Ye are the light of the world

     In my email every morning, I receive an email that gives me a new Hungarian word to learn every day. I am given three possible English meanings for the Hungarian word given and then I give it my best guess before scrolling down to see the correct translation. Today the word was világos, meaning bright, but as I browsed over the three possible meanings, I was surprised to see how beautifully all three of them went together even though the author probably didn't see the connection him or herself. But as I read the words, a Bible passage came to mind:

     "14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

     In the Hungarian Bible, "világosság" is the word used for light. So the connection between these three words was perfect! I pray that my (a.) candle will be (b.) bright in the (c.) world!

Quicken Me

     As I was reading Psalm 119 this morning, one particular word kept jumping off the page at me. It was the word "quicken". After a word search, I found that "quicken" appeared 9 times within these 176 verses. The word itself means to "revive" or to "make alive". So what does the Psalmist request be quickened?

Quicken thou me according to thy word
(Psalm 119:25, 107, and 154)
Sometimes we can read the words of the Bible almost mechanically without giving thought to what we are reading. May our Bible reading be preceded with a prayer to quicken our hearts to receive the Word of God.
I am reading a book called "I Dared to Call Him Father" by a former Muslim who accepted Christ as her Saviour, Bilquis Sheikh. She made his statement about her Bible reading: "Something happened to me as I went through the book; instead of reading the Bible, I found myself living it. It was as if I stepped through its pages into that ancient world of Palestine when Jesus Christ walked the stony roads of Galilee. I watched as He preached and taught, as He lived out His message in everyday situations, as He displayed the power of the Spirit and finally s He went to the cross and passed victoriously through the experience of death." May our hearts be quickened according to His Word!

Quicken thou me in thy way
(Psalm 119:37)
He also quickens us to stay on a godly path. When we are sensitive to His leading, the Holy Spirit can remind us before a lie is about to pass our lips or from doing something that is not pleasing to Him so that we can continue in fellowship with Him, unimpeded by sin. May we be quickened in His way.

Quicken me in thy righteousness
(Psalm 119:40)
Verse 40 says I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. A precepts is basically an authoritative rule for action. May He quicken us to follow His righteous law.

Quicken me after thy lovingkindness
(Psalm 119:88 and 159)
The Lord also quickens us with His tender mercy. Verse 88 says this is so as to keep the testimony of thy mouth. We just can't help but speak of what the Lord has done for us! May we be quickened to His lovingkindness.

Quicken me according to the judgment
(Psalm 119:149 and 156)
This seems to go hand in hand with lovingkindness, such as is seen in verse 149. The Psalmist begins with "Hear my voice". The Lord in His love listens to His children. May our hearts be quickened to receive His answer.