Day One, Luke 1:46-49; It must have been a shock to Mary when the angel appeared with the message that her calling was to be the mother of the long awaited Savior. No doubt dozens of unspoken questions and doubts about her ability to mother this child swirled around her head as she tried to mentally get her arms around her calling. But like all people of faith must do in such situations, Mary yielded her doubts and questions to confidence that God knew what He was doing and that He would guide her and stand by her in everyway, all the way. Faced with uncertainty in our lives, when we follow Mary’s example and yield to our confidence in God instead of our questions and doubts we can join her song, “He who is mighty has done great things for me” because we know that our loving heavenly Father will see us through.
Day Two, Luke 1:5-23; Both Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah were past their prime when it came to conceiving a child. According to the story Zachariah was going about his duties as a priest when the angel appeared to him and informed him that “your prayer is heard”, indicating that he and Elizabeth had probably been praying for a baby for several years. From his response, the news seemed to catch Zechariah off guard. No doubt this couple had prayed expectantly for a child at first, but in later years their prayers had become a mere formality. This story teaches us that God not only hears our prayers, but answers them—not always at the time we expected or in the way we anticipated. Sometimes the answer gives us what we ask for, at other times it may redirect our desires in another direction, but many times it simply gives us a clearer understanding of why things are as they are. So keep praying and eventually, within your mind you will realize that “your prayer is heard” as you see things developing or working out according to God’s special plan for your life.
Day Three, Luke 2:1-8; Remember the church Christmas programs where the kids acted out the Christmas story? I recall being in one many years ago where the director of the program was not satisfied with the way the boy portraying the innkeeper said “I have no room for you.” She told him to “spit it out” and to be as hateful as possible. Unfortunately, this is the picture we most often have of the innkeeper. But in reality his decision not to let them stay in the inn could have been an act of kindness. According to some scholars of that period an inn was no place for a woman who about to give birth. An inn in biblical times was usually a large common area where people could sleep. Perhaps the innkeeper’s decision to put this couple up in the cave he used to shelter his guest’s animals was out of concern for her obvious condition. Could it be that one of the subtext of the Christmas story is that we need to guard against ascribing malicious intent to other people’s actions when we don’t really understand their reasons? Regardless of people’s motives, God’s purpose for us will always be fulfilled if we trust him, “And she gave birth to her first-born son…and laid him in a manger for there was no place for them in the inn.”
Day Four, Luke 2:15-18; Retailers usually expect the day after Christmas will be a very busy day because of people scurrying around in order to take advantage of after Christmas sales and trying to exchange merchandise. In our lesson for today, we find the shepherds scurrying around, but they were hurrying to respond to the message they had received from the angelic hosts. In a Christmas message from this text, my late father said that one of the greatest hindrances to most church people having something to testify about was their tendency to hear or read some good word from the Lord, think to themselves “That’s nice, I don’t have time to pursue it now, but I’ll really get into it later.” Of course things always seem to keep crowding in front of good intention and we never get around to “getting into it”. . Let’s resolve to be more like the shepherds, when they heard the good word from God, they immediately made time to check it out and experience it firsthand, then they had something to share with other people! “Let us go…and see this thing…which the Lord has made known to us…and when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them…and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.”
Day Five, Luke 2:8-14; This familiar story reminds us that Jesus birth was not just for the religious people but for those considered to be beyond the reach of religion. According to Marvin R. Vincent, D.D. , in “Word Studies in the New Testament” shepherds were under Rabbinic ban (which meant they were considered outside God’s love and covenant) due to the nature of their work which kept them from temple observances and from strict observance of Sabbath and other religious laws. Throughout the Bible, God turns men’s traditions upside down and He does it again by making the first announcement of the Savior’s birth to men who had been told time and time again that God couldn’t possible love them. As we unwrap our presents and celebrate with our family (people whom God obviously loves), why not take a moment to reflect on how to become a messenger of God’s grace to those we too often consider outside the scope of God’s concern? Perhaps we can volunteer at a shelter or mission, maybe we need to kinder to people who are different from us. Perhaps we need to change our attitude toward the people who don’t attend our church. “I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born…a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Day Six, Luke 2:19-21; What has your response been to Christmas? Our lesson today illustrates two of the best responses we can make to the truths of Christmas. First, we are told that Mary “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” This indicates that she made a deliberate effort to memorize the events of the day and spent time meditating on their significance. Someone once said that “faith waivers in the face of difficulties when memories of God’s care have faded.” Mary knew that the circumstances of Jesus birth and the special reason for his coming would produce trying and difficult times in the coming years, therefore she wanted to be certain that she could recall those wonderful moments which would affirm that God was indeed at work. The second response was that of the shepherds, we are told they “returned, glorying and praising God”. The usual take on this verse is that they returned to their flocks, but the previous verses indicate that they had been to see Mary and the baby, left and now we read that they returned. To me this indicates that they returned again and again to see mother and child. To fully grasp God’s mercy and love, it is not enough to just experience it and go on. We need to respond to it by returning over and over to find reassurance and renewal. Then we can live our lives continually “glorifying and praising God for all we (they) had heard and seen.”
Day Seven, Matthew 2:1-12; A look at the Christmas story would be incomplete without mentioning the Magi (even though their visit was probably a year or so after Jesus’ birth). Again, we find God turning long held traditions upside down! The first announcement of Jesus birth came to Jewish men considered beyond God’s covenant and grace by the Jewish religious leaders. Now we find God drawing non-Jewish people from a distant land to the Christ child by means of what many would consider superstition. These Magi were men who studied the stars in order to understand events. Seeing what they took to be a new star they concluded that it was a sign that a new king had been born. No doubt these men were also wealthy merchants, so it was natural for them to want to curry favor with the royal family into whose palace the child had been born. It is interesting that so many of us are guilty of wanting God to follow a procedures manual when it comes to the way he draws people and leads us. When God doesn’t follow what we consider established protocol we tend to question the veracity of someone’s experience; or we balk at following God’s guidance for our own lives. Certainly, we must be careful about following our emotions and we must “try the spirits”, but we also need to be careful about dismissing circumstances, coincidences and impressions as not being forms of God’s guidance for our lives. God doesn’t always do things the way we expect (or want) Him to, but when our minds are attuned to his still small voice, our lives can be changed dramatically. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
Have a blessed and Joyous Christmas and
May God bless you all the way, everyday, in every way.
Robert Hidde
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Dec 14 thru 20, 2009
Day One: Proverbs 3:1,2. The biggest accomplishments that I’ve had during my career as both a pastor and businessman have resulted from making an effort to recall things I’ve learned from other people. Conversely, some of the biggest blunders I’ve made have been the result of not taking the time to remember what someone taught me. But more important to living confidently as a child of God than recalling what someone else taught us is making the effort to remember what our loving Heavenly Father teaches us. My son (child), do not forget my teaching…
Day Two: Proverbs 3:3,4. Have you ever trusted someone who betrayed that trust? Have you ever counted on people and had them let you down? Most of us have had that experience, haven’t we? We all know people who seem to be only interested in what’s in it for them. Their loyalty shifts with the wind, and they can’t be counted on to stand firm on any issue. Today’s proverb urges the child of God to make it a practice to be loyal and faithful in order to have a good reputation. Of course, we must be careful not to pledge our loyal to the wrong things or type of people. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you…
Day Three: Proverbs 3:5,6. I read a true story about the head of an earth moving firm whose company was commissioned to design and build huge equipment for the war effort during World War Two. He assembled his best engineers and they worked late into the night for several days without success. The longer these men worked the more frustrated they became because they couldn’t come up with a practical design. Wednesday night, the owner of the company announced that they could keep working if they wanted to, but he was going to church. He said he entered the church and joined in the hymns and prayers and became attuned to spiritual things when suddenly his mind cleared and the design fell into place. After the service he rushed back to his weary engineers and shared his new ideas. After examining them they discovered that these concepts were the solution to the problems they had spent days trying to solve. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight…
Day Four: Proverbs 3:13,14. Wisdom and Understanding are two words that seem to dominate the book of Proverbs. Wisdom refers to skills in managing one’s life, and understanding refers to the ability to combine what we know (knowledge) with those skills in order to successfully handle life’s challenges and celebrations. This proverb tells us that the key to happiness is finding (that is mastering) the skills to manage one’s life and also knowing how to use those skills effectively. For the child of God, wisdom incorporates learning to manage our lives in the way God teaches us, and understanding could be called “sanctified common sense” in knowing how to apply those teachings to the various situations we encounter. Happy is the man (person) who finds wisdom, and the man (person) who gets understanding…
Day Five: Proverbs 3:21-23. I once heard an interview with a police officer who encountered an armed suspect in a crowded room. The suspect fired a shot at him and then fled through the crowd, the officer gave chase but the suspect got away (only to captured by other officers a few minutes later). Someone asked him why he didn’t fire at the fleeing suspect, his reply was that “Even though I am a trained marksman, there was the danger of hitting a bystander.” While we may have the skills to manage our lives there are times that we must use discretion (sound judgment) as to which skills to use. That doesn’t mean that we compromise God’s word or way, it simply means that we determine the best use of our skills in dealing with the situation. At times Jesus was kind and loving with his “enemies” and at other times he was harsh and critical. He combined wisdom with discretion in handling the affairs of his life. Keep sound wisdom and discretion…then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
Day Six: Proverbs 3:25,26. You know Murphy’s Law? It states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the most inopportune time.” Anyone who has lived any length of time has experience unexpected crisis. Peter Drucker, the management expert teaches us that a problem is something that occurs with enough frequency that we can fix it by applying the same formula as we did the last time, but because a crisis is usually a one time event we can’t use the same formula to fix it. The writer of this proverb recognizes that there will be times in life when things happen that can’t be anticipated and that seem beyond the wisdom and understanding we have. In those times, he tells us that if we have been following God’s ways we can be assured that God will bring us through it. Do not be afraid of sudden panic…for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
Day Seven: Proverbs 3:27-35. In its essence, life is about relationships and attitudes. We have to live around other people and we need to do our utmost to keep good relationships with them. This involves not only following the golden rule, but also not getting caught up in the petty dramas that people tend to play out with each other. A man once came to his minister and said he couldn’t stand a certain person and asked what to do. The minister’s wise advice was for him to begin a list of good things about the man. Within two months the two men had become best friends and eventually they became business partners. Why? Relationships are built (and destroyed) by the way we think about people (our attitude). When we have the right attitude toward someone, we are less likely to refuse to assist them, get riled up with our neighbors over trivial things or argue over silly matters. Keeping right attitudes toward others makes us wise in our maintaining our relationships. The wise will inherit honor…
Day Two: Proverbs 3:3,4. Have you ever trusted someone who betrayed that trust? Have you ever counted on people and had them let you down? Most of us have had that experience, haven’t we? We all know people who seem to be only interested in what’s in it for them. Their loyalty shifts with the wind, and they can’t be counted on to stand firm on any issue. Today’s proverb urges the child of God to make it a practice to be loyal and faithful in order to have a good reputation. Of course, we must be careful not to pledge our loyal to the wrong things or type of people. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you…
Day Three: Proverbs 3:5,6. I read a true story about the head of an earth moving firm whose company was commissioned to design and build huge equipment for the war effort during World War Two. He assembled his best engineers and they worked late into the night for several days without success. The longer these men worked the more frustrated they became because they couldn’t come up with a practical design. Wednesday night, the owner of the company announced that they could keep working if they wanted to, but he was going to church. He said he entered the church and joined in the hymns and prayers and became attuned to spiritual things when suddenly his mind cleared and the design fell into place. After the service he rushed back to his weary engineers and shared his new ideas. After examining them they discovered that these concepts were the solution to the problems they had spent days trying to solve. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight…
Day Four: Proverbs 3:13,14. Wisdom and Understanding are two words that seem to dominate the book of Proverbs. Wisdom refers to skills in managing one’s life, and understanding refers to the ability to combine what we know (knowledge) with those skills in order to successfully handle life’s challenges and celebrations. This proverb tells us that the key to happiness is finding (that is mastering) the skills to manage one’s life and also knowing how to use those skills effectively. For the child of God, wisdom incorporates learning to manage our lives in the way God teaches us, and understanding could be called “sanctified common sense” in knowing how to apply those teachings to the various situations we encounter. Happy is the man (person) who finds wisdom, and the man (person) who gets understanding…
Day Five: Proverbs 3:21-23. I once heard an interview with a police officer who encountered an armed suspect in a crowded room. The suspect fired a shot at him and then fled through the crowd, the officer gave chase but the suspect got away (only to captured by other officers a few minutes later). Someone asked him why he didn’t fire at the fleeing suspect, his reply was that “Even though I am a trained marksman, there was the danger of hitting a bystander.” While we may have the skills to manage our lives there are times that we must use discretion (sound judgment) as to which skills to use. That doesn’t mean that we compromise God’s word or way, it simply means that we determine the best use of our skills in dealing with the situation. At times Jesus was kind and loving with his “enemies” and at other times he was harsh and critical. He combined wisdom with discretion in handling the affairs of his life. Keep sound wisdom and discretion…then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
Day Six: Proverbs 3:25,26. You know Murphy’s Law? It states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the most inopportune time.” Anyone who has lived any length of time has experience unexpected crisis. Peter Drucker, the management expert teaches us that a problem is something that occurs with enough frequency that we can fix it by applying the same formula as we did the last time, but because a crisis is usually a one time event we can’t use the same formula to fix it. The writer of this proverb recognizes that there will be times in life when things happen that can’t be anticipated and that seem beyond the wisdom and understanding we have. In those times, he tells us that if we have been following God’s ways we can be assured that God will bring us through it. Do not be afraid of sudden panic…for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
Day Seven: Proverbs 3:27-35. In its essence, life is about relationships and attitudes. We have to live around other people and we need to do our utmost to keep good relationships with them. This involves not only following the golden rule, but also not getting caught up in the petty dramas that people tend to play out with each other. A man once came to his minister and said he couldn’t stand a certain person and asked what to do. The minister’s wise advice was for him to begin a list of good things about the man. Within two months the two men had become best friends and eventually they became business partners. Why? Relationships are built (and destroyed) by the way we think about people (our attitude). When we have the right attitude toward someone, we are less likely to refuse to assist them, get riled up with our neighbors over trivial things or argue over silly matters. Keeping right attitudes toward others makes us wise in our maintaining our relationships. The wise will inherit honor…
Monday, December 7, 2009
December 7 thru 13, 2009
Scholars tell us that Psalm 31 is a prayer that was written for use by individuals needing deliverance from personal enemies. Today our enemies may not carry swords or shot arrows at us, instead they may us half-truths and manipulation against us. And of course there are enemies that aren’t human which we must face, including our own tendencies, past failures and fears. I hope as you spend the week with this Psalm it will encourage you, inspire you and give you the confidence you need to serve the Lord a renewed trust, no matter what.
