Video Gallery

The Psalm of the Ideal Scripture Reader

Go to Video Gallery Added Dec 29, 2024 •

Copy this URL:
Embed code:	<iframe class="edlio-embed-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="//www.canaanbiblechapel.org/apps/embed/?v=381219" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Change dimensions

Go HD

Show Transcript

all right if you could go ahead and take out your Bibles and join me in Psalm chapter 1 we'll be reading that in just a moment as soon as we go ahead and and pray uh again this time asking the Lord to to be with us as we uh look on and as we meditate on his word father we give thanks yet again for the opportunity to be together today and thank you especially now at this time for your word and that you have chosen to reveal yourself to us to make yourself known thank you that we do not serve and know a god that is that is vague and that is distant um but that we know you from what you have said we know you from what you have done and as I see you and as we encounter you in your word we give thanks for your great love for us I pray now as we spend the next few moments together that you would show us yourself that you would show us our need for you but but also that we would um see what a privilege it is to be able to spend time in your word and to do so together um as individuals but then also as a community and so we ask for your blessing on this time and we ask it in Christ's name amen I hope it is uh this year comes to a close that you've spent some time looking back over this year and you've been seeing what God has been doing in your life you've been seeing what God has done in our church you've been seeing what God has been doing in the world and in his church and I hope that you're seeing some areas that you've grown and I'd say it's it's a good thing to evaluate where we're at um as individuals and as a group and maybe you're seeing as you look some areas where you would like to grow and 1 of those things that almost always gets thought about and gets talked about this time of year and so you start to head into New Year is is where are we at in our scripture reading and our time in the word and this last year for me has been has been um really special year when it has come to my time in the word and I started off the year um planning originally okay I'm going to do a chronological reading through scripture and through um its entirety and so that means you start in Genesis and then you take a break from Genesis and you go and you all of job and then you come back to Genesis and you do some Psalms and you start working your way through and I made it to where everybody always makes it in Exodus Leviticus and numbers but I made it there for different reasons than what usually folks that um what I began to realize as I was reading through it is wow there's just so much here normally we we those are the parts we want to skip over and so then I sort of altered my personal reading and I started rereading those first 5 6 book multiple times throughout the year to really get to know them and to get in um to to to have a good understanding of them on a very deep and and granular level and so I I I I my Bible reading plan stopped where most of them end up stopping but for different reasons and it was a real blessing to be able to really dig into personally Those portions of scripture this year and as I look back and I think about this year has been for me a year where I've had a lot of Bible conversations with individuals about what I've been reading what I've been learning a lot of others have had those same conversations with me and it's been a great blessing and I want us encourage us towards that and towards um evaluating today where we're at in our time in the word in Psalm chapter 1 is the text that I want to use to to do that and this is a a passage that that many of us are familiar with I believe I've preached on it before um I think that it might even have got um um taught to our young people at various times throughout this year and last year uh in the school and its 1 that we're familiar with but someone brought it to my attention within the last year or so that Psalm 1 and a lot of ways is a picture of the ideal scripture reader and it's the it's the it's it's what we should be shooting for is individuals so we're going to read through all 6 verses um but we're our Focus today is going to be really the first 3 verses but we'll read all of it in its entirety so we get a picture of what's going on here blessed is the man in verse 1 that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of Sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornful but his Delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night he shall be like a tree planted by the river rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season his Leaf shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper the ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the Judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly Shall Perish as I said some have described this this chapter this portion this Psalm introductory to the Psalms as uh a Psalm of the ideal scripture reader because as it begins it says blessed is the man and when you see the word blessed there's 2 different options of of what the original word could be and then what is being translated to us as the word blessed most of the time it's the first option where the word blessed means the person who is experiencing the favor and abundance of God in the life sometimes we call that as happy as the person the person that's experiencing the favor and the abundance but sometimes and this is the case for this section when blessed is used is that this is used to describe what other people say about the person who is experiencing ing the favor and the abundance and the blessing of God in their life so it's used to describe how desirable or how good it is to experience God's blessings so what's happening here in verse 1 when it said blessed is the man what we would potentially say it's like we'd say hey that person over there they are living the good life right they have this blessing from God so we could almost translate it is oh is the good life of the man that walketh not and we'll talk through the rest of it but there I want you to see the pattern of the whole chapter before we start to break down uh