Psalm 37:3-4

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN Psalms 37 admonishes us to beware of irritation in our religious lives:

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity."

The word "fret" comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon and carries with it such a variety of meanings as bring a rather pained smile to our faces. Notice how they expose us and locate us behind our disguises. The primary meaning of the word is...

For Reading and Meditation:     Job 21:11-16

We come now to the heart of the issue with which the psalmist is struggling in Psalm 73: "Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning" (

For Reading and Meditation:     Hebrews 12:1-13

We ended yesterday by saying that some things in life, such as the desire to have money, can be legitimate concerns but they must be looked upon as desires and never become goals. Permit me to differentiate between the two. A goal is a purpose to which a person is unalterably committed and something for which he or...

For Reading and Meditation:     Matthew 7:13-20

Today we look at the special understanding the psalmist received when he came into the sanctuary of God: "Then I understood their final destiny" (Psalm 73:17). As soon as he considered the final destiny of the ungodly, everything dropped into focus for him. He had looked...

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalms 37:4

Delight in God has a transforming power and lifts a man above the gross desire of our [formerly] fallen nature. Delight in Jehovah is not only sweet in itself, but it sweetens the whole soul, till the longings of the heart become such that the LORD can safely promise to fulfill them. Is not that a grand delight which molds our desires...

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Psalms 37:3

Trust and do are words which go well together, in the order in which the Holy Spirit has placed them. We should have faith, and that faith should work. Trust in God sets us upon holy doing: we trust God for good, and then we do good. We do not sit still because we trust, but we arouse ourselves and expect the LORD to work...

The teaching of these words must seem very surprising to those who are strangers to vital godliness, but to the sincere believer it is only the inculcation of a recognized truth. The life of the believer is here described as a delight in God, and we are thus certified of the great fact that true religion overflows with happiness and joy. Ungodly persons and mere professors never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight....

Turn not disdainfully away from these words of God, as though they had no claim upon your attention. These words come to you, so to speak, upon your own invitation. For, what have you done all your life long, but rush hither and thither, into this path and into that, crying unceasingly, " How shall I obtain the desires of my heart?" Behold here an answer to your life-long question. The explanation of all your disappointments, the remedy of all your sorrows, is here. Though there were on your...

In many ways faith leads to beneficence. Faith discovers to us the infinite mercy shown by God in providing a ransom for us; and the contemplation of this sacrifice prompts us to engage in enterprises for the good of our fellow-men. It shows us God delighting in the reciprocal love of his creatures one to another, and seeking to make them mutually exponents of his love. It reveals to us the Lord Jesus who pleased not himself, and went about doing good; and teaches us, that we are his...

Psalms 37:4

"Delight yourself in the LORD - and He will give you the desires of your heart!"

The young people who have read "The Arabian Nights" will remember the strange story of 'Aladdin', who possessed a magic lamp - which commanded the services of certain genie. By rubbing the lamp, Aladdin got whatever he wished - and grew rich and great. But that is only an impossible...