Day One: Psalm 31:1,2. Psychologist learned many years ago that people don’t think in words, they think in images. The poet begins by creating powerful visual images through the use of carefully chosen words. Throughout that land there were special places where an individual could seek refuge. Those who were seeking to harm them were not allowed to enter these places of refuge. The poet then continues with a plea for speedy rescue. Several months ago most of us were captivated by the story of the miners who were trapped in a coal mine back east. The miners were rescued, but no doubt the trapped miners were wondering what was taking so long. We know that the rescue crews worked as fast as they could but that but it took time for the engineers and workmen to do it safely. In thee, O Lord, do I seek refuge…be thou a rock of refuge for me…rescue me speedily!
Day Two: Psalm 31:3-5. A man and his family were on vacation in coal mining country and stopped to tour an old mine. Each tourist was given a miners helmet with a lamp on it as their guide explained that it was pitch dark down there and gave careful instructions about going through the tunnels. Dim electric bulbs lined their way into the mine, but once they were in the mine, the guide instructed them to light their miners lamps and then for dramatic effect, he turned out the electric bulbs. Suddenly the group was engulf by the darkness. The meager light from their lamps didn’t seem to penetrate it. Then they began to move forward into the darkness. Somehow the man had become separated from his family and wound up at the very back of the tour group. He said that most of the time he couldn’t see the person in front of him. He knew they were there, but he had to simply follow their sounds and walk in the light provided by his own small lamp. Suddenly, he became aware of red flashes several feet in front of him and realized that they came from his son’s athletic shoes (you know the kind that have a small light on the heel that flashes every time you take a step). He knew his son had positioned himself right behind the guide and he felt a sense of security in the midst of the darkness because he knew that if he followed the flashing lights he’d be guided safely out of the dark tunnel. “Lead me and guide me…into thy hands I commit my spirit…”
Day Three: Psalm 31:6-8. Lincoln is supposed to have said “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Whether he said it or someone else said it and he got credit for it doesn’t alter the fact that it is a true statement. The poet, beset by enemies declares that because he trust in the Lord’s steadfast love and deliverance he has decided to rejoice and be glad. In one of my dad’s old sermon briefs dealing with this passage, all he wrote beside verse seven was, “Counting hundred dollar bills on the half…tell about Jack.” I don’t know who Jack was, nor do I know the story he told about him, but I do know what counting hundred dollar bills on the halves means. There is an old saying that “some people would complain about the work if they were counting hundred dollar bills on the half” meaning they would get half of the money they counted. The obvious point being that some people choose to be unhappy and complain no matter what. As the objects of the Good Lord’s steadfast love, we should choose to find reasons to rejoice and be glad. The Psalmist declares “I will”, not “when things get better”. The greatest gift besides Jesus that we’ve been given is the ability to use our mind to make choices. The greatest choice we can make each day, regardless of circumstances is to find reasons to say with the Psalmist, “I will rejoice and be glad…”
Day Four: Psalm 31:13-16. Several years ago, I heard about a college aged church group that went mountain climbing. Naturally, they had experienced guides and the best safety equipment they could find. Everything went well until they reached the summit. The lead guide went first, followed by the department director (himself an experienced climber). In order to get to the summit, it was necessary to grasp the ledge with your hands, then swing your leg over the top and pull up onto it. The problem happened with the girl who was behind the department director. After she had placed her hands on the ledge, she looked down—and froze. “I can’t do this, she cried, if I swing my leg up I’ll miss the ledge and fall.” Calmly, the guide put his hands over hers and said, “Sue, God’s got you this far without falling, don’t you think he’ll get you the rest of the way?” Sue took a deep breath, swung her leg over the ledge and pulled herself up. Now this guide could have pointed out all the safety harnesses and ropes that would keep her from plunging to her death, but instead he tapped into her faith “God’s got you this far…” That’s what the poet means when he says, “My times are in thy hand…” Regardless of what obstacles we face, we can remind ourselves that God has gotten us this far and that proves he won’t fail us now.
Day Five: Psalm 31:19-20. I’m sure some people limit the meaning of verse 19 to a place we call Heaven. There is no doubt that Heaven will be a place of riches and splendor, but I don’t think the Psalmist was referring exclusively to the “sweet by and by” when he penned these words. I think he had been contrasting his own experiences. Like most of us, he no doubt had periods in his life when he tried to handle things his own way. During those times he had discovered just how meager the resources available to him were in his self-created refuge. Having grown in his faith through the years, and having learned to trust God in all of his circumstances, he knows from experience that within the refuge God provides there are riches of wisdom, peace, hope and deliverance. These are “laid up” in the place of refuge. All we have to do is enter it and discover its wondrous bounty. “O how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee and [are] wrought for those who take refuge in thee…”
Day Six: Psalm 31:21,22. Anyone who has lived any length of time has probably experienced feelings of total hopelessness, despair and alienation. Perhaps it was due to the loss of a job, financial difficulties, the break up of a marriage, the death of a loved one or it may have been because people they trusted betrayed them. That is the sense that I get as I visualize the scene the poet sets before us. He tells us that there have been times in his life when he felt like there was totally surrounded by adversity. He speaks of feeling alienated by his problems from not only his friends but even God. But then he declares that no matter how bad his circumstances or how hopeless his case appeared, God always heard his cry for help and came to his assistance. Of course, God doesn’t always give us instant relief by rigging the state lottery or casting magic spells to make our problems disappear. No, instead he does what any loving parent does, “he shows us his steadfast love” by responding to our cries for help with the things that will make us stronger, bigger and better. It might be fresh insights into a problem, it could be through a series of coincidences that introduces us to new people who are able to help us, or it could simply be giving us renewed hope and encouragement that helps us realize we have the resources to handle the situation. “Thou didst hear my supplications, when I cried to thee for help.”
Day Seven: Psalm 31:23,24. There are some important truths hidden beneath the surface of these verses. The worst thing for a relationship is one person to taking the other for granted. The fastest way to turn an ally into a foe is to take complete credit for his or her ideas. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference. The way to “turn off” a helpful friend is to become overly dependent on them for advice or help. For that reason, the poet encourages us to Love the Lord, be strong and think courage not fear in the face of adversity. Then we can be assured that when we wait for him, he will preserve us. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
Day One: Psalm 31:1,2. Psychologist learned many years ago that people don’t think in words, they think in images. The poet begins by creating powerful visual images through the use of carefully chosen words. Throughout that land there were special places where an individual could seek refuge. Those who were seeking to harm them were not allowed to enter these places of refuge. The poet then continues with a plea for speedy rescue. Several months ago most of us were captivated by the story of the miners who were trapped in a coal mine back east. The miners were rescued, but no doubt the trapped miners were wondering what was taking so long. We know that the rescue crews worked as fast as they could but that but it took time for the engineers and workmen to do it safely. In thee, O Lord, do I seek refuge…be thou a rock of refuge for me…rescue me speedily!
Day Two: Psalm 31:3-5. A man and his family were on vacation in coal mining country and stopped to tour an old mine. Each tourist was given a miners helmet with a lamp on it as their guide explained that it was pitch dark down there and gave careful instructions about going through the tunnels. Dim electric bulbs lined their way into the mine, but once they were in the mine, the guide instructed them to light their miners lamps and then for dramatic effect, he turned out the electric bulbs. Suddenly the group was engulf by the darkness. The meager light from their lamps didn’t seem to penetrate it. Then they began to move forward into the darkness. Somehow the man had become separated from his family and wound up at the very back of the tour group. He said that most of the time he couldn’t see the person in front of him. He knew they were there, but he had to simply follow their sounds and walk in the light provided by his own small lamp. Suddenly, he became aware of red flashes several feet in front of him and realized that they came from his son’s athletic shoes (you know the kind that have a small light on the heel that flashes every time you take a step). He knew his son had positioned himself right behind the guide and he felt a sense of security in the midst of the darkness because he knew that if he followed the flashing lights he’d be guided safely out of the dark tunnel. “Lead me and guide me…into thy hands I commit my spirit…”
Day Three: Psalm 31:6-8. Lincoln is supposed to have said “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Whether he said it or someone else said it and he got credit for it doesn’t alter the fact that it is a true statement. The poet, beset by enemies declares that because he trust in the Lord’s steadfast love and deliverance he has decided to rejoice and be glad. In one of my dad’s old sermon briefs dealing with this passage, all he wrote beside verse seven was, “Counting hundred dollar bills on the half…tell about Jack.” I don’t know who Jack was, nor do I know the story he told about him, but I do know what counting hundred dollar bills on the halves means. There is an old saying that “some people would complain about the work if they were counting hundred dollar bills on the half” meaning they would get half of the money they counted. The obvious point being that some people choose to be unhappy and complain no matter what. As the objects of the Good Lord’s steadfast love, we should choose to find reasons to rejoice and be glad. The Psalmist declares “I will”, not “when things get better”. The greatest gift besides Jesus that we’ve been given is the ability to use our mind to make choices. The greatest choice we can make each day, regardless of circumstances is to find reasons to say with the Psalmist, “I will rejoice and be glad…”
Day Four: Psalm 31:13-16. Several years ago, I heard about a college aged church group that went mountain climbing. Naturally, they had experienced guides and the best safety equipment they could find. Everything went well until they reached the summit. The lead guide went first, followed by the department director (himself an experienced climber). In order to get to the summit, it was necessary to grasp the ledge with your hands, then swing your leg over the top and pull up onto it. The problem happened with the girl who was behind the department director. After she had placed her hands on the ledge, she looked down—and froze. “I can’t do this, she cried, if I swing my leg up I’ll miss the ledge and fall.” Calmly, the guide put his hands over hers and said, “Sue, God’s got you this far without falling, don’t you think he’ll get you the rest of the way?” Sue took a deep breath, swung her leg over the ledge and pulled herself up. Now this guide could have pointed out all the safety harnesses and ropes that would keep her from plunging to her death, but instead he tapped into her faith “God’s got you this far…” That’s what the poet means when he says, “My times are in thy hand…” Regardless of what obstacles we face, we can remind ourselves that God has gotten us this far and that proves he won’t fail us now.
