Effie Darlene Barba

119 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

² Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

³ They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

⁴ Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

⁵ O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

⁶ Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

⁷ I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

⁸ I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

⁹ Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

¹⁰ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

¹¹ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

¹² Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.

We are saved by Grace and not works.  Does that fact make us sometimes complacent to the need to strive to live a life that reflects righteousness?  Or do we sometimes want to give up the fight because we seem to fail so often?  Is there some particular area of weakness that you might want to say, "Oh, well, God loves me in spite of my failure to keep all the commandments?"  Do you get plagued by guilt or pride or jealousy or anger?  Love, gratitude, and honor of God should push us every day to pick up the Sword of God’s truth and His word so as to continue to battle against sin in our own lives.  David in his plea to God has given us some key strategies in this battle against sin in our hearts.  One would be to seek Him with our whole heart.  Do you truly see Him as Your greatest treasure?  Do you take the time to talk with Him in prayer every day?  Do you plead before Him with all your heart–"O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!"  Can you truly say to God "with my whole heart have I sought thee:O let me not wander from thy commandments." Do you diligently study and seek His word so as to hide it in your heart?  Finally can you stand before Him, praise Him and ask Him to teach you, guide you and to forever allow His righteousness to be lived out in your life.  After all, how can we be a testimony to a world that is lost if we are not willing to battle the sin in our own lives so as to present Christ to them.  May all who come behind us find us faithful.  Below is a beautiful song written by Jon Mohr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zesV09UAytk&feature=related

We’re pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who’ve gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who’ve gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives
CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find
REPEAT CHORUS
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

2 Timothy 1: ⁷ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

⁸ Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

¹⁰ But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

¹¹ Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

From a prison cell and wrapped in chains, Paul has sent this letter to Timothy to encourage him to continue on preaching the word of Christ.  When others reject you because of your stand for Christ, do not fear.  Our purpose is to continue on teaching and preaching His word.   Christ abolished death for the believer.  When we leave this earthly home, we have a home seated with Him.  What suffering is too great for the salvation of one soul?  Stand firm, knowing in whom you have believed.  Do not waver or compromise the truth of the Gospel for anyone.  Christ is the one who will hold you up when all else crumbles around you. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxviwvjyg1w&feature=g-vrec

Isaiah 41: ⁹ Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

¹⁰ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Chosen by God and not cast away.  He has chosen us.  Let that sink in. I have been chosen to serve Him. Certainly, I was not chosen for any particular strength of my own.  He recognizes that those who can glory in their own intelligence, power, and righteousness can never recognize their need of Him. Their own vain pride blinds them to His Glory.  He chooses the weak and the foolish.  He then proclaims:  "FEAR NOT, FOR I (THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH) AM WITH YOU.  There is nothing and no one that we should fear.  God in His omnipotence is with us to face whatever trial we confront.  BE NOT DISMAYED; FOR I AM THY GOD.  He is our provider.  He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. His resources are endless. He created everything and reigns over the earth.  Let His voice reign eternal with His joy overflowing in our hearts.  He is a joyous God with Love overflowing.  I WILL STRENGTHEN THEE; YEA I WILL HELP THEE.  These human bodies fail sometimes.  We become tired.  These last few years I have begun to feel the strain of all the illnesses I have battled and the effects of all the years of working long hours.  I become fatigued quickly; yet, the strength to continue the strenuous hours that I work–that strength comes from God, Himself.  All of that I find amazing. But the most amazing truth is that He has promised, I WILL UPHOLD THEE WITH THE RIGHT HAND OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.  His righteousness is stretched forth holding me.  Just like a father whose hand stretched forth prevents his toddler from falling or from running out into the dangerous traffic, God is holding me steady with His righteous right hand. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noIqO2sS9W0&feature=g-all-lik

2 Corinthians 4:  ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Such a wondrous treasure that we have been given.  The Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ.  Just think of that great and wondrous treasure.  The truth of the Gospel of Christ unto Salvation, the Glory of seeing Him in His presence.  The Hope of our hearts being transformed so that we can fully see and understand His love.  All of this was given to these fragile earthen vessels which are so easily broken and chipped–covered with blemishes.  Not fine porcelain, not pots of shining silver, not golden vessels, and not diamonds; but rather to dull, clay, earthen vessels that have no beauty or strength of their own.  When I look within my own self, I have nothing of which to Glory–save Christ.  When the world looks on, they may wonder how or why I have been so blessed; why despite trials, illness, and perplexities I proclaim my only Strength, My only Hope, and my overflowing Joy is because of God.  To demonstrate that the excellency of the power is of God; He hath chosen such a fragile vessel as I.  This fragile vessel may fall or get chips in it or may fall before Him in tears at time; but those broken areas and scars only allow His light to shine forth even brighter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ZSOG8EsfU

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”Romans 1:16 KJV

What is the Gospel (the Good News)? Some would say that it is the Birth, Death and Resurrection of Christ which is true; but is it more? Is it the hope of Salvation? Or would you believe it to be the hope of heaven? Or would you believe that the Good News is the promises of God for healing and provision? What is the greatest gift that God can give you? If you had a moment to sit and wonder about it, what is the most beautiful and precious thing that you most desire? Would your answer be money, prestige, a good job, security, a child, your family, love, beauty, freedom, or all of these? Do you seek after God to merely obtain these, to feel release from guilt, or to escape eternal damnation? I daresay that the promises of God are tremendously comforting; but are they not merely the byproduct of obtaining the greatest gift and not in themselves the gift at all? Certainly Christ’s death on the cross to pay the price for my sin (His baring the full wrath of a Just and Holy God) so as to provide for my Justification is what was needed to make a way that I might obtain the greatest gift; but, I daresay, though that in itself was a marvelous gift—the greatest gift is even more. The greatest gift that God desires to give us is God.  The greatest gift of the Gospel is that God wants to give me His presence, His joy, His love, and His light to shine in the darkness of the world and my heart so that the darkness will be dispelled by the light. The same God who in Genesis spoke the light into being; wants to shine into the dark crevices of my heart to fill it with “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

And even more than that, go back to 3:18, Once that light shines into our hearts that we might see the Glory of the Lord (however dimly at first) we are changed step by step into his image (glory to glory) and all that by His own Hand. He wishes to share His full love (the same depth as He has for His Son who is worthy beyond measure) with me so unworthy.  He desires to cover me with His righteousness and His Glory, though I so undeserving. That, my dear friend, is the Gospel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIOkdNL-QQ