Friday, May 31, 2013

Treasury of Truth: Conclusion


Did you participate in this month's Treasury of Truth? I'd love to hear about your experiences! This mini-challenge focused on a concentrated reading of several Psalms: Psalm 23, 25, 100, 103, and 139. (As a bonus, I also included Romans 8 for the final week!) The Psalm we were encouraged to read each day of the month was Psalm 139. All Scripture quotes are taken from the NKJV, except for Psalm 25 which is quoted from the NIV).

Why I chose Psalm 139:

I chose Psalm 139 because it is RICH in truth. Truth about who God is. Truth about who we are. (We are God's creation! We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God!) Truth about how we can have a relationship with God. Truth about how God is always, always, always with us! There is great comfort in knowing that "In Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

What did you learn from reading, studying, or meditating on Psalm 139? Did any verses speak to you? Want to share any insights?

Why I chose Psalm 23:

Psalm 23 was an obvious choice. I knew I was choosing one of the better known Psalms. But I chose it because it was true and comforting even if it was familiar and obvious. Sometimes the truth we need to have spoken are OBVIOUS truths. God is a God of comfort. This Psalm highlights a relationship: a tender, trusting, loving relationship. Again, we have highlighted the fact that God is WITH US. And because he is with us, there is no reason to fear. For God is tenderly, carefully watching us, guiding us, restoring us. Isn't it wonderful that we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever?

Is Psalm 23 one of your favorites? Do you have a favorite verse?

Why I chose Psalm 25:

Did you notice that the theme of this challenge is Psalm 25:4-5? "Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." This plea, this prayer should be OURS. Christians should seek the truth, love the truth, treasure the truth! I also chose this Psalm because it is so honest and conflicted. The writer is very emotional; and this is very personal. Go to God as you are, with all your feelings, with all your being. As Alexander Whyte said so beautifully, "Wherever in all the world there is a human heart, God also is there. And He is there in order to have that heart poured out before Him."

Did you learn anything from reading Psalm 25?

Why I chose Psalm 100:

I chose Psalm 100 because it is so JOYFUL. It is short, joyful, and has quite a few gems! We are designed to worship God. We are called to DELIGHT IN GOD; our joy is to overflow from glimpsing God's majesty, God's glory. The more we know of God, the more we KNOW God, the more we want to praise Him, need to praise Him. Verses one and two and four and five all speak of praising God. Verse three highlights one good reason to praise Him: Know that the LORD is God. It is he who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. I thought this Psalm complemented Psalm 139 and Psalm 23 beautifully! I love the imagery of us being the sheep of His pasture. For it reminds me of John 10:11 and John 10:27-28. (Another GREAT verse is found in Isaiah 40:11, which reads: He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.)

Do you enjoy singing praises to God?

Why I chose Psalm 103:

Psalm 103 was one of the very first Psalms I chose for this project. In fact, I was tempted to make this Psalm the one we should read each and every day! It is so very rich in truth. This Psalm contains great truths about who God is and what God has done for us in Christ. How can one read this without rejoicing?! He has not dealt with us according to our sins!!! Why?! Because of Jesus Christ who took our sins and satisfied the wrath of God! Our transgressions, our sins are gone! God forgives. God heals. God redeems. God crowns. God satisfies.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:1-5)

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:10-12)

What did you learn from reading Psalm 103? What verses spoke to you? Can you imagine what a blessing it would be to live every day of your life holding onto these truths?

Why I chose Romans 8:

Reading Romans can change lives. Martin Luther writes that Romans is, "the true masterpiece of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, which is well-worthy and deserving that a Christian man should not only learn it by heart, word for word, but also that he should daily deal with it as the daily bread of men's souls. It can never be too much or too well read or studied; and the more it is handled, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes." While I love many, many chapters in the book of Romans, I chose just one for this treasury of truth project, the 8th chapter. It is an amazing chapter.

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-38)

What verses are your favorites?

I also chose five songs, one for each week. I included a video link each time so you could listen to the song for free.

Song of the Week: "Just As I Am" by Andrew Peterson (amazon mp3)
Song of the Week: "Meant to Be" by Steven Curtis Chapman (amazon mp3)
Song of the Week: "How Great Is Our God" by Chris Tomlin (amazon mp3)
Song of the Week: "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin (amazon mp3)
Song of the Week: "Never Been A Greater Love" by Aaron Shust (amazon mp3)

If you haven't taken the time to listen to these songs yet, consider it. They were chosen because they were biblical songs rich in truth. These songs can remind and encourage! 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

1 comment:

BookGirl said...

Thank you SO much for the links to these songs. I was meant to hear these, right here, right now. I love Chris Tomlin, but the others were all new to me. Thanks again and God Bless :-)x