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With My WholeHeart - Psalm 33:11, 14, 20
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 33:11, 14, 20
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 33:11, 14, 20 This psalm comes to a crescendo with a psalm of praise to the heart of God. His word is true, his works are faithful, he loves justice, he’s made the earth full of goodness and oceans full of treasure. These are just some of the signs of the providence that fl…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 34:1, 18
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 34:1, 18
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 34:1, 18 Contrition comes in many guises. A bogus one is betrayed by the little word ‘if ’, for example, ‘I’m sorry if you feel so upset.’ This apology is qualified. It transfers responsibility away from the culprit and on to the victim. Instead of taking the weight of the …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 32:12
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 32:12
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 32:12 This psalm with its final verse offers hope to us all because the ‘true of heart’ at the end of the song are none other than the unrighteous at the beginning! When we become aware of the call of God to commit our life or to give ourselves more wholeheartedly we can ho…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 35:20, 25
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 35:20, 25
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 35:20, 25 Civilized and liberal societies that over the centuries have tamed the wilder elements of humanity find the concepts of original sin and evil either unfamiliar or uncomfortable. But, as Golding’s Lord of the Flies showed, these realities lurk underneath the surfac…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 7:10-11
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 7:10-11
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 7:10-11 For the righteous God: trieth the very hearts and reins. My help cometh of God: who preserveth them that are true of heart. The character of God feels to me at times as if it were kept under a soundproof blanket. Just as well! He shudders in indignation at the unjus…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119: 10-11
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119: 10-11
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119. 10, 11 It is one thing to think a thought, it is quite another to bury it and hide it in the heart. Years ago people would learn verses of the Bible off by heart; sadly this is no longer in vogue educationally. Pity! We deprive ourselves. Memorizing a verse, meditating…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:111-112
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:111-112
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119:111, 112 The word of God comes to us in several ways. Supremely in Jesus who was ‘the Word made flesh’ (cf. John 1.14). Without the Bible Jesus is a contentless word. It is Scripture that gives substance and meaning to his life, death and resurrection. Jesus’ own atti…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 139:23
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 139:23
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 139:23 This psalm speaks of the intimate knowledge God has of each of us. Jesus said as much, in that even the hairs on our head are numbered. There are no other words that match the truth and beauty of this prayer so allow me to say only why it always leaves my soul in a c…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 94:15, 19
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 94:15, 19
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 94:15, 19 The heart is scarred by sorrow when we see the casualties of injustice. Righteousness is both personal and social. It speaks of and to an individual’s dealings with others; it also refers to structures and systems that emerge from and affect the whole of society. …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 107:12
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 107:12
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 107:12 The disease of this heart is down to rebelling ‘against the words of the Lord’ and lightly regarding ‘the counsel of the most Highest’ (v. 11). Although God is infinitely long-suffering and compassionate this should not be confused with indifference to disobedience…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 105:3, 25
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 105:3, 25
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 105:3, 25 Heart versus heart. The heart can fill up with love or hatred. The greatest challenge for the heart filling up with love is to encounter another whose empty heart fills up with hatred, especially when the focus of the bitterness is love itself...
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 102:4
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 102:4
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 102:4 A pelican in the wilderness, an owl in the desert, a sole sparrow sitting on the rooftop, these are the pictures that tell of a soul out of sorts. There’s little doubt here that the plight of the smitten heart is the work of God. ‘For thou hast taken me up, and cast m…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 109:21
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 109:21
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 109:21 A spiritual battle rages around us. It breaks through into the material world. It is impossible not to be caught up in it and, from time to time, to be wounded. Of course, many today dismiss this as medieval theology, but read the opening stanzas of this psalm and it…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 108:1
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 108:1
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 108:1 I was three weeks into my recuperation when this verse revived me! As in life, so in convalescence there are good days and bad days, like walking on a cloudy summer’s day, one moment through a field of sunshine, the next under a canopy of shade...
Journeying with Luke - Preface: What is this book about?