Psalm 119 Study: The Word of God is Sweeter than Honey

Today's reading passage is: Psalm 119: 97-104

Psalm 119: 103- " How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth."

When we devote our hearts and minds to studying the Word of God and learning about Him; the benefits are endless. You fall in love with the Words and ultimately with Christ. It fills your heart so that outside things can't lead you astray. It completes you.  We should meditate on the Words that we study all day; holding it in our hearts and carrying it with us through life.

Through meditation of the Scriptures we gain: wisdom over our enemies and understanding of those around us. We also gain a deeper understanding of who Christ is. Ultimately we gain knowledge of the characteristics of Christ and how to implement them into our daily lives.

The knowledge of God is sweet. It's something we should crave everyday. It's something that we will love and get joy from.  The more we meditate on His words, the more understanding we gain, and our time with Him each day gets sweeter and sweeter.

SCRIPTURE IS SWEET TO GOD'S CHILDREN

Psalm 119 Study: Always the Same

Today's reading passage: Psalm 119: 89-96

Psalm 119: 89 " Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens."

The Bible is a timeless book. It applies to every person, in every era, in every trial of life. Once spoken, the Word of God never changes; and neither does He.  It's easy to get stuck on our own roller coaster of emotions and changing trials and triumphs of life. We forget that God is immovable and unchangeable. But God never changes. He doesn't pick or choose the people He helps. Him and His Word are there for everyone. But it's up to us to allow the Word to change us. 

Verse 92 Says that unless you choose to find help, comfort, peace, and joy in His Word, you will continue in your affliction. But when we choose His words and allow them to root themselves in our lives the Lord saves us (verse 94). He carries our burdens. He holds our hands through trials. and He loves us in our sorrow. 

We must remember that He promises to be faithful in every season of our lives. He never changes, even when we do! We can fill ourselves with that promise and find comfort in His never changing Word; and ultimately allow the Word of God to change us. Change our reactions, outlook, and love for life and those around us. 

GOD'S WORD NEVER CHANGES, BUT IT DOES CHANGE US.

Psalm 119 Study: Our Hope

Today's Reading: Psalm 119:81-88

Psalm 119:81- "My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word."

Hope in Christ. We get into valleys in between our mountain tops of life and more often-than-not we don't understand why. We are confused, lost, and searching. But what are we searching for? If you're like me, your first response is "How can I fix this situation?" "What can I do?" "How did I get here?" But what is the common word in all of those phrases? "I" Unfortunately you can't do much.... without Christ. 

As Christians we don't have to rely on ourselves or other people to get through life. We have the One who knows it all! All we have to do is give ourselves, our lives, our trials, our troubles to Jesus Christ. Our hope is in Him! As we study through Scripture and hide His promises in our hearts; we are engraving His words into our minds. We can pull from these thoughts the strength we need to push on!

The Word of the Lord is faithful. Never Failing! We will be treated unjustly in life by others and by circumstances we find ourselves in; but in those times, don't forget His promises! We should use these trials to search for Christ. Long for His presence and comfort. Those around us aren't always going to be there, but God is. He is eternal. Look to Him. Run after Him. Hope in Him. He will never fail you.

WE KNOW HE IS FAITHFUL. WE KNOW HE IS GOOD.

Dog Days, Date nights, and Decor

The last two weeks began with a box at my doorstep from my favorite entrepreneur! Kristin Schmucker is a fellow believer and has an adorable online shop where she makes and sells: devotionals, candles, notebooks, prayer journals, and so much more! You can checkout her shop here.

I bought quite a bit of things from the shop (and I don't regret it at all!) Out of all the items I purchased this "Give Thanks" mug is by far my favorite for the Thanksgiving season! But I also received Kristin's Psalm 119 Devotional Study. It is AMAZING! It's so full of God's grace and love for us. I am writing my daily thoughts from the devotional on the blog under the Bible Study tab. If you haven't had a chance to read it, I highly recommend you do! Oh! and purchase one for yourself! It's worth the $15!

Last Friday Joel officially finished training by passing his review boards for the Highway Patrol. It's been almost 2 years since we started this long journey and I am so glad training is OVER!  To celebrate, Joel and I got to go on our first date in over 4 months..... Crazy! He has had some crazy 2nd and 3rd shift schedules for so long and I have been training for my marathon everyday and we just haven't had much time for "us." But thanks to a sweet friend who "treated" us with a dinner date to Outback we had some much needed sweet time together! 

