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&
Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday,
January 12, 2023
"The
Lord Is My
Portion"
Message
summary:
If God is our
portion, we
need nothing
else!
Other versions state:
Daily
prayer:
Father, as I
live out my
time here on
this earth,
I'm so glad
that I belong
to You. You
hold my right
hand and guide
me with Your
continuous
presence and
daily bread
which is
leading me to
a glorious
destiny. Whom
have I in
heaven but You
and I desire
You more than
anything on
earth. My
health may
fail and my
spirit may
even grow
weak, but
Father, You
remain the
strength of my
heart and You
are my portion
forever. My
Refuge, my
Fortress and
my Deliverer,
I will
joyfully tell
of Your mighty
works as I
seek to finish
well until You
call me to my
eternal home.
Amen.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
“'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him'” (Lamentations 3:24). "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot" (Psalm 16:5). "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26). "I cry to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'” (Psalm 142:5).
“'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him'” (Lamentations 3:24). "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot" (Psalm 16:5). "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26). "I cry to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'” (Psalm 142:5).
This
week we are in
a series of
"Five
Assurances For
the New Year"
based on
Lamentations
3.
Today let us
consider
Assurance #4:
"The Lord
Is My Portion".
"Portion"
is not a word
I normally use
in a
theological
sense. I tend
to use the
word when I'm
thinking of a
meal portion.
I used to like
large portions
but these last
several weeks
the smaller
the better,
and sometimes
none at all!
But
as seen from
the selection
of daily texts
it is a word
used in the
Bible several
times to
describe God
as the source
of all our
blessings, our
portion. Some
versions use
"inheritance"
taken from the
Hebrew word.
In
today's main
text from
Lamentations
Jeremiah
follows up on
his
declaration of
God's
steadfast
love, unending
mercies and
great
faithfulness
with his own
inner
thoughts; "'The
Lord is my
portion', says
my soul,
'therefore I
will hope in
Him'”.
Other versions state:
Deep
in my heart I
say,
“The Lord is
all I need; I
can depend on
him!” (CEV)
“The Lord is everything I will ever need. So I will put my hope in him.” (NIRV)
“The Lord is everything I will ever need. So I will put my hope in him.” (NIRV)
Dr.
Robert Godrey
of Ligonier
comments that
the phrase
"The Lord is
my portion"
occurs
frequently in
the Psalms and
is often an
expression of
the piety of
the heart of
the psalmist
and of the
people of God.
He considers
its roots are
in Israel
entering the
promised land.
"Each tribe
was promised a
portion of the
land. So,
'portion'
originally
meant the land
of Israel. But
when they got
to Levi, as
recorded in
Numbers 18,
the Lord said,
'Levi will not
have a portion
of the land,'
but Moses said
to Levi, 'The
Lord will be
your portion'.
The idea is that the Lord would provide directly for Levi through the temple and through the tithes and offerings of Israel, rather than land, which the people would have to work and cultivate to derive their sustenance. So, it’s originally an idea about the Lord providing intimately and directly for a part of His people. And I think that phrase so appealed to Israel, and should so appeal to us, that the pious just took it up and said: “I want the Lord to be my portion. It’s not so much that I care about my portion in the land. What I care about is that the Lord should be my portion.
And so, it’s great for us, I think, as the people of God to look at the world, to be thankful for whatever the Lord gives us in this world, but to have our fundamental faith rest in the conviction that the Lord is enough and that the Lord is our portion."
The idea is that the Lord would provide directly for Levi through the temple and through the tithes and offerings of Israel, rather than land, which the people would have to work and cultivate to derive their sustenance. So, it’s originally an idea about the Lord providing intimately and directly for a part of His people. And I think that phrase so appealed to Israel, and should so appeal to us, that the pious just took it up and said: “I want the Lord to be my portion. It’s not so much that I care about my portion in the land. What I care about is that the Lord should be my portion.
And so, it’s great for us, I think, as the people of God to look at the world, to be thankful for whatever the Lord gives us in this world, but to have our fundamental faith rest in the conviction that the Lord is enough and that the Lord is our portion."
But
also note
these three
words, "Says
my soul".
Jeremiah seems
to be hearing
himself preach
from deep
within or
perhaps he is
saying it
aloud to not
only think
such thoughts
but to hear
them spoken as
well.
