An enlarged heart, in the physical sense, is dangerous. But spiritually speaking, an enlarged heart can be a blessing. “I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart“ (v.32). When an athlete is running, he is on a path and has a goal in mind, which gives him the energy to continue. That’s what God wants for us today. He has a goal for us to reach and a path for us to follow. And He gives us strength through His Word.

What does it mean to have an enlarged heart?

An enlarged heart is open to God’s truth. It’s a heart that is honest and open to God’s truth. An enlarged heart is obedience to God’s will. It’s a humble heart that obeys God’s will. An enlarged heart is occupied with God’s glory. It’s happy heart. What a wonderful thing it is to grow in Grace and the knowledge of truth (II.Peter 3:18)! Our horizons are expanding. We can see what we haven’t seen before. We can hear what we haven’t heard before. God gives us an enlarged life because we have an enlarged heart.

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Open your heart to God’s truth and be obedient to His will. Every step of obedience expands your horizon of blessing and ministry. Most of all, be occupied with God’s glory.

What do you do when people criticize you? What goes through your mind when you are in the presence of people who are unkind, especially people who don’t believe the Word of God? The Psalmist gives us one answer in versus 23 and 24.

Meditate on the Word of God. Get your mind fixed up on what God says. If we ponder and think about the things other people say, we will be agitated and anxious and upright. But if we meditate on what God says, those things that are true and upright and holy and beautiful, His piece will fill us.

Delight in the Word of God (v.24). Some people delight in gossip. They enjoy listening to rumours about people. But the Psalmist says, “While they were gossiping and telling lies, I was meditating on the Word of God, because I delight in it.”

Obey the Word of God (v.24). Authorities, friends and even enemies may want to give you counsel. But get your counsel from the Word of God.

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Whatever your difficulty today, turn to the Bible and let it counsel you. Let it saturate your mind, heart and will.

How does a person keep clean in this dirty world? The psalmist ask this question in verse.9. The answer: “By taking heed according to Thy Word.” Of course this doesn’t apply only for a young man but the same is true for everyone. We are living in a dirty world and because of the pollution around us, we have to walk in the Word of God. The psalmist gives us the several instructions to follow to keep us spiritually clean.

First, heed the Word. We first have to read and study the Word so we know it. And if we know it, we should obey it.

Second, hide the Word (v..11). G.Campbell Morgan used to say of this verse, “It tells us about the best book—‘Thy Word’— in the best place—‘my heart’— for the best purpose—‘that I might not sin’ against God.” Are you obeying the Word of God? Are you treasuring it in your heart?

Third, herald the Word by sharing it with others (v.13). If we have the Scripture in our hearts, it has to come out through our lips, because, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt.12:34).

Finally, honor the Word (v.15). I will honor God’s Word. I will respect what He wants me to do. My Father is telling me what to do, and I’m going to obey Him.

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God’s Word has a cleansing effect. But you must get into the Word before it can become effective in your life. Obey God’s Word, and He will keep you clean in this dirty world.

What would your Christian life be like if you had no Bible? Would that make any difference? After all, what is the Bible supposed to do for our lives?

God gives us some answers to those questions in this Psalm. Every verses in this long psalm (except verse 4) in someway refers to the Word of God. The psalm is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet. It’s as though God were saying, here are the ABCs of how to use the Word of God in your life.

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!” (v.1). “Undefiled” means “people who are blameless, those who have integrity.” If we have integrity, our whole lives are built around the Word of God. The psalmist says, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” (v.2). Are you wholeheartedly into the Word of God? In the Bible, heart refers to the inner person, and that includes the mind (v.7). It also includes the will (v.8). In other words, when you give your whole heart, mind and will to the Word of God, it starts to put your life together. Is your life or your home “falling apart” today? Turn to the Word of God.

The Bible has one author—God. It has one theme—Jesus Christ. It has one message—the salvation of your soul. It has one blessing to bring—a life of integrity.

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The Word of God is a powerful spiritual resource. Its truth feeds your soul. As you walk in the life of faith, the Holy spirit uses the Bible to minister to you. Get into the Word and allow to make you whole and build integrity into your life.

“This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” Ps.118:24.

When you are having one of those difficult days — a day when the storm is blowing and the battle is raging, when the burdens are heavy, when your heart is broken and your tears are flowing, when it feels like everybody is turned against you, including your Heavenly Father — that’s the time to heed this verses by faith.

The Psalmist was going through battles and some difficulties, yet he was able to say, “If God put this day together, I’m going to rejoice and be glad in it. Even though I may not see the blessings now, eventually by faith I will be able to say, ‘It all worked together for good.’ So I will say it now.”

Jews sing this song at Passover. Jesus also sang the song before He was crucified. Can you imagine saying on your way to Calvary, “This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it”? That’s another way of saying, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” If Jesus sang the song, we should sing it also.

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Perhaps your day is full of overwhelming burdens or sorrows,. Jesus also suffered days like that. Accept the day God has given you and acknowledge that He is in charge. Anticipate what God is going to do for you today; rejoice and be glad in it. You may not understand His purposes now, but one day you will.

