Timothy
Psalms 23 talks about the blessing one receives if they “dwell in the house of the Lord” (v.6). God will “refresh my soul” (v.3) and “guide me along the right paths” (v.3), and even as I experience difficult times (“the darkest valley” v.4), he is with me and will comfort me (v.4). I learned that I must trust in God and live in him always as he was caring for me since birth, as David writes in 23:9 and 10 (“Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”). Applying this to my life, I should trust God and read the Bible and learn from it.
Jun re: Timothy
Psalms 23 talks about the blessing one receives if they “dwell in the house of the Lord”
Yes, but more importantly, can you see that there is no greater blessing than having the right to dwell in the house of the Lord? The way you put it, it carries the nuance that dwelling in the house of the Lord is the requirement one must keep, in order to receive the blessings one really desires. But in reality, the other blessings that people normally seek, are おまけ（freebies—not the real prize, but just cheap stuff given away, like the toy that comes with the kids’ meal at McDonald’s😆).
I must trust in God and live in him always as he was caring for me since birth,
Yes, but even from before birth! Don’t think you exist because your parents decided to have a kid. God had a plan before you were even conceived, and then created you. The way you lead your life will change drastically depending on whether you truly believe this or not.
よしや
地とそこに満ちるもの 世界とそこに住むものは、主のもの。 主は、大海の上に地の基を置き 潮の流れの上に世界を築かれた。っていうのがかっこいい。やっぱりこの世界の色々なものは、神様に溢れているんだなって思った。神様は絶対的な存在であって、それがすごく誇らしい。
Jun re: よしや
ヨシヤが注目するところは、いつも興味深いね。☺️
でも、先週も書いたように、適用まで、ちゃんと書くこと。そういう、かっこいい神様に対して、ヨシヤは何がやれる？人生通して、何がりたい？そして、次の節に書いてある「誰が、主の山に登りえようか、誰がその聖なるところに立ちえようか。」から、毎週神様の臨在に出ていって、礼拝できることが、どれほど凄い特権かわかる？エミリへのメールにもさっき、書いたけど、ダビデが、何よりも望んだことが、２７：４に書いてあります。もう一回読んでみてください。ヨシヤも同じ願い強く持ってますか？😇
Tomas
This week in Psalm, I learned about how God always hears our prayers and cries for help in Psalm 28. Applying this to my life, I currently have a science project that requires building a roller coaster out of paper. Currently, me and my group are working on the designs, but one of our partners won’t be here next week. So, I must pray to God for the guidance and strength I need to continue on this project as well as the leadership in it.
Jun re: Tomas
From Psalm 28, the words that stuck out to me were verses 3 (“…those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts”) and verse 5 (“Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done”), because they have somewhat unusual definitions of evil people. Usually we think of evil people as those who hurt others or do plainly wicked things. But these verses talk more about what is unseen—what is in the heart. Especially verse 5 can only be understood by those who believe in God—God regards those who do not give glory (or credit) back to God as evil.
So when you pray to God for help and receive it, always remember to give glory back to God (not just in your heart or private prayers, but in your words and actions with other people as well).
むかい
今回の聖書朗読では、詩篇23篇の4節で「たとえ 死の陰の谷を歩むとしても、私はわざわいを恐れません。あなたがともにおられますから。あなたのむちとあなたの杖、それが私の慰めです。」というところをよく見ました。
私の生活を見てみると、何か自分に不都合があった時に、それに怖気付いてそれから逃げようとしていました。しかし、このみことばにあるように、どんな道であろうとも神様が私と共におられるため、怖気付かずに突き進んでいきたいと思いました。
Jun re: むかい
私の生活を見てみると、何か自分に不都合があった時に、それに怖気付いてそれから逃げようとしていました。しかし、このみことばにあるように、どんな道であろうとも神様が私と共におられるため、怖気付かずに突き進んでいきたいと思いました。
こういうのも、できたら、もう少しはっきり書ける？不都合なことって、例えば何？普通、不都合なことがあると、グータラでやらない、、とかになると思うけど、なんで怖気付くの？もちろん、書きたくない事は書かなくていいよ！でも、書いても構わない事なら、書いたほうが私も、もっとムカイのヘルプになれるよ。
Emiri
In this week’s bible reading Psalms 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” I was reminded that since God is always with me I shouldn’t be afraid.
This week we had the presentation for art about a global issue, our group did homelessness, before I went out I prayed. I was a bit nervous at first but afterwards I was able to speak more clearly and present. Today when they released the score our group had the highest score. I learned from this that it is important to trust in God all the time.
Jun re: Emiri
This applies to everyone, but are you guys trying to always look for something new you don’t know yet, or are you just looking for “reminders” of what you already know? (Because it should always be the former😆.)
I always try to be super lenient with you guys, but if you find yourself writing about the same sort of things every week, it means you’re not really learning anything or listening to God’s voice when reading the Bible. There is always, always something new to discover–a facet you didn’t notice before, or a deeper layer you were unaware of. Look for these things.
For example, since Emiri is looking at Psalm 27 here, what do you think about verse 4: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple?” It really reveals David’s heart, don’t you think? What he wanted above all else was the privilege of staying in God’s house. How many people can say that and really mean it?
Reading each other’s emails (everyone’s), do you see how different David was from you? On the whole, most of the time, you are seeking your own benefit (doing well at school, sports, etc.), and don’t realize the greatest blessing you can seek is the privilege of worshipping God in his presence.
Or…what about 27:10? Wasn’t that interesting?🧐😂
Happy 16th birthday, Emiri!!!🥳 Did you finish the gingerbread house? Last year, you said you didn’t get anything for your birthday😭, but I hope you got two years’ worth of presents this year.
