What is in our heart bubbles up. It unconsciously seeps into our thoughts. I love the illustration from Elihu. Job 32:17-20 says, “I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion. For I am full of words; the spirit within compels me. Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent; it is ready to burst like new wineskins.I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.”

Elihu was so full of words he couldn’t contain them. I want to take this now into unresolved issues. Proverbs 4:23 says that we are to guard our heart with all diligence because, “…out of it spring the issues of life.”

Emotional pains that we have buried, may not be in our conscious mind, but they are very active and alive. They influence our thoughts unknowingly. They affect our behavior towards others. 

I love this verse. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”

Jeremiah 20:9 says, “Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”

Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden  in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 104:34 says, “May my mediation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”

Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” As I was memorizing this verse my mind went back to Isaiah 40. Great chapter. Verse 25 says, “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy One.”

There is no one greater than God. Hebrews 6:13 says, “For when God made a promise to
Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, he swore by Himself.” Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.”

Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.” A. W. Tozer wrote “The Knowledge Of The Holy.” In it he said that God has attributes that we don’t even know about.

I am memorizing Psalm 147. There is a lot to unpack. Verse 1 says, “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” The Hebrew word for praise means: to boast, to be boastful. Psalm 146-150 all start and end with “Praise the Lord!” I love the exclamation points.

Are you brokenhearted? Verse 3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” It reminds me of Luke 4:18. It says of Jesus, “…He sent me to heal the brokenhearted…” The Amplified defined oppressed as, “…downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity.”

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” Praising the One Who is great resets our focus.

A legacy is a composite which we leave to others from the lessons we learned through our life’s experiences, our values, and beliefs. My parents left me a rich legacy ~ their faithfulness in following the Lord, and an impartation of love for God’s word.

What legacy are you leaving for your children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends? I encourage you to today begin thinking about what you truly value, what you believe in your heart that you would be willing to die for, and what you desire for them to pass on to others.

Jesus left a rich legacy for His disciples. Twelve men were with Him day and night during His time on earth. He imparted His truth to them visually and verbally. He gave them a charge to pass on His legacy. Mark 16:15 says, “And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

As I began to memorize Psalm 147:3-4 it gave me pause. It says, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.” There is no more opportunity to do what you wanted to do.

In 2019 six of us lived in a rented house. Dave and Stefanie lived in a converted attached garage. When Stefanie stirred that morning, Dave asked if he had woken her up.

He said that he had been having chest pains for two hours. She asked if he wanted her to call a doctor. He took his last breath and died. As I was helping her clear things out, I noticed something. There on his side of the bed were his shoes, socks and underwear on top. He had plans to get up and get dressed.

Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Verse 32-33 says, “…For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Romans 6:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Yet here is another inclusive word ~ whoever. Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Salvation is inclusive for everyone who believes that Jesus died for them.

I love 2 Corinthians 5:17 for many reasons. It says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” Our past is passed! We cannot go back and change anything. He gives us the power to live in the present. His mercy is new every morning.