Good Book - Actually, The Best Book

"The best book to read is the Bible,

If you read it every day,

It will help you on your way,

Oh, the Best Book to read is the Bible."

Ever sing that in Sunday School?  I, likely about 100 times!

Why is it such a "best book"?  It is because it is The Living God's words...His love letter to His human creatures.  You want to know about God and how He wants us to live.  Well, there you go, read the Best Book, the Bible.

In Psalm 119, the psalmist is forever saying how good and upright God's words are; all His commands, precepts, decrees, laws, and statutes, he calls them.  These words of God can do so very many things for a person if they will know them and obey them.  Transforming!

So yes, do read God's Word first and foremost.

Guess which book in the whole wide world is the first and foremost best seller?

You guessed it, the Bible.  Of course this is an "old" statistic but look what Wikipedia said,

People also ask

What is the number 1 best selling book of all time?

the Bible

According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.

List of best-selling books - Wikipedia

Here's hoping and praying all those buyers are actually reading the Bible every day and being helped on their way.  Pray that the message of Jesus will ring out far and wide and fill the hearts of people from all walks of life and culture, from the inside out.

Wouldn't that be magnificent!?

                                                     ~ERC  September 2020~ 

Prayer - Impeccable Record

"Behavior is a mirror in which every one displays his image."

     Thus saith someone (author unknown).

Someone with an impeccable record of behavior is a joy to the world.  They are to be admired and emulated.  Here's hoping they do not tarnish that by letting it all go to their head and swell up to become arrogant with the pride of it.

In the "Yodh" segment of Psalm 119, it can be observed that the psalmist was just such a person, that is, one with the "impeccable record".  On first glance though, it does seem like he is rather pleased with himself when he mentions,

"May those who fear You (the LORD) rejoice, when they see" him (v 74 NIV).

In verse 79, he adds,

"May those who fear You turn to me"

...as if he'd reached full enlightenment and was a perfect example for all to follow.  Something akin to the expression, "God's gift to mankind".  Of course, we know that Jesus was and still is that One.

Needless to say, Jesus did NOT need to achieve even the teeniest-tiniest iota of perfection because He is perfection personified, literally; the embodiment of perfect, because He is God.

I think the psalmist's perspective is more towards encouraging others to follow suit and to display this image of behavior that falls in line with remembering that, Your hands, oh Father God, have formed me (v 73), that Your laws are righteous (v 75); that in faithfulness You have afflicted him (v 75), creating the opportunity for him to experience, to learn Your decrees firsthand (v. 71), not as head knowledge but in practicality.  This seems to be humility to me, Father.

The flip side of this being, he'd gained understanding to learn Your commands (v 73) and he'd put his hope in Your word (v 74).  He'd been through much, and discovered and valued Your infallible input.  In Your word, Father, he'd put his hope (v 74); made it an anchor to his soul, sure and steadfast.  Due to this, Your law was his delight (v 77) and he would meditate on Your precepts (v 78), and get this LORD, he'd "wholeheartedly follow Your decrees" (v 80).  Such declarations!

All of this, in a nutshell, despite what others may do to him or think of him, he would,

 

"not be put to shame" (v 80).

This was the context of his reflection that he himself saw of his own behavior.  He believed though that this all honored You Father.  That was his purpose; his focus.  He then wanted like-minded people, those, "who fear You" to turn to him; to join him, if you will.

If this psalmist was King David, he was the one to supposedly lead the citizens of his kingdom by example;  to set the pace and precedent, for one and all.  He was their spiritual leader.

All eyes were on him:  some to investigate his inconsistencies; others, to follow the example; still others, with whom he could fellowship because they too followed, loved and treasured the learning curves You presented with Your laws, decrees, commands, precepts and statutes.

How comforting to be wrapped, then, in Your unfailing love and compassion; a promise from Your holy lips, Father.

May all Your children nowadays, have this profound desire and propensity for just such an impeccable record.  May we be a mirror of reflected behavior displayed for one and all to perceive, emulate and mimic.  Provide, Father, those with whom Your people can fellowship.

May... 

"Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

In Jesus' most hallowed and perfect Name we commune with You, Father God.

