Inside Vs. Outside

As John left for the Army in World War I his mother slipped a copy of the Twenty Third Psalm into his hand. “Here,” she said with tears in her eyes and pain in her heart, “take this with you wherever you go, never lose it and read it every time you are afraid and ask God to protect you!”

He followed her advice, even in combat. One day during a time of fierce fighting he slipped the Psalm from his pocket and started to read it. Suddenly, a bomb burst near him, and he jumped into a foxhole and lost the tattered piece of paper. It frightened him, and he said, “Now, I’ll always have bad luck.”

After the battle, he went to a tattooist with a copy of the Psalm and asked, “Please, Sir, tattoo this Psalm on my arm. I never, ever want to be without it.”

Many of us are like that soldier. We have God’s Word in our Bibles but not in our hearts. We keep His Word on our tables or desks but not in our minds. We do not allow it to become part of us. It’s outside and “nearby” but not inside where it can make a difference in our lives.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul,” said David, “and do not forget all His benefits - Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all Your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

When we pause and think of this Lord that David is writing about, it does not make any sense to keep Him in a Book or on a piece of paper. He deserves to be living deep within our hearts, guiding and guarding our lives.

Prayer: Forgive us, Lord, for not allowing You to be at the center of all that we do or say, think about or worship. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: