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Psalm 119

57  You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words.

58  I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.

59  I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

60  I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

61  The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.

62  At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

63  I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.

64  The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.

This section of Psalm 119 got me to thinking about what I really need in life and what I really want. It caused me ask myself questions like:

–          From where am I seeking my satisfaction?

–          Am I a content person, satisfied with the portion in life God has given me?

–          Would those around me describe me as a content person, a thankful and joyful man?

The first verse of this passage really sets the tone of the whole with the opening line: “The LORD is my portion,” or some translations make it a direct address: “You are my portion, O LORD.” The TEV paraphrase says “You are all I want O LORD.”

The statement of this psalm is that God is all I need. When “the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). I will need nothing outside of God and His provision. My God supplies all my needs. God is all-sufficient and all-satisfying. John Piper puts it this way, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

What has the psalmist experienced from God and His word that has satisfied him completely and has shown him that God is all-sufficient? As I studied this section of Psalm 119 I see that he has experienced these truths:

1. God Is My Portion (Psalm 119:57-58).

2. God is My Master (Psalm 119:59-61).

3. God is My Greatest Joy (Psalm 119:62-64).

In the next three posts I will expand on those thoughts. Would you consider asking yourself those same questions I am asking myself this week?

t-size: 12pt;”>General Oglethorpe once said to John Wesley: “I never forgive and I never forget.” To which Wesley replied: “Then, sir, I hope that you never sin.”

In my last two posts I wrote about what Jesus said about forgiveness in Matthew 18. Peter asked Jesus, “How often should I forgive my brother, seven times?” (Verse 21). And Jesus answered, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Then, as He often did, Jesus told a story. At the end of this parable of the unmerciful servant Jesus says, “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?”

Forgiveness is not always easy. But those of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus, it is necessary. As C.S. Lewis said, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”

Here is another forgiveness story:

It was five days before Christmas when a stranger approached ten-year-old Christopher Carrier, claiming to be a friend of his father. “I want to buy him a gift, and I need your help,” said the stranger. Eager to do something good for his dad, Chris climbed aboard a motor home parked up the street.

The driver took Chris to a remote field, claiming to be lost, and asked Chris to look at a map. Suddenly Chris felt a sharp pain in his back. The stranger had stabbed him with an ice pick. The man drove the wounded boy down a dirt road, shot him in the left temple, and left him for dead in the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.

Chris lay wounded for six days until a driver found him. Chris miraculously survived his injuries, though he was blind in his left eye. Because he was unable to identify his attacker, police could not make an arrest. For a long time young Chris remained frightened, despite police protection. Finally at an invitation given after a church hayride, Chris trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He recalls, “I was overwhelmed with emotion; because I knew I had never really accepted and personally met the Savior.” This turning point in Chris’s life came three years after the attack. At age 15 Chris shared his story for the first time. He eventually decided to pursue full-time ministry, helping others find the peace he had discovered in Christ.

Over twenty years later on September 3, 1996 a detective told Chris over the phone that a man had confessed to the crime that had cost him his left eye. The man’s name was David McAllister. Chris made plans to visit the feeble and now blind man, living in a nursing home. The strong young man Chris remembered was now a broken, humbled 77-year-old.

Chris learned from the detective some of the background of what had happened years ago. McAllister had been hired by Chris’s father to work as a nurse for an ailing uncle. Chris’s dad had caught McAllister drinking on the job and had fired him. The senseless attack on Chris had been motivated by revenge.

As Chris now talked to the old man, at first McAllister denied knowing anything about the kidnapping. As Chris revealed more about himself, the old man softened and eventually apologized. Chris said, “I told him, ’What you meant for evil, God has turned into a wonderful blessing.’” Chris told his attacker how God had allowed his wounds to become open doors to share the good news of Christ.

Chris went home and told his wife and kids about meeting the man who had tried to kill him. The entire family began almost daily visits to McAllister’s nursing home. During one Sunday afternoon visit, Chris popped the most important question he had yet asked McAllister: “Do you want to know the Lord?” McAllister said yes. Both men basked in forgiveness as McAllister gave his heart to Christ. A few days later McAllister died, peacefully, in his sleep.

Carrier says it is not a story of regret, but of redemption. “I saw the Lord give that man back his life, and so much more,” Chris said. “I can’t wait to see him again someday; in heaven.” (Citation: Adapted from article by Adam Myrick in the Southwestern News (Fall 2000))

You can read more of Chris’ story at:The Baptist Standard.

 Do you have a forgiveness story?

The mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, “There, there. She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that hurts.” He nodded his acknowledgement, and she left the room.

As she started down the hall she heard the little girl scream. Rushing back in, she asked, “What happened?”

The little boy replied, “She knows now.”

Jesus’ “Parable of the Unmerciful Servant” is preceeded by a succinct set of guidelines on what to do when a brother sins against you. (Matthew 18:15-17) Mark Roberts has done a whole series on this subject. Here is a summary:

1. First, deal with it one-on-one. Try to keep the matter private. Hopefully, this will be all that’s necessary to restore fellowship and friendship. (Verse 15)

2. If that doesn’t work, get help from others. (Verse 16)

3. If you aren’t successful with the first two steps, share the issue with the church. (Verse 17a)

4. If he refuses to listen to the church, put him out of the church. (Verse 17b)

If we would follow Christ’s clear commands we would have great blessings:

1. The blessing of heavenly power! (Verse 18)

2. The blessing of answered prayer! (Verse 19)

3. The blessing of Christ’s presence! (Verse 20)

Jesus has just given some teaching on restoring a church member who has sinned against you, and Peter comes and asks him, “How often should I forgive my brother, seven times?” (Verse 21)

We need to keep in mind here that a Jewish custom was floating around during this time that you were able to forgive a person three times for one specific sin. After that, you didn’t have to. So, when Peter said, “up to seven times” he was actually willing to go beyond the norm.

Jesus’ Answer on Forgiveness — Christ answered the question with hyperbole. We aren’t to stop forgiving our brother at his seventh offence against us, but go on seventy times seven. In other words, we aren’t really supposed to be counting. We’re supposed to be forgiving!