We had another successful day of school today, so that is a major praise!
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For your name's sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
"The meaning, therefore is, that those who are truly humbled in their hearts, and brought to place their confidence in God, shall experience how much care he has for his children, and how well he provides for their necessities."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"One year. {Actually, more like a year and a half.} Perhaps the beginning of a life lived for him. What was it like? What did you discover that made you stop and really think about this almighty, all-knowing, paradoxical God? What fired your curiosity? What frightened you?
And as he revealed himself to you, how did God work in your life? Where has he led you in this past year? Through the valleys or to the peaks of the mountains? A little of both? On the way, what did you discover about him? About yourself? How has he changed who you are to make you more the person he wants you to be?
Take the things you have learned and put into practice this year and let them become part of the life God has planned for you. Don't let the discipline of reading and studying his Word languish. You're on a roll! Keep up the good work, because God is with you. In the words of the Message, God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. (1 Corinthians 1:9)"
Thus ends the book. I'm not sure I can answer all of those questions. It would take me a long time to look back over all of the entries from this devotional book. I do know that God worked in my life during this time, though. I have the testimony of at least one friend who has watched this entire process. I know that God has shown me things about myself that I didn't know. Some of these I liked. Some I despised. He led me through both valleys and mountains.
I discovered some things about God, too, along the way. The most consistent thing that I heard from God was love. He loves me. He loves the church. He wants me to love the church. More than anything I heard over the course of the past year and a half was his desire for us to love each other. I do believe that I made significant progress in that area, but still have so very far to grow.
I do plan to continue to put into practice what I have learned. I briefly considered starting over in this book, but I don't want to do that. If he would publish a new one with different questions and stuff, I might get it, but I don't want to go back and rehash the same ideas. I'll just move on and endeavor to put in to practice some of what I have learned.
I do believe that God is with me. I believe that he will never give up on me. And that will keep me going.
Let's just see where we go from here.
Grace and peace, friends!
Oops. I forgot to go back to my presidential prayer. The alert site still isn't working, but I can get something from the main site.
Father, I pray for President Obama and Treasury Secretary Geithner as they continue to work to strengthen our nation�s economy. I ask you to guid them with your supreme help and knowledge. I pray that everyone who is involved in trying to fix our nation's economy would look to you for answers.
Amen.