Ecclesiastes 3:6 …a time to keep…
When we look up the definition of the word keep, we will see many variations ( up to 30 plus) of what the word means. The Bible does give great use of each of those variations. Usually, the first variation is this. "to hold or retain in one's possession; hold as one's own” . That is the one I will be focusing on. When we are on our walk with Christ, we need to make the journey our own. We must be sure we are not trying to walk someone else’s journey. Our walk with Christ is personal. Though we may be making the journey along with other people, there is a personalization with Christ we need to make sure we connect with. The Bible is for everyone, but we can honestly say not everyone really "owns the Bible”.
Genesis 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
Psalm 119:4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
Matthew 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
I wanted to share a few verses. There are so many I could just say "THE BIBLE”. My whole purpose today with a time to keep was not to focus on tangible things, but the things of God. Keeping God’s word in our heart and our daily living. The ways of the Lord we should be owning and keeping for ourselves. Keeping them in our daily life, in every aspect. Our walk with Christ is extremely personal. If we have everyone else trying to do the pushing and shoving to get us on the right path, we have not kept God’s word in us and have not taken personal ownership of it. When the meaning of keep is to "hold in one’s possession”, we have to ask ourselves, do we have possession of God’s word in our heart, or do we only go look it up when we need to find it? If you have possession of it, it is not lost, but always accessible on hand. Whenever we read the Bible, we must understand, that is God talking to us. It is His spirit that allows us to understand it. We need to hold on and keep every word of it
Proverbs 24:12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
That verse explains the point I am trying to get across. When we read the verses leading up to Proverbs 24:12, we will see the author giving us an example of living life, some do’s and do nots. As I explained earlier, God is talking to us when we read His word. Are we pondering and keeping it in us.
A great story we can reference is the story of Mary, Jesus’s mother. In Luke chapter 1, we see the story of the Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, going to Mary informing her about what the Lord had planned for her. Telling her that God favored her, and she would bear a son who would be the savior of the world. Even tells her about Elizabeth and her baby. Then after the baby is born in Luke 2, after the shepherds came and told her about what the angel said to them and went away glorifying God. Lets look at what the bible says Mary did.
Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
A great example of a time to keep. When the Lord speaks to you, you keep it. We should hold dear and take ownership of what the Lord has spoken to us. I like how the verse says she kept and pondered. She continually thought about what the Lord had said and done. It was her personal belonging. She owned it, she retained it, it was important to her. It would be something she would be able to relate to and bring up on a constant basis.
Let’s close with this question. What has the Lord said or done to you that you have taken ownership of and kept it.
COMMENTS
[ posted by Cindy, 07/26/2024 10:48 PM ]
I want to start with this...Mike points out about Mary. She "kept" these things and pondered them in her heart. I will tell you what the problem is today. We don't ponder what God's words are from the Bible. Mary did just from hearing from the angel, knowing it was sent from God. We probably don't even take the time to be able to hear God talking to us. Do we need divine intervention? lol We have all read the Bible, probably more than once. What have you or I truly kept in our heart and pondered on?We are so full of distractions in our world. Too busy, too tired, too distracted with television, cell phones, movies... God is never distracted from us. We distract ourself from God. God doesn't keep us as an afterthought, but we sometimes keep Him as an afterthought. Again, I love using the spiritual sense of a time to keep and not about the physical sense of belongings, etc. A lot of the verses we read of to keep the covenant, ( Mike quoted) or the Lord keep us, etc they mean something. In my opinion it is God telling you and me how much He loves us, wants to provide for us, take care of us, our obedience to Him and who He is, that it is paramount towards our salvation. When we keep our focus on God, we will keep his commandments, keep reading God's word, keep encouraging others, and keep Godly thoughts and behavior. He loves us, wants us and keeps us in his love, favor and grace. Many OT and NT verses were about a blessing of the Lord to and for others or for their self( the writers of the books in the Bible.) prayers to God about to keep in Him and His presence, mercy, and protection. Psalm 121:7 The Lord keep you from all evil, he will keep your life. Psalm 121:8 The Lord will keep thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Number 6:24 The Lord bless you and keep you. Psalm 16:1 Keep me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. In John 17:11 Jesus prays for His disciples "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." I read that just as much for us also. Jesus left this world, but left the disciples ( and us ) His words and teachings. Jesus prays to God and calls Him 'His Holy God'...to keep them in His name as "one" as Jesus and God are. Couldn't that mean if we stay united in Christ? United in keeping the words and commandments/covenants? United in keeping brotherly love? United in keeping the gospel alive and going to all ends of the earth? Aren't we glorifying God that way? We are 'one' with God and Jesus when we are all in agreement and united about keeping God's words and laws. Our time to keep Jesus and God front and center is now! The world today seems to be depressing, perilous, unstable, confusing, scary. Keep Christ your rock foundation in your life. It will bring you peace, calm and comfort as you handle all situations that arise in your life and this world. Keep God's words close by and refresh your memory with them in all circumstances. Keep prayers going out for family, friends, leaders, etc. Keep hope alive, as the saying goes. We know who our hope is in! Our hope is in Christ and what He assures us for an everlasting life in eternity with Him and God. If there's ever been more of a time to keep...now is it! A time to keep the faith. A time to keep trusting God. A time to keep your focus on Godly things.