The following Saturday we attended a beautiful wedding at Carrigan Farms in Mooresville, NC. An old co-worker and a sweet friend of mine married the love of her life. Isn't this venue absolutely gorgeous? It's an old rock quarry that flooded when they hit a spring. The water is so clear you can see hundreds of feet down to the bottom. We had the opportunity to attend with our sweet friends from Thursday night "small group." and of course I had the most handsome date there! Even the rain couldn't ruin this flirty, whimsical wedding.

We followed the wedding up with a trip to my favorite farmer's market to pick out pumpkins. While I picked out pumpkins my sweet husband also let me pick out these gorgeous flowers. Locally grown, fresh cut flower arrangements are one of my favorite things in the world! and the colors brightened up my kitchen all week!

Wednesday night I had the RARE opportunity to go to Target with my HUSBAND! He hates shopping so this was a huge thing for him! Not only that, but he let me pick out lots of fall and Christmas decor for the house. In the middle of all the addictive things found in Target's aisles, I picked up these beautiful "thankful" place mats for our fall table! They were $3.99 on sale. You can shop them here.

On Thursday, we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday. Isn't he just the most handsome man?! It's hard living 600 miles away, but phone calls and random trips to Florida seem to help. haha!

This week has been full of puppy snuggles and family adventures while Joel is at work. I have a strange addiction for dogs. If I could collect anything, it would be puppies haha! And my dogs are like humans to me. I like them more than most humans. Maybe I'm just anti-social. But enough babbling! Hope everyone has a great rest of the week since we are official over the "hump!"

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 8

Today's reading is Psalm 119: 57-64

Psalm 119:57 - "The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words."

He is enough! We should come to Jesus with our whole hearts. When we realize that He truly is all we need, we can easily give Him all of ourselves. When you give your life to Christ you turn from the path you're on and follow Him. You strive to learn about and love Jesus more and more each day. There is a hunger that never goes a way!

Even when trouble comes we have comfort in Christ because we know He is enough. "He's all I need, when I just need someone to talk to. He's always there to hear my prayers each time I call Him. He's my everything and He's all I need!"

As verse 62 says, we should rise and give thanks at all times because we know Him. God allows us to see His heart and His desires for our lives. It's all written down in the Bible for us. His goodness is shown each day of our lives. In each moment. We run to Him in prayer and praise and we are reminded of and consumed in His Greatness!

HE IS ALL I NEED

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Psalm 119 Study: He is Faithful

Today's passage is from Psalm 119:73-80.

Psalm 119:75 "I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me."

God created you. And God created the path that is your life. And through this journey down the path of life, God is with you...ALWAYS. He is faithful. Even in the hard times He is still faithful. Verse 75, When we get into a valley we often don't think that God is being faithful. A lot of times we feel like He has left us and we are alone. We lose our joy and our hope. But we must always remember: our hope comes from Christ and true joy comes from your relationship with God.

Verses 76 and 77 remind us that God is merciful in our lives even when we lose sight of His presence. Run to Him.He is your comfort and your strength. Your journey with Him is what brings true Joy. 

The Psalmist finishes, but telling us how to respond to situations we feel are against us. Verse 78- "Meditate in thy [God's] precepts." Submerse yourself in Christ. Talk with Him. Cry out to Him. Pray until you feel His presence in your heart and life. When we strive to know and learn Christ, we also strive to respond like Christ. No matter what season of Life God has placed you in, He is Faithful!

IN ALL SEASONS, HE IS FAITHFUL

Shelby L. Best Giveaway

I am giving away a few items from the Kristin Schmucker shop! I love her shop and all the amazing things she creates and sells to help others lead an intentional life for Christ!

Our giveaway includes an AMAZING smelling HOME-MADE candle that smells like Harvest Berries, a Taste & See notepad and a "give me Jesus" pen! Wanna know how you can win? Follow the instructions below!


1 Entry= Subscribe to my blog email list
2 Entries= Like my Facebook page Here: Shelby L. Best
1 Entry= Like and Share my Facebook giveaway post with the picture above!
2 Entries = Follow me on Instagram here: Shelby _L_Best
2 Entries= Like and repost my instagram picture (same as one above) using the hashtag #shelbylbest
1 Entry= Follow me on Pinterest Here: Shelby Best

Yes! That's a total of 9 times you can get your name in the drawing for this giveaway!

Contest will end Friday, October 23rd at midnight. Good Luck!

{GIVEAWAY}

It's time to win some cute Kristin Schmucker merchandise! Stay tuned for 9 p.m. tonight to win some awesome stuff! 

Psalm 119 Study: He is GOOD!

Today's Bible reading is Psalm 119: 65-72

Psalm 119: 66 " Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments."

