164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
166 Lord, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments.
The Psalmist states that He praised God seven times a day - because of His "righteous judgments." In other words, He was so cognizant of the truth of God that He took time to honor the Lord for it. He realizes that a love for God's truth produces peace and right living. God's Word was a priority for Him. We can be challenged to take or make opportunities regularly to commune with God around His Word and to reflect on how it can affect our lives.
I want to revisit some verses from Isaiah 55, where we read this passage that addresses the supremacy of God's ways and the power of His Word:
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
There was an article that ran on the Religion News Service website that provides some details on an opportunity that students have to actually receive Christian education during the school day; that would be the "public" school day.
The article refers to the "more than 3,000 students in Pennsylvania who participate in a 'released time' program run by Joy El Ministries." The article says that:
In South Alabama, Camp Victory administers a monthly released time program for students in four different counties. Regarding the legality of the concept, it states:
God's Word will certainly not return void, will it? I think that's the first takeaway. In an age when the Bible is not taught generally in public education, and if it is, it is generally in a historical context, here is an opportunity for children to hear and discuss the principles of God's Word.
I also think this national piece really exposes another way in which the gospel can be presented in a creative way. And, we should always be looking for methods through which we can communicate truth effectively. The Christmas season gives us to the opportunity to share the love of Jesus and to disseminate the truth about why He came.
Finally, we remember that the mind can be trained to think in accordance with the truth of the Scriptures or, by default, it seems, it can be trained by the ways of the world. We all have to make that choice - and exposure to God's Word in each of our lives can provide the direction we all need in order to navigate effectively through life in a manner that glorifies God.
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I want to revisit some verses from Isaiah 55, where we read this passage that addresses the supremacy of God's ways and the power of His Word:
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
There was an article that ran on the Religion News Service website that provides some details on an opportunity that students have to actually receive Christian education during the school day; that would be the "public" school day.
The article refers to the "more than 3,000 students in Pennsylvania who participate in a 'released time' program run by Joy El Ministries." The article says that:
“Released time” is a legal way for students to voluntarily receive religious education during the school week. It has to happen outside the school building. It’s limited to 36 hours per school year by Pennsylvania law. Students need their parents’ approval. And they need to make up any work they miss.Aaron Ziebarth, executive director of Joy El, is quoted in the article. He said that Joy El was founded back in 1938, when the Bible was still allowed in school. The story says that Ziebarth...
...sees bad news all around and believes the released time program will point students towards faith: “I just believe that life is hopeless without Jesus.”
Today, over half of the students who attend a Joy El released time program are un-churched, according to Ziebarth. They attend a program with three primary components: Singing, teaching and listening — small group time.A volunteer, Barry Jennings is quoted in this excerpt:
At a recent Bible study he attended, the group reflected on the state of the world: “We were talking about things, like Charlottesville …. and then the hurricanes and … the borders and everything else. I think the main thing is … God’s trying to show us, we need to come back to him.”The Released Time Education website says that, "it is estimated that there are over 1,000 Released Time Programs in operation today involving over 250,000 students in kindergarten through high school."
In South Alabama, Camp Victory administers a monthly released time program for students in four different counties. Regarding the legality of the concept, it states:
In 1952, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Released Time in a case known as "Zorad v. Clauson" (342 U.S. 306). The case stated that Released Time is permissible if: a) It is voluntary; b) Students have parents' permission; c) The classes are held off-campus; d) Transportation is provided by the program sponsor; e) Liability is assumed by the program sponsor.A recent Facebook post from the camp asked for prayer for the students participating in released time. One comment stated that 13 students had given their lives to Christ in one event in October. You can learn more about volunteering to take part in the program by going to the Camp Victory website.
God's Word will certainly not return void, will it? I think that's the first takeaway. In an age when the Bible is not taught generally in public education, and if it is, it is generally in a historical context, here is an opportunity for children to hear and discuss the principles of God's Word.
I also think this national piece really exposes another way in which the gospel can be presented in a creative way. And, we should always be looking for methods through which we can communicate truth effectively. The Christmas season gives us to the opportunity to share the love of Jesus and to disseminate the truth about why He came.
Finally, we remember that the mind can be trained to think in accordance with the truth of the Scriptures or, by default, it seems, it can be trained by the ways of the world. We all have to make that choice - and exposure to God's Word in each of our lives can provide the direction we all need in order to navigate effectively through life in a manner that glorifies God.
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