Day Five: Psalm 31:19-20. I’m sure some people limit the meaning of verse 19 to a place we call Heaven. There is no doubt that Heaven will be a place of riches and splendor, but I don’t think the Psalmist was referring exclusively to the “sweet by and by” when he penned these words. I think he had been contrasting his own experiences. Like most of us, he no doubt had periods in his life when he tried to handle things his own way. During those times he had discovered just how meager the resources available to him were in his self-created refuge. Having grown in his faith through the years, and having learned to trust God in all of his circumstances, he knows from experience that within the refuge God provides there are riches of wisdom, peace, hope and deliverance. These are “laid up” in the place of refuge. All we have to do is enter it and discover its wondrous bounty. “O how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee and [are] wrought for those who take refuge in thee…”
Day Six: Psalm 31:21,22. Anyone who has lived any length of time has probably experienced feelings of total hopelessness, despair and alienation. Perhaps it was due to the loss of a job, financial difficulties, the break up of a marriage, the death of a loved one or it may have been because people they trusted betrayed them. That is the sense that I get as I visualize the scene the poet sets before us. He tells us that there have been times in his life when he felt like there was totally surrounded by adversity. He speaks of feeling alienated by his problems from not only his friends but even God. But then he declares that no matter how bad his circumstances or how hopeless his case appeared, God always heard his cry for help and came to his assistance. Of course, God doesn’t always give us instant relief by rigging the state lottery or casting magic spells to make our problems disappear. No, instead he does what any loving parent does, “he shows us his steadfast love” by responding to our cries for help with the things that will make us stronger, bigger and better. It might be fresh insights into a problem, it could be through a series of coincidences that introduces us to new people who are able to help us, or it could simply be giving us renewed hope and encouragement that helps us realize we have the resources to handle the situation. “Thou didst hear my supplications, when I cried to thee for help.”
Day Seven: Psalm 31:23,24. There are some important truths hidden beneath the surface of these verses. The worst thing for a relationship is one person to taking the other for granted. The fastest way to turn an ally into a foe is to take complete credit for his or her ideas. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference. The way to “turn off” a helpful friend is to become overly dependent on them for advice or help. For that reason, the poet encourages us to Love the Lord, be strong and think courage not fear in the face of adversity. Then we can be assured that when we wait for him, he will preserve us. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving Week: Nov 22 thru 30, 2009
Thanksgiving is a spiritual opportunity to become more aware of God’s grace, goodness and glory. Let’s explore a few passages that can add special meaning for us during this season:
Day One: Proverbs 27:23,24a; Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever. Thanksgiving is also a good time for us to take stock of what we have and more importantly focus on how to better secure it. We need to pay close attention to the good things we have because if we don’t circumstances beyond our control can alter our sense of well being. For some reason, we human beings never seem to learn this lesson. When things are going good for us, we tend to take it for granted. For some reason, we just can’t imagine that business can slowdown, our job could be outsourced or our earning power could be diminished by illness or accident. In his sermon on the proper use of money, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism’s three points were: I. Make All You Can. II. Save All You Can. III. Give All You Can. Many years ago, a Christian bank president told me, “Bob, if you watch the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.” Both Wesley and the banker were saying what our text for today tell us, know well the condition of your flocks, give attention to your herds.
Day Two: Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget his benefits
In 2004 my wife wrote in her Thanksgiving column for the newsletter for Family Worship Now ministry (www.familyworshipnow.com),“No doubt you have read a few articles on the meaning of Thanksgiving during the past few weeks. You may have gathered an idea or two about how to make this Thanksgiving more meaningful. Last weekend, I was privileged to help celebrate my Great Aunt Mary’s 90th birthday. For those of us on the uphill side of 90 this may seem like a long journey, but one ninety-year-old told me a few years ago, “Ninety is not old when you get there!” One thing that I am thankful for is my family – young and old alike.
“At Thanksgiving we’ll get to see gratitude through multi-generational eyes. Some of us are just thankfully to occupy a little real estate, appreciate our health and have a smile that warms the room. Then there are our children that are learning all about gratitude and what it means to be thankful. As we model a thankful spirit, we teach the next generation the value of appreciating what seem to be the small things – which are really the big ones: Family, Friendship, Faith and even Forgetfulness for those little annoyances of others.
“You may want to pick up a drawing pad at the store and have everyone draw something for which they are thankful. It might me mom, dad, sister, brother or the cat or dog that is sketched on the pad. There could be a few surprises in the picture. This spontaneous expressions may mirror the soul.
Or everyone in the family could write in a journal those things for which they want to express gratitude. This could be an annual tradition. After a few years it would be fun to review the earlier entries in the journal.
“You may want to take a few minutes to go through your snap shots of the previous year and select several pictures and put them in a basket. Everyone can select one picture and share with the family why they are thankful for the person in the snapshot.
“Or you may want to write your favorite scripture verse about giving thanks or being thankful. One act of a thankful spirit might be committing those verses to memory.”
Day Three, Psalm 103:3; (One of God’s benefits is He) forgives all your iniquity, heals all your diseases… We often hear talk about original sin, but I prefer to follow the lead of Arminius. Arminius placed emphasis on what he called “original righteousness.” In the Adam and Eve story he saw not so much a paradise lost, but righteousness lost. When sin entered the world, the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from Adam and Eve. The result was they saw a self they couldn’t love and a world they couldn’t cope with. They had lost their sense of who they were created to be. Each of us long for a good sense of who we are. When we look in the mirror each morning, we want to be able to feel that we are basically decent people. But when we live lives that are in conflict with God’s way and will such a feeling is hard to maintain. But God offers forgiveness for our wrongdoing and with that comes a restoration of his Holy Spirit. (for more information on Original Righteous, request a copy of a paper I presented a few years ago on the subject before a Theological by replying to this email).
Day Four: Psalm 50:14; Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The preceding verses of this Psalm remind us that the purpose of our “sacrifices” of time, money, etc. to God are not done to repay God, to receive something from Him, impress Him, or to strengthen our relationship with Him. Rather they are ways to show our appreciation for Who He is and what He has done for us. How can we offer this sacrifice of thanksgiving? One way is to make time each day to give thanks to God for all the “blessings” we can think of. Another way is to live out His love toward others in our daily pursuits.
Day Five, Psalm 103:4,5; (God) redeems your life from the Pit, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Hebrew people used the word “Pit” to describe a dark place where you felt trapped, squeezed in, utterly helpless. Not only does God forgive our iniquities and restores his Spirit to us, thereby giving us a self we can live with and respect; he also lifts us from the dark places. He literally “restores our vibrancy and confidence” in the midst of our troubles
Day Six: Psalm 50:23; Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me. When our lives are lived in perpetual gratitude toward God for his kindness and blessings toward us we find it easier to live out the principles of His kingdom because we truly know just how much He loves us and cares for us. This helps us go in the right way and experience His salvation in depth.
Day Seven: Colossians 4:2; Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. Does this mean that we should only pray prayers of thanksgiving to God? No, we know from other teachings on the subject that we are to pray about everything that concerns us. I think what Paul is saying is that the key to praying real, in-depth prayers is to keep ourselves alert to all the reasons we have to be thankful. Being alert to all God’s benefits and blessings bolsters our faith thus giving us both confidence and power when we bring our concerns before God.
Day One: Proverbs 27:23,24a; Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever. Thanksgiving is also a good time for us to take stock of what we have and more importantly focus on how to better secure it. We need to pay close attention to the good things we have because if we don’t circumstances beyond our control can alter our sense of well being. For some reason, we human beings never seem to learn this lesson. When things are going good for us, we tend to take it for granted. For some reason, we just can’t imagine that business can slowdown, our job could be outsourced or our earning power could be diminished by illness or accident. In his sermon on the proper use of money, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism’s three points were: I. Make All You Can. II. Save All You Can. III. Give All You Can. Many years ago, a Christian bank president told me, “Bob, if you watch the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.” Both Wesley and the banker were saying what our text for today tell us, know well the condition of your flocks, give attention to your herds.
Day Two: Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget his benefits
In 2004 my wife wrote in her Thanksgiving column for the newsletter for Family Worship Now ministry (www.familyworshipnow.com),“No doubt you have read a few articles on the meaning of Thanksgiving during the past few weeks. You may have gathered an idea or two about how to make this Thanksgiving more meaningful. Last weekend, I was privileged to help celebrate my Great Aunt Mary’s 90th birthday. For those of us on the uphill side of 90 this may seem like a long journey, but one ninety-year-old told me a few years ago, “Ninety is not old when you get there!” One thing that I am thankful for is my family – young and old alike.
“At Thanksgiving we’ll get to see gratitude through multi-generational eyes. Some of us are just thankfully to occupy a little real estate, appreciate our health and have a smile that warms the room. Then there are our children that are learning all about gratitude and what it means to be thankful. As we model a thankful spirit, we teach the next generation the value of appreciating what seem to be the small things – which are really the big ones: Family, Friendship, Faith and even Forgetfulness for those little annoyances of others.
“You may want to pick up a drawing pad at the store and have everyone draw something for which they are thankful. It might me mom, dad, sister, brother or the cat or dog that is sketched on the pad. There could be a few surprises in the picture. This spontaneous expressions may mirror the soul.
Or everyone in the family could write in a journal those things for which they want to express gratitude. This could be an annual tradition. After a few years it would be fun to review the earlier entries in the journal.
“You may want to take a few minutes to go through your snap shots of the previous year and select several pictures and put them in a basket. Everyone can select one picture and share with the family why they are thankful for the person in the snapshot.
“Or you may want to write your favorite scripture verse about giving thanks or being thankful. One act of a thankful spirit might be committing those verses to memory.”
Day Three, Psalm 103:3; (One of God’s benefits is He) forgives all your iniquity, heals all your diseases… We often hear talk about original sin, but I prefer to follow the lead of Arminius. Arminius placed emphasis on what he called “original righteousness.” In the Adam and Eve story he saw not so much a paradise lost, but righteousness lost. When sin entered the world, the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from Adam and Eve. The result was they saw a self they couldn’t love and a world they couldn’t cope with. They had lost their sense of who they were created to be. Each of us long for a good sense of who we are. When we look in the mirror each morning, we want to be able to feel that we are basically decent people. But when we live lives that are in conflict with God’s way and will such a feeling is hard to maintain. But God offers forgiveness for our wrongdoing and with that comes a restoration of his Holy Spirit. (for more information on Original Righteous, request a copy of a paper I presented a few years ago on the subject before a Theological by replying to this email).
