by Don Ruhl

             Read Psalm 119:1--8

    You Have Brought Me This Far, God

 The psalmist speaks to God,

73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. (Psa. 119:73, NKJV).

 The psalmist confesses that he is the creation of the God of heaven, but he does not want it to stop there. God continues to fashion us when we gain understanding. Therefore, he requests from God the gift of understanding. What have we gained, if God makes us, but only in body and not in understanding? If God fashions our bodies only, then we are made in the image of the dog outside, but if God gives us understanding, we are like the God above, made in His image! 

 Therefore, make it your life's aim to gain understanding from God with the goal that you might learn the commandments of God.

Don Ruhl 441 Damont Street Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601-2311

by Mike Benson

Teri Horton stopped in Dot's Thrift Shop to browse around. During her junket she stumbled across a bright abstract painting and decided that it might make a good gag gift for a disheartened friend. Teri shelled out $5.00 for the 66-inch by 48-inch canvas and then lugged it home.

Teri's friend, Theresa, got a big laugh out of the hideous present, but turned it down because it barely fit through her front door. Teri took it home again, but after a year decided it was taking up too much space and so she offered it to yet another friend who was an art-instructor. The work turned out to be an authentic Jackson Pollock worth millions!

Pollock (1912—1957) was a leader in the American expressionist movement of the 1940's. He employed large canvases and then "painted" by pouring liquid pigment out of a can and dripping color with a brush.

No one knows for sure how the masterpiece ended up at the thrift store. Some think it may have been purchased at an estate sale in Southern California; others believe it may have simply been given away by Pollock's brother following his untimely death. In either case, "Untitled 1948" found its way to the little store near San Bernardino where it sat for years until Teri Horton happened along.

Imagine. A multi-million dollar painting sold for only five bucks. The store owner had no idea what she possessed.

Maybe you've never thought about it before, but like Teri Horton, you have an incredible treasure in your home too. It is bound in genuine calf skin, printed on thin rice paper, and written in black Indian ink. It is the holy (Jeremiah 23:9), inspired (2 Timothy 3:16,17) and infallible (Psalm 19:7) Word of God (Psalm 33:4). Splashed across its pages are the thoughts of the greatest author in the universe.

Dear friend, where is your Bible? Is it lodged in some dusty crevasse of your home? When was the last time you sat down and really dug into Scripture (Acts 17:11)? The Word of God is a valuable find (cf. 2 Kings 23:24)! The Psalmist wrote, "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure!" (Psalm 119:162).

"How precious is the Book divine, by inspiration giv'n! Bright as a lamp its precepts shine, to guide my soul to heav'n. Holy Book divine! Precious treasure mine! Lamp to my feet and a light to my way to guide me safely home." (L. O. Sanderson).

by Don Ruhl

 The psalmist has a good question and gives a good answer.

12 What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? 13 I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD. 14 I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people. (Psa. 116:12--14, NKJV).

 Have you taken the time to count all God's benefits toward you, to name them one by one? Please, do not restrict your thinking to His benefits for the flesh, but mostly for the soul. Quickly, it will become an overwhelming task, and then you shall have the same question as the psalmist. 

 What does the Lord want us to render to Him for all His benefits toward us? He wants us to take up the cup of salvation, to call upon His name and to pay our vows to Him, that is, be committed to Him. Is that too much to ask? If you start to say yes, start to count your many blessings again, naming them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done, then you will conclude that it is not too much to ask!

Don Ruhl 3535 Elk Lane Grants Pass, Oregon 97527