Evening Prayer from Psalm 4

"Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness:  thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.  O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?  how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?  But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.  Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.  There be many that say, Who will show us any good?  LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.  Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.  I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:  for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." -Psalm 4.

Laying up treasures

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." -Matthew 6:19-21.

Where are you laying up treasures?  It can be so hard to lose focus on what is really important.  We try so hard to gain things on earth, when really those things will never matter.  We should be building up riches in Heaven, where everything is eternal and nothing ever changes.  I know that I struggle with this, with realizing that nothing I do here matters unless it is of eternal value; meaning that I shared Christ with someone, invited someone to church, or helped someone in need.  Even obeying parents and teachers is eternal; obeying the Bible will get you rewards in Heaven. 

Where is your heart?  If you have a deep passion for something that occupies much of your time, it is probably safe to say your heart is there.  I love blogging.  I do spend a lot of time on it, probably a little more than I should.  I could be using that time to read my Bible more and instead, I spend it on things that may or may not have eternal value.  Working on putting my heart on things Heavenly instead of things earthly.

The Secret Place of the Most High

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." -Psalm 91:1.

This verse is one of my favorites.  It just gives me chills!  Pretty self-explanatory, actually.  If you are dwelling in the secret place of the most High, in God's arms and praising in His gates, you will be in the shadow of the Almighty.  What a privilege it is just to even be in His shadow.  To be able to look up and always see Him right there, looking down at you.