve learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend And I know that Thou art with me Wilt be with me to the end.
Indeed, "O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You". Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber ![]() Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Psalm
84" Video C3 Church
"Build
My Life" Video Calvary Church
worship team (from yesterday's service)
Sunset
over the Susquehanna River from the Conoy Creek
bridge
The
Northwest Lancaster County River Trail is located here (google map)
Click
on photo to enlarge
As the
sun set behind me the moon was rising over the
Susquehanna River.
Click
on photo to enlarge
Watermelons
at the "Corn Wagon" near Millersville, PA. Located here (google map)
This
farm sells produce right from the field to the
wagon. In the background people are picking through
the remaining corn for day's picking.
Finally
today:
It's
nice to spread cheer however possible!
This was on the back of our check at a local restaurant. ![]()
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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