“Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger; do not discipline me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord for my bones are shaking.” (Psalm 6:1-2 CSB).
How many times have we prayed a similar prayer? I can’t number my own pleas in this area. Later David will cry, “For troubles without numbers have surrounded me; my sins have overtaken me; I am unable to see, they are more than the hairs on my head . . . .” (Psalm 40:12 CSB–emphasis mine).
Have you ever noticed that when it is us, we want to be treated with mercy and kindness, but when it is someone else we want justice? We want the Lord and people to deal kindly with us but we think nothing of dealing harshly with others. We excuse our ugliness by claiming, “We’re just being honest,” or “They deserve it.” Too many of us live with a hypocritical double standard. We want to be handled respectably with “kid gloves” while pummeling others ruthlessly. We want God to show us mercy despite our many failings, yet we insist on the right to dispense “justice” on others. This ought not be.
Those of us who are recipients of grace should be dispensing grace; those of us who cry to God for mercy should be in turn merciful even to those who don’t deserve it. Both grace and mercy are undeserved by definition. We don’t receive God’s grace or God’s mercy because we are deserving, quite the opposite. It is testimony to our sinful, selfish natures when we cry to God for mercy yet refuse to show mercy to others. Jesus put it this way: 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:32-36 NIV).
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Finding Security in Uncertain Times
“But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in you. Keep them shouting for joy because you are defending them. Fill all who love you with your happiness. For you bless the godly man. O Lord; you protect him with your shield of love.” (Psalm 5:11-12 TLB).
Where is your security today? Is it in something that can be taken away? If so, you are on dangerous ground.
What about your happiness? Does you happiness depend upon the outward circumstances of your life? If so, your happiness at best will be fleeting.
But, if your security is in God, if your happiness springs from within, from your relationship with Him, you are on solid ground; you are truly secure because you are kept by His power which is unlimited. What a marvelous place of rest that is! How comforting to know that even in the torrential down-pours of this life, those who put their hope in the Lord are promised the sure protection of His unfailing love.
Where is your security today? Is it in something that can be taken away? If so, you are on dangerous ground.
What about your happiness? Does you happiness depend upon the outward circumstances of your life? If so, your happiness at best will be fleeting.
But, if your security is in God, if your happiness springs from within, from your relationship with Him, you are on solid ground; you are truly secure because you are kept by His power which is unlimited. What a marvelous place of rest that is! How comforting to know that even in the torrential down-pours of this life, those who put their hope in the Lord are promised the sure protection of His unfailing love.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Watch Your Associations
“4 You don’t socialize with Wicked, or invite Evil over as your houseguest.” (Psalm 5:4 MSG).
In this verse David is talking about God’s purity. The Christian Standard Bible renders this verse, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot lodge with You.”
Years ago J.B. Phillips wrote a book entitled “Your God is Too Small.” In that book Phillips discusses the many misconceptions people have about God. A.W. Tozer referred to such misconceptions as “the essence of idolatry” in his book “Knowledge of the Holy.” He said the seeds of idolatry begin with misconceived thoughts about God. Everywhere I go in our age I am amazed at the minuscule knowledge that even professed believers have about God; we have successfully de-elevated Him and made Him again after our own private images.
This de-elevation is most clearly seen in our conception of how God deals with sin. We have people today who teach that God understands and accepts certain sexual sins; preferences. In fact, we no longer want to call certain sins by their right name! Why? We’ve substituted a misconception of God, a God of wishy-washy love a God who only cares that people are happy, for the Holy God of the Bible. I heard one minister declare that God would rather have us happy than obedient. Apparently he has forgotten large portions of the Scripture including the portion found in our text.
I say all of this to make application of our text for today. How many Christians don’t follow the Biblical example and freely socialize with the wicked, inviting into their very hearts and minds the evil that God clearly condemns? I read recently of one singles group in Atlanta that has a weekly Bible study at Hooters restaurant. They need to read this passage.
Some will seek to justify such aberrant behavior saying, “But Jesus ate with sinners.” No question. The issue is not who you associate with as much as it is who you fellowship with–there is a world of difference. Jesus mingled with sinners but didn’t play with sin. We should follow that example.