Day Four: Psalm 50:14; Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The preceding verses of this Psalm remind us that the purpose of our “sacrifices” of time, money, etc. to God are not done to repay God, to receive something from Him, impress Him, or to strengthen our relationship with Him. Rather they are ways to show our appreciation for Who He is and what He has done for us. How can we offer this sacrifice of thanksgiving? One way is to make time each day to give thanks to God for all the “blessings” we can think of. Another way is to live out His love toward others in our daily pursuits.
Day Five, Psalm 103:4,5; (God) redeems your life from the Pit, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Hebrew people used the word “Pit” to describe a dark place where you felt trapped, squeezed in, utterly helpless. Not only does God forgive our iniquities and restores his Spirit to us, thereby giving us a self we can live with and respect; he also lifts us from the dark places. He literally “restores our vibrancy and confidence” in the midst of our troubles
Day Six: Psalm 50:23; Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me. When our lives are lived in perpetual gratitude toward God for his kindness and blessings toward us we find it easier to live out the principles of His kingdom because we truly know just how much He loves us and cares for us. This helps us go in the right way and experience His salvation in depth.
Day Seven: Colossians 4:2; Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. Does this mean that we should only pray prayers of thanksgiving to God? No, we know from other teachings on the subject that we are to pray about everything that concerns us. I think what Paul is saying is that the key to praying real, in-depth prayers is to keep ourselves alert to all the reasons we have to be thankful. Being alert to all God’s benefits and blessings bolsters our faith thus giving us both confidence and power when we bring our concerns before God.
Monday, November 16, 2009
November 16 Thru 22, 2009
Day One, Psalm 22:11; Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Some of our greatest opportunities for experiencing the goodness and grace of God come when we feel like the Psalmist did. He apparently realized that for whatever reason, he was in over his head. Perhaps he had made a bad decision (that seemed right at the time), or maybe he had taken some bad advice from a trusted friend. Whatever the reason, he finds himself feeling at the end of his rope. He has looked to his left and his right and found no one to advise or assist him. Feeling totally isolated and alone, he turns to the One who will stand beside us and guide us. Of course, you might argue, had he turned to God before he got into this situation he wouldn’t have found himself in such a bind. That is true, but in reality, this writer was no different than you or me—and just as the propensity for making mistakes hasn’t changed over the years, neither has the grace, goodness and guidance of God.
Day Two, Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He protects those who take refuge in Him. The little book of Nahum is not what we would call a positive book. It is filled with images of wrath, judgment and chaos. But breaking into this dreary picture, like calm after a storm we find this oasis of reassurance. It is interesting that it is placed early on in the book. Perhaps, after writing what was on his heart, the writer went back and added these words to reassure the reader and those who heard it read that even in the bleakest of times, God does not forsake those who turn to him for refuge.
Day Three, Proverbs 24:19a; Do not fret because of evildoers. Someone once observed that we spend more time being worked up about what people whom we have no control over do than in trying to solve our own problems. Fretting about something means that we are letting it get under our skin to the point that it keeps us from focusing on more important issues. When we fret, we obsess about the matter and if we aren’t careful it can consume all our creative energies. People take advantage of other people—that’s life. People don’t always keep their word—that’s life too. People do all sorts of vile and evil things to each others—unfortunately, that’s life too. Obviously “fretting” about them does no good, so what should a Christian’s response be to these kinds of people? In the New Testament we are told to pray for those who mistreat us, lie about us and take advantage of us. We are also taught “not to let the sun go down on our feelings of anger”, which means we need to let things go, trust God for the best outcome and get on with the business of living!
Day Four, Proverbs 24:19b; Do not envy the wicked. Why do we become jealous of someone else? What makes us want what they’ve got? We can come up with all kinds of good sounding reasons such as, “I deserve it more than they do” or “I’m just as entitled at they are” but in truth we envy other people because we use a false standard by which to measure ourselves. When we look at other people, whether or not they are wicked, and use them as the standard by which we determine our sense of self worth we will always come up short. When this happens it is easy to fall into the trap of allowing jealousy to eat away at our minds and then we begin looking for shortcuts to bring us up to their level of attainment. This can lead to compromising not only our values but who we really are. Instead of using other people as the yardstick by which we measure success or spiritual growth look at where you’ve come from—this will give you a true measure of how far you’ve come and help you avoid envy.
Day Five, Proverbs 25:11; A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Words should be considered the most powerful weapons at our disposal. Our words can convey displeasure, anger or resentment. They can also tear down an individual and wound them deeply. But words don’t always have to be destructive. Words can comfort us, give us a sense of confidence, bolster our sagging self-image and create joy and enthusiasm. Of course, words can do much more that these examples, but the point is that the words we hear spoken to us (and that we speak to and about ourselves) carry a power impact on us. This is also true of the words we speak to other people—our words can escalate or de-escalate disagreements, persuade people or turn them against our ideas and encourage or discourage others. A word fitly spoken doesn’t just refer to saying soothing words, appreciative words or using upbeat language. It also means learning to choose our words and use tact and diplomacy when dealing with others.
Day Six, Proverbs 25:14; Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of a gift never given. The forecast called for rain and the overcast clouds and blustery winds made it appear that the heavens were pregnant with precipitation. This particular day, I was working out of my downtown office , so I took the precaution of putting on a London Fog all weather coat and grabbed my trusty umbrella as I ventured out for lunch. As I joined the throngs on the bustling sidewalk it was evident that I wasn’t the only one who was expecting the promised rain. But it didn’t rain, it just stay blustery and overcast. As I the elevator whisk me and a couple of other people back to our offices, one of them said, “The weather made fools of us again” as he looked at everyone’s umbrellas and topcoats. When we tell people things or promise them things, then fail to deliver on what we’ve said, we often make them feel foolish, especially if they were depending on us. In addition, they feel let down and cheated because we had built up their expectations and failed them. At issue is our credibility, which is the foundation upon which trust is built. Don’t make promises you can’t keep or have no intention of keeping.
Day Seven, Proverbs 25:25; Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. One tendency among preachers is to take a text like this and find symbolism in it. We do this in order to sound profound and perhaps to avoid having to deal with the plain truth that is stated. Instead of allegorizing this proverb (our souls are thirsty and we hear the good news of the gospel from the far country where God dwells) let’s just take it for what it says. We live in a negative world. Negativity is all around us—turn on the news and it’s all bad, at work the pressure and deadlines can become depressing, not to mention that most of the communications at work deal with what we aren’t doing right. Add to that all the problems that mount during the day and the fact that most of the folks we know love to tell us all the things wrong in their lives. People’s “souls” become thirsty to hear some good news, a good word, an encouraging or an uplifting story. Research has shown repeatedly that saints and sinners alike respond best to ideas and even criticism when it is presented in a positive way. This verse reminds us that not only do we need to hear “good news”—positive, life affirming news, but that we need to also be sharing the things that lifted our spirits and gave us a sense of joy. Of course, included in this is the best news of all—That God sent Jesus, not to bring a negative message of condemnation but a positive life affirming message of living abundantly.
Day Two, Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He protects those who take refuge in Him. The little book of Nahum is not what we would call a positive book. It is filled with images of wrath, judgment and chaos. But breaking into this dreary picture, like calm after a storm we find this oasis of reassurance. It is interesting that it is placed early on in the book. Perhaps, after writing what was on his heart, the writer went back and added these words to reassure the reader and those who heard it read that even in the bleakest of times, God does not forsake those who turn to him for refuge.
Day Three, Proverbs 24:19a; Do not fret because of evildoers. Someone once observed that we spend more time being worked up about what people whom we have no control over do than in trying to solve our own problems. Fretting about something means that we are letting it get under our skin to the point that it keeps us from focusing on more important issues. When we fret, we obsess about the matter and if we aren’t careful it can consume all our creative energies. People take advantage of other people—that’s life. People don’t always keep their word—that’s life too. People do all sorts of vile and evil things to each others—unfortunately, that’s life too. Obviously “fretting” about them does no good, so what should a Christian’s response be to these kinds of people? In the New Testament we are told to pray for those who mistreat us, lie about us and take advantage of us. We are also taught “not to let the sun go down on our feelings of anger”, which means we need to let things go, trust God for the best outcome and get on with the business of living!
Day Four, Proverbs 24:19b; Do not envy the wicked. Why do we become jealous of someone else? What makes us want what they’ve got? We can come up with all kinds of good sounding reasons such as, “I deserve it more than they do” or “I’m just as entitled at they are” but in truth we envy other people because we use a false standard by which to measure ourselves. When we look at other people, whether or not they are wicked, and use them as the standard by which we determine our sense of self worth we will always come up short. When this happens it is easy to fall into the trap of allowing jealousy to eat away at our minds and then we begin looking for shortcuts to bring us up to their level of attainment. This can lead to compromising not only our values but who we really are. Instead of using other people as the yardstick by which we measure success or spiritual growth look at where you’ve come from—this will give you a true measure of how far you’ve come and help you avoid envy.
Day Five, Proverbs 25:11; A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Words should be considered the most powerful weapons at our disposal. Our words can convey displeasure, anger or resentment. They can also tear down an individual and wound them deeply. But words don’t always have to be destructive. Words can comfort us, give us a sense of confidence, bolster our sagging self-image and create joy and enthusiasm. Of course, words can do much more that these examples, but the point is that the words we hear spoken to us (and that we speak to and about ourselves) carry a power impact on us. This is also true of the words we speak to other people—our words can escalate or de-escalate disagreements, persuade people or turn them against our ideas and encourage or discourage others. A word fitly spoken doesn’t just refer to saying soothing words, appreciative words or using upbeat language. It also means learning to choose our words and use tact and diplomacy when dealing with others.
Day Six, Proverbs 25:14; Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of a gift never given. The forecast called for rain and the overcast clouds and blustery winds made it appear that the heavens were pregnant with precipitation. This particular day, I was working out of my downtown office , so I took the precaution of putting on a London Fog all weather coat and grabbed my trusty umbrella as I ventured out for lunch. As I joined the throngs on the bustling sidewalk it was evident that I wasn’t the only one who was expecting the promised rain. But it didn’t rain, it just stay blustery and overcast. As I the elevator whisk me and a couple of other people back to our offices, one of them said, “The weather made fools of us again” as he looked at everyone’s umbrellas and topcoats. When we tell people things or promise them things, then fail to deliver on what we’ve said, we often make them feel foolish, especially if they were depending on us. In addition, they feel let down and cheated because we had built up their expectations and failed them. At issue is our credibility, which is the foundation upon which trust is built. Don’t make promises you can’t keep or have no intention of keeping.
Day Seven, Proverbs 25:25; Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. One tendency among preachers is to take a text like this and find symbolism in it. We do this in order to sound profound and perhaps to avoid having to deal with the plain truth that is stated. Instead of allegorizing this proverb (our souls are thirsty and we hear the good news of the gospel from the far country where God dwells) let’s just take it for what it says. We live in a negative world. Negativity is all around us—turn on the news and it’s all bad, at work the pressure and deadlines can become depressing, not to mention that most of the communications at work deal with what we aren’t doing right. Add to that all the problems that mount during the day and the fact that most of the folks we know love to tell us all the things wrong in their lives. People’s “souls” become thirsty to hear some good news, a good word, an encouraging or an uplifting story. Research has shown repeatedly that saints and sinners alike respond best to ideas and even criticism when it is presented in a positive way. This verse reminds us that not only do we need to hear “good news”—positive, life affirming news, but that we need to also be sharing the things that lifted our spirits and gave us a sense of joy. Of course, included in this is the best news of all—That God sent Jesus, not to bring a negative message of condemnation but a positive life affirming message of living abundantly.