the first 3 verses today and so the the verse 1 is oh the good life of the man who avoids evil verses 2 and 3 0 the good life of the man who Delights in God and in his word and then Verses 4 through 6 is the ultimate outcome of those who who are a part of evil and those who Delight in the Lord and how those who are a part of evil they will not stand and they will face judgment but those who are delighting in the Lord and in his word and are his people they will be blessed by God continually throughout their life and into the next life and that's the pattern that's described for us and and we get into the whole book of the Psalms where these ideas are are are put on full display and the beauty of the songs and the songs and the prayers that are contained within the book but as you read this Psalm it becomes clear that the person being described here is not an average person this is an exemplary person this is someone that maybe at 1 time was average was normal but they've excluded some things from their life and as a result of that they've become more excited about the word of God and his life has become special unusual and exceptional but what is it about his life that is different what is about his life that makes him enviable that others can say wow look at his life look at the good life of this individual what kind of person is that because that should be the kind of person that we want to be by God's help there's not something average or common about this man so what are these things well first in the first verse there's some things missing from his life that make him enviable if you will and it says blessed is the man so blessed is the man because of what he avoids he's marked by what he avoids in verse 1 when we're told that he walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly he avoids the Council of the ungodly this man rejects guidance that is rooted in secular reasoning rooted in worldly values that a perspective that ignores God because Godly counsel promotes relativism that is that there is no ultimate truth that everything sort of is and that that you and I we have all we just we can all figure it out on our own it ungodly counsel promotes self-centeredness that we are the ultimate we are the ones who who are the most important that stuff that exists outside of us is not important and it disregards absolute truth that there are no absolute truths and it leads people away from God's Will and so this person does not take that sort of count Council into consideration we just had our recent political season and I was reminded at that of every now and then you'll see ads show up of a candidate and it'll usually be a clip of what they said or what they believed they've been in politics a long time ago a long time ago and it's their position on the subject and then they'll show another clip and you'll see their position starts to shift and then you'll see quotes from more recently and their position has totally shifted from where it was in the beginning now did their personal position shift on that my theory is no but their what shifted is cultures acceptance of that issue that is being discussed and now they're more comfortable saying where they actually stand on that thing and so what we see is this understanding that within our society there's an everchanging never constant wavering beliefs that take place and is always nebulous and and oftentimes difficult to understand where exactly what is right and what is wrong societies opinions are always shifting and so this individual the the the ideal scripture reader avoids that sort of insight and so the question for us as we as we read through this and as we want to be an individual that is blessed we ought to me asking ourselves where do we seek our advice where do we seek our Council if are we avoiding the counsel of the ungodly are we prioritizing scripture or are we listening taking input from being influenced by by society's changing values the steadfastness of God's unchanging word over the fleeting of worldly Trends is so crucial for the stability that we will see displayed for us here by the Psalm 1 scripture reader but this person not only rejects the counsel of the ungodly they don't stand in the way of sinners in verse 1 nor standeth in the way of Sinners the Psalm 1 person the Psalm 1 Man refused uses to adopt sinful behaviors or conform to Lifestyles contrary to God's principles he may associate with Sinners he may be around individuals who do but he does so without compromising his Integrity or he doesn't imitate their choices this summer uh our girl we took our girls to the Wayne County Fair and we got uh some heads up by folks who had been there earlier that there had been some flooding and heavy rains and so the park lot was just a total mud filled if you went you know exactly what I'm talking about and I hope for your sake that you knew that it was going to be like that and maybe you didn't but so we came prepared and we wore boots and we were fine we were able to walk through all the muck and all the nonsense and we were clean and we are fine when we got through it but what we noticed along the way is that people were jumping right out of their vans in their nice fancy Fair shoes I guess is that that's a thing if you know if you've been you know what I'm talking about and they're instantly you see the look on their face of oh no or there's the teenagers that came in they're like they're fluffy slippers to the fair for some reason and like they're just upset and they're like what do I do now I can't walk and you see people trudging through the fudge and through the grime and through the muck and they're they're their stuff is like I don't pity the people who are going to have to try to clean that because it's never going to get clean again this is so similar to this lifestyle of standing in the way of the Sinners that this individual is prepared because they are armored with the word of God that when they encounter the Monk and the sin and the grossness of our world they are not tarnished by it and yet those that are unprepared they they they they wallow in that mud and they are they are tainted and they are covered by the mud of sin and as Christ's ambassadors here on Earth the New Testament calls us to engage with the world but not to conform to its patterns conform conform to its thoughts conform to its belief