In this verse David is talking about God’s purity. The Christian Standard Bible renders this verse, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot lodge with You.”
Years ago J.B. Phillips wrote a book entitled “Your God is Too Small.” In that book Phillips discusses the many misconceptions people have about God. A.W. Tozer referred to such misconceptions as “the essence of idolatry” in his book “Knowledge of the Holy.” He said the seeds of idolatry begin with misconceived thoughts about God. Everywhere I go in our age I am amazed at the minuscule knowledge that even professed believers have about God; we have successfully de-elevated Him and made Him again after our own private images.
This de-elevation is most clearly seen in our conception of how God deals with sin. We have people today who teach that God understands and accepts certain sexual sins; preferences. In fact, we no longer want to call certain sins by their right name! Why? We’ve substituted a misconception of God, a God of wishy-washy love a God who only cares that people are happy, for the Holy God of the Bible. I heard one minister declare that God would rather have us happy than obedient. Apparently he has forgotten large portions of the Scripture including the portion found in our text.
I say all of this to make application of our text for today. How many Christians don’t follow the Biblical example and freely socialize with the wicked, inviting into their very hearts and minds the evil that God clearly condemns? I read recently of one singles group in Atlanta that has a weekly Bible study at Hooters restaurant. They need to read this passage.
Some will seek to justify such aberrant behavior saying, “But Jesus ate with sinners.” No question. The issue is not who you associate with as much as it is who you fellowship with–there is a world of difference. Jesus mingled with sinners but didn’t play with sin. We should follow that example.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Start Your Day Right
How does your day start? Is it like mine– hectic? I am not a morning person. Never was. In fact, I am convinced that mornings are a result of the fall! In creation we always find Adam walking with God in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8 NLT). The fall messed everything up!
Of course I am saying some of this tongue in cheek, but at the same time with some seriousness. I am not a good morning person. So what I am about to say does not come to me naturally but comes only as a result of personal discipline. The Psalmist wrote: “Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply.” (Psalm 5:3 CEV). The Message puts this verse, “Every morning you’ll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.”
There is no better way to start your day! My experience is that when my laziness gets the best of me in the mornings and I finally jump out of bed and hit the floor running at 100 mph I spend my whole day running at that speed and falling further and further behind in the race. But, when I take time to “lay out the pieces of my life on your altar,” no matter how far behind I think I am that day, it all works out and I take the “checkered flag.”
Try something the rest of this week. Begin each day laying out the pieces of your life to the Heavenly Father. Put your appointments, your activities, your concerns on the altar and stand back at watch what happens. I think you’ll be excited at the difference it makes.
Of course I am saying some of this tongue in cheek, but at the same time with some seriousness. I am not a good morning person. So what I am about to say does not come to me naturally but comes only as a result of personal discipline. The Psalmist wrote: “Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply.” (Psalm 5:3 CEV). The Message puts this verse, “Every morning you’ll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.”
There is no better way to start your day! My experience is that when my laziness gets the best of me in the mornings and I finally jump out of bed and hit the floor running at 100 mph I spend my whole day running at that speed and falling further and further behind in the race. But, when I take time to “lay out the pieces of my life on your altar,” no matter how far behind I think I am that day, it all works out and I take the “checkered flag.”
Try something the rest of this week. Begin each day laying out the pieces of your life to the Heavenly Father. Put your appointments, your activities, your concerns on the altar and stand back at watch what happens. I think you’ll be excited at the difference it makes.
Friday, July 3, 2009
When "God Bless America" will mean something
"Doing what is right makes a nation great, but sin will bring disgrace to any people." (Proverbs 14:34, NCV).
Since this is July 4th weekend, I thought it appropriate that my thoughts center on patriotic themes. Often I hear our political leaders ending their speeches with a perfunctory “God bless America.” Let me state right at the beginning of this article that such sentiments are useless as long as we as a nation persist in pursing courses in our private and public lives that God cannot bless.
