911 Happy is he whose resting-place is in the secret of the Lord, and under the shade of the wings of the Most High; 2 Who says of the Lord, He is my safe place and my tower of strength: he is my God, in whom is my hope. 3 He will take you out of the bird-net, and keep you safe from wasting disease. 4 You will be covered by his feathers; under his wings you will be safe: his good faith will be your salvation. 5 You will have no fear of the evil things of the night, or of the arrow in flight by day, 6 Or of the disease which takes men in the dark, or of the destruction which makes waste when the sun is high. 7 You will see a thousand falling by your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes will you see the reward of the evil-doers.
9 Because you have said, I am in the hands of the Lord, the Most High is my safe resting-place; 10 No evil will come on you, and no disease will come near your tent. 11 For he will give you into the care of his angels to keep you wherever you go. 12 In their hands they will keep you up, so that your foot may not be crushed against a stone. 13 You will put your foot on the lion and the snake; the young lion and the great snake will be crushed under your feet. 14 Because he has given me his love, I will take him out of danger: I will put him in a place of honour, because he has kept my name in his heart. 15 When his cry comes up to me, I will give him an answer: I will be with him in trouble; I will make him free from danger and give him honour. 16 With long life will he be rewarded; and I will let him see my salvation.
921 It is a good thing to give praise to the Lord, and to make melody to your name, O Most High; 2 To make clear your mercy in the morning, and your unchanging faith every night; 3 On a ten-corded instrument, and on an instrument of music with a quiet sound. 4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad through your work; I will have joy in the works of your hands. 5 O Lord, how great are your works! and your thoughts are very deep. 6 A man without sense has no knowledge of this; and a foolish man may not take it in.
7 When the sinners come up like the grass, and all the workers of evil do well for themselves, it is so that their end may be eternal destruction. 8 But you, O Lord, are on high for ever. 9 For see! your haters, O Lord, will be put to death; all the workers of evil will be put to flight; 10 But my horn is lifted up like the horn of the ox: the best oil is flowing on my head. 11 My eyes have seen trouble come on my haters; my ears have news of the fate of the evil-doers who have come up against me. 12 The good man will be like a tall tree in his strength; his growth will be as the wide-stretching trees of Lebanon. 13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will come up tall and strong in his gardens. 14 They will give fruit even when they are old; they will be fertile and full of growth; 15 For a sign that the Lord is upright; he is my Rock, there is no deceit in him.
931 The Lord is King; he is clothed with glory; the Lord is clothed with strength; power is the cord of his robe; the world is fixed, so that it may not be moved. 2 The seat of your power has been from the past; you are eternal. 3 The rivers send up, O Lord, the rivers send up their voices; they send them up with a loud cry. 4 The Lord in heaven is stronger than the noise of great waters, yes, he is stronger than the great waves of the sea. 5 Your witness is most certain; it is right for your house to be holy, O Lord, for ever.
151 We who are strong have to be a support to the feeble, and not give pleasure to ourselves. 2 Let every one of us give pleasure to his neighbour for his good, to make him strong. 3 For Christ did not give pleasure to himself, but, as it is said, The bitter words of those who were angry with you came on me. 4 Now those things which were put down in writing before our time were for our learning, so that through quiet waiting and through the comfort of the holy Writings we might have hope.
5 Now may the God who gives comfort and strength in waiting make you of the same mind with one another in harmony with Christ Jesus: 6 So that with one mouth you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 So then, take one another to your hearts, as Christ took us, to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision to give effect to the undertakings given by God to the fathers, 9 And so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercy; as it is said, For this reason I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, and I will make a song to your name. 10 And again he says, Take part, you Gentiles, in the joy of his people. 11 And again, Give praise to the Lord, all you Gentiles; and let all the nations give praise to him. 12 And again Isaiah says, There will be the root of Jesse, and he who comes to be the ruler over the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles put their hope.
13 Now may the God of hope make you full of joy and peace through faith, so that all hope may be yours in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Read Romans 15:1-7)
Christian liberty was allowed, not for our pleasure, but for the glory of God, and the good of others. We must please our neighbour, for the good of his soul; not by serving his wicked will, and humouring him in a sinful way; if we thus seek to please men, we are not the servants of Christ. Christ's whole life was a self-denying, self-displeasing life. And he is the most advanced Christian, who is the most conformed to Christ. Considering his spotless purity and holiness, nothing could be more contrary to him, than to be made sin and a curse for us, and to have the reproaches of God fall upon him; the just for the unjust. He bore the guilt of sin, and the curse for it; we are only called to bear a little of the trouble of it. He bore the presumptuous sins of the wicked; we are called only to bear the failings of the weak. And should not we be humble, self-denying, and ready to consider one another, who are members one of another? The Scriptures are written for our use and benefit, as much as for those to whom they were first given. Those are most learned who are most mighty in the Scriptures. That comfort which springs from the word of God, is the surest and sweetest, and the greatest stay to hope. The Spirit as a Comforter, is the earnest of our inheritance. This like-mindedness must be according to the precept of Christ, according to his pattern and example. It is the gift of God; and a precious gift it is, for which we must earnestly seek unto him. Our Divine Master invites his disciples, and encourages them by showing himself as meek and lowly in spirit. The same disposition ought to mark the conduct of his servants, especially of the strong towards the weak. The great end in all our actions must be, that God may be glorified; nothing more forwards this, than the mutual love and kindness of those who profess religion. Those that agree in Christ may well agree among themselves.
(Read Romans 15:8-13)
Christ fulfilled the prophecies and promises relating to the Jews, and the Gentile converts could have no excuse for despising them. The Gentiles, being brought into the church, are companions in patience and tribulation. They should praise God. Calling upon all the nations to praise the Lord, shows that they shall have knowledge of him. We shall never seek to Christ till we trust in him. And the whole plan of redemption is suited to reconcile us to one another, as well as to our gracious God, so that an abiding hope of eternal life, through the sanctifying and comforting power of the Holy Spirit, may be attained. Our own power will never reach this; therefore where this hope is, and is abounding, the blessed Spirit must have all the glory. "All joy and peace;" all sorts of true joy and peace, so as to suppress doubts and fears, through the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.
