Romans 1:4 says, “And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” As I read this, I stopped and began singing “Nearer My God To Thee” written by Fanny Crosby. 

Here is the second verse. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, by the pow-r of grace divine; let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, and my will be lost in Thine.” Here is the crux of living in holiness…through grace losing our will by embracing His.

I just finished reading the biography of Harry Ironside. Mighty preacher. He used to struggle to be holy ~ striving to not sin in word, thought, and deed. Found out that he could not ~ neither can you nor I. Anything that we do in our flesh will fail. It is all by grace. The same grace that saved us is the grace that empowers us to walk in the Spirit.

Psalm 119:137, 138, 142, 144 all were written about the Lord and His righteousness and His word being righteous ~ interlocking oneness. Verse 137 says, “Righteous are You, O Lord…” Verse 138 says, “Your testimonies…are righteous and faithful.”

Verse 142 says, “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness…” Verse 144 says, “The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting…” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that we are the righteousness of God in Christ.

Romans 3:10 says, “…There is none righteous, no, not one…” Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” Those two verses were our state before salvation. By His grace, with no works on our part, we are clothed with His robe of righteousness in exchange for our filthy rags. 

God’s word is the embodiment of His righteous character. As we bring it into our hearts, we are transformed from the inside out ~ partakers of His nature of righteousness. 

In Ruth 1:20 Naomi charged God for her bitterness. Contrast that with Job. After all he lost in rapid succession, Job 1:22 says, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”

Many times in counseling others I have heard their bitter words charging God with wrong. Asaph started to blame God. Psalm 77:4 says, “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” Then he began to review in his mind Who God is at all times.

Verse 10 he admitted, “…This is my anguish…” Naomi received a gift. Boaz married Ruth and she bore him a son. The women proclaimed change to Naomi. Ruth 4:15 says, “And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age…” Restorer means to turn away from one’s sin and toward God.” You are not hopeless! Your life can also be restored and nourished through His love.

When Namoi encouraged her two widow daughters-in-law to return to their homes, Ruth made a declaration. Ruth 1:16-17. She was determined. She had no idea what her destiny would be, or what the Lord had preordained for her to walk in. 

Ruth was tenacious, hard working, dedicated, and faithful. Boaz commended her, then asked the Lord to bless her. Ruth 2:10-11, “…fully reported to me…The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Note: Deuteronomy 23:3 says, “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever.”

The Lord used Boaz to redeem Ruth. She bore him Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David ~ whose line our Redeemer would come. Ephesians 1:7. Nothing is in vain ~ the Lord redeems it all.

Years ago my parents wrote out all the meaning of names for the children in their lives. I think they did it one year for youth camp. My first name is Judith. It means praise. Marilyn is the root to mara meaning bitter. My dad wrote, “You have the opportunity to turn all your bitter situations into praise.” Talk about prophetic!

I am reading the book of Ruth. Elimelech means my God is King; Namoi means pleasant, delightful, lovely; Mahlon means weak, sickly; Chilion means failing, pining. Can you imagine naming your child with such negativity? Every time you called their name you pronounced sickness on them.

When Namoi went back to Bethlehem, she said in Ruth 1:20, “…Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” Note. Bitterness is a choice. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.”

Psalm 5:3 says, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” Psalm 119:5-6 says, “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments.”

I love it when I am praying for someone, and the Holy Spirit puts words in my mouth. He desires to direct our prayers into God’s perfect ways. He uses our adversities, hardships, and trials to keep us centered on Him. It is easy to stray into our own way ~ iniquity.

The Lord hears our prayer, whether audible or silent. Psalm 86:7 says, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.” Psalm 17:6 says, “I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God…” Cry out, then quiet your heart to listen. Psalm 131:2.

Have you ever wondered what you should do? I have countless times. Psalm 119:133 says, “Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” Years ago I heard this definition for iniquity: anything that I do independent of the Lord. It caught my attention because I was a very independent person.

It reminds me of Isaiah 53:6 which says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Our steps will be directed into His righteousness when we walk upright. Psalm 85:13.

Our feet go where our heart dictates. Here is one of Paul’s prayers we can adopt. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.”

I think the best Scripture description for experiential knowledge is Ephesians 3:19 Amplified. It says, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience); that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)!”

It is beyond just common knowledge that anyone can read about. It is the personal experience of interfacing with the truths of God’s word that describe His Person. 2 Timothy 2:13 says about God, “…He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

He backs His words with Himself, Who is the Living Word that cannot be changed or altered. He is the word that will not return void. He will accomplish what He has said He will do. He always fulfills His part ~ our part is simply to believe and immerse our life into His.

Psalm 119:125 says, “I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.” The Hebrew word for understanding means discernment, and the word know is by experience. Experiential knowledge. 

My mind went back to Proverbs 9:10. It says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” To know the Lord through His word causes us to become partakers of His nature. 2 Peter 1:4.

Inculcating His word allows it to be alive inside us, especially in the midst of our adverse circumstances. Instilling His truth, is like coating our heart with wallpaper. It remains no matter what our situation is. We cling to Him through His word that is written on the walls of our heart. Psalm 119:117 says, “Hold me up, and I shall be safe…” Clinging to His nature of faithfulness, allows us to tangibly experience His nature as He holds us up.

I love how God’s word is living and active. As we meditate on His word, it plants truth deep into the soil of our hearts. I had to fast and drink a concoction for my colonoscopy without sedation. I had made it to Psalm 119:116-117 in my meditating through the Psalm. 

The attending doctor worked hard to convince me to do sedation. It’s not an option with my brain injuries. I clung to the Lord through the procedure with the two verses I had meditated on the day before. They were my breath that sustained me. He totally upheld me, verse 116, so that I was not ashamed of my hope. He literally held me up and kept me safe. Verse 117.

The Lord is Present in all of our trials. However, when we cling to Him through His word, it is like yeast in bread dough. His living, active, and sustaining truth permeates every particle of our being.