161 Preserve me, O God , for I take refuge in You. 2 I said to the Lord , "You are my Lord ; I have no good besides You." 3 As for the saints who are in the earth , They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight . 4 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied ; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood , Nor will I take their names upon my lips . 5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup ; You support my lot . 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed , my heritage is beautiful to me. 7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed , my mind instructs me in the night .
8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand , I will not be shaken . 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices ; My flesh also will dwell securely . 10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol ; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay . 11 You will make known to me the path of life ; In Your presence is fullness of joy ; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever .
171 Hear a just cause , O Lord , give heed to my cry ; Give ear to my prayer , which is not from deceitful lips . 2 Let my judgment come forth from Your presence ; Let Your eyes look with equity . 3 You have tried my heart ; You have visited me by night ; You have tested me and You find nothing ; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress . 4 As for the deeds of men , by the word of Your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent . 5 My steps have held fast to Your paths . My feet have not slipped . 6 I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God ; Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech . 7 Wondrously show Your lovingkindness , O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye ; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings 9 From the wicked who despoil me, My deadly enemies who surround me. 10 They have closed their unfeeling heart, With their mouth they speak proudly . 11 They have now surrounded us in our steps ; They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground . 12 He is like a lion that is eager to tear , And as a young lion lurking in hiding places . 13 Arise , O Lord , confront him, bring him low ; Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword , 14 From men with Your hand , O Lord , From men of the world , whose portion is in this life , And whose belly You fill with Your treasure ; They are satisfied with children , And leave their abundance to their babes . 15 As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness ; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake .
201 After the uproar had ceased , Paul sent for the disciples , and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia . 2 When he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation e , he came to Greece . 3 And there he spent three months , and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria , he decided e to return through Macedonia . 4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea , the son of Pyrrhus , and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians , and Gaius of Derbe , and Timothy , and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia . 5 But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas . 6 We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days ; and there we stayed seven days .
7 On the first day of the week , when we were gathered together to break bread , Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day , and he prolonged his message until midnight . 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together . 9 And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill , sinking into a deep sleep ; and as Paul kept on talking , he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead . 10 But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said , "Do not be troubled , for his life is in him." 11 When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten , he talked with them a long while until daybreak , and then left . 12 They took away the boy alive , and were greatly e comforted .
13 But we, going ahead to the ship , set sail for Assos , intending from there to take Paul on board ; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land . 14 And when he met us at Assos , we took him on board and came to Mitylene . 15 Sailing from there , we arrived the following day opposite Chios ; and the next day we crossed over to Samos ; and the day following we came to Miletus . 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia ; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem , if possible , on the day of Pentecost .
(Read Acts 20:1-6)
Tumults or opposition may constrain a Christian to remove from his station or alter his purpose, but his work and his pleasure will be the same, wherever he goes. Paul thought it worth while to bestow five days in going to Troas, though it was but for seven days' stay there; but he knew, and so should we, how to redeem even journeying time, and to make it turn to some good account.
(Read Acts 20:7-12)
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of Christ's body for us, to be a sacrifice for our sins, is remembered, but the breaking of Christ's body to us, to be food and a feast for our souls, is signified. In the early times it was the custom to receive the Lord's supper every Lord's day, thus celebrating the memorial of Christ's death. In this assembly Paul preached. The preaching of the gospel ought to go with the sacraments. They were willing to hear, he saw they were so, and continued his speech till midnight. Sleeping when hearing the word, is an evil thing, a sign of low esteem of the word of God. We must do what we can to prevent being sleepy; not put ourselves to sleep, but get our hearts affected with the word we hear, so as to drive sleep far away. Infirmity requires tenderness; but contempt requires severity. It interrupted the apostle's preaching; but was made to confirm his preaching. Eutychus was brought to life again. And as they knew not when they should have Paul's company again, they made the best use of it they could, and reckoned a night's sleep well lost for that purpose. How seldom are hours of repose broken for the purposes of devotion! but how often for mere amusement or sinful revelry! So hard is it for spiritual life to thrive in the heart of man! so naturally do carnal practices flourish there!
(Read Acts 20:13-16)
Paul hastened to Jerusalem, but tried to do good by the way, when going from place to place, as every good man should do. In doing God's work, our own wills and those of our friends must often be crossed; we must not spend time with them when duty calls us another way.
