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With My WholeHeart - Psalm 39:1, 4, 5
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 39:1, 4, 5
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 39:1, 4, 5 The tongue and heart, two organs at the centre of life. As this psalm shows, what goes on in the metaphorical heart eventually comes out through the tongue literally. Bridling the tongue and muzzling the mouth especially when faced with those who have it in for y…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 49:3-4
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 49:3-4
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 49:3-4 The heart is the seat of the will. It is also the mat for meditation where we muse imaginatively about how God is at work within us. Stories, songs, music and poetry all help us to meditate. You can lose yourself in a story and then deep in the drama suddenly see you…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 45:1
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 45:1
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 45:1 Because the heart is the seat of the will it has the authority to direct the imagination. This psalm is a paean of praise to the king. To a cynical age as ours it sounds somewhat sycophantic! You are, in our time, unlikely to hear such praise for our leaders and those …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 22:14
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 22:14
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart also in the midst of my body is even like melting wax. Recovering from heart surgery I could not find a more vivid expression to describe my aching body and soul. Anaesthesia, sedation and painkil…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 61:1-2
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 61:1-2
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 61:1-2 ‘Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him. “Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.”’ This is the Gospel invitation at the heart of the service of Holy Communion in the Book of Common Pray…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 64:6-7, 10
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 64:6-7, 10
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 64:6-7, 10 The fate of the enemy in the psalms is an inescapable motif and a problem for many. The origin of evil and sin has perplexed the human mind since the days of Adam and Eve. The sad truth is that, whatever the cause, the human heart can secretly harbour in its dept…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 19:8, 14-15
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 19:8, 14-15
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 19.8, 14, 15 The statutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart: be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord: my strength, and my redeemer...
Psalm 10:6, 12, 14
Psalm 10:6, 12, 14
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 10:6, 12, 14 For he hath said in his heart, Tush, I shall never be cast down: there shall no harm happen unto me. He hath said in his heart, Tush, God hath forgotten: he hideth away his face, and he will never see it. Wherefore should the wicked blaspheme God: while he doth…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:69-70
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:69-70
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119:69-70 Fat hearts are bad for you, physically and spiritually. This psalm is a spiritual health warning for those whose heart ‘is as fat as brawn’. Pride is the symptom of a gross heart. The problem is that the proud do not always see their pride, it escapes their notice…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:34, 36
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:34, 36
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119:34, 36 Like the eye, the heart can wander. Sometimes it seems as if the eye has the heart on a lead! Like pushing a child on a tricycle and constantly needing to reset the direction with the handlebars, so the heart needs steering. We have to set the heart’s direction w…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:80
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:80
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119:80 Shame has all but disappeared from our society like vinyl records and black Bakelite phones. Symptomatic, I think, of a culture that would like to shrug off guilt in the quest to feel good. Today’s mantra is that nobody should ever feel bad about themselves. This is …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:32
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:32
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119:32 Freedom. We may not have been born free, but for freedom we were made and redeemed. Walking near our cottage where I was convalescing I penned these couplets: Free as a fly that dodges the swat, free as a fish that misses the plot, Free as the wind that snaps the twi…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 9:1
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 9:1
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 9.1 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will speak of all thy marvellous works. A truly grateful heart is rarely seen or heard. It goes against the grain of entitlement whereby people expect their rights to be delivered. It runs counter to the tenor…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 104:15