A Devotional by Margot Cioccio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO19ymUkoPA&feature=share&list=PLAE37DF69613BB3F3
Psalm 119:57-64
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
57 You, Lord, are my choice, and I will obey you.
58 With all my heart I beg you to be kind to me, just as you have promised.
59 I pay careful attention as you lead me, and I follow closely.
60 As soon as you command, I do what you say.
61 Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your Law.
62 Your laws are so fair that I wake up and praise you in the middle of the night.
63 I choose as my friends everyone who worships you and follows your teachings.
64 Our Lord, your love is seen all over the world. Teach me your laws.
You, Lord, are my choice, and I will obey you.
Thirty years ago I made a choice. I would say looking back that it is still the best choice I ever have made. That choice was to follow Jesus. I have never regretted that decision. It was not a choice that was forced upon me by culture, family or peer pressure. It was my own choice - "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back"
With all my heart I beg you to be kind to me, just as you have promised.
It is the kindness of the Lord that has over and over led me to repentance and to want to make changes in my life to become more like Him. I actually like this verse better from the new Voice translation " I sought Your blessing wholeheartedly. Show grace to me as You promised." I don't think I've had to beg much but I have wholeheartedly sought the Lord's blessings in my life. There have been times when God's answer has been no or not now. In those time I have had to learn to trust that He sees the bigger picture and understands me and my real needs far better than I do myself.
I pay careful attention as you lead me, and I follow closely.
Learning to pay attention to the still small voice of the Lord and the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit are something we must all keep growing and learning to do. It is easy to get busy with life and to loose our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's moving. I spent some time at the Spokane Healing Rooms this morning. I went in early for the worship time because I enjoy the great freedom to worship that is found there. Much of the time in my own church I am serving and ministering to others so I make a point to find places where I can connect deeply in worship at other times during the week. This morning I was only going to go for the worship time but then felt led to go in for prayer. I had a wonderful team pray for me and received conformations to some things that the Lord had been speaking to me about. I try to move through my day in state of availability. One never knows when God has a divine appointment so I try to pay attention and follow closely.
As soon as you command, I do what you say.
My response time has gotten better but there have been times when I have drug my feet and put off doing things I knew God wanted me to do. In some cases I missed out on His blessing in that regard and He used someone else. Often He does not give the next instruction until you have obeyed the present one.
Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your Law.
Again I like the Voice version better for this verse. "The wicked have entangled me in their nets, but I have not forgotten Your teaching." I read a story recently of a little dog who was out running with its master and sniffing around in the bushes. The master called the dog to come. Normally it would have responded right away, instead it stood barking. When the master went to check they found the poor animal all tangled up in fishing line. We get tangled up at times in the sins and drama of others. We need to stop fighting to try and free our self and call out to our master to come and set us free from the entanglements.
Your laws are so fair that I wake up and praise you in the middle of the night.
I used to think I was just a light sleeper but I have grown to see it as more of an intercession kind of thing. I often will wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes I know what to pray for other times I pray in my prayer language. Sometimes my husband will roll over and say "Margot, the Lord say to tell you ______. " Then he rolls over and falls back to sleep. When I ask him in the morning most of the time he hardly remembers. I have learned to appreciate those late night meetings with the Lord.
I choose as my friends everyone who worships you and follows your teachings.
Sometimes we need to re-evaluate who we are spending time with and choose people who worship and pray rather than the negative Nellies. You want to be around others who want to move forward in the things of God.
Our Lord, your love is seen all over the world. Teach me your laws.
Psalm 22:28 "For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations."
I'll leave you today with a bit of Rich Mullins. The other side of the world is not so far away, as I once thought that it was.... http://youtu.be/Ox_hgSBOA1o
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
57 You, Lord, are my choice, and I will obey you.
58 With all my heart I beg you to be kind to me, just as you have promised.
59 I pay careful attention as you lead me, and I follow closely.
60 As soon as you command, I do what you say.
61 Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your Law.
62 Your laws are so fair that I wake up and praise you in the middle of the night.
63 I choose as my friends everyone who worships you and follows your teachings.
64 Our Lord, your love is seen all over the world. Teach me your laws.
You, Lord, are my choice, and I will obey you.
Thirty years ago I made a choice. I would say looking back that it is still the best choice I ever have made. That choice was to follow Jesus. I have never regretted that decision. It was not a choice that was forced upon me by culture, family or peer pressure. It was my own choice - "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back"
With all my heart I beg you to be kind to me, just as you have promised.
It is the kindness of the Lord that has over and over led me to repentance and to want to make changes in my life to become more like Him. I actually like this verse better from the new Voice translation " I sought Your blessing wholeheartedly. Show grace to me as You promised." I don't think I've had to beg much but I have wholeheartedly sought the Lord's blessings in my life. There have been times when God's answer has been no or not now. In those time I have had to learn to trust that He sees the bigger picture and understands me and my real needs far better than I do myself.
I pay careful attention as you lead me, and I follow closely.
Learning to pay attention to the still small voice of the Lord and the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit are something we must all keep growing and learning to do. It is easy to get busy with life and to loose our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's moving. I spent some time at the Spokane Healing Rooms this morning. I went in early for the worship time because I enjoy the great freedom to worship that is found there. Much of the time in my own church I am serving and ministering to others so I make a point to find places where I can connect deeply in worship at other times during the week. This morning I was only going to go for the worship time but then felt led to go in for prayer. I had a wonderful team pray for me and received conformations to some things that the Lord had been speaking to me about. I try to move through my day in state of availability. One never knows when God has a divine appointment so I try to pay attention and follow closely.
As soon as you command, I do what you say.
My response time has gotten better but there have been times when I have drug my feet and put off doing things I knew God wanted me to do. In some cases I missed out on His blessing in that regard and He used someone else. Often He does not give the next instruction until you have obeyed the present one.
Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your Law.
Again I like the Voice version better for this verse. "The wicked have entangled me in their nets, but I have not forgotten Your teaching." I read a story recently of a little dog who was out running with its master and sniffing around in the bushes. The master called the dog to come. Normally it would have responded right away, instead it stood barking. When the master went to check they found the poor animal all tangled up in fishing line. We get tangled up at times in the sins and drama of others. We need to stop fighting to try and free our self and call out to our master to come and set us free from the entanglements.
Your laws are so fair that I wake up and praise you in the middle of the night.
I used to think I was just a light sleeper but I have grown to see it as more of an intercession kind of thing. I often will wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes I know what to pray for other times I pray in my prayer language. Sometimes my husband will roll over and say "Margot, the Lord say to tell you ______. " Then he rolls over and falls back to sleep. When I ask him in the morning most of the time he hardly remembers. I have learned to appreciate those late night meetings with the Lord.
I choose as my friends everyone who worships you and follows your teachings.
Sometimes we need to re-evaluate who we are spending time with and choose people who worship and pray rather than the negative Nellies. You want to be around others who want to move forward in the things of God.
Our Lord, your love is seen all over the world. Teach me your laws.
Psalm 22:28 "For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations."
I'll leave you today with a bit of Rich Mullins. The other side of the world is not so far away, as I once thought that it was.... http://youtu.be/Ox_hgSBOA1o
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