The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "STORE UP GOD’S WORD" for Saturday, 21 May 2016 with Scripture Job 22:21-28

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "STORE UP GOD’S WORD" for Saturday, 21 May 2016 with Scripture Job 22:21 “Learn to be at peace with [God];
in this way good will come [back] to you.
22 Please! Receive instruction from his mouth,
and take his words to heart.
23 If you return to Shaddai, you will be built up.
If you drive wickedness far from your tents,
24 if you lay your treasure down in the dust
and the gold of Ofir among the rocks in the vadis,
25 and let Shaddai be your treasure
and your sparkling silver;
26 then Shaddai will be your delight,
you will lift up your face to God;
27 you will entreat him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay what you vowed;
28 what you decide to do will succeed,
and light will shine on your path;
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Moses said, “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.”[Deuteronomy 6:6 (NRSV)]
When I married into a farm family, my responsibilities included canning, freezing, and pickling some of our abundant harvest. I learned to preserve corn, beans, tomatoes, and other garden vegetables and luscious fruits. This was a lot to learn—and a lot of work! But I kept at it. Later, the good food I had stored up provided our winter meals, and we enjoyed pickles and fruit jams all year long.
In the same way, if we store up some of the bounty of God’s word in our hearts, we can draw sustenance from that supply of encouragement and guidance when lean times come. In prosperous seasons, recalling a challenging Bible verse can jolt us out of spiritual complacency, like a tart bite of pickle. At any time, a scriptural reminder of the Lord’s love tastes as sweet as strawberry jam!
Memorizing scripture is hard work for me, but I intend to keep at it, to transform my heart into a storehouse of God’s word so that I’ll always have a rich supply of wisdom and love to see me through!
Read more from the author, here.
"More from Linda Bonney Olin"

After I wrote about my resolution to memorize scripture verses, my "Holy GhostWriter" prodded me to take that stored-up bounty off the shelf and put it to use by writing new hymn texts. Blending scriptures into a congregational hymn is almost like opening jars of preserved veggies to cook up a flavorful, nutritious dish for a potluck supper. Unlike an ordinary casserole, though, a good hymn can feed any size crowd! Each one is a uniquely seasoned recipe that suits some tastes better than others. I try to make them easy for average folks to digest while they sing, but meaty enough to stick to their ribs.
Inspiration for my lyrics springs from the trials and triumphs of life, from sermons and songs I hear, and from my daily devotional reading, including The Upper Room. Sometimes snippets from the Bible get woven into the lyrics themselves. Other times, the scriptures serve as the foundation for themes I explore in song.
Music composition is not my strong point, so I often set my words to existing music. I relish giving fresh voice to wonderful old tunes. As scriptures do, hymns connect us to many generations of the faithful, past and yet to be born. What a privilege to be part of that tradition!
Now, here’s a fitting hymn text to celebrate my first meditation published in The Upper Room. To download the sheet music or listen to the tune (CHRISTMAS SONG by Karl P. Harrington), go to the Audio page at my Faith Songs website (www.LindaBonneyOlin.com/Audio). Scroll down to “Musical Settings for New Hymn Texts.” Enjoy![Linda Bonney Olin]
"Before Us, Alive!" ©2012 Linda Bonney Olin
1. How we grieved when we heard that our Master had died,
how the nails tore his hands and the spear pierced his side!
Oh, the suffering he bore as he hung on the cross!
When his life ebbed away, our salvation seemed lost.
But our grief turned to joy, and our hope was revived,
when the One whom we mourned stood before us, alive!
2. In a locked upper room we sat huddled in fear.
All at once in our midst the Lord Jesus appeared!
Jesus raised from the dead? How could such a thing be?
Yet the marks of his wounds proved it really was he!
Then our grief turned to joy, and our hope was revived,
for the One whom we mourned stood before us, alive!
3. "Peace be with you," he said. "Blessed are all who believe,
for a life everlasting with me they'll receive.
Now, the marvels you've seen are a gift you must share.
Go, invite all the world to the home I'll prepare."
Yes, our grief turned to joy, and our hope was revived,
for the One whom we mourned stood before us, alive!
4. Look in God's Holy Word; see our witness to you.
By his Spirit, believe what we know to be true:
With his anguish and death, Jesus paid for our sin.
Our Redeemer lives now! Live forever with him!
Let your grief turn to joy, and your hope be revived,
for the One who loves you stands before you, alive![Visit Linda's Faith Songs website www.LindaBonneyOlin.com.]The Author: Linda Bonney Olin (New York, USA)
Thought for the Day: What words from scripture do I store in my heart?
Prayer: O God, help us to memorize your word and bring these verses to our minds in times of trouble. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV). Amen.
Prayer focus: FARMERS---------------------