Journal for Christ: A singleness of devotion

An entry from my journal for:

December 30, 2015

Worship: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus Laura Story version

"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus"

Come Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation, joy of every lonely heart

Him the people to deliver, born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring
By Thy own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit, raise us to Thine glorious throne

Come now great Redeemer, come Emmanuel
Bless the nations with Your presence here
Born our souls to rescue, born to save Your very own
Long expected Jesus, make our hearts Your home

Come Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation, joy of every lonely heart

Come now great Redeemer, come Emmanuel
Bless the nations with Your presence here
Born our souls to rescue, born to save Your very own
Long expected Jesus, make our hearts Your home

Come now great Redeemer, come Emmanuel
Bless the nations with Your presence here
Born our souls to rescue, born to save Your very own
Long expected Jesus, make our hearts Your home

Come now long expected Jesus
Come now long expected Jesus

A-Z Lyrics LAURA STORY Lyrics from"God With Us" (2015)

Video: https://youtu.be/7CeH5CWOI7o

I also found this video by the Skit Guys. It is a must see

Video: https://youtu.be/VLcTLCCpI5A

Witness:

Cold days, but the sun shone today. I think one of my problems during winter is that I sleep most of the light away in the winter. Researchers tell us that the sunshine is good for the mood.

While too much of the sun’s warm rays can be harmful to your skin, the right balance can have lots of mood-lifting benefits.

Sunlight and darkness trigger the release of hormones in your brain. Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. This is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. At night, darker lighting cues trigger the brain to make another hormone called melatonin. This hormone is responsible for helping a person feel sleepy and go to sleep.

Without enough sunlight exposure, a person’s serotonin levels can dip low. Low levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression that is triggered by changing seasons.

http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight#Overview1

I believe I may suffer a little from this disorder. That compounded with my present situation make it difficult to maintain Joy in my life. However, I thank God for His Spirit who comforts me. I thank God for the Son who lives in me. I thank God for His word which contains His promises. Those who are conscience of these in their life have a greater “risk” :P of experiencing GLAD in their life, that is, God’s light and delight!

WORD:

Ps 24:1-6

24 The earth is the LORD 's, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to an idol

or swear by what is false.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD

and vindication from God his Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, O God of Jacob.b

SELAH

NIV

Ps 24:1-6

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Selah

ESV

As I said earlier, there is an interpretive issue here in verse 4. Is it “lift his soul to an idol” or “to what is false”? The word here is shav' (shawv); or shav (shav) and means:

OT:7723 shav' or shav —

emptiness, vanity, falsehood

a) emptiness, nothingness, vanity

b) emptiness of speech, lying

c) worthlessness (used of conduct)

(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

OT:7723

shav' (shawv); or shav (shav); from the same as OT:7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):

KJV - false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.

Commentators are divided on the issue. For ex.:

Lifted up his soul to vanity. Since the Hebrew preposition(l-) is different here from that

(°el) in Deut 24:15; Hos 4:8, margin, and the verb (naasaa°) is the same as (yisaa°) "receive," or take, in Ps 24:5, translate, 'He who hath not taken away his soul unto vanity'-i,e., falsehood; and answering '(sworn) in deceit.' The idea is not that of lifting up the soul to an idol, but taking and setting the heart of some object (cf. Rev 22:15).

24:4. lifting up soul to idol. This expression means to "nurse an appetite" for something. The word translated "soul" here refers, physiologically, to the throat, and thereby the meaning arrives at appetite or desire. In a number of contexts the same expression is used with God as the object (Ps 25:1; 86:4; 143:8). The term for idol here is related to the word for emptiness or vanity. Other writers use the term "no-gods" for idols (e.g., Jer 5:7).

Vanity" refers to the worship of idols ("worthless things") and "swearing deceitfully" to all kinds of deception, especially false witness in court.

Line b in the Hebrew text followed by RSV and TEV is "who does not lift up his

nefesh

to a lie" (for

nefesh

see comment at Ps 3:2, and for "lie" see comment at Ps 12:2). Here (as in 31:6; Jonah 2:8) the word "lie" probably refers to "idols" (TEV, NIV, SPCL; so Dahood and others). Some, however, take the line to mean "who does not love (or, practice) lies" (see AT, NEB); Weiser has "who does not direct his thoughts to wrongdoing."

It should be noted that most translators follow the text of many Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions, "his nefesh "; but the Masoretic text has "my nefesh ," which is explained as a synonym for "my (that is, Yahweh's) name," and the sense of the line is "who does not use the Lord's name for false purposes" (see Ex 20:7). So NJV translates "who has not taken a false oath by My life"; similarly TOB "who does not use God for an evil purpose."

If the translator follows the idea of worshiping idols, it may be possible to say, for example, "who do not worship images of God" or "who do not pray to likenesses of God." Idols may sometimes be called "gods made of wood" or "stone gods."

[Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity] Unto that which is "vain," or which is "false." This expression might refer to one who had not devoted himself to the worship of an idol-regarded as vain, or as nothing (1 Cor 8:6; Isa 41:24; Ps 115:4-8); or to one who had not embraced that which is false and vain in opinion; or to one who had not sworn falsely, or taken the name of God in vain, Ex 20:7. The probable meaning is, that he has not set his heart on vain things, or that which is false. He has sought after substantial truth, alike in the object of worship, in that which he professes to believe, and in the statements and promises which he makes to others. He aims to secure that which is true and real. He is in no sense "carried away" with that which is unreal and false.

I know that is a bit much for some to read, but it gives you an idea of the three main views on this phrase. Perhaps, as I often like to think, that God has left it vague for the purpose of a wider application. If limited exclusively to “idols” it loses some of its force. However, if taken inclusively to any appetite for anything less than God Himself, then it becomes a powerful reminder stated negatively (clean hands and pure a heart being the positive) of our singleness of devotion to Our God and Maker!

I end today with a quote from Spurgeon, whom some call the “prince of preachers”.

The soul must be delivered from delighting in the groveling toys of earth; the man who is born for heaven hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity. All men have their joys, by which their souls are lifted up; the worldling lifts up his soul in carnal delights, which are mere empty vanities; but the saint loves more substantial things; like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He who is content with the husks will be reckoned with the swine. If we suck our consolation from the breasts of the world, we prove ourselves to be its home born children. Does the world satisfy thee? Then thou hast thy reward and thy portion in this life; make much of it, for thou shalt know no other joy.

Journal for Christ

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

A singleness of devotion

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