A Steadfast Heart and Spirit

Great are the works of the LORD,

Studied by all those who delight in them.

A good understanding and a teachable heart are possessed by all those who do the will of the LORD;

His praise endures forever. (111:2,10) O God, my heart is steadfast [with confident faith];

I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre;

I will awaken the dawn!

I will praise and give thanks to You, O LORD, among the people;

And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

For Your lovingkindness is great and higher than the heavens;

Your truth reaches to the skies.

Be exalted [in majesty], O God, above the heavens,

And Your glory above all the earth. (108:1-5) A time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24) I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor--Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever-the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. (John 14: 16-17) We should stay constant in our fellowship and relationship with Christ. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3) Faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation],love, but the greatest of these is love. (1Corinthians 13:13) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) Jesus answered, If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. (John 14:23) We love God with all our heart by living a faith-filled, in close relationship with Him life. We live a life focused on our relationship with God, trusting in Him and having faith in Him; we don't lean on our own understanding. We

trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on our own insight or understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) The understanding in our hearts comes from being in close fellowship and relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit We would not be able to live and move and have our being apart from God. Therefore

in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being]. (Acts 17:28)