                                                         ~ERC  July 2020~

Based on Psalm 119:73-80 (Yodh)

Prayer - In His Presence

 

Father God, I come into Your presence in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, to praise and honor You.  You are the King of glory.  You are strong and mighty; almighty God.  We lift up our hands, minds, and hearts to You.  You are from the ages past, the eternal ages past and You will be in the eternal ages to come.  Even now, in our generation, may this generation and the next, and the next and the next, seek You.  May they seek Your face, oh Father God; the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  You are the living God and God of the living.

May all seek Your face.  You are THE God of all creation; the world and everything in it.  You founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.  

Oh Lord, may we look up to You and to where You are seated on the throne of Heaven.  Who can stand in Your holy presence?  None of us could until You sent Your Savior, Jesus Christ to us.  You sent Him to vindicate us from our sins, to counteract the wrath of God upon us; to close that separation between You and us sinners.

Your are the Holy God of all the earth, making us righteous in Your sight through Your Son Jesus Christ when we have accepted this wonderful gift.  We can now boldly come and stand in Your presence, directly and speak with You in the Name of Jesus and in the power of the blood of Jesus.  We can spend time in Your presence, communing with You.

Those of us with clean hands, and pure heart and who do NOT lift up our souls to any idols, or swear by what is false.  Help us, LORD, through Your Holy Spirit, to realize when we are making idols in our hearts and minds, even if they are not made out of wood, silver, gold or stone, etc.  There could be other things or people, money, our job, our career, or our children, our house, car; whatever, Lord.

May we not allow any of those to come between us and You.  May we lift up our faces, hearts, minds, souls, our all, to the sunshine of Your presence; to You, the God of glory, the King of Glory, the Almighty God of glory.

In the Name of Jesus, we pray and praise.

                                                 ~ERC  February 2020~

                                                     (originally prayed)

Based on Psalm 24, a Psalm of David

Sing, Lift Up Your Hearts with the St. Louis Jesuits

Prayer - A Jump From Creation to Creator

Good Morning, LORD!  I was just reading Psalm 24 (back in February), and observed David is often mentioning about Your creation as to how wonderful and almighty it is.  How You created it.  The Earth is Yours and everything in it.  How You founded it upon  the seas and established it upon the waters.  So who has the right to ascend Your hill to Your holy place?  Only those with clean hands and pure hearts.

I was also thinking David often, in many of his Psalms, mentions You, the Creator, and how majestic Your mountain are, about the vast number of stars, or other aspects thereof.  He must have laid on his back, often at night while guarding his sheep, making note of the skies.  In the daytime, the mountains and rocks were his vista in the areas he traversed and pastured his sheep.

How he must have used them as protection against wind, rain, wild beasts and later on, even for himself when chased and hunted by King Saul, and in later years, by his own son Absalom.  He had discovered so many nooks, niches and crannies in which to hide and shield himself in those rocks and hills.

He was always very close to nature, so he could then see, relate about and observe Your creation and how very marvelous it all is, Father.  However, he didn't worship any of it.  He mentions those who can ascend Your hill and stand in Your holy place are those with clean hands and pure hearts and the soul that never lifted up nor prostrated himself to an idol.

He did not worship the sun, moon, the stars, the hills, flowers or the grass; NO!  The creation, he knew and believed, had a creator and that Creator, is You!

So, when we read in another part of Scripture (Romans 1:19-20), that even though those who haven't had the message of Jesus Christ, come to them, that they too, can know through Your wonderful creation.  Those many gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, You 'paint' day after day; the way of insects, and just the whole vast swathe of creation.  They can make that "jump of thought" from Your creation, to...there must be a Supreme Being.  There must be!  In such cogitations then, they turn to You, and worship and honor You.

Father, help such unreached people groups, who have not heard your message of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to make that connection and jump from creation to Creator, until some one of Your children can get to them to explain more fully, Your plan of salvation for them.  In addition to that, to give them Your Words in their own mother tongue. 

Indeed there are missionary stories to that fact of tribal peoples who believed that.  Perhaps even their other, own tribal members did not believe it but one or two here and there did get that connection in their soul and tried to tell the others.  Latently, a missionary, of Your Good News of Jesus Christ, came and discovered this.  Then the message of Jesus made good sense to them.

I cannot pinpoint and reference this story because it was a very long time ago since reading about it and it only just popped into my head's recall system.  However, Lord, people in our time are still without excuse.  

I used to be skeptical, sorry Lord, about what You even said about this; that people are without excuse.  Nevertheless, as I read and pray the Psalms over and over again, I can see how this one man, King David, did relate creation to the Creator and worshiped You.  

