"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God."
"They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green." (NIV)
"They are living memorials to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." (AMP)
Isn't that a wonderful thing to be...a living memorial.
Think about it. Romans 12:1-2 says we are living sacrifices and Psalm 92 says we're living memorials.
We are walking, talking, breathing reminders of God's goodness.
Our lives testify to the fact that life is hard, but God is good.
People hurt and disappoint us, but God is ever faithful.
The world blurs the lines between good and evil, but God is pure and holy.
Human love is imperfect and often painful, but God's love is perfect.
Ponder the following passages and ask God to help you be a better living memorial to His goodness. Note the descriptions of God's character and the descriptions of the character and actions of those who honor Him.
Bible Study
Psalm 92: It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High, 2 To show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night, 3 With an instrument of ten strings and with the lute, with a solemn sound upon the lyre. 4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the deeds of Your hands I joyfully sing.
5 How great are Your doings, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep...
12 The uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. 13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 Growing in grace they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap of spiritual vitality and rich in the verdure of trust, love, and contentment. 15 They are living memorials to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Amplified Bible (AMP)
I have removed several of the brackets in this passage for easier reading. If you are not familiar with the Amplified Bible, the publisher explains its use of brackets this way: "The Amplified Bible is a translation that, by using synonyms and definitions, both explains and expands the meaning of words in the text by placing amplification in parentheses and brackets and after key words or phrases. This unique system of translation allows the reader to more completely grasp the meaning of the words as they were understood in the original languages."
Both Psalm 92 and Romans 12 give us reasons for our devotion:
Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This Psalm is my daily prayer:
Psalm 19:14: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com
All Scripture NIV unless otherwise noted
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