and its practice Es as we walk through and as we do not stand in the things that are around us but this individual does does not only take the council but he doesn't stand in the presence of in the way of Sinners and then as verse 1 closest out nor does he sit in the seat of the scornful scornful or the scoffer or or the mock or the 1 who takes lightly and then totally disregards the things of God and his authority his righteousness and his truth they dismiss spiritual matters cynicism and with pride because they know and God is foolish or God doesn't exist this corner thinks that Jesus is a joke the scorner the the scornful thinks that the Bible is nonsense they think that salvation is is is for people who need a crutch to make it through life they think the church is for children and yet the Psalm 1 Man refuses to line align themselves with their irreverence instead they stand firm in reverence for God stand firm for honoring God even when faced with ridicule and with mockery if you're familiar with Psalm 1 this is something that gets pointed out every time that the passage is is talked about and it's pointed out because it's important to see that there's a depression that's at work here in Psalm chapter 1 and it's something that that we need to be on on the lookout for in our own lives but then also in the lives around us and it's what we see is is the downward spiral that sin has on the life and in vision and the life of an individual in in in verse 1 the individual is walking and then standing and then sitting the individual is moving in the wrong direction is the is the is is the verse starts potentially and then lingering saying and then settling into comfort with scoffers now the Psalm 1 man doesn't do those things but others do you're walking through something catches your eye you stop and you look and then you stop and you taste or you stop and you experience or you stop and you try and before before you know that is a part of you but then also we see the progression of the individuals that are participating in these actions first there's the wicked and then there's the Sinner and then there is the scoffer throughout scripture the wicked is described as 1 who has a casual disregard for God The Sinner is the 1 that is openly disobeyed God but then the scoffer is the 1s along with them on their Rebellion against God but we also see a downward spiral not only in the movement not only in the vision but then also the the the object is well when you see the council the path and the seat the council is those thoughts the advice the input the path is then putting those things into practice and and the behavior that accompanies them and then the seed is fully embracing the scoffing attitudes and belonging with those that that would identify themselves as enemies of God it's the downward spiral sin that we've seen repeated Time and Time and Time Again throughout the course of human history each 1 of these steps potentially leading further into the enemy's grips and the call to guard your heart and avoid that descent is on the full display here in verse 1 when we're told that the blessed man the 1 that is living the good life the 1 that is blessed by God avoids that very thing the reason that he's able to avoid those things is because of what he Embraces well solve 1 man is defined by what he avoids he is distinguished by what he Embraces his joy and his purpose come from immersing himself in God's word let's look at verse 2 but his Delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law does he meditate day and night his Joy is in the word when we're told in verse 2 but his Delight is in the law of the Lord for the Psalm 1 Man finding true satisfaction true enjoyment comes from scripture I have a friend who frequently texts me of what they're learning about in their Bible reading and I enjoy getting those text messages but last week I was doing something where I didn't have my phone and so I got a series I think it was literally like 15 texts about all this different stream of consciousness of things that they were leaving and at the very end they they apologized for um the the the series of texts and all of it was was the things that they're excited about learning in scripture and I responded with please don't ever feel like you have to apologize to me for being excited about scripture um this is something that you should be excited about I would much rather get text like that then texts about the latest sports game even though sports game even though I'm excited about those sort of things that's what we should be excited about in fact I told them that I wish more people would text me about the things that they're excited about as they're finding in scripture and that's that's mentality of this individual his Delight his purpose his satisfaction his Joy comes from the word of the Lord it's not a duty to this person but it's a delight to be able to read and to meditate on God's word he sees scripture not he sees scripture as a treasure chest of wisdom if he discovers this treasure chest and he's able to wow look at this thing and wow look at that that thing and wow these different things are all contained within this and it gives to my life meaning and purpose and its guidance and promises and so he sees scripture as wisdom and guidance and promises and he doesn't view scripture as a book of rules that he has to follow that are ruining is fun my dad I'm almost convinced if you're familiar with Love Languages this isn't 1 of them but I'm convinced that my dad's love language is making food for other people um if you've seen some of the things he posts you know exactly what I'm talking about but he'll make a new creation and 1 of the games that he likes to play is he likes me to to to try it and then he wants me to tell him what's in it and so he'll say okay what did I do with this 1 what did I add to this 1 what's different than last time and I so much and joy really tasting the food and trying to analyze the different textures and maybe draw draw from how it tastes the different techniques that were used in preparing it in the different flavors trying to understand what I'm actually eating instead just saying oh it's lunchtime and scarfing it all down and just as I Delight in that food and he Delights in preparing that food the Psalm 1 person Delights in discovering the new flavors of