It so tempts people to worship the creation though because its so absolutely beautiful and dangerous-no doubt David had to wrestle with the elements of weather out there in Your wide-wide world.  The intricacies and monumental design of it all is so difficult to NOT be enthused and imbued with it all, that we forget the Creator.

Lord, keep our hearts clean and pure so that our souls do NOT worship the creation, rather, You, the Creator.  You, the almighty One, my God and my Father.

Thank-You for Your wondrous creation which You have made for Your own pleasure and delight and share with us.  You have put the earth into our hands.  What a wondrous gift!!  Yet mankind has made rather a tragic mess of it.

Help us, Lord, to turn to You in all the chaos of the world.  One day, You will make a brand new heaven and earth and we will come together in Your glory, and be able to praise You in the purest of pure worship, just the way we should.

I thank and praise You, oh God and King of glory, Creator, Lord God Almighty, to You we lift up our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies, and give You thanks.

In Jesus most precious Name we praise and pray.

                                                        ~ERC  July 2020~

                                            (originally prayer February 2020)

Based on Psalm 24

Prayer - Lest We Forget His Goodness

 It's so very interesting, Father, I just read Psalm 136, and then switched to Deuteronomy 8:1-10.  It's so interesting because Psalm 136 is remembering history of how You helped the Israelites.  After each statement, the Psalmist declares,

 

"Your love endures forever" (NIV)." "Your mercy endures forever:" "Your steadfast love endures forever:"

depending on the version of the Bible being read.

In Deuteronomy 8, the Israelites were admonished to be careful how they followed every command You were giving them.  In addition, to remember how the Lord their God had led them all through the desert, all those forty years.  To remember all the wonderful things You did for them, we see Moses recorded much and see the psalmist was doing the same to keep the record straight.

There were such highlights of how You fed them with manna; gave them water to drink but they were also reminded that this physical food was not enough for a person to live on.  They must live on Your words too, Lord. Every word that comes from Your mouth, Lord, has sustaining power; it is the living Word of God.  I thank-You, Father.

Thank-You for your care and protection over them:  the clothes they wore did not wear out; their feet did not swell either for those four decades.  You defended them against those enemies who came against them and gave them valiant victories.

You disciplined them when they forgot from whence their blessings came.  Lord, when we forget, do discipline us too in Your unfailing love and mercy.  When we forget Your will and ways and all the things You provide for us and we are tempted to grumble and complain against You; then we will remember your steadfast, unfailing, unconditional love, and mercy and grace upon us; and how You have helped us over the years.  Sometimes we forget to jot these things down, unlike David, enumerating them for easier recall.

It is good for us too, to keep a journal of all those things, Father, that You have done for us and the prayers and petitions that we send up to You that we record them all.  It is a very good idea and enables us to go back, even throughout all the years.  This can help us sing praise to You in new songs of thankfulness.  We are thankful and grateful to you Father for all You've done for us in the past.

It gives us confidence, that even in today, and in time to come, You will help us.  You are on our side.  When we see all that and have "eaten" of Your provision and are satisfied, let us remember to praise You Father God in the "good land" You give us.  May we be careful NOT to forget the Lord our God and Your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior and Friend, nor Your Holy Spirit who leads and guides and convicts us, keeping us in connection with You.

Help us never to forget You.

I ask in Jesus most precious and wonderful Name.

                                                     ~ERC  February 2020~

                                                        (originally prayed)

Based on Deuteronomy 8:1-10 and Psalm 136

Sing the Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases with Dave Hunt

Good Book - Amelia Bedelia

 Mostly, I remark on more serious "grow books" (spiritual growth) but you've got to be introduced to dear Amelia Bedelia, written by Peggy Parish.  This especially if you have not yet met her.  This is "serious"-ly humorous.

The intricacies of the English language often kerflummox the best of students; no less Amelia Bedelia.  She will frustrate some and endear herself to others.  A must read even if you're an adult.

This series is likely targeting, oh let's say, the 8-10 year old's.  Very interesting for those youngin's learning to perfect their reading.  It certainly surpasses the rather dull Peter and Jane books (although these have their place), and will give their reading a boost from boredom.

Amelia Bedelia saves the day, once again.

                                                     Have a good laugh!

                                                      ~ERC  August 2020~

Lord's Day Devotional Prayer - "Good" Affliction