In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, Israel thought it was safe because of their heritage, because they were the chosen people of God, because the temple of God was located in Jerusalem. " The Lord told me to stand by the gate of the temple and to tell the people who were going in that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said: Pay attention, people of Judah! Change your ways and start living right, then I will let you keep on living in your own country. Don’t fool yourselves! My temple is here in Jerusalem, but that doesn’t mean I will protect you. I will keep you safe only if you change your ways. Be fair and honest with each other." (Jeremiah 7:3-5, CEV). I fear there are many in America who are making the same mistake Israel of Old made. We may not be declaring “This is where God lives;” our deception comes in the mistake belief that “God bless America” is a magic mantra that will somehow keep us safe!
Thomas Jefferson warned, "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they cannot be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever."
George Washington said, “Of all the habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would men claim the tributes of patriotism who would work to destroy these great pillars of human happiness. . . Do not let anyone claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics."
John Adams warned: "There is no Government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion." He went on to say, "Our constitution was only made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Newsweek Magazine, August 1976 reminded us that "America was in fact born in the cradle of a powerful spiritual revival." And it was! We need to stop this silliness today that we call the separation of church and state. The founding fathers never intended to keep religion out of public life! Indeed, James Madison, one of the framers of our Constitution said, James Madison, the framer of the Constitution said, "We have staked the whole future of American Civilization not on the power of the Government, far from it. We have staked the future of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
We’ve lost that today. We want God’s blessing on everything we happen to like doing. We cannot understand why we are in the condition we are in today as a nation. We are following history and we are on the sunset of our greatness. We cannot continue to defy God espousing unions that are sinful, murdering innocent unborn children, proclaiming immorality to be moral, promoting corrupt policies, and the list can go on and on. If we want to recapture America’s greatness, we must return whole-heartedly to the God of the Bible. We need to declare this July 4th, not our independence from God but our utter dependance upon him. Then, the words “God bless America” will truly mean something.
Since this is July 4th weekend, I thought it appropriate that my thoughts center on patriotic themes. Often I hear our political leaders ending their speeches with a perfunctory “God bless America.” Let me state right at the beginning of this article that such sentiments are useless as long as we as a nation persist in pursing courses in our private and public lives that God cannot bless.
In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, Israel thought it was safe because of their heritage, because they were the chosen people of God, because the temple of God was located in Jerusalem. " The Lord told me to stand by the gate of the temple and to tell the people who were going in that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said: Pay attention, people of Judah! Change your ways and start living right, then I will let you keep on living in your own country. Don’t fool yourselves! My temple is here in Jerusalem, but that doesn’t mean I will protect you. I will keep you safe only if you change your ways. Be fair and honest with each other." (Jeremiah 7:3-5, CEV). I fear there are many in America who are making the same mistake Israel of Old made. We may not be declaring “This is where God lives;” our deception comes in the mistake belief that “God bless America” is a magic mantra that will somehow keep us safe!
Thomas Jefferson warned, "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they cannot be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever."
George Washington said, “Of all the habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would men claim the tributes of patriotism who would work to destroy these great pillars of human happiness. . . Do not let anyone claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics."
John Adams warned: "There is no Government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion." He went on to say, "Our constitution was only made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Newsweek Magazine, August 1976 reminded us that "America was in fact born in the cradle of a powerful spiritual revival." And it was! We need to stop this silliness today that we call the separation of church and state. The founding fathers never intended to keep religion out of public life! Indeed, James Madison, one of the framers of our Constitution said, James Madison, the framer of the Constitution said, "We have staked the whole future of American Civilization not on the power of the Government, far from it. We have staked the future of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
We’ve lost that today. We want God’s blessing on everything we happen to like doing. We cannot understand why we are in the condition we are in today as a nation. We are following history and we are on the sunset of our greatness. We cannot continue to defy God espousing unions that are sinful, murdering innocent unborn children, proclaiming immorality to be moral, promoting corrupt policies, and the list can go on and on. If we want to recapture America’s greatness, we must return whole-heartedly to the God of the Bible. We need to declare this July 4th, not our independence from God but our utter dependance upon him. Then, the words “God bless America” will truly mean something.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Rest in the Midst of Turmoil
“I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.” (Psalm 4:8 CEV).
We live in an age of high anxiety. Many toss and turn restlessly upon their beds worried about what tomorrow may bring or regretting the actions done or stewing over ill-treatment received.