“The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation” (v. 14). This also is found in Exodus 15:2 and Isaiah 12:2. The Israelites sang these words when they were delivered from Egypt, as they saw their enemy drowned in the sea. And Isaiah 12 promises that Israel will sing this song in the future when God restores her and establishes His kingdom. We, too, can rejoice for what these words mean for us today.

God is our strength. That takes care of the demands of life. What do you look to find strength? Your experiences? Your health? Your money? Your job? All these things could vanish. Only the strength of the Lord can meet the demands of life. (Isaiah.40:31).

He is our song. That takes care of the dullness of life. Many people have to go through boring, tedious experiences. Perhaps your job is not as exciting as you‘d like it to be. The Lord will give you joy.

He is our salvation. That takes care of the dangers of life. He delivers us and is always at our side. “The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly” (v.16). That Right Hand is available to us today.

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Believers may sing this song of praise, for God takes care of the demands, the dullness and the dangers of life. He is your Strength, your Song and your Salvation. Remember that God is ever available to deliver you from the difficult experiences of life.

“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear; what can man do unto me?” —Psalm 118:6.

This is a word of assurance. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom.8:31). The God of the universe is on our side—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No matter who may be against us, He is on our side.

It’s also a word of confidence. “I will not fear.” As I look at the past, I see that God has cared for me every step of the way. As I look at the present, I know He’s with me. As I look ahead of the future, I know He is ahead of me. He surrounds me. He promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” Heb.13:5. I respond, “I will not fear. What can man do and to me?” (v..6).

Finally, it is a word of defiance. “What can man do unto me?” In other words, fear God, not humans. Jesus told this to His disciples in Matt.10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

When you fear God, you need not fear anyone else. The fear of God means to love Him, revere Him and respect Him.

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No matter how difficult your experiences are, the Lord is on your side. You need not fear the past, present or future or what anybody can do to you, because you fear God. You have His word of Assurance, Confidence and Defiance.

Psalm 117 is the shortest of the psalms— only two verses. “Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.”

‭‭What a tremendous psalm of praise this is; it’s short but deep.

We don’t find too much difficulty in thanking people for what they have done for us. Even when we pay someone to work for us, we still say thank you. But sometimes we take advantage of the Lord and take for granted the things He has done for us—especially the “little” things. Do we thank Him for eyes to see, for ears to hear? Recognise and thank God for His numerous blessings.

The Psalmist says, “Laud Him, all you peoples.” But billions of people in this world don’t praise the Lord because they don’t know Him. They have never been told that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Unfortunately, many Christians for some reason are not concerned about this. How can all the nations praise Him until all the nations trust Him?

Praise the Lord for His merciful kindness and enduring truth. And make every effort to tell others about the One you praise.

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Think of some of the blessings you can praise God for. It’s easy to take His blessing for granted and overlook some of His greatest provisions. But though you praise the Lord, there are many who don’t. Ask Him to use you today to reach someone who does not know Christ as Savior.

Few people really want to talk about death. Yet verse 15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” This statement is often misunderstood, so let’s examine it and see what it means to our lives today.

Death is a penalty of sin; God is the Author of life. When God made His original creation, there was no death. But when man sinned, death came on the scene. It now reigns as a king. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this judgement” (Heb.9:27). Certainly God doesn’t enjoy it when unsaved people die, because He knows they go to a Christless, dark eternity. Nor does He enjoy it when His own people die. Jesus stood at the grave of Lazarus and wept (Jn.11:35)

The death of God’s children is so precious to Him that it will not be an accident. The psalmist was brought low and almost died (Ps.116:3). He was going to die, and then he cried unto God, God replied to him (vv.5,6). The death of everyone who goes home to be with the Lord is not an accident—it is an appointment. We are immortal until our work is done. That, to me, is a real encouragement. There’s a lot of danger that can come to us in this world. But God says, “Your death is too precious for me to permitted to just happen.” Death for the believer is precious because Jesus bore our sins on the cross to give us eternal life.

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Neither your life nor your death is an accident. Take comfort in the fact that God knew every detail about your life before you were born. You have work to do for Him, and only when that is finished will He take you to be with Himself..

Whoever wrote Psalm 116 went through some difficult experiences to give us these verses. In fact, he almost died. But the Lord heard his cry and delivered him (vv.1-2).

Picture God leaning down to His little child, getting close enough to hear. God can here as well as He always has, but He gets close to us — not to hear us better but to help us (v.6). God comes down where we are to deliver us and make us all that He want us to be (v8).

The psalmist discovered the grace of God (vv.5,6). God delivered him from death and stopped his tears. He strengthened and guided his feet so that he did not stumble. We, too, have all this help through Jesus Christ. He is the source of grace and mercy. The Psalmist said, “The pains of death surrounded me” (v.3), but he did not die spiritually. Jesus died in his place.

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Do you need God’s deliverance today? Rejoice that He hears and helps you. All you need comes from His bountiful hand. He is gracious and merciful. Call upon His name; He will deliver you.