I am going to start off by saying, so far this is the day that has spoken to me the most. I read through the verses slowly this morning trying to absorb every word. But before I get into my thoughts on the passage let me quote to you what Kristin Schmucker wrote as her thoughts. 

"God is always good, and everything He does is good. I think this is a  concept that we know is true, but that doesn't always FEEL true. We don't understand how the difficulties and hard times in life line up with the perfect goodness of God. We can be confident that God's nature and everything about Him is GOOD, and that He can only do good."

Well, that grabbed my attention. because we as humans sometimes rely more on our emotions and how we feel than on facts. God promises hundreds of blessings in the Bible. We experience God's gifts every single day: food on our table, a job, a car, family, health, clothes, waking up in the morning...., But often times we forget these things in the valley. But as the Psalmist says: God "deals well" with us! Even when life seems to be falling apart around us, God says "it is good" and He is using those times for your good!  

When God created the Earth, He created it one thing at a time. Now we as little earthlings know what the Earth is supposed to look like. and we would have not understood when on day one, God only created light and darkness. It would seem unfinished to us. We would be confused. Some of us distraught that there were no plants, animals, or waters. But that's because we can't see tomorrow. But God can. It may seem incomplete to us, But God sees the finished product. What's coming next.

Verse 71 says: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted,,,"  Without struggles and trials we would  never grow, or learn to fully depend on Christ. The goodness of God is greater than riches. We learn good judgment and knowledge in every trial. We can use these hard times to become more like Christ and to trust His Wisdom! But in all times of life remember:

HE IS GOOD, AND HE DOES GOOD.

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 7

Today's reading is from Psalm 119: 49-56

Psalm 119:49 - "Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope."

This passage begins with a reminder that we have hope in His Word. It is important to remember that the Word is a double reference for God Himself! John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, and the Word was God!"

The presence of God can be found in every word of the Bible. We are torn down by others for many different reasons, but when we are meditating on the Word, whether through prayer, Bible reading, or reminding ourselves of the attributes of God, we can find comfort. A peace that passeth all understanding.

When we study and memorize Scripture, we are able to carry that through our entire journey of life pulling it from our hearts and minds when we need the comfort of Christ.

WE FIND COMFORT IN WHO HE IS.

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 6

Today's reading passage is Psalm 119:41-48

Psalm 119:41 "Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise."

When we cry out the Lord is there. It doesn't matter what time of the day or night we need Him. He is there. The Lord promises salvation and love to those who ask for it. All we have to do is accept this precious gift. After salvation, our focus becomes following God's commandments every day.

We are to tell everyone about Jesus (vs.44). Praising His name wherever we go should become an automatic reaction. We should not be ashamed to show our relationship with Christ and to tell others how to have that same relationship with a loving Savior (vs.46).

We should delight (have great joy) in the Lord and in the keeping of His laws. The Psalmist says "My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments." This is a picture of complete submission and surrender to God and His will for our lives. We must learn to let go and let God. Once we learn to submit to God, we open all kinds of doors to a life full of blessings!

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

Psalm 119 Bible Study : Day 5

Day 5 of the study begins with a reading of Psalm 119: 33-40

Psalm 119:37 - "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Psalm 119:34 asks for understanding so that we can keep the commands of the Lord. Without understanding we cannot fully devote our minds and attentions on what the Lord asks of us. Once we serve God, we must do it with our whole  hearts. 24/7. 365 days a year.

Verse 35 Goes on to tell us how the Psalmist delights in serving the Lord. Sometimes we think that our walk with Christ is a bunch of do this, don't do that, do this; when really, it is an opportunity to live a life full of God's richest blessings! With all the promises Christ gives us in the Bible, shouldn't we delight and have joy in serving Him? Those blessings are reserved for us!

We should be focused on heavenly treasures not the things of this earth. This earth will pass away and along with it our nice cars, big houses, beach homes, expensive clothes, and our precious things.  But they are just things. They aren't going to be with you for eternity. We should focus on Christ because He will be there by your side today, tomorrow, and forever.

Fear of the Lord. Verses 38 & 39 discuss how the fear of the Lord is GOOD! He is love, grace, & mercy, but also the judgment of the world. We should eagerly strive to please Him above all else and obtain the righteousness of God.

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

AND THE THINGS OF EARTH WILL GROW STRANGELY DIM

IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND GRACE

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 4

Day 4 of the Study begins with a reading of Psalm 119:25-32

Psalm 119:27- "Make me understand the ways of your precepts, and I will meditate on your          
                          wondrous works."

