Author: Ben Bourland

21st (Day 53) “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.” Psalms 17:15

This verse is so beautiful!  This is how I read this Psalm of David -> This feels like David looking forward to Eternity when he will look upon God in his righteousness.  ‘When I wake’ may mean after he wakes up heaven; seeing God’s face as it is will be more than enough.  As I look toward Thanksgiving Day I am thankful for the Hope I have in eternity…especially right now as the world seem to be out of control and getting worse.  I can look ahead when I will God face to face and I will that will be more than enough.  Until then I can continue to live out His will as I exist under the sun.  In my freedom in Christ I can walk humbly and meek, working to be more and more like Him.  Thank you Lord for this Hope ahead; it gives me a peace and comfort in the here-and-now that is pulls me through.

20th (Day 52) “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalms 16:11

Today was a crazy day but a day of thankfulness and gratitude.  Today was my 20th anniversary as a full-time employee at Microsoft and the Lord bestowed on me many wonderful comments from my team and co-workers.  There has been so much that I have both enjoyed and endured in those 20 years…but God has made known to me the path of life and He has chosen to bless me in it.  God had not only brought me a job that I love, but 4 amazing children, a Life Group of wonderful believers, and a ministry to be a small part in growing His Kingdom.  Today I am thankful for that journey and I am excited about what God brings next, because I know that no matter what it is, as long as I stay at His right hand through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, it will be full of joy and pleasure.

19th (Day 51) “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Psalms 16:7-8

As I read this Psalm today, it follows a conversation we are having as church elders.  I am so thankful for God’s counsel and as David says here, I am also thankful for the nights I am kept awake while my God-filled heart (of the new man) instructs me.  This happens when I set God before me, always keeping Him in my view and following His will and purpose for my life.  Because I know that He is there, I can confidently walk forward into tough situations because He is right there; I can stand firm the Truth of His word.  When we seek God and His answers to life’s questions, there is a peace and confidence that comes when we KNOW that what we are doing is supported by the will of God…its powerful!

18th (Day 50) “I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Psalms 16:2

Last night was so filling to be able to just sit around the table, laugh, and enjoy the company of males (you forget what this is like when you are surrounded by estrogen everyday). Thank you guys for the refreshing and relaxing time. Today this short verse packs a lot of punch -> You ARE my Lord. I have NO good apart from you. This is such a tender yet desperate thing to say. It is almost reminiscent of things I have said to Marianne (minus the ‘you are my Lord’ part) 🙂. Said another way -> When I am not close to God, no good come of it. This dependence and love for God is what I yearn and strive for. Being in His word and quick into prayer help me nustle in to the side of my Savior and Redeemer. This is what I am thankful for today.

16th (Day 48) “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.” Psalms 15

I just had to put this whole Psalm in here…because it is THAT good.  This depicts a man who I want to be.  My life verses are Psalms 1:1-3 but I am going to have to memorize this Psalm and add it to what I strive to be.  The man described here is above all, a man of integrity –> His Character = TRUE –> His Words = RESTRAINED –> His Allegiance = CLEAR-CUT –> His Dealings = HONORABLE –> His Place = ASSURED.  Wow….

15th (Day 47) “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Psalms 13:5-6

I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me these verses to start my week. This will prove to be a busy one after a weekend focused on the little people while Marianne got some well deserved rest. Dustin’s sermon on Faithfulness was so good! Very in line with all of my reading and contemplation this last week. God is faithful but am I faithful to Him? That is the question I have been asking myself; asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the areas of my life where this needs work.

(Day 46) “HELP, LORD! For principled and godly people are here no more; faithfulness and the faithful vanish from among the sons of men. To his neighbor each one speaks words without use or worth or truth; with flattering lips and double heart [deceitfully] they speak.” Psalms 12:1-2 [AMP]

Sorry gents – this is from yesterday.  I was on duty all day since Marianne was feeling under the weather and just didn’t have time to write things up.  I will be sending another one of theses for today later on.  These 2 verses feel like they could be applied to the here-and-now.  I do feel like there is a purifying of the church today with the current cancel culture movement and pressure being applied to our biblical values.  There is no more room for the lukewarm Christian.  Even the second verse is indicative of the anti-social atmosphere that technology has brought to our communities where everyone is so superficial.  I can be an agent of change here and we in our church need to be ready to accept Christians migrating from broken churches.

(Day 45) “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men.  The Lord tests and proves the [unyieldingly] righteous, but His soul abhors the wicked and him who loves violence.  Upon the wicked He will rain quick burning coals or snares; fire, brimstone, and a [dreadful] scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.  For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, or He beholds the upright.” Psalms 11:4-7

A couple of things stood out to me in here in Psalm 11.  1) The Lord is in residence…not in flight.  His foundation is the solid rock of heaven.  2) The Lord refines and tunes the ones He loves and who are His but God abhors the one who does evil.  3) God as ‘refuge’ may be sought from motives that are all too self-serving; but to see God’s face is a goal in which only love has interest. So, all of this together shows the assuredness we have in our God who executes everything from a place which is His and He is rock solid in His ability make us better through trial and perseverance.  We can rest assured that He will address the evil in the hearts of ungodly men.  Our righteous deeds that please the Lord are out of a love for Him; a love that desires to see His face on the day of His return.

(Day 44) “Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account?” But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself;you have been the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.

Sometimes I find myself asking the same thing David does here, “Why God, do you allow the utter disrespect of some of those around me, toward You? Why are they able to get away with it?” I have to remind myself that they don’t away with it. God is keeping score as long as they have not accepted His Son. They will account for their godlessness at the appropriate time. However, can some of the ways I behave or choices I make be just as hurtful to loving God who graciously saved my life? The distance between my choice on a different direction than God’s will and the man in the passage above, is not that far…at all.

(Day 43) “For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” Psalms 10:3-4

Wow! Doesn’t this feel like the world today? Even more so the Western World mindset. I read passages like this and can get disheartened that these people are impossible to reach…but God “calls” those to Himself. That is where we come in and sow the seed. That is why we have to be ready for and take every opportunity God puts in front of us.