Monday, November 9, 2009
November 9 thru 15, 2009
Day One, Micah 7:7a; But as for me, I will look to the Lord. My wife telephoned from her office to say that she had discovered that she didn’t have a valid insurance verification form in her vehicle (Oklahoma Statutes require such a form be in the vehicle at all times). I assured her that I had received it, and I’d get it to her. I first looked in the glove compartment of my own car, on the off chance that I had put both of them in it—no such luck. Then I looked in my paid insurance files—could have filed it with the bill—not there. Next, I went through my brief case, just in case I had forgotten to give it to her and it was mixed in with some papers—not there either. My next step in this search was to begin going through my letter tray and the “box of stuff” I keep under my desk—just in case—you guessed it, it wasn’t there. Finally, as I was about to call our agent to see about a replacement, a brilliant idea came to me—check the insurance policy file, which I did, and guess what—there it was in the most logical place for it. I was so involved with trying to solve the problem that I had overlooked the obvious first place to look. Isn’t that the same way we are when it comes to dealing with life’s problems? The obvious place to look for guidance and help is the Lord, but so often we make it the last place we look.
Day Two, Micah 7:7b; I will wait for the God of my salvation; A story attributed to the great twentieth century preacher, Peter Marshall tells about his experience trying to fix a toy for his son. It seems that the boy had broken something, I think it was a model airplane. He brought the broken plane to Dr. Marshall, who assured him that he could fix it. Patiently, the boy waited as his father looked carefully at the pieces and began the tedious task of gluing them together. If you’ve ever tried to glue something back together, you don’t always get the pieces lined up perfectly on the first try—well, Dr. Marshall had the same problem. After what seemed like an eternity to the boy, his father finally got the pieces just right. But impatient from waiting and assuming his father needed help, the little lad reached out and grabbed part of the plane and said, “Let me help you fix it.” Needless to say, the careful alignment of the pieces that Dr. Marshall had finally achieved was disturbed and the tedious process had to be repeated. The result was that the boy had to wait longer than necessary to begin playing with the toy. When we commit a situation or problem to God we must be willing to step back and wait for Him to finish. Sometimes our attempts to “help fix it” sets back the work God has been doing on our behalf.
Day Three, Micah 7:7c; My God will hear me! A few years back, my daughter presented me with a Jack Russell Terrier pup for my birthday. My wife took one look at it and consigned it to an outdoor dog run (I think it had something to do with water leaking from the pup when she picked it up). This little dog learned to watch the windows on our back porch. As soon as she sees movement, she would begin dancing at the gate of her dog run and yapping with gleeful anticipation of a visit from her human servant (me). She never did figure out that I heard her the first time and the reason I hadn’t rushed out to greet her was that before I answered her call for companionship I had to get her dog food, water and doggie treats ready. God hears our prayers and pleas for help the first time, and while there is nothing wrong with continuing to pray, we must not loose heart when He doesn’t appear immediately—we must remind ourselves that God will hear (meaning answer) us, but before He does, He is assembling the things He knows we need.
Day Four, Micah 7:9a,c; I will bear the indignation of the Lord…until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. I never once questioned the fact that my mother would take me shopping because I needed new clothes for high school, but I did spend a couple of days wondering when it would happen! I had been excited about selecting my high school clothes, when my mother told me to do something (I forget what it was). I was at that stubborn age and decided to do what I wanted to instead. When it came time to go and she discovered that I had not done what I was supposed to be doing, she flatly told me that I wouldn’t be getting new clothes for the new school term until I did as I had been told. This battle of the wills was short lived, but still she wouldn’t take me to buy new clothes! (Nadine wasn’t someone to trifle with, and once she got steamed it took her a while to cool down!) The day before school started, mother came in laden with packages full of school clothes. My stubbornness had cost me the opportunity to pick out my new clothes—but a mother’s love forgave the stubbornness in order to provide what she figured I needed. (She also said she hoped I’d learned my lesson…)
Day Five, Micah 7:9b,c; …because I have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. Church people like to divide the world into two classes of people: Sinners (that’s those other folks) and Saints (that would be us). We often go so far as to imply that once a person moves from one category to another, their conduct doesn’t matter. But this isn’t the way the writer of this passage felt. In its simplest meaning, the word translated “sinned” in this passage refers to “missing”, as in not achieving a goal and forfeiting the prize; but it also can mean “to bear the blame”. We’ve all known people who refuse to take responsibility for their decisions. They always find ways to blame someone else or some circumstance for their mistakes. What this writer is saying is that he understands why he feels alone and forsaken—it is because he has failed to live up to the relationship of trust between him and God, but that he is willing to accept full responsibility (take the blame). Because he is willing to sincerely take the blame for the breech he knows that God will eventually come to his assistance.
Day Six, Micah 7:9c; …until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. The Contemporary English Version’s translation better captures the original meaning of the verse, “until He comes to my defense. But I know that I will see him making things right for me…” Of all the verses in the Old Testament, I think this one best expresses the concept of grace, and the hope we have because of it. It almost parallels the great grace passage found in I John 2:1, “My little children, I am writing these things to you that may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” In New Testament times, an advocate was one who pleaded a case for an accused person (came to their defense). Both of these verses teach us that when we miss the goal and take responsibility for it, God himself (the aggrieved party) will come to our defense, and then come to our aid! This isn’t a license to “sin”, rather it is an assurance that God’s love is a “steadfast love” and his “grace is freely given” to all who accept God’s terms.
Day Seven, Micah 7:9d; He will bring me out to the light; I will see his vindication. Have you ever done something and just wanted to hide? In Biblical days, it was customary to open the house up during daylight hours and sit outside. But when someone was ashamed (either because of something they had done or a family member had done) they would go into their little house, close the door and block out the light. They would sit in darkness and ignore anyone who came by to check on them. While we might not go to such extremes in our modern era, we often withdraw into our darkened mental house full of self-doubt, self recrimination and self-loathing. We kick ourselves for what we’ve done and brood over it until we become depressed and irritable toward those around us. It is true that we can learn from our mistakes, but this part of this passage tells us that once we’ve realized our mistake, taken responsibility for it and allowed God to “come to our defense”, He wants us to stand up, dust ourselves off, and get on with the business of living! My late father used to say that the picture of Jesus “standing at the door and knocking” in Revelation 3:20 referred to Jesus knocking on the darkened house of one who was ashamed, entreating them to realize the fullness of God’s grace by opening the door and allowing Him to come in and nourish and encourage them in order that they might forgive themselves and walk with Him into the brightness of the day God offers all of us.
Day Two, Micah 7:7b; I will wait for the God of my salvation; A story attributed to the great twentieth century preacher, Peter Marshall tells about his experience trying to fix a toy for his son. It seems that the boy had broken something, I think it was a model airplane. He brought the broken plane to Dr. Marshall, who assured him that he could fix it. Patiently, the boy waited as his father looked carefully at the pieces and began the tedious task of gluing them together. If you’ve ever tried to glue something back together, you don’t always get the pieces lined up perfectly on the first try—well, Dr. Marshall had the same problem. After what seemed like an eternity to the boy, his father finally got the pieces just right. But impatient from waiting and assuming his father needed help, the little lad reached out and grabbed part of the plane and said, “Let me help you fix it.” Needless to say, the careful alignment of the pieces that Dr. Marshall had finally achieved was disturbed and the tedious process had to be repeated. The result was that the boy had to wait longer than necessary to begin playing with the toy. When we commit a situation or problem to God we must be willing to step back and wait for Him to finish. Sometimes our attempts to “help fix it” sets back the work God has been doing on our behalf.
Day Three, Micah 7:7c; My God will hear me! A few years back, my daughter presented me with a Jack Russell Terrier pup for my birthday. My wife took one look at it and consigned it to an outdoor dog run (I think it had something to do with water leaking from the pup when she picked it up). This little dog learned to watch the windows on our back porch. As soon as she sees movement, she would begin dancing at the gate of her dog run and yapping with gleeful anticipation of a visit from her human servant (me). She never did figure out that I heard her the first time and the reason I hadn’t rushed out to greet her was that before I answered her call for companionship I had to get her dog food, water and doggie treats ready. God hears our prayers and pleas for help the first time, and while there is nothing wrong with continuing to pray, we must not loose heart when He doesn’t appear immediately—we must remind ourselves that God will hear (meaning answer) us, but before He does, He is assembling the things He knows we need.
Day Four, Micah 7:9a,c; I will bear the indignation of the Lord…until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. I never once questioned the fact that my mother would take me shopping because I needed new clothes for high school, but I did spend a couple of days wondering when it would happen! I had been excited about selecting my high school clothes, when my mother told me to do something (I forget what it was). I was at that stubborn age and decided to do what I wanted to instead. When it came time to go and she discovered that I had not done what I was supposed to be doing, she flatly told me that I wouldn’t be getting new clothes for the new school term until I did as I had been told. This battle of the wills was short lived, but still she wouldn’t take me to buy new clothes! (Nadine wasn’t someone to trifle with, and once she got steamed it took her a while to cool down!) The day before school started, mother came in laden with packages full of school clothes. My stubbornness had cost me the opportunity to pick out my new clothes—but a mother’s love forgave the stubbornness in order to provide what she figured I needed. (She also said she hoped I’d learned my lesson…)
Day Five, Micah 7:9b,c; …because I have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. Church people like to divide the world into two classes of people: Sinners (that’s those other folks) and Saints (that would be us). We often go so far as to imply that once a person moves from one category to another, their conduct doesn’t matter. But this isn’t the way the writer of this passage felt. In its simplest meaning, the word translated “sinned” in this passage refers to “missing”, as in not achieving a goal and forfeiting the prize; but it also can mean “to bear the blame”. We’ve all known people who refuse to take responsibility for their decisions. They always find ways to blame someone else or some circumstance for their mistakes. What this writer is saying is that he understands why he feels alone and forsaken—it is because he has failed to live up to the relationship of trust between him and God, but that he is willing to accept full responsibility (take the blame). Because he is willing to sincerely take the blame for the breech he knows that God will eventually come to his assistance.
Day Six, Micah 7:9c; …until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. The Contemporary English Version’s translation better captures the original meaning of the verse, “until He comes to my defense. But I know that I will see him making things right for me…” Of all the verses in the Old Testament, I think this one best expresses the concept of grace, and the hope we have because of it. It almost parallels the great grace passage found in I John 2:1, “My little children, I am writing these things to you that may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” In New Testament times, an advocate was one who pleaded a case for an accused person (came to their defense). Both of these verses teach us that when we miss the goal and take responsibility for it, God himself (the aggrieved party) will come to our defense, and then come to our aid! This isn’t a license to “sin”, rather it is an assurance that God’s love is a “steadfast love” and his “grace is freely given” to all who accept God’s terms.
