Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 23
Sunday


LIMITLESS LOVE

READ:
Psalm 36
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your mercy, O LORD,
is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness
reaches to the clouds
__Psalm 36:5
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Recently, a friend sent me the hitsory of a hymn that I often heard in church when I was a boy:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

These words are part of an ancient Jewish poem and were once found on the wall of a patient's room in an insane asylum.

Also, Frederick M. Lehman was so moved by the poem that he desired to expand on it. In 1917, while seated on a lemon box during his lunch break from his job as a laborer, he added the words of the first two stanzas and the chorus, completing the song "the Love of God."

The psalmist describes the comforting assurane of God's love in Psalm 36: "Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens (v.5 ESV). Regardless of the circumstances of life__whether in a moment of sanity in a mind otherwise muddled with confusion or during a dark time of trial__God's love is a beacon of hope, our ever-present, inexhaustible source of strength and confidence.
__Joe Stowell

`````````````````````````````Oh love of God, how rich and pure!`````````````````````````````
``````````````````````````````How measureless and strong!`````````````````````````````````
``````````````````````````````It shall forevermore endure,``````````````````````````````````
````````````````````````The saints' and angels' song. __Lehman``````````````````````````````
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
You are lovedith everlasting love.

*************************************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 36*******************************************

1 An oracle within my
heart concerning the
transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before his eyes. 2 For he
flatters himself in his own
eyes, when he finds out his
iniquity and when he hates.

3 The words of his mouth
are widkedness and deceit;
he has ceased to be wise
and to do good. 4 He
devises wickedness on his
bed; he sets himself in a
way that is not good; he
does not abhor evil.

5 Your mercy, O LORD, is
in the heavens; Your
faithfulness reaches to the
clouds. 6 Your righteousness
is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great
deep; O LORD, You preserve
man and beast.

7 How precious is Your
lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of
men put their trust under
the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly
satisfied with the fullness of
Your house, and You give
them drink from the river of
Your pleasures. 9 For with
You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.

10 Oh, continue Your
lovingkindness to those
who know You, and Your
righteousness to the upright
in heart. 11 Let not the foot
of pride come against me,
and let not the hand of the
wicked drive me away.

12 There the workers of
iniquity have fallen; they
have been cast down and
are not able to rise.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In this psalm, David contrasts the way of life of unbelievers (vv.1-
4) and believers (vv.7-9). In conclusion, he affirms that God will
protect and sustain the faithful and punish and destroy the wicked
(vv.10-12). According to David, the unbelieving person is one who
has "no fear of God before his eyes" (v.1).