scripture the the tastes elements the truths that are contained within it not that there's new things there but understanding and discovering them perhaps for the first time this individual finds joy in uncovering the truths of God's word do we see God's word is a chore or is it a source of joy and guidance for us he because he sees his Delight coming from the law of the Lord we're told that he meditates on the word continuing in verse 2 and in his law does he meditate meditation isn't isn't what we're familiar with in our cultures is the clearing and the emptying of the mind but when scripture when we see meditation it's actually a filling it's a it's a it's a continual ful process that takes place and it's involves a deep pondering internally processing and then ultimately applying scripture to 1's life many of us are familiar with Charles Spurgeon and when talking about this passage he wrote he takes a text and he carries it with him all day long the truth is your quiet time should not be your only time in the word of God there is a persistence with the word that stays with it day and night so not only is it something that we start but it's something that we carry with us and as we carry it with us it begins to shape us it begins to mold us it begins to shape our thoughts our actions and our decisions I want to illustrate this with food again can you tell I was hungry when I was writing this message um so I apologize to any of you that are hungry right now uh this year I discovered uh 1 of my now favorite foods and and I apologize to anyone who can actually pronounce this because I'm sure I'm going to slaughter Slaughter it uh I discovered a thing called tacos area um and so if you said what is that that's fine it's hard to understand and some of you are shaking your head because I've introduced it to you too um but my understanding is the the the way that you make these tacos the right way to make them is you take beef and then you stew it for long periods of time inside of this broth so that it absorbs all of the flavors and it becomes rich and there's a whole bunch of different textures and tastes and things that go along with that then you plop it on a Taco you close it you take another Taco put tons of mozzarella cheese you melt it you fry together and it is incredible um but then you also then dip it back in the the the the sauce the stew that it was stewing in and then it was and there's just it's very complex and very very very good um and sorry I'm my mouth is watering so much right now and and that that process by which that meat or that stew sits in and absorbs all the flavors of the of the stew is exactly what meditating ought to look like scripturally whenever this passage gets talked about the illustration that always gets used is Chap cow is chewing their food so I tried to do a a a more um appeal illustration there then the then the gross illustration of how cows constantly are spitting up and chewing their food so they're if you you can take that 1 but the the right way to do that is to allow this to be a long day and sometimes even multiple days a process of preparation for this meat meditating on scripture is like that marinating process it's soaking in God's truth that allows it to permeate all areas of your life not just head knowledge but actions thoughts and decisions that's what Biblical meditation looks like because it begins to inform how we respond to challenges and decisions that we make so this individual Delights in the word of God the law of God and he meditates on it but then he's also committed to it as the last few vers words of the verse tell us that in his law doth he meditate day and night the Psalm 1 man makes the word a constant part of his life not just a Sunday morning activity in Psalm 63 and verse 6 the same idea is discussed when the psalmist says when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on the in the night watches that this is something that the psalmist thinks about even as they're falling asleep or when they're having sleepless nights it's something that they come back and they revisit the word of God his commitment reflects a persistence and consistency and prioritizing God's truth a lot of us have been given the advice and it's good advice to prioritize getting up early and spending time in scripture but it shouldn't end there we should take that with us and we should allow it to be a part of our day and be thinking about opportunities to to think about and to study and to listen to the word throughout the day and into the evening it should be a priority for us because it's something that we Delight in building habits of daily scripture reading and reflection are so crucial because it allows God's word to guide you mourning and evening but there's other things now that the other individuals talk about because remember we said blessed was the from the point of view of people on the outside the individual has rejected certain things he has valued God and his word and now others have noticed the blessings that come from value in God and His word in verse 3 and so let's read that whole thing and then we'll break it down bit by bit verse 3 and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water the bringeth forth fruit forth his fruit in his seasons his Leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper Psalm 1 man's life stands out and as an example of godliness and his separation from sin and his love for scripture lead to a fruitful and fulfilling life because he is first and foremost rooted in verse 3 and he shall be like a tree planted notice that he's not a tree that is placed or a tree that that that is but it is a tree that is secure it is a tree that is rooted is a tree that is stable it is a tree that is planted in firm his life is firmly Anchored In God's truth allowing him to withstand life's storms he's not flopped or dropped slipping or sliding but he's planted and firm and secure he's not trying to find his place in Life or or find his way he has been planted his life has stability his life is steady because God has placed him where areas and he is securely planted in the will of God have you ever noticed and this is really sad just how many people it seems like are just floating through life that that other things decide for them what they do I'm like a daily basis or or even throughout a month or throughout