Day Seven, Micah 7:9d; He will bring me out to the light; I will see his vindication. Have you ever done something and just wanted to hide? In Biblical days, it was customary to open the house up during daylight hours and sit outside. But when someone was ashamed (either because of something they had done or a family member had done) they would go into their little house, close the door and block out the light. They would sit in darkness and ignore anyone who came by to check on them. While we might not go to such extremes in our modern era, we often withdraw into our darkened mental house full of self-doubt, self recrimination and self-loathing. We kick ourselves for what we’ve done and brood over it until we become depressed and irritable toward those around us. It is true that we can learn from our mistakes, but this part of this passage tells us that once we’ve realized our mistake, taken responsibility for it and allowed God to “come to our defense”, He wants us to stand up, dust ourselves off, and get on with the business of living! My late father used to say that the picture of Jesus “standing at the door and knocking” in Revelation 3:20 referred to Jesus knocking on the darkened house of one who was ashamed, entreating them to realize the fullness of God’s grace by opening the door and allowing Him to come in and nourish and encourage them in order that they might forgive themselves and walk with Him into the brightness of the day God offers all of us.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
November 2 thru November 8 2009
Day One, Psalm 85:8a,b; Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people. This Psalm is one of the litanies used during temple worship when the nation was in the grip of droughts, plague, etc. In Biblical times many people believed that problems such as these were a sign of God’s disfavor toward the nation. The first seven verses form a prayer said in unison by the worshippers. Today’s verse begins the response by the priest to the people’s prayer. I can almost hear someone saying, “Nice history lesson, but what does that mean to me today, I mean, I’ve got my own problems.” And that is exactly the meaning of this verse! Whether we are talking about a national calamity or personal situations that threaten to overwhelm us we need to take time to pray about them, but we also need to remind ourselves to be quiet and hear what God would say to us. Too often, we pray about a problem, say “AMEN” (with an attitude of “Okay God, you fix it for me, I’ve got things to do”) and then get busy doing other things. My own experience and that of others is that when we pray about a problem, we need to remain quiet, in an attitude of prayer. When we do this we will often receive insight, assurance and answers before we leave the throne of grace.
Day Two, Psalm 85:8c; To his faithful people, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Recently, someone complained about a mutual friend who failed to assist him in solving a problem. He told me that he had gone to the person, sincerely asking for advice and was simply told, “I’m not sure I can help you…” I sympathized with the complainant, but also knew why the mutual friend had failed to help him. The fellow doing the complaining had on two occasions refused to help the other fellow with a business situation, and another time had stolen a customer from him based a conversation they had the previous day. In other words, his lack of loyalty and sincere friendship had created a wall between the two of them. If we expect God to be loyal to us (faithful), we need to be loyal to him, and our loyalty needs to be from the heart, not just our head.
Day Three, Psalm 85:9a; Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him. This passage reminds us of the glorious fact that we can be certain that God’s “salvation” is close by (at hand). Many Christians have so spiritualize the concept of “salvation” that they limit its meaning to a personal saving of the soul, which is important. However, for the Hebrew people the word had a much broader meaning. Salvation means liberation, deliverance, a sense of prosperity (yay’shah) that comes because an opening has been made in a seemingly hopeless situation through which they could escape, thereby giving them freedom (yawshah’). What this verse tells us that even when we are faced with harsh circumstances, difficult decisions and seemingly impossible situations that we can be certain that God will show us (or make for us) an opening that will enable us to escape to freedom, all we have to do is avail ourselves of it by truly reverencing (the meaning of fearing) God and asking for his assistance. Too many of us are like the woman whose car wouldn’t start, but was too embarrassed to try to flag down the two tow trucks that drove past her. She wound up walking three miles to get home and complained to her husband that the two tow trucks didn’t take the initiative to stop to ask if her car was broken down somewhere!
Day Four, Psalm 85:9b; That His glory may dwell in our land. I asked a friend of mine how a big business deal he had been working on was going. He said he just sign the contract, but that at first it looked like a larger firm was going to get the deal. Then a well respected business leader had written a letter recommending his firm and “with his weight behind the deal, it went through.” In other words, the weight of this business leader’s reputation influenced the buyer to select my friends company. In its purest form, that is the practical meaning of today’s passage. God will provide the opening that liberates us and empowers us (salvation), but he does it in order that the weight of his influence can be evident to others. The Hebrew word “glory” refers to the weight of God’s splendor. God does not “save our soul” or deliver us from difficulties, or heal us from diseases just because of who we are. God gives us his salvation to enhance his reputation as a loving, caring Heavenly Father so that others can see what he has done for us (and hear us tell what he has done for us), and desire to have the “weight of his love and concern” shown in their lives.
Day Five, Psalm:85:10a; Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet. A few days back our devotional centered around the last part of verse 8 (November 1), in it we saw that God would speak peace to his loyal (faithful) people. This verse harkens back to that concept, telling us that God’s glory is seen at the intersection where our loyalty meets God’s unchanging, unshakeable love. Picture yourself traveling down a dark foggy road filled with potholes.
it is too narrow to turn around so inch along, headlights shrouded in fog, carefully watching the road. The only thing you know about this road is that eventually it will intersect with a four lane highway. You consider stopping to wait for the fog to lift or daylight to come, but you realize that could prove hazardous. You consider abandoning your vehicle and striking out on foot across country, but you realize you would probably get lost. So you keep inching forward, knowing that if you keep going you will eventually come to the highway. Life is full of difficult roads, we get on some of them intentionally (trying to take a shortcut to happiness, etc); others we get on accidentally (circumstances we didn’t anticipate). This verse assures us that if we keep faith with our commitment to God we will eventually intersect with his steadfast love—and when that happens all will be well.
Day Six, Psalm 85:10b; Righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Several years ago, I was on a rather tumultuous flight. We had bad weather all the way and when we finally landed the man going down the jet way in front of me was walking unsteadily. Then he saw his wife standing in the waiting area and literally ran to her. As he kissed her I overheard him say, “That’s the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had because on that flight I realized just how right for me you are!” I don’t know the meaning behind those words, but I assume the flight had made him realize just how lucky he was to have his family. I saw them again as we waited for our luggage and his countenance was completely changed. On the flight, he had been nervous and actually turned pale, but now he seemed peaceful and calm. As you recall, our October 31st meditation assured us that God would speak peace to those who take the time to listen to him. Over the years, I’ve discovered that many times in the midst of difficulty God has spoken peace and assurance to me—but things didn’t change that much outwardly—I just had an inner calmness that things would work out, if I kept trusting him. And when they did work out, it was usually much better than I had hoped for. At those special times, the righteousness of God (his doing what he said he’d do) took on special meaning because the peace he had previously spoken was validated by his actions—and it was “the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had.”
Day Seven, Psalm 85:11,12a; Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky, and The Lord will give what is good. What a confession of faith this verse contains—God who is pictured as being high above us, is the epitome of the one who does what is right (righteousness) for his loyal (faithful) earthbound people. But this confession contains something we often overlook. We are told that God is looking down from the sky. The word that has been translated “look” really means “leaning out”. The picture is not of God surveying his world, rather of God making an effort to see and find those loyal to him, in order to “give what is good.”
Day Two, Psalm 85:8c; To his faithful people, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Recently, someone complained about a mutual friend who failed to assist him in solving a problem. He told me that he had gone to the person, sincerely asking for advice and was simply told, “I’m not sure I can help you…” I sympathized with the complainant, but also knew why the mutual friend had failed to help him. The fellow doing the complaining had on two occasions refused to help the other fellow with a business situation, and another time had stolen a customer from him based a conversation they had the previous day. In other words, his lack of loyalty and sincere friendship had created a wall between the two of them. If we expect God to be loyal to us (faithful), we need to be loyal to him, and our loyalty needs to be from the heart, not just our head.
Day Three, Psalm 85:9a; Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him. This passage reminds us of the glorious fact that we can be certain that God’s “salvation” is close by (at hand). Many Christians have so spiritualize the concept of “salvation” that they limit its meaning to a personal saving of the soul, which is important. However, for the Hebrew people the word had a much broader meaning. Salvation means liberation, deliverance, a sense of prosperity (yay’shah) that comes because an opening has been made in a seemingly hopeless situation through which they could escape, thereby giving them freedom (yawshah’). What this verse tells us that even when we are faced with harsh circumstances, difficult decisions and seemingly impossible situations that we can be certain that God will show us (or make for us) an opening that will enable us to escape to freedom, all we have to do is avail ourselves of it by truly reverencing (the meaning of fearing) God and asking for his assistance. Too many of us are like the woman whose car wouldn’t start, but was too embarrassed to try to flag down the two tow trucks that drove past her. She wound up walking three miles to get home and complained to her husband that the two tow trucks didn’t take the initiative to stop to ask if her car was broken down somewhere!
Day Four, Psalm 85:9b; That His glory may dwell in our land. I asked a friend of mine how a big business deal he had been working on was going. He said he just sign the contract, but that at first it looked like a larger firm was going to get the deal. Then a well respected business leader had written a letter recommending his firm and “with his weight behind the deal, it went through.” In other words, the weight of this business leader’s reputation influenced the buyer to select my friends company. In its purest form, that is the practical meaning of today’s passage. God will provide the opening that liberates us and empowers us (salvation), but he does it in order that the weight of his influence can be evident to others. The Hebrew word “glory” refers to the weight of God’s splendor. God does not “save our soul” or deliver us from difficulties, or heal us from diseases just because of who we are. God gives us his salvation to enhance his reputation as a loving, caring Heavenly Father so that others can see what he has done for us (and hear us tell what he has done for us), and desire to have the “weight of his love and concern” shown in their lives.
Day Five, Psalm:85:10a; Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet. A few days back our devotional centered around the last part of verse 8 (November 1), in it we saw that God would speak peace to his loyal (faithful) people. This verse harkens back to that concept, telling us that God’s glory is seen at the intersection where our loyalty meets God’s unchanging, unshakeable love. Picture yourself traveling down a dark foggy road filled with potholes.
it is too narrow to turn around so inch along, headlights shrouded in fog, carefully watching the road. The only thing you know about this road is that eventually it will intersect with a four lane highway. You consider stopping to wait for the fog to lift or daylight to come, but you realize that could prove hazardous. You consider abandoning your vehicle and striking out on foot across country, but you realize you would probably get lost. So you keep inching forward, knowing that if you keep going you will eventually come to the highway. Life is full of difficult roads, we get on some of them intentionally (trying to take a shortcut to happiness, etc); others we get on accidentally (circumstances we didn’t anticipate). This verse assures us that if we keep faith with our commitment to God we will eventually intersect with his steadfast love—and when that happens all will be well.
Day Six, Psalm 85:10b; Righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Several years ago, I was on a rather tumultuous flight. We had bad weather all the way and when we finally landed the man going down the jet way in front of me was walking unsteadily. Then he saw his wife standing in the waiting area and literally ran to her. As he kissed her I overheard him say, “That’s the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had because on that flight I realized just how right for me you are!” I don’t know the meaning behind those words, but I assume the flight had made him realize just how lucky he was to have his family. I saw them again as we waited for our luggage and his countenance was completely changed. On the flight, he had been nervous and actually turned pale, but now he seemed peaceful and calm. As you recall, our October 31st meditation assured us that God would speak peace to those who take the time to listen to him. Over the years, I’ve discovered that many times in the midst of difficulty God has spoken peace and assurance to me—but things didn’t change that much outwardly—I just had an inner calmness that things would work out, if I kept trusting him. And when they did work out, it was usually much better than I had hoped for. At those special times, the righteousness of God (his doing what he said he’d do) took on special meaning because the peace he had previously spoken was validated by his actions—and it was “the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had.”
Day Seven, Psalm 85:11,12a; Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky, and The Lord will give what is good. What a confession of faith this verse contains—God who is pictured as being high above us, is the epitome of the one who does what is right (righteousness) for his loyal (faithful) earthbound people. But this confession contains something we often overlook. We are told that God is looking down from the sky. The word that has been translated “look” really means “leaning out”. The picture is not of God surveying his world, rather of God making an effort to see and find those loyal to him, in order to “give what is good.”
