“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.” Psalm 119:143

I praise you this morning, Heavenly Father, for you are the Sovereign One, controlling all that goes on, all that comes to me.

You hold back the tide of evil, allowing Satan only so much rope, and you use the fury of his attacks to advance your Kingdom.

The words of Psalm 119:141 come to mind, “Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.”

The negative reactions and hurtful words of people and their rejection of us can easily block Truth from our thoughts.

But our response must be to go immediately to your Word, Lord, to find our comfort, perspective, help and direction in you.

People may not understand us, but you do. We may not understand what’s happening and why, but you do and will help us through it.

So I choose to always make your commands my delight, Lord, not being comfortable.

“Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.” Psalm 119:149. And you will!

Picture (from the internet): Paul’s time in prison in Philippi where God protected and delivered him in  the midst of real difficulties!

More on the magnificence of God’s multifaceted character.

Another example of God’s breadth of character and ability is His sovereignty.  And certainly God is sovereign. Some think this means that He controls everything, right down to the smallest details, like what you have for supper. Others think that they can do anything they want. However, it is obvious from Scripture that God does have control, and in His sovereignty He gives us the ability to choose, or as one writer said, He gives us “the power of causality.”

One thing that points to this ability to make actual choices God has given us, is that the Bible is full of commands; if God made every decision for us, there would be no need for commands.  And it is obvious that we can  choose good or evil, as King Saul did, as well as David, and Peter. God would not, could not make us choose evil for He, as the Holy God, cannot be the author of sin.

Also, with God’s permission and encouragement, we can make things happen that otherwise would not come to pass. In James 4 it says, “You have not because you ask not.” And many times in Scripture we are told to pray and as we pray, God gives us the opportunity to cause things to happen.

So, God is both sovereign, and in His sovereignty gives us the ability to choose for or against Him.And, also to join Him in prayer to bring change. It’s not just sovereignty or just the privilege of choosing,  but it is “both/and.”

Our marvelous God is so far beyond human understanding, so different from us. He is wonderful in His beautiful character revealed in His Word. Therefore we can  trust Him to carry us through the ebb and flow of this evil world and bring us safely into Heaven.

Picture: we can choose to obey Jesus or doubt and sink!

God’s character is so deep and wide that He encompasses concepts that are far beyond human comprehension–and yet are true.

The most obvious example is His triune nature: One God, Three Persons.  No one has ever thought up such a thing, for it is beyond human grasp. Each Person is distinct, each with separate functions, and each being fully God. Take salvation as an example: God the Father plans, God the Son carries them out, God the Holy Spirit finishes up.

A second demonstration of God’s encompassing multiple concepts is in Ephesians 2:20, which says God’s household is “built… with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

The cornerstone was used as the guideline for constructing a building, giving exact measurements in making it square and plumb; it was the measure of the building, as Christ is for the church.

In Col. 1:17 it says that “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  In this He is like the keystone which is the central one in an arch or wall that holds all the others in place and Christ is the One who holds the structure of the church firmly and securely in place.

And then, in Col. 1:18 it says, Christ “is the head of the body, the church.” In this He plays the role of a capstone,  which is the final culmination of a building, the stone that protects the wall.

All three of these concepts show the richness of Christ’s character, being able to play all roles simultaneously: he is the measure, the cornerstone; he is what holds all together, the keystone; he is the culmination of the church, the capstone.

Such a complex, expansive, multifaceted God is so far beyond us, so great. And yet He has stooped down and made Himself known to us, He chose us to be His children and works everyday for good in our lives.  In Him we can trust!

“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.” Psalm 19:7b

In comparison to you, Lord,

we are simple,

shallow,

unknowing

and uncaring.

But,”The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

With the brightness of your Word, you give understanding to our simple minds

“The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7a

Therefore we can begin to see the correct foundation

of thought, of life, of truth and philosophy, science and history, politics and religion.

With this foundational grasp of

Your existence,

character,

and power,

we can have some understanding of

how you work,

what you are doing.

and therefore we can obey and partner with you in all.

This obedience is helped by knowing that

“By [Your decrees] your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:11

And this obedience of Your Word will bring us joy: as it says in Psalm 19:8

“The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.”

Let’s partner with Him every day, obeying the precepts of the Lord!

Picture: the ultimate example of denial of self and full obedience.

Today I came across an article about  Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for discovering the molecular nature of telomeres, which protect our chromosomes and slow aging. She also found 5 things that speed up aging by decreasing the length of telomeres  .

As I read the article, I recognized every negative, for God explained each one to us thousands of years ago; see if you can recognize them, too. Below are quotes from the article and the biblical statement about the same truth.

Cynical Hostility

Someone with hostility doesn’t just think, ‘I hate to stand in long lines at the grocery store, ‘ they think, ‘That other shopper deliberately sped up and beat me to my rightful position in the line!’—and then they seethe.” Such hostility was highly associated with increased risk of disease and mortality.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.: Psalm 23:1

Pessimism

Pessimism has very serious negative effects on telomeres. In a smaller study it was found  that women who scored high in pessimism had shorter telomeres meaning they age faster..

The Word says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil. 4:8

Rumination

There are many people whose thinking is often in a state of anxiety and self-compulsion, unable to let go of something, Studies have found that obsession with these entanglements can also affect the body’s immune cells and shorten telomeres.

The Word says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Phil 4:6

Thought Suppression

Everyone will encounter troubles. Sometimes we voluntarily push unpleasant thoughts away, without resolving  them. This will also affect telomere length.

The Word says, “Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.” [this means telling God all you are thinking, feeling and wanting, a processing them  with Scripture0] Psalm 86:4

Distraction

We all know that many highly accomplished individuals have strong powers of focus and concentration.However, many people are easily distracted by the external environment. [Think phones and computers).

The Word says, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 119:10,11

Anti-Aging and Awareness

Positive thinking improves health on a genetic level. “Thought awareness promotes stress resilience,”

The Word says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” 1 Thes 5:18

The biblical conclusion:

Walk in obedience to God and age more slowly! “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”  Psalm 34:11-14

Picture:  the decrease of telomeres over time bringing aging