Paula Wiseman, Author at Paula Wiseman

Flee as a Bird

Flee as a bird to your mountain,
Thou who art weary of sin;
Go to the clear-flowing fountain,
Where you may wash and be clean;
Fly, for th’avenger is near thee,
Call, and the Saviour will hear thee,
He on His bosom will bear thee;
Oh, thou who art weary of sin,
Oh, thou who art weary of sin.

He will protect thee forever,
Wipe every falling tear;
He will forsake thee oh, never,
Sheltered so tenderly there!
Haste, then, the hours are flying,
Spend not the moments in sighing,
Cease from your sorrow and crying,
The Saviour will wipe ev’ry tear,
The Saviour will wipe ev’ry tear.

Oh, ’twill be joy when I see Him!
See Him and hear Him say, come!
Oh, ’twill be joy when I hear Him,
Saying, my child, welcome home!
Now thou art free from thy sorrow,
There thou shalt ne’er trouble borrow,
Night never comes nor tomorrow,
With Jesus forever to dwell,
With Jesus forever to dwell.

Mary Dana Shindler, 1840
Read Psalm 11:1-7

It seems nothing is certain and stable anymore. “Flee as a Bird” encourages us to trust in God’s unwavering care and to turn to Jesus for comfort and guidance, especially when we feel overwhelmed. Even more importantly, it testifies that the only remedy for our weariness from our sin burden is to seek refuge in in the cleansing work of Christ. Soak in its message of comfort and hope.

Wanna Boast?

By Paula Wiseman

Consider Jeremiah 9:23-24 on boasting:

23 Thus says the LORD:
This is authoritative. You should listen.

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
The bachelor’s, the master’s, the PhD,
The IQ, the experience, the insights.

let not the mighty man boast in his might,
The endurance, the bench press, the diet,
The workout, the dedication, the miles.

let not the rich man boast in his riches,
The overtime, the bargains, the deals,
The retirement funds, the vacations, the car

24 but let him who boasts boast in this,
But if you wanna boast,
There is one boast that’s allowed.

that he understands and knows me,
Not just a passing familiarity or lip service.
It’s a deep experiential knowledge rooted in relationship and devotion.

Who is it that you know?

that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
YAHWEH the covenant God
Who practices – regularly engages in
Steadfast love – in Hebrew it’s hesed. It’s gracious favor and love.
Justice – He behaves rightly toward His people because of His own righteous character
Righteousness – Moral uprightness
In the earth – in a visible, manifest way.

For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
Not only does He practice them, but He delights in them,
And by extension, He delights in those who practice them as well.

How’s your boasting?

Truth from Thessalonians: Doing Good

By Paula Wiseman

As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NLT)

You know the New Testament was written in Greek not English. Many times there is not 1 Greek word which gets translated to 1 English word in a verse. For instance, in this very verse, “dear brothers and sisters” is one word, adelphoi.

Then there’s the “of” … or “in” depending on your translation.
It’s not there in Greek

So
Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (CSB)
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (ESV)
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. (NASB)
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. (KJV)
And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. (NIV)

Don’t give up.
Don’t get discouraged or burned out.
Hang in there.

And what about “doing good”?
It seems pretty obvious that it means good works, right?
Yes, but it also carries an idea of virtue.

Do good works-
Be kind, generous, helpful, loving.
Do what is right-
Be morally pure, holy even.

So here’s a paraphrase:

Don’t let the bad things going on around you
Or the bad people doing what they do
Keep you from doing what you’ve been called to do.

Keep doing good in spite of it all.

Scattering Precious Seed

By Paula Wiseman

Scattering precious seed by the wayside,
Scattering precious seed by the hillside;
Scattering precious seed o’er the field, wide,
Scattering precious seed by the way.

Scattering precious seed for the growing,
Scattering precious seed, freely sowing,
Scattering precious seed, trusting, knowing,
Surely the Lord will send it the rain. [Refrain]

Scattering precious seed, doubting never,
Scattering precious seed, trusting ever;
Sowing the word with prayer and endeavor,
Trusting the Lord for growth and for yield. [Refrain]

Refrain
Sowing in the morning,
Sowing at the noontide;
Sowing in the evening,
Sowing the precious seed by the way.

William Ogden, 1892
Read Luke 8:5-15

This is a simple hymn, but it reminds us that our focus, our responsibility is the sowing. We just have to get the gospel out there. God is responsible for the results. How do we sow? Praying and trusting God. The pressure is off. Sow some good seed today!

Truth from Thessalonians: Pray for Us

By Paula Wiseman

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

The Apostle Paul had prayer requests.
Think on it for a moment.
Do we ever hesitate to ask for prayer when we need it?
Maybe we think we “should” be able to handle things…
Maybe we don’t want to “bother” people…

Not Paul.

And he asked for prayer for the thing he was best at
The thing he was known for
Evangelizing.

Notice what he requests.

That the word would spread rapidly.
That the word would be glorified.
That they would be rescued from perverse and evil men who would oppose them.

That’s actually a very good prayer for today.
Pray that the gospel would spread rapidly.
Our world is in desperate need.
Pray that the word of God would be glorified.
What a seismic shift that would be.
Pray that believers would be delivered from opposition.
Imagine if we all prayed that for each other.

Finally, brethren, pray for us.

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart

By Paula Wiseman

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet,
a light to my path alway,
to guide and to save me from sin,
and show me the heav’nly way.

Forever, O Lord, is thy Word
established and fixed on high;
thy faithfulness unto all men
abideth forever nigh. [Refrain]

At morning, at noon, and at night
I ever will give thee praise;
for thou art my portion, O Lord,
and shall be through all my days! [Refrain]

Through him whom thy Word hath foretold,
the Savior and Morning Star,
salvation and peace have been brought
to those who have strayed afar. [Refrain]

Refrain:
Thy Word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against thee;
that I might not sin, that I might not sin,
thy Word have I hid in my heart.

Ernest O. Sellers, 1908
Read Psalm 119:9-16

We cannot overestimate how important Scripture is in the life of a believer. It acts as a guiding light, providing wisdom and clarity in times of uncertainty. In its pages we find comfort, inspiration, and a moral compass to navigate the complexities of life. God reveals Himself, His character and His ways through His word. It’s available to us in multiple formats, so it’s accessible almost anywhere we go. Dig in and hide the Word in your heart. you won’t regret it.