Bible Studies

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The Songs
Psalm 16 - Every Good Thing

Key Verses: (NCV)

• 2: “I said to the LORD, 'You are my LORD. Every good thing I have comes from you." - Through our relationship with God we are blessed.
  
  
• 3-4a: "As for the godly people in the world, they are the wonderful ones I enjoy. ⁴But those who turn to idols will have much pain." - Those that are blessed are a blessing to others.
  
  
• 5: "No, the LORD is all I need. He takes care of me." - Knowing that God will take care of our every need allows us, empowers us, to set aside our longing and our desires.
  
  
• 8: "I keep the LORD before me always. Because He is close by my side, I will not be hurt." - "that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!" - Prayer of Jabez (1 Chron. 4:10b NRSV)
  
  
• 10: "You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure forever." - Happiness is as fleeting in life as the petals of a beautiful flower, but joy, true joy, a joy that comes only from a relationship with God, is forever.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Have you counted your blessings? Of all the things that truly matter, which blessings do you have that did not come from God? Are you blessed because you are a very good person and God wants to reward you? Are you blessed because you know the right people and you have made sound decisions in life? Are you blessed because you are lucky in love and money? Is there a reason for the blessings you have received in your life? Has God richly blessed you because He knows you will use these blessings to build His kingdom on earth? How are you doing? Are you constantly focused on God and listening for His guidance? Are you being the blessing God called has called you to be?
  
  
• Are you a godly person? Do you enjoy being with other godly people? What about your friends who are not godly - or at least not church-goers? Are they in much pain? Are they struggling with issues in life without hope or understanding? Are you to ignore their pain or questions? Are you to only spend your time with those "holy" people you enjoy? Or are you called to reveal the glory of God to "those who turn to idols" so that they turn from their earthly focus that only offers hopelessness and death, to a heavenly focus that is rich with eternal rewards?
  
  
• Is your life free from harm? Both in this Psalm of David and in the prayer of Jabez it is suggested that God will keep his people from harm - protect them from evil. Is this true? Does God cover you with a protective shield? If so, then how do you explain it when harm does come? Has God removed His protective covering a result of something you have done? Do you really think God is this vindictive? In the context of Easter and the promise of eternal life that has come from Christ's victory over death, do you see that these promises of protection have an eternal element to them? Can you accept that in life, bad things can happen but the joy that fills your heart is the knowledge that an eternity of living in God's house is assured?
  

Promise of the Gospel:

As we read verses from the Bible it is important to look for recurrent themes as it is within this repetitiveness where we find the Promises of the Gospel revealed. Below is listed a verse by verse comparison of Psalm 16 and 1 Chronicles 4:10, the Prayer of Jabez:

1 Chronicles 10:

• "Please do good things for me,"
  
• "and give me more land,"
  
• "Stay with me,"
  
• "and don't let anyone hurt me."
  
• "And God did what Jabez had asked."
  

Psalm 16:

• "You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you."
  
• "You will teach me how to live a holy life."
  
• "I keep the Lord before me always,"
  
• "Because He is close by my side, I will not be hurt."
  
• "at your right hand I will find pleasure forever."
  

With our focus firmly on God, we will be blessed in amazing ways but these blessings come with a purpose - to become a blessing to the world around us. Filled with His Spirit we learn the ways of holy living. Our knowledge and understanding of God's realm grows and our ability to spread His love expands. We will experience struggle, pain, and hardship in our lives just as anyone will, however, within these circumstances, the knowledge of God's love and promise of eternal life fills us with the joy and hope we need to carry us through and to help us become a light unto the world.

FUMC Devotionals
Faithwriters Magazine
BLOG: Reflections from the Heart

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