Sunday, October 25, 2009
October 25 through 31, 2009
Day One, Proverbs 18:1; The one who lives alone is self-indulgent, showing contempt for all who have sound judgment. When we think of self-indulgent people we usually think of someone who gives in to every appetite they have. We also classify them as self-centered, egotistical and selfish. Over the years, I’ve heard such people referred to as “being in love with themselves” or people with “too much self-esteem”. It has been my experience that most of the time, the self indulgent person has a lack of basic self-esteem, not too much of it. Sure, they put on a bold front, their every act is designed to elevate their sense of importance. They live in self contained little worlds carefully constructed to make them feel like the center of their own universe. But deep down they are fearful, often unsure of themselves and who they really are. When we have a close relationship with our Heaven Father, our sense of self is transformed and we are able to break out of the world we have designed to protect us because we know that as children of Almighty God we have not only a birthright, but an obligation to not only grow in grace but to challenge the self-imposed limitations of inferiority and timidity that made us self-serving sinners.
Day Two, Proverbs 18:9; One who is slack at work is close kin to a vandal. My wife arrived at her office early one morning to find the building owner waiting for her. The previous night someone had broken into the building, kicked in all the office doors and generally created havoc. The items they stole (with the exception of one computer from a neighbor) were really insignificant—they took a cheap mirror, some postage, change, a small nine inch screen television and a PDA from my wife’s office—but it took her all day to sort through the mess, determine exactly what was missing and try to get things back in order. She basically lost an entire day of business because of these vandals. When something like this happens, feelings of shock, outrage, frustration and vulnerability are the order of the day (and the days following the event), and understandable so. But how many times do we vandalize ourselves and our careers by not doing our best or even making an honest effort? I was telling a friend about it and he said he knew just how she felt. He then explained that he was running the same emotions because he hadn’t adequately prepared for a presentation and as a result lost a contract. He had not paid proper attention to his work, and now felt angry with himself, frustrated and vulnerable (because he needed the commission to pay his bills). One way to have less stress, more happiness and satisfaction in life is to always ask ourselves, “What’s the best use of my time at this particular moment” and act on the answer.
Day Three, Proverbs 18:12; Before destruction one’s heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor. Over the years, I’ve had several employees that for one reason or another I had to terminate. But in the final analysis, I would not hesitate to say that the number one reason most of them were fired had to do with their inability to accept coaching to improve their performance. No matter how well intended or how much it is deserved, criticism of our performance can hurt. But it is part of life, and most people have learned to take it, adapt the suggestions made and become better employees and people because of it. Those who become defensive and haughty are usually the ones who find themselves out in the cold. What does this have to do with this verse? It strikes at the heart of its meaning because humility refers to having a teachable spirit. According to a large body of research, most of the problems we encounter are the result of our having ignored our internal critic—that something God has placed within all of us that tells us not only when we’ve done wrong, but that we can do better. In addition to this mechanism, the Good Lord has built into people a sense of justice that dictates that unless that which is wrong is fixed, it must be punished. When we argue with our internal critic long enough, the subconscious desire for justice kicks in and we find ourselves engaging in self defeating behaviors as a means of seeking some form of punishment (One of the most fascinating books on this subject that I have read is Man Against Himself by Karl Menninger). So it’s not just in our relationships and at work that the forerunner of “destruction” is arrogance and defiance when confronted with our deficiencies, it applies even more when it comes to that still small voice buried in our minds.
Day Four, Proverbs 18:16; A gift opens doors; it gives access to the great. I once knew a retired gentleman who was an executive for an international firm. He made many trips to the Middle East during his career and he always carried a briefcase full of cash. Why? Because that’s the way business is done over there! And that’s the way it has been done there since Biblical times. Now, in our society, bribes can land a person in jail, but there are other “gifts” we give that will open doors for us—and they don’t really cost us anything. These gifts include a smile, common courtesies, kind words, sincere praise and expressions of appreciation; these will go far in opening the doors for better relationships and new opportunities.
Day Five, Proverbs 18:24; Some friends play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one’s kin. I recently had lunch with a person with whom I’ve done business for several years. He is always “friendly” when he calls, ask all the right questions, shows an interest those things that I am interested in, etc. Like most of us, he knows how to play the friendship game to advance his agenda (not necessarily a bad thing). Then there are people that I know with whom my wife and enjoy going to dinner and getting caught up on what’s been going on in each other’s lives. We all crave human interaction and in our increasingly impersonal world, it is important that we are able to make the distinction between these types of relationships. Much of the disappointment that I hear voiced by people begins with “I thought he was my friend but…” Once we realize that not every relationship we have, whether in church, at work or socially will blossom into a close friendship, we close the door on much of the frustration and heartache that comes from not understanding this basic law of relationships.
Day Six, Proverbs 19:8; To get wisdom is to love oneself; to keep understanding is to prosper. The word that is translated “wisdom” in this verse differs from other uses of the word because in this instance it refers to a willingness (or courage) to be true to ones convictions and to act on ones beliefs. This doesn’t give us a license to be like a bull in a china shop, because the rest of the verse reminds us to use common sense in “being true to our convictions” and when “acting on our beliefs”. As the Contemporary English Version translates this verse, Do yourself a favor by having good sense, you will be glad you did.
Day Seven, Proverbs 19:20; Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future. Have you ever noticed that everyone has an opinion, and that the cheapest thing in the world is advice? But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should discount or ignore what other people tell us. We learn from doing, but also from assimilating ideas and concepts that other people share with us. To grow spiritually, personally and professionally, seek out mentors and people who have the experience and success you desire, have a teachable spirit and learn from them. It will pay dividends for many years to come.
Day Two, Proverbs 18:9; One who is slack at work is close kin to a vandal. My wife arrived at her office early one morning to find the building owner waiting for her. The previous night someone had broken into the building, kicked in all the office doors and generally created havoc. The items they stole (with the exception of one computer from a neighbor) were really insignificant—they took a cheap mirror, some postage, change, a small nine inch screen television and a PDA from my wife’s office—but it took her all day to sort through the mess, determine exactly what was missing and try to get things back in order. She basically lost an entire day of business because of these vandals. When something like this happens, feelings of shock, outrage, frustration and vulnerability are the order of the day (and the days following the event), and understandable so. But how many times do we vandalize ourselves and our careers by not doing our best or even making an honest effort? I was telling a friend about it and he said he knew just how she felt. He then explained that he was running the same emotions because he hadn’t adequately prepared for a presentation and as a result lost a contract. He had not paid proper attention to his work, and now felt angry with himself, frustrated and vulnerable (because he needed the commission to pay his bills). One way to have less stress, more happiness and satisfaction in life is to always ask ourselves, “What’s the best use of my time at this particular moment” and act on the answer.
Day Three, Proverbs 18:12; Before destruction one’s heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor. Over the years, I’ve had several employees that for one reason or another I had to terminate. But in the final analysis, I would not hesitate to say that the number one reason most of them were fired had to do with their inability to accept coaching to improve their performance. No matter how well intended or how much it is deserved, criticism of our performance can hurt. But it is part of life, and most people have learned to take it, adapt the suggestions made and become better employees and people because of it. Those who become defensive and haughty are usually the ones who find themselves out in the cold. What does this have to do with this verse? It strikes at the heart of its meaning because humility refers to having a teachable spirit. According to a large body of research, most of the problems we encounter are the result of our having ignored our internal critic—that something God has placed within all of us that tells us not only when we’ve done wrong, but that we can do better. In addition to this mechanism, the Good Lord has built into people a sense of justice that dictates that unless that which is wrong is fixed, it must be punished. When we argue with our internal critic long enough, the subconscious desire for justice kicks in and we find ourselves engaging in self defeating behaviors as a means of seeking some form of punishment (One of the most fascinating books on this subject that I have read is Man Against Himself by Karl Menninger). So it’s not just in our relationships and at work that the forerunner of “destruction” is arrogance and defiance when confronted with our deficiencies, it applies even more when it comes to that still small voice buried in our minds.
Day Four, Proverbs 18:16; A gift opens doors; it gives access to the great. I once knew a retired gentleman who was an executive for an international firm. He made many trips to the Middle East during his career and he always carried a briefcase full of cash. Why? Because that’s the way business is done over there! And that’s the way it has been done there since Biblical times. Now, in our society, bribes can land a person in jail, but there are other “gifts” we give that will open doors for us—and they don’t really cost us anything. These gifts include a smile, common courtesies, kind words, sincere praise and expressions of appreciation; these will go far in opening the doors for better relationships and new opportunities.
Day Five, Proverbs 18:24; Some friends play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one’s kin. I recently had lunch with a person with whom I’ve done business for several years. He is always “friendly” when he calls, ask all the right questions, shows an interest those things that I am interested in, etc. Like most of us, he knows how to play the friendship game to advance his agenda (not necessarily a bad thing). Then there are people that I know with whom my wife and enjoy going to dinner and getting caught up on what’s been going on in each other’s lives. We all crave human interaction and in our increasingly impersonal world, it is important that we are able to make the distinction between these types of relationships. Much of the disappointment that I hear voiced by people begins with “I thought he was my friend but…” Once we realize that not every relationship we have, whether in church, at work or socially will blossom into a close friendship, we close the door on much of the frustration and heartache that comes from not understanding this basic law of relationships.
Day Six, Proverbs 19:8; To get wisdom is to love oneself; to keep understanding is to prosper. The word that is translated “wisdom” in this verse differs from other uses of the word because in this instance it refers to a willingness (or courage) to be true to ones convictions and to act on ones beliefs. This doesn’t give us a license to be like a bull in a china shop, because the rest of the verse reminds us to use common sense in “being true to our convictions” and when “acting on our beliefs”. As the Contemporary English Version translates this verse, Do yourself a favor by having good sense, you will be glad you did.
Day Seven, Proverbs 19:20; Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future. Have you ever noticed that everyone has an opinion, and that the cheapest thing in the world is advice? But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should discount or ignore what other people tell us. We learn from doing, but also from assimilating ideas and concepts that other people share with us. To grow spiritually, personally and professionally, seek out mentors and people who have the experience and success you desire, have a teachable spirit and learn from them. It will pay dividends for many years to come.
Monday, October 19, 2009
October 19 thru October 25, 2009
Day One, Proverbs 9:1; Wisdom has built her house, she has hew her seven pillars. When I was at The University of Arkansas, I took a world literature class. The professor was always finding allegorical meanings and hidden motivations behind the words of people like Shakespeare and even Robert Frost. One time he told us that the Robert Frost poem, “Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening” was really an expression of Frost desire to commit suicide, but that he couldn’t bring himself! Too often, people are like that professor when it comes to the Bible. Over the years, I’ve heard and read a lot of speculation about what the “seven pillars” represent. I think sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to assign meanings that we miss the point of the whole thing. While it might be interesting to try to come up with seven things represented by the pillars, isn’t it better to place our emphasis on the fact that there is a place we can go to find the wisdom we need to live joyous and fulfilled lives? But like any place of learning, we must desire to go to it and then submit ourselves to its disciplines.
Day Two, Proverbs 9:6a; Lay aside immaturity, and live. While this verse can have deep spiritual meaning, it also contains a very practical message for getting the most out of life. I once knew a grown man who was known for pouting when he didn’t get his way, he was also given to temper tantrums and could be offended by the smallest slight. Needless to say, he was self-centered and selfish—in other words, he acted like a little child! Of course, immaturity isn’t just confined to temper tantrums, pouting, etc. It includes a whole host of traits that can hold us back in our career, our relationships and even our walk with and for God. This passage advises us that if we want to really live life to it’s fullest, it is our responsibility to remove (“lay” means we are to put these things down) immature attitudes from our lives.