When the trials hit, take it to Jesus. he promises to hear you! Instead of asking God to change your situation, ask God to help you understand what He is trying to teach you.

Verse 27 also tells us to praise God, even in the storms. Think about all God has done for you and how great he is! Having this mindset, will make your problem smaller and our God GREATER!

In verses 28-32, David again reminds us to meditate, and consume ourselves in God's Word. That's where comfort and peace are found. in all things remember:

HE IS GOOD!

THIS WEEKS MEMORY VERSE

Christ Tells us all through the Bible to "Hide God's Word in our hearts."  This week I would like to join me in memorizing a verse that we can hold in our hearts as a reminder of our loving savior.

This weeks verse will be:

Psalm 119:18

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 3

Day 3 of the study begins with a reading of Psalm 119: 17-24

Psalm 119:18- "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."

Our lives on this earth are simply to do one thing: serve Christ. We must submit to God's calling through His Word. in order to know His calling, we must be students of His Word, studying the Scriptures and learning our Savior.

We need God's Word to guide us. We are strangers in a world we don't fit in. but through the hardships of life, God's Word strengthens and refreshes our souls.

Because we are peculiar, we will suffer for our beliefs, being accused for our faith, but we find constant comfort and peace in Christ. He guides us through every step, trial and blessing in life. We need to trust in Him!

WHEREVER WE ARE IN THIS LIFE, HIS WORD IS WHAT WE NEED.

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 2

Day 2 of the Study begins with a reading of Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119:11 : "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

If you hope, at all, to understand God's mind and character, you must read and meditate on His word. When we seek after God through prayer, worship, and His Word, there is no room for sin. We become content and full of Christ and the things of this world don't entice us.

When we study God's Word we have knowledge of who our heavenly Father is. We begin to understand His ways of communication so that we can hear Him.

Verses are also a great way to contradict sin. You may think something is a good idea, but a verse you've read or memorized is telling you differently.  You are more apt to turn from sin when immersing yourself in God's Word each day. We are richest when we have God's Word in our hearts.

HIDE HIS WORD IN YOUR HEART.

Psalm 119 Study: Day 1

I have recently started a Bible Study on Psalm 119, and I am not gonna lie, it is AMAZING. The devotional, along with many other devotionals and cute Christ centered things, are sold in Kristin Schmucker's online shop. Her shop and blog are dedicated to helping women lead intentional, Christ-centered lives. I love everything about her shop and I know you will too! You can check out her website here.

Psalm 119:2: "Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart."

Day 1 begins with a study on Psalm 119-1-8. 

The passage begins by promising God's blessings to those that follow His laws and seek Him with their whole heart. Not part of your heart. Every single inch of you must desire to immerse yourself in God's Word. 

He tells us to seek His laws diligently. Every single day. Every single second. Not just when we are at church, or in small group, or at home. But every second of every day. When we obey Christ and follow His commands, we have no reason to ever feel ashamed, self-doubt, or envy. It doesn't matter what those around you say or do to you. You are sufficient in God's standards not the standards of others. Your self-worth is based on Him.

Once we seek God we begin to understand Him & can praise Him better, worship Him better and ultimately trust Him better. We are clean before Christ.

STUDYING SCRIPTURE IS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT WE NEED THE LORD.

Our Honeymoon

Joel and I got married over two years ago. We were young and in love and broke. We had just finished college and had a total of $2,000 to our names. We had a beautiful honeymoon planned at a resort in Panama City. You can view the hotel here. 3 days before the wedding we canceled it thinking we should save our money.

Well, this past September we got the chance to go on our honeymoon! We went to the Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach, FL. This is my favorite place on earth. I've been vacationing here with my family for 21 years and I keep going back for more! You can view the Don CeSar here.

We spent a day/night in Atlanta before we flew out to South Florida. We went to Coke World and an Atlanta Braves Game!

The Vault where the keep the secret recipe for coke!

The Braves won 3-2 the bottom of the 8th!

We ate dinner on the 11th floor to watch the sunset over the entire beach. The restaurant spun so you got a 360 view while you were eating!

The water is crystal clear!

After dinner one night Joel was still craving a quesadilla so we found the TACO BUS! 

We went to a restaurant called RumFish where you ate in this ginormous aquarium. You could even swim in it! (We would have, but we didn't know til we got there!)

We enjoyed all the water sports each morning while here. Joel's favorite was the jet skis.

These pictures just don't do it justice! The sunsets here were so gorgeous. We made sure to see it as often as we could. 

I can't wait to go back! I'm trying to talk Joel into a trip over Christmas... We shall See!