It would have been easy for David to be in such a state of anxiety. As he pens the words to this Psalm, his son Absalom is well into plans for a coup and his dear friend and confident Ahithophel has viciously turned against him and is spreading lies all over Jerusalem about him. Please understand that those who pen words such as the ones found in our text are not immune from struggles. Often we forget this when we read Scripture. We think it is easy for these men to write such lofty words of hope, they don’t know what real life is like! Truth be told, I wouldn’t trade places with any one of the Biblical characters for anything! Their great words of encouragement all come to us from the depths of trials.
David, who is heart-sick, never-the-less can rest in comfort not because the outward circumstances were all going his way, but because of his settled trust in God. He slept soundly on the eve of rebellion and he slept soundly while running for his life during that rebellion because he wasn’t focused on the outward circumstances but on the inner reality that God was still in control.
Are there things in your life that have you torn up inside–tossing and turning and unable to get a good night’s sleep from the stress. Try the Biblical sleep-aid, put your trust in God.
We live in an age of high anxiety. Many toss and turn restlessly upon their beds worried about what tomorrow may bring or regretting the actions done or stewing over ill-treatment received.
It would have been easy for David to be in such a state of anxiety. As he pens the words to this Psalm, his son Absalom is well into plans for a coup and his dear friend and confident Ahithophel has viciously turned against him and is spreading lies all over Jerusalem about him. Please understand that those who pen words such as the ones found in our text are not immune from struggles. Often we forget this when we read Scripture. We think it is easy for these men to write such lofty words of hope, they don’t know what real life is like! Truth be told, I wouldn’t trade places with any one of the Biblical characters for anything! Their great words of encouragement all come to us from the depths of trials.
David, who is heart-sick, never-the-less can rest in comfort not because the outward circumstances were all going his way, but because of his settled trust in God. He slept soundly on the eve of rebellion and he slept soundly while running for his life during that rebellion because he wasn’t focused on the outward circumstances but on the inner reality that God was still in control.
Are there things in your life that have you torn up inside–tossing and turning and unable to get a good night’s sleep from the stress. Try the Biblical sleep-aid, put your trust in God.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Promised Protection
“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him. (Psalm 4:3 NIV).
Two marvelous promises to start our day! First, isn’t it wonderful to know that God has set apart for His special use and care those who are godly; that is, those who are in Christ Jesus and live like it? There is s similar promise in 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB--emphasis mine). So, this first promise leads me to a questions and a promise. When God’s eyes fall upon you, does He see one whose heart is fully committed to Him? If so, you can be certain of two more things: one, He has you marked for His own and two, you can count on His strong support; he won’t let you down.
The second marvelous promise in our text is the promise that God hears when the godly call to Him in prayer. When people tell me that they never get an answer to prayer, that doesn’t make me wonder about the promises of God, it makes me wonder about them! God’s promise is that He will hear His people when they call to Him. But again notice the link: it is godly people God hears not those who claim to be His but are living godless lives. The Bible says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2 NIV). Make sure there is no purposeful or unconfessed sin in your life.
Two marvelous promises. If you are living like a believer be assured that God has marked you for Himself and the God who marked you for Himself will surely hear your petitions when you cry out to Him.
Two marvelous promises to start our day! First, isn’t it wonderful to know that God has set apart for His special use and care those who are godly; that is, those who are in Christ Jesus and live like it? There is s similar promise in 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB--emphasis mine). So, this first promise leads me to a questions and a promise. When God’s eyes fall upon you, does He see one whose heart is fully committed to Him? If so, you can be certain of two more things: one, He has you marked for His own and two, you can count on His strong support; he won’t let you down.
The second marvelous promise in our text is the promise that God hears when the godly call to Him in prayer. When people tell me that they never get an answer to prayer, that doesn’t make me wonder about the promises of God, it makes me wonder about them! God’s promise is that He will hear His people when they call to Him. But again notice the link: it is godly people God hears not those who claim to be His but are living godless lives. The Bible says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2 NIV). Make sure there is no purposeful or unconfessed sin in your life.
Two marvelous promises. If you are living like a believer be assured that God has marked you for Himself and the God who marked you for Himself will surely hear your petitions when you cry out to Him.
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