a year or ultimately throughout their lives so many people are are using the same illustration that's used for us here are more like logs that are carried by the River of Life rather than trees that are planted beside it the current of Life rolls them and turns them and tosses them it shifts them they never seem to get still or set settled they never seem to be able to take root and to plant themselves into something steady and yet the Psalm 1 Man however is except personal because of his stability and it is what makes him unique because he is planted next to the very thing that gives him stability his stability comes from being planted in God's will that he has learned from being spending time in God's route God's word and so he is firmly rooted in what is he firmly rooted in in his source of strength continued on and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water Psalm 1 man is nourished by continual supply of God's grace and wisdom and strength something I hadn't noticed before is that he's planted by the rivers of waters so this is so Bountiful that it's more than just a singular River but but water and nutrients are everywhere around him because he is so close to God and to his word his spiritual needs are met because he is rooted near the very source of life God himself we added several plants to our house this year uh some of them rarely need water and those are the ones that seem to be doing the best right now because I forget the water them um but many of them need constant watering they need a constant source of water to grow and to to Thrive I like seeing aerial or Drone footage of of Landscapes and you can always tell where the rivers are you can always tell where the streams are because they're always green because things are growing near them because rivers and streams are bringing nourishment are bringing water to the plants that are near them that's what this individual is like because of his closeness with God and with his word he's able to remain refreshed and vibrant as he faces the difficulties and the challenges of life and so he is firmly rooted in his source strength in his fruitful we're told as we read on that and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit and in his season and his Leaf also shall not wither Psalm 1 man's life produces spiritual fruit at the right time and it is fruit that glorifies God and blesses others his vitality and his growth never diminish because he draws strength from God and he is a fruitful tree that blesses himself and others and that's what trees do when they're healthy they they they provide seeds and they provide fruit for themselves and nourishment for themselves but then others whether they're organisms whether they're people are able to experience the Beauty and the blessing and the fruit of that tree and and are able to take from it and that's what this individual is like his life is a life of blessing for himself but then also for others as well because he is 1 who is rooted in God's word and is firmly finding his strength and is ultimately able to be fruitful from it and as a result of that fruitfulness he has also successful finishing out the verse and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper the success of this man is not measured by worldly standards but of God's definition of what success actually is he prospers spiritually and fulfills God's purpose for his life which then brings blessing to him unlike the fleeting worldly achievements that many of us spend our time pursuing the success of a Godly life has Eternal significance there is value that impacts others lives and ultimately has a long-term lasting Eternal impact on those around us I want to close with an invitation for you to consider the Psalm 1 man and to purpose in your heart to be like this person 1 who is firmly planted in the word of God and it allows it to be your source strength and your source of wisdom as God has revealed to us himself from his word but you may be asking yeah sure I I want to do that I desire to do that I I've spent time doing that before but I haven't found found success and I want to make some some um options available for you some things to consider and maybe you maybe you have a system already or maybe you have a habit of scripture reading that that is fruitful and brings blessing in your life but maybe you don't or maybe there's some things here that you can consider to do um for the first time or add to what you're already doing each year uh we here at Canaan we we have a Bible reading plan that you can follow along that some of us do and you can find that on our on our website on the resource tab there's a section businesses Bible reading in this last year uh like I said there we were going through scripture chronologically I'm not sure what Pastor Jan's plan is for this upcoming year but you can check and you can see all the dates and all the months from this last year in 2025 will be coming up in just a few days if you're looking this okay well where should I read and what should I read you can find what we here at the church are doing you can find that on our website but you can also utilize the U version Bible app and I know many of you do and under it you can find plans that encourage you to read through through scripture in the Euro read through specific portions 1 of the things that we talked about this morning was the importance of allowing scripture to to meditate on scripture and to allow it to full to fill us not just in the morning but throughout the day and throughout the night and 1 of the things that I have come to enjoy is not just reading scripture but listening to scripture as well and uh there's a particular app that I've appreciated before but it is a paid app and that is the dwell Bible app and you can here and you can choose multiple different um what is the word I'm liking on it um accents there we go accents and so you can choose different accents that read to you it's it's very very enjoyable um but if you don't want to pay for 1 of those the U version Bible app this as well but you have to manually do chapter by chapter that way so something to consider about listening to scripture maybe when you're in the car maybe when you're falling to sleep I also want to encourage you to do uh what I did throughout this year and and that is to time in a specific book for longer