Sunday Scripture

 

Here's another in my most recent Sunday Scripture series.  I've been posting about my simple study of a little devotional journal titled Reflections: The Woman God Sees., by Jane L. Fryar -- a journal my dear young friends Sam and Jennifer gifted me.  It has a daily devotional one works through -- I think around a month's worth.  It was a blessing to me when I worked through it, so I've been sharing here.  Several readers have told me they're enjoying it -- so, we continue! 

For this week, the featured passage was Psalm 16:3. The devotional noted, "Just as our Lord delights in us, He encourages us as His children to delight in one another." It then posed the question: "What blessings do other sisters in Christ bring into your life?  What benefits come from these relationships?  List them here."  I chose to SOAP Psalm 16:2-3 as I considered this assignment.

S= "O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, You are my Lord; my goodness extendeth not to Thee;

"But to the saints who are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."  (Psalm 16:2-3) 

For clarity, I am going to add the same verses from the New King James Version: 

S= "O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.” 

 As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” (Psalm 16:2-3)

O= The Bible titles this psalm "Michtam of David."  Spurgeon notes that this term Michtam "is usually understood to mean THE GOLDEN PSALM, and such a title is most appropriate, for the matter is as the most fine gold."

Robert Hawker wrote: 

"Some have rendered it precious, others golden, and others, precious jewel; and as the Holy Ghost, by the apostles Peter and Paul, hath shown us that it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ, what is here said of Him is precious, is golden, is a jewel indeed!"

Both Peter (in Acts 2) and Paul (in Acts 13) quoted from Psalm 16.   Although for our purposes I will not take time to share these passages, you might find it an interesting study to do on your own.

A cross-reference to the phrase "the excellent, in whom is all my delight" is Psalm 119:63 -- 

"I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who keep Thy precepts."

Spurgeon wrote, "These sanctified ones, though still upon the earth, partake of the results of Jesus' mediatoral work, and by His goodness are made what they are.  The peculiar people, zealous of good works, and hallowed to sacred service, are arrayed in the Savior's righteousness and washed in His blood, and so receive of the goodness treasured up in Him; these are the persons who are profited by the work of the man Christ Jesus.  He who knows them best says of them, 'in whom is all my delight'."

A= In answer to the questions posed at the beginning about blessings and benefits from my relationships with sisters in Christ, I wrote:

"I've been greatly blessed by one sister in Christ whom I've never met, though I've heard her speak a couple of times -- Elizabeth George.  I've read, studied, taught, and shared so many of her wonderful books.  Her biblical insights have played a huge part in my spiritual growth.

I've been blessed also by Bible teachers Denise Cunningham and Reba Bowman, both of whom I've been blessed to meet and hear in person.  Both of these ladies have such a gift for teaching other women!

My daughters have also been a blessing, encouraging me in the Lord.  They have been two of my very closest friends.

Sisters in Christ bring me along in my spiritual walk.  They uphold me in prayer.  Often, they are at my side in time of need.  The young woman who gave me this book -- Jennifer -- is a great blessing to me and I love having a part in her spiritual growth."

There was one more little assignment in this lesson: "Think of one or two faithful sisters in Christ whose lives and words encourage you.  Thank Jesus.  Then thank them in some small but special way."

This might be an assignment some of you readers might like to take to heart.

On the day I did this assignment a couple of years ago, I noted on Instagram an announcement from her team that it was Elizabeth George's birthday.  The George team was asking people to send her birthday greetings, so I took the opportunity to do so and to thank Elizabeth for her ministry to me and thousands of other women around the world.

P= "Lord, I am so thankful for my sisters in Christ.  I've been so blessed by the way You have used them to further my spiritual growth, and how you've even used me to help some of them grow in the faith as well.  Many of my sisters in Christ have been and continue to be such faithful prayer warriors on my behalf.  I'm thankful for those gifted ladies like Elizabeth and Denise and Reba who teach women so excellently.  I pray that You will help me to be sure my sisters in Christ know how much I appreciate each one of them.  I thank You in Jesus' name, Amen."

And there is the Sunday Scripture for this week!