We need to
preach to
ourselves,
reminding and
reinforcing
Biblical
truths.
We
enjoy a newer
song titled,
"Faithful Now"
with a line
that
especially
blesses us:
"I
will speak to
my fear, Oh, I
will preach to
my doubt."
- Let us speak to our fears by recalling the many times in God's Word when He declares "fear not".
- Let
us preach to
our doubts, by
reminding
ourselves of
the character
and
faithfulness
of God.
- Let
us hear our
soul say, “The
Lord is my
portion,
therefore I
will hope in
Him”.
The
gotquestions
teaching site
expounds on
"God is my
portion":
When
a biblical
writer says,
“God is my
portion,” he
means that he
is content
with all that
the Lord is
and provides.
He has the
best
inheritance
imaginable and
does not seek
any possession
or comfort
outside of
God. Riches,
honor, friends
and
fame—nothing
is as valuable
as the
promises of
God. “My flesh
and my heart
may fail, But
God is the
strength of my
heart and my
portion
forever”
(Psalm
73:26).
If God is
our portion,
we need
nothing else!
Hallelujah
what a Savior
My Redeemer my reward
Hallelujah endless treasure
My Redeemer my reward
Hallelujah endless treasure
My
delight
forevermore
Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, as I
live out my
time here on
this earth,
I'm so glad
that I belong
to You. You
hold my right
hand and guide
me with Your
continuous
presence and
daily bread
which is
leading me to
a glorious
destiny. Whom
have I in
heaven but You
and I desire
You more than
anything on
earth. My
health may
fail and my
spirit may
even grow
weak, but
Father, You
remain the
strength of my
heart and You
are my portion
forever. My
Refuge, my
Fortress and
my Deliverer,
I will
joyfully tell
of Your mighty
works as I
seek to finish
well until You
call me to my
eternal home.
Amen.(See
Psalm
73:25-26)
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental
Resources
Brief
update on
Stephen's
health from
Brooksyne:
(For full
story about
our first week
in 2023 that
included
Stephen's
surgery and
hospitalization
see footnote
in Monday's
message.)
Stephen
continues to
slowly recover
from his
abdominal
surgery last
week. He is
very easily
fatigued thus
these messages
take longer to
prepare.
Thank
you, dear
friends!
With the many
many
emails, text,
comments,
cards, notes,
calls, kind
actions and
assurances of
your prayers
on our behalf
we are
tremendously
blessed and
grateful for
your support
these past two
weeks. We are
also
overwhelmed!
We cannot
adequately
express our
thanks in the
personal way
we like to do
as it would
overwhelm us,
but we want to
assure you
that your
words and
actions have
strengthened
and supported
us, brought
smiles to our
faces even in
the midst of
painful
moments, and
helped us to
live in a
state of
thankfulness
for the body
of Christ. It
makes all the
difference
when God walks
with us and
brings
alongside us
our
compassionate
brothers and
sisters who
walk with us
on this path
of adversity.
On
our New
England trip
last year I
(Brooksyne)
found a
Salesian
Collection of
poetry. It's a
set of three
5"x8" books
styled much
like Ideals
Publications
magazine with
lovely
illustrative
artwork on
each page.
I've drawn a
lot of
comfort,
guidance and
encouragement
from these
poems and will
share just one
poem with you
today that has
spoken to my
heart in
recent days.
Taken from "Garden
of Poems"
printed in
1986 featuring
poems written
by mostly
common folks
like you and
me but also
famous hymn
writers and
such:
Good
Shepherd
In
pastures of
tender grass,
Beside
waters of
quietness
Thou
resteth my
soul.
In
paths of
beauty
Where
only Thou
couldst be,
Thou
walketh beside
me.
Though
shadows of
adversity
Should
stalk my path
No
evil can
befall,
For
Thou art ever
with me.
In
the midst of
crowds,
Confusion,
or
misunderstanding,
Thou
anointest me
with peace;
My
cup of
gratitude
runneth over.
So
Thou art ever
Within
the castle of
my soul,
For
Thy love and
mercy
Endureth
forever,
Good
Shepherd.
- Velta Myrle
Allen
Finally
today:
Among the many
sources of
encouragement
we have
received we
were blessed
by this
singing
voicemail from
special
friends.
Audio
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Brooksyne
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radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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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