Those who gives freely shall have no fear

Psalm 112:5-10

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Love is holding on to what is good

Romans 12:9

“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast

to what is good.”

Romance by imapix from Flickr

Marriage saves us from sinning

1 Corinthians 7:2

“But because of temptation to immorality, each

man should have his own wife and each woman

her own husband.”

truelove from Flickr uploaded by Lali

Finding Strength in the Lord in times of Grief and Bitterness

BOOK III : Psalms 73-89

Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.

They say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”

This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.

If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed your children.

When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me

till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.

How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!

As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

original photo from flickr uploaded by bellacashu

Getting rid of old ways to finding our better self

Colossians 3:8-14

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–

a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness,humility, gentleness and patience;

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Original photo from Flickr uploaded by Jeffclow, entitled Rebirth in the Forest.