181 I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me. 4 The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear. 5 The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me. 6 In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears. 7 Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry. 8 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it. 9 The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet. 10 And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind. 11 He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12 Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire. 13 The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire. 14 He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled. 15 Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth. 16 He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters. 17 He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I. 18 They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support. 19 He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God. 22 For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me. 23 And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin. 24 Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes. 25 On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright; 26 He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge. 27 For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low. 28 You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall. 30 As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him. 31 For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God? 32 God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way. 33 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places. 34 He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms. 35 You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great. 36 You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping. 37 I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome. 38 I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet. 39 For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me. 40 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off. 41 They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer. 42 Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets. 43 You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants. 44 From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority. 45 They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear. 46 The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured. 47 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule. 48 He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man. 49 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name. 50 Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
191 The heavens are sounding the glory of God; the arch of the sky makes clear the work of his hands. 2 Day after day it sends out its word, and night after night it gives knowledge. 3 There are no words or language; their voice makes no sound. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them has he put a tent for the sun, 5 Who is like a newly married man coming from his bride-tent, and is glad like a strong runner starting on his way. 6 His going out is from the end of the heaven, and his circle to the ends of it; there is nothing which is not open to his heat.
7 The law of the Lord is good, giving new life to the soul: the witness of the Lord is certain, giving wisdom to the foolish. 8 The orders of the Lord are right, making glad the heart: the rule of the Lord is holy, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, and has no end; the decisions of the Lord are true and full of righteousness. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even than much shining gold; sweeter than the dropping honey. 11 By them is your servant made conscious of danger, and in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who has full knowledge of his errors? make me clean from secret evil. 13 Keep your servant back from sins of pride; let them not have rule over me: then will I be upright and free from great sin. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your eyes, O Lord, my strength and my salvation.
17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the rulers of the church. 18 And when they had come, he said to them, You yourselves have seen what my life has been like all the time from the day when I first came into Asia, 19 Doing the Lord's work without pride, through all the sorrow and troubles which came on me because of the evil designs of the Jews: 20 And how I kept back nothing which might be of profit to you, teaching you publicly and privately, 21 Preaching to Jews and to Greeks the need for a turning of the heart to God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, as you see, I am going to Jerusalem, a prisoner in spirit, having no knowledge of what will come to me there: 23 Only that the Holy Spirit makes clear to me in every town that prison and pains are waiting for me. 24 But I put no value on my life, if only at the end of it I may see the work complete which was given to me by the Lord Jesus, to be a witness of the good news of the grace of God. 25 And now I am conscious that you, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom, will not see my face again. 26 And so I say to you this day that I am clean from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not kept back from you anything of the purpose of God. 28 Give attention to yourselves, and to all the flock which the Holy Spirit has given into your care, to give food to the church of God, for which he gave his blood. 29 I am conscious that after I am gone, evil wolves will come in among you, doing damage to the flock; 30 And from among yourselves will come men who will give wrong teaching, turning away the disciples after them. 31 So keep watch, having in mind that for three years without resting I was teaching every one of you, day and night, with weeping. 32 And now, I give you into the care of God and the word of his grace, which is able to make you strong and to give you your heritage among all the saints. 33 I have had no desire for any man's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves have seen that with these hands I got what was necessary for me and those who were with me. 35 In all things I was an example to you of how, in your lives, you are to give help to the feeble, and keep in memory the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, There is a greater blessing in giving than in getting.
36 And having said these words, he went down on his knees in prayer with them all. 37 And they were all weeping, falling on Paul's neck and kissing him, 38 Being sad most of all because he had said that they would not see his face again. And so they went with him to the ship.
(Read Acts 20:17-27)
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if they rejected it. He was a profitable preacher; one that aimed to inform their judgments, and reform their hearts and lives. He was a painful preacher, very industrious in his work. He was a faithful preacher; he did not keep back reproofs when necessary, nor keep back the preaching of the cross. He was a truly Christian, evangelical preacher; he did not preach notions or doubtful matters; nor affairs of state or the civil government; but he preached faith and repentance. A better summary of these things, without which there is no salvation, cannot be given: even repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, with their fruits and effects. Without these no sinner can escape, and with these none will come short of eternal life. Let them not think that Paul left Asia for fear of persecution; he was in full expectation of trouble, yet resolved to go on, well assured that it was by Divine direction. Thanks be to God that we know not the things which shall befall us during the year, the week, the day which has begun. It is enough for the child of God to know that his strength shall be equal to his day. He knows not, he would not know, what the day before him shall bring forth. The powerful influences of the Holy Spirit bind the true Christian to his duty. Even when he expects persecution and affliction, the love of Christ constrains him to proceed. None of these things moved Paul from his work; they did not deprive him of his comfort. It is the business of our life to provide for a joyful death. Believing that this was the last time they should see him, he appeals concerning his integrity. He had preached to them the whole counsel of God. As he had preached to them the gospel purely, so he had preached it to them entire; he faithfully did his work, whether men would bear or forbear.
(Read Acts 20:28-38)
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of God, for it was the blood of Him who is God. This put such dignity and worth into it, as to ransom believers from all evil, and purchase all good. Paul spake about their souls with affection and concern. They were full of care what would become of them. Paul directs them to look up to God with faith, and commends them to the word of God's grace, not only as the foundation of their hope and the fountain of their joy, but as the rule of their walking. The most advanced Christians are capable of growing, and will find the word of grace help their growth. As those cannot be welcome guests to the holy God who are unsanctified; so heaven would be no heaven to them; but to all who are born again, and on whom the image of God is renewed, it is sure, as almighty power and eternal truth make it so. He recommends himself to them as an example of not caring as to things of the present world; this they would find help forward their comfortable passage through it. It might seem a hard saying, therefore Paul adds to it a saying of their Master's, which he would have them always remember; "It is more blessed to give than to receive:" it seems they were words often used to his disciples. The opinion of the children of this world, is contrary to this; they are afraid of giving, unless in hope of getting. Clear gain, is with them the most blessed thing that can be; but Christ tell us what is more blessed, more excellent. It makes us more like to God, who gives to all, and receives from none; and to the Lord Jesus, who went about doing good. This mind was in Christ Jesus, may it be in us also. It is good for friends, when they part, to part with prayer. Those who exhort and pray for one another, may have many weeping seasons and painful separations, but they will meet before the throne of God, to part no more. It was a comfort to all, that the presence of Christ both went with him and stayed with them.