than just reading through the book but rather repeating the book seeing the themes seeing the patterns seeing the the message of the book and reading through it multiple times and and you may say 1 of the things you may say is that you have a hard time memorizing scripture well if you start reading the same book many times it's going to start sticking maybe not the whole book but parts of it are definitely going to start sticking and it's a good way to memorize scripture too is to reread a portion um frequently but also encourage you to have a journal or a gnat a Notes app on your phone as well that you can write down the things you're learning but also maybe questions that come up and I know that 1 of the things that can be intimidating for us when reading scripture is you you think well I don't exactly understand everything that's happening write those questions down and then pursue those answers um this is 1 of the things that I'm going to be doing this year and honestly I think that it's something that maybe all of us um that our parents and whether we have kids in the house or whether they're even out of the house should consider but 1 of the things that I'm going to be doing this year is um I'm going to I'm I'm purchasing a Bible that has wider margins and has space for journaling and I'm going to be reading through scripture and I'm going to be making notes specifically I'm not going to be able to talk about it with Remy in mind and so the goal is that I will work through scripture um through the entire Bible and have essentially study notes for her comments for her versus that I think will be helpful for her throughout her life that she will be able to come back and take notice and hopefully see value of and the goal is it's probably going to take me more than a year so 2 years to work through that and then when she becomes a teenager or she is moving out of the house I can gift her that um and then I'll repeat this process with the other girls and I believe my wife wants to do it too so she'll have a Bible that's full of that because um I have my grandfather's Bible here and I was um able to uh be gifted that by by him and by my grandmother and it's really special to be able to see things that were important to them but these are his notes um imagine how special it would be to be able to get direction from Dad when he's not here and I'm not saying that my words are more important than scripture but I'm if if if Jesus tarries I'm only going to be here so long and I want to do everything I can to push my daughters to Christ even when I'm not here and hopefully that can be a small way that I can do that and that's part of the reason why I said that each of us as parents should consider doing something similar similar to this even if your kids are out of the house even if your kids are are grown because there's going to be a time when someone gets your Bible but how special would that be if each 1 of them were to get 1 that was for them and pushing them specifically there's certain at Remy we can already see it at a young age struggles with with with worry and stress and and and and thinking is she good enough and so we want to pointer to Those portions of scripture that that show her that God is good enough and that he can be her source of strength I think it's something um that could potentially be useful to you and your families as well this February on Sunday mornings we're going to be uh doing a a series that is all about scripture and and how we can trust it and what it does for us and I'm really looking forward to that and so that hopefully will be something that is a church family pushes us to spending time in God's word but 1 of the best things that we can do as well is talk about it talk about it with others uh if you haven't talked about scripture with other people before it can be awkward to start um but it's really refreshing to be able to know what other people are reading how God has been blessing them and the things that he has been teaching them and we're called to edify and to encourage each other and 1 of the ways that we do that is by talking about scripture together and so if you haven't been doing that or encourage you to start and if you don't know who to talk about it you can talk about it with me um I love talking about the Bible obviously I stand up here and do it all the time what I love doing it on a personal basis as well but I want to encourage you to to evaluate to see do do the things that describe this man the good life of this man are they things that are marked in your life um as we go into this new year as a lot of people are thinking about and evaluating already is something that we can be thinking about and evaluating ourselves let's go ahead and close this section in prayer father I thank you that you have made it possible possible again for us to know you and that uh because of the your spirit the spirit that you have have gifted to us we do not have to do this on our own uh but that we can be guided that we can be corrected that we can be um encouraged directly from you and so I pray that for each of us that time in your word would be a priority not just so that we can mark it off of our checklist not just so that we can earn points with you or or seem good to those around us but because we desire to because we love you because we've been changed by you and we want to know you more and we want to see how you've chosen to reveal yourself and what you've also promised for us into the future so I pray that this would be something that we as a church family do prioritize our personal time in your word and it is something that that as we come together to worship and to spend time in your word together that we would value as well we thank you that we have the freedom to do it so openly here in our country and so we pray that that we would take it advantage of the the opportunities that you have given to us and the ease of access that would it be something that just becomes mundane or routine and that can be the temptation but it would be something as fresh something that is alive and something that has say thank you that you have not left us to ourselves that you have sent Christ and now the spirit we give you all the thanks and all the glory and we ask all these things in Christ in

Video Gallery

The Psalm of the Ideal Scripture Reader

Popular Videos