Psalm 119:51

Despite All Derision

Ronnie W. Wolfe

The world has believers in derision. The word derision means to talk against arrogantly, to scorn. Here we may remember Psalms 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

People will speak against us and hate us, as Jesus said in John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  So, don't be surprised when the world hates us.

Our text here in Psalm 119 expressed the attitude of a true  believer in explaining that, though the proud have us in derision, "yet have I not declined from thy law." 

We give up on God's word simply too quickly. We must stay in the word, train in the word, teach the word, and live the word. There should be no excuses for neglecting the word of God in our lives, so pick it up and use it.

Psalm 119:50

Comfort In God's Word

Ronnie W. Wolfe

There is no comfort like that which comes from a daily refreshing of the word of God. We look into his word through our eyes and through our faith, and we believe that it is true, that it is powerful, and that it will have an effect upon us when we accept it as his word as it is written to us as we are.

God is great; man is vain. When we see how great God is and how vain man is, then we will reach a climbing plateau that will comfort us in knowing that we have drunk from the living water of God's word.

This pure water is a cleansing stream that brings comfort, confidence, and assurance. The pureness of the content and power of the Holy Scriptures through the work of the Holy Spirit has quickened us (made us alive).  We have come, then, from death to life, from darkness to light, from chaos to order, from confusion of mind to true reason.

If you read the word of God without its giving you new life, then it is a burden to you, a dread and drudgery. It escapes your mind and holds no fancy to your inner being; but, if you read it and the Holy Spirit makes it real in your mind and heart, then you will receive true refreshing as the blessed waters from the well that springs forth unto eternal life, and comfort will come quickly. 

 

 

Psalm 119:49

Ronnie W. Wolfe

What good would it do for the Lord to remember his own word if it were not for the benefit of his children and for his ultimate glory? It, of course, would be null and void. So, here the psalmist prays for God's remembrance of his own word to the benefit of the psalmist.

The relationship between God and the believer is brought to bear through the word of God. God's word is the instrument through which God reveals himself to man.

In God we have our trust and our hope; therefore, our hope lies within the pages of God's word, since the word introduces us to more and more information about God, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, thus operating upon us a grand scheme to bring about sanctification and holiness manifested more and more in our lives. God is good that way.

Wandering Israel

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe
10-24-2013

Wandering, wandering, dear Israel of old
Into a land so calloused and cold,
Empty of fruit as it once blessed your land,
Because of rebellion ‘gainst God’s blessed hand.

Wandering, wandering, no fruit from God’s grace,
Wanting so strongly to go to your place
Once filled with the honey and milk of God’s choice,
You lost your pure worship, your joy, and your voice.

Come sing the song that Moses has written;
Give to the Lord the hand that is smitten.
Show your repentance to the God of your past,
And come to the land of God’s children at last.

Psalm 119:48

Ronnie W. Wolfe


Lifting up the hands unto the Lord's commandments does not mean to pray to the paper and ink of the printed Bible but rather to raise up the hands in praise and worship to the Lord of the commandments, relinquishing all of our own philosophies and surrendering to the worship of God through his word.

We do this, because we love the Lord's commandments. We are not afraid of them, nor are we intimidated by them. We are only saddened that we cannot keep them fully. God's grace is sufficient, but our flesh is weak. God still loves us and portends a welcome entrance into is literal kingdom.

We love the Lord's commandments so much that we meditate on them. To meditate means to stop, take time, contemplate, and even memorize the word of God so that we can hide it in our hearts. We need to do this so that we may not sin against God.

Five Things Needed to Live In This World

By Ronnie W. Wolfe

Change:  Not presidential change or even socially moral change, but a change of heart wrought inwardly by the Holy Spirit. Never can this world be a proper world without a spiritually moral undergirding. This change comes from hearing, believing, and practicing the Gospel.

Challenge:  Every believer in Christ is challenged through the word of God, the Bible. If one does not spend time in the word, he cannot receive nor practice the challenges that God commands and expects from his children.

Character:  The word "character" is not in the Bible, but the Bible speaks of it in words such as upright, just, good, sinner, wicked, unjust. Each one of us has a character; but, if that character is not ordered by the word of God, it will not meet the demands of our Just God. In order to live in the world in a proper way, we must have the good character wrought out of a deep love and study of God's word along with personal time with God in prayer and meditation.

Cognition:  This is the process of acquiring learning. We must continually be learning. We must know even our enemies, for Satan is as a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We must learn more about our Master and his Kingdom and teach these things to our children.

Commitment:  We must be committed to the three things that remain: faith, hope, and charity. We must trust the Lord in faith, depend upon him in hope, and exercise charity (love). Then the world will make sense.

The Steeple

By Ronnie W. Wolfe - July 15, 2014

In the not too far a distance points a steeple to the sky.

Cold with baldest beauty and pretends to tell us why

Our hearts are overtaken with the troubles of this life,

And our world is taken over by each war and endless strife.

The steeple points to heaven where the stars are there at play,

But it points also to heaven where God lives in endless day.

It points from men beneath it reminding us to pray

And stay in constant praying from morn till end of day.

Its sturdy form reminds us of the kingdom of God’s Son

In its whiteness due completely to the work that He has done,

For the baldness of the tower so stately standing by

Cannot bring the true salvation to a soul that is to die.

The steeple points to heaven where the saints will one day live

Because of Jesus’ dying on his cross, his life to give.

He died upon the cross; His sheep he’ll surely save

And bring the sleeping saints to his side out from the grave.

Now, you and I, we all just know a steeple has no meaning;

It is a human icon so majestic in its gleaming.

But somehow with my emotions, with my countryfied upbringing,

I love to see the steeple in the clouds so brightly beaming.

And truly, if I want to see a picture of my Lord,

I’ll read his book and fellowship with Jesus in his word.

Then with a smile I’ll wonder as I stare in wondered awe

At the cold, white, static steeple: it is a steeple, that is all.

Psalm 119:47

Ronnie W. Wolfe

Does it not just aggravate you when your children do not listen to you? How many times have  you said, "I've told you a hundred times ..."? Our children actually grow tired of our constant commandments to them:  take out the garbage; mow the yard; clean your room; stop that; be quiet; listen to me; go outside; stay inside; go to bed; wait a minute; don't sass me; have a little respect; where did you hear that?; what did you say?"  I don't think we realize how many commandments we give our children just in one day.

That is the way God is: he gives us commandment after commandment every day. To many they are a sweet taste and a sweet harmony, but to many they are a frustration and grievous.

Many people have lost interest in reading the Bible due to the fact that, to them, it is only a book with do's and don'ts. They, in other words, detest the commands of the Lord.

But if a believer reads the Scriptures with an open heart and mind and with a humble heart, he will accept God's commandments as, not grievous, but a delight. Psalms 40:8 says, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 

Surrender to God's will and accept his commandments. They are not grievous (1 John 5:3). Let us accept them as a delight and obey them as law:  Psalms 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 

Psalm 119:46

Ronnie W. Wolfe

Oh, my, this verse scares me a little. I am easily intimidated when in the presence of  "important" people, but we must do our best to remember that people are people alike. We need to remember what Paul said to the Galatians:

Galatians 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:

As I grow in grace, I am more adept (hopefully) and in small part apt at speaking to those who are in important places without being intimidated and without being ashamed from the fact that Christianity is disdained in our day in many places, and people are estranged from the fundamental teachings of grace and faith.

But we know that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, so we must preach it; and the "important" ones need the Gospel as well as the poor and the lowly. Paul said in Romans 1:16 that he was not ashamed of the Gospel.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

How do we, then, overcome our shame?

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.