The FSM staff is meditating together on portions of Psalm 119. Today’s portion was verses 129–136. Here are some of the places we paused: Verse 129 – “Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul observes them.” → His Word is wonderful. My soul wants to obey. Verse 131 – “I opened my mouth and panted, longing for Your commandments.” → Do I long for His commandments with such thirst that I pant? Verse 132 – God deals graciously with those who love Him. → What a comfort—His manner is full of grace. Verse 133 – “Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” → Walking in His Word guards us from being ruled by sin. Verse 134 – “Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts.” → Wow. We’ve talked often about knowing and owning our personal values, before we even talk about our ministry values. If I know why I value time with God, integrity, truth, fellowship, and obedience… if I know why I hold myself to private accountability and honesty, then I bring a whole, healthy self into ministry with others. So we asked: How does the oppression of man threaten our ability to keep God’s precepts? And, just as powerfully: How does keeping His precepts guard us from being shaken by oppression? Verse 135 – “Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.” → We want to know His glad countenance—and to keep learning from Him. Verse 136 – “My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your law.” → Lord, cause us to grieve deeply for those who reject Your ways. Do you have the privilege of meditating on God’s Word with others? (fb)

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This verse declares the profound love of God demonstrated through Christ’s death—not for the worthy, but for sinners, revealing grace in its most stunning form. Colossians 2:14–15 – “[He] canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (fb)