Day Three, Proverbs 9:6b; And walk in the way of insight If the first step toward living life to it’s fullest is to lay aside immature attitudes, the second step according to this verse is to replace those immature thoughts with careful reflection about the things we do and how we react to people and situations. We gain this type of insight from life experiences, other people’s experiences and from applying ourselves to learning the principles necessary to make wise choices. The Bible, wisest of all books is full of these principles and can provide the foundation for our thinking that will not only guide us right, but make life an abundant experience.
Day Four, Proverbs 9:9; Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning. Just as a baby is not born with a head full of knowledge, so none of us ever learn everything there is to know about life. There are always lessons to be learned, applied and assimilated. This verse points this fact out and reveals that those who are true students of “wisdom” and desirous of doing right realize it to be true. Someone once said that we never arrive—we just reach a higher plane of understanding.
Day Five, Proverbs 9:10a; The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I don’t know about you, but I’ve met a lot of people that would have been described as “educated fools” by past generations. These folks have lots of book learning, but for whatever reason can’t seem to use it for any particular purpose. In our comment on the first verse, we saw that there is a place we can go for wisdom, this verse reminds us that simply gaining wisdom without a purpose makes it useless. Just as a person doesn’t go to medical school out of curiosity (they go for the purpose of become a physician), so we shouldn’t expect any wisdom we gain from the Bible (or even life’s lessons) to be fully useful until they are focused on finding and doing God’s will in our lives.
Day Six, Proverbs 9:10b; And the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. I grew up in an era when we were taught to study the lives of great men and women. The purpose of this type of study was so we could identify the characteristics that made them contributors to society, as well as to understand and adapt their philosophy for living to our own lives. Today, I see people in all walks of life following the same idea. Depending on their careers, they invest in books about or written by great business leaders, preachers, etc. in order to find out their “secrets for success”. While there is nothing wrong this practice, we need to understand that as Christians, the ultimate test for all these “insights” is a knowledge of the way God thinks about things. We can get this only from reading His book and through prayers for guidance. As one business man I know told me, “Donald Trump’s books, tempered by God’s book has helped make me successful.” What he meant was that using the wisdom he got from God’s book, he was able to separate and adapt the business lessons he had learned, and use them to become more successful.
Day Seven, Proverbs 9:12; If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it. Years ago, I had a friend who was always quick to claim the credit anytime something he was involved in turned out good. But he was always quick to assign blame to someone else when things went bad. When that happened, those of us who knew him usually just humored him, even though we knew that ultimately the decision leading to the bad outcome had been his own. The reason we need wisdom and the ability to apply it is that we are responsible for the outcome of the decisions we make about life and eternity. In that sense, we become wise to benefit ourselves, and in doing so, our decisions will touch the lives of others in a positive way.
God Bless You In Every Way, Everyday, All The Way!
Day Two, Proverbs 9:6a; Lay aside immaturity, and live. While this verse can have deep spiritual meaning, it also contains a very practical message for getting the most out of life. I once knew a grown man who was known for pouting when he didn’t get his way, he was also given to temper tantrums and could be offended by the smallest slight. Needless to say, he was self-centered and selfish—in other words, he acted like a little child! Of course, immaturity isn’t just confined to temper tantrums, pouting, etc. It includes a whole host of traits that can hold us back in our career, our relationships and even our walk with and for God. This passage advises us that if we want to really live life to it’s fullest, it is our responsibility to remove (“lay” means we are to put these things down) immature attitudes from our lives.
Day Three, Proverbs 9:6b; And walk in the way of insight If the first step toward living life to it’s fullest is to lay aside immature attitudes, the second step according to this verse is to replace those immature thoughts with careful reflection about the things we do and how we react to people and situations. We gain this type of insight from life experiences, other people’s experiences and from applying ourselves to learning the principles necessary to make wise choices. The Bible, wisest of all books is full of these principles and can provide the foundation for our thinking that will not only guide us right, but make life an abundant experience.
Day Four, Proverbs 9:9; Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning. Just as a baby is not born with a head full of knowledge, so none of us ever learn everything there is to know about life. There are always lessons to be learned, applied and assimilated. This verse points this fact out and reveals that those who are true students of “wisdom” and desirous of doing right realize it to be true. Someone once said that we never arrive—we just reach a higher plane of understanding.
Day Five, Proverbs 9:10a; The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I don’t know about you, but I’ve met a lot of people that would have been described as “educated fools” by past generations. These folks have lots of book learning, but for whatever reason can’t seem to use it for any particular purpose. In our comment on the first verse, we saw that there is a place we can go for wisdom, this verse reminds us that simply gaining wisdom without a purpose makes it useless. Just as a person doesn’t go to medical school out of curiosity (they go for the purpose of become a physician), so we shouldn’t expect any wisdom we gain from the Bible (or even life’s lessons) to be fully useful until they are focused on finding and doing God’s will in our lives.
Day Six, Proverbs 9:10b; And the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. I grew up in an era when we were taught to study the lives of great men and women. The purpose of this type of study was so we could identify the characteristics that made them contributors to society, as well as to understand and adapt their philosophy for living to our own lives. Today, I see people in all walks of life following the same idea. Depending on their careers, they invest in books about or written by great business leaders, preachers, etc. in order to find out their “secrets for success”. While there is nothing wrong this practice, we need to understand that as Christians, the ultimate test for all these “insights” is a knowledge of the way God thinks about things. We can get this only from reading His book and through prayers for guidance. As one business man I know told me, “Donald Trump’s books, tempered by God’s book has helped make me successful.” What he meant was that using the wisdom he got from God’s book, he was able to separate and adapt the business lessons he had learned, and use them to become more successful.
Day Seven, Proverbs 9:12; If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it. Years ago, I had a friend who was always quick to claim the credit anytime something he was involved in turned out good. But he was always quick to assign blame to someone else when things went bad. When that happened, those of us who knew him usually just humored him, even though we knew that ultimately the decision leading to the bad outcome had been his own. The reason we need wisdom and the ability to apply it is that we are responsible for the outcome of the decisions we make about life and eternity. In that sense, we become wise to benefit ourselves, and in doing so, our decisions will touch the lives of others in a positive way.
God Bless You In Every Way, Everyday, All The Way!
Robert Hidde
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 12 thru 18, 2009
Day One, Isaiah 54:14; In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression for you shall not fear; and from terror for it shall not come near you. When we first read verses such as this we may be tempted to dismiss them as the Pollyanna pronouncements of someone who has lost all touch with reality. But upon deeper reflection, we realize the truth of these words. When we establish ourselves in a personal relationship with Almighty God then we know that like a caring parent, he is concerned about every area of our lives—not just the spiritual aspects. This doesn’t mean that we will not face struggles and difficulties, for wise parents know that it is through allowing such things that their children develop strength and learn the lessons of life. This verse does teach us that because our outlook on life is shaped by one of faith and hope that even those things that would otherwise cause us mental anguish and terror have their impact diminished because we know God is there and will not allow us to be stretched beyond our capabilities.
Day Two, Isaiah 55:1; Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Most of us have to make a pilgrimage to the grocery store at least once a week because we are in need of things to nourish and sustain our physical bodies. When we need groceries, we don’t go to a clothing store or the automobile showroom. Why? Because we have learned, from an early age that to get groceries we have to go to the place specializing in the sale of foodstuff. The allegory that is used in our text today would seem to indicate that we must realize that in the marketplace of life there is only one place to get the victuals we need to nourish and sustain our mental and spiritual well being.
Day Three, Isaiah 55:2; Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy. Listen carefully to me and eat what is good… Several years ago a man was referred to me for counseling. His life had been torn apart by a series of job losses and a tumultuous marriage (which had ended in divorce). He had reached the point where the stress and anxiety had taken a toll on him mentally and physically. As long as he had money (this was before insurance covered such things) the mental health professionals were treating him and providing medication. But once his money ran out, he was left only one alternative, that of being institutionalized in a mental hospital. After talking with those who had been treating him (with his permission), I decided to try to help him. I am not a miracle worker, nor a psychiatrist, just a simple preacher who believes in the power of faith to transform lives. He and I began a regimen designed to rebuild his faith, and eventually, he was able to control his anxieties and hold a job. This allowed him to afford the needed medication to treat his other problems. I was reminded of this incident recently when I read that research has shown that talk therapy was often just as effective as drug therapy in treating many anxiety induced maladies. The article concluded that most people preferred drug therapy over talk therapy because they didn’t have to confront their anxieties and deal with them. Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should avail ourselves of every available wonder of medical science that God has blessed us with, but there are times when confronting our anxieties through the application of faith, hope and spiritual disciplines can be just as effective.
Day Four, Isaiah 55:3; Incline your ear, and come to me; listen so that you may live…In the age that Isaiah lived, the word picture that is painted in the first three verses brought to mind the marketplace where vendors hawked their wares and haggled with customers over price. Today’s verse encourages us to tune our ears to one voice among the many and make our way over to his stall in order to be able to hear clearly what he has to say. Today, we live in a marketplace of ideas. As we daily make our way through the narrow streets of this market we are bombarded with competing voices enticing us to check out what is offered. The voice that is raised in this verse isn’t offering something new, rather it is offering something tried by millions of people and tested in the fires of adversity. And he says it will give us what we need to really live life to it’s fullest. That’s because it comes from the source of dynamic, abundant, vibrant life—God himself!
Day Five, Isaiah 55:6; Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Recently, I needed to talk with someone whom I hadn’t spoken with in several months. I couldn’t recall the company he worked for and he had an unlisted telephone number. I remembered that he had given me a business card, so I began a systematic search for it. It wasn’t in my card file, nor was it in the stack of cards that I had thrown into a desk drawer. After more than an hour, I found it under my desk pad (how it got there, I’ll never know). Having found the card I was able to call the man and reestablish our relationship. It is unfortunate, but too many of us treat our relationship with God the same way. We know him, but get so involved in the affairs of life (especially when things are going smoothly) that we fail to keep his “business card” handy. Then when we need him we have to turn everything upside down to find it. Now, I know this is a poor illustration but it does make the point that Isaiah is trying to convey—if you’ve misplaced that vital link with God, find it now, you never know when you might need to call him. In fact you might want to call him daily, if for nothing more than to simply chat!
Day Six, Isaiah 55:7; Let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord that he may have mercy on them…This is the great verse of hope that offers everyone the opportunity for restoration and renewal. It tells us that no matter how deeply ingrained our habit of waywardness may be, or how low we may be have sunk, that all we have to do is give ourselves permission to turn around and find help and wholeness in the arms of our heavenly father. Now, some might balk at this thought because “it is not up to man but God”. This idea is not rooted in the Bible, but in Calvinism, which would have us believe that God looks down upon the “wicked” and decides that out of ten people, he will only “draw” one or two to himself and “to hell with the rest!” Under this pernicious teaching, grace then is restricted only to those “chosen” few and regardless of the sincere desire the others may have to get off “the way”, they have to continue on it. But we know that grace has been extended to everyone through Jesus Christ. He said that if he was lifted up, he would “draw all people” to himself. In other words, when a person realizes he is on the wrong path and decides to turn around (gives himself permission), he can find his way back to God and wholeness. No, he doesn’t earn this right because he is simply availing himself of what has already been offered. Through Jesus Christ, amnesty has been offered to all who give themselves permission to trust him, turn around, lay down their “weapons” and take up his cause.
Day Seven, Isaiah 55:8,9; For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord…This verse answers the oft asked question of why things are the way they are in the world. The good Lord made us rational beings, capable of doing our own thinking rather than robots with programmable chips. This lesson is first illustrated in the story about Adam and Eve. We are told that when they “saw” that the tree was good for food, they ate the fruit. The word “saw” refers not to an impulsive act, but to an action that was carefully thought out. When the point of reference for our “thinking” is strictly self-centered, we can follow a path that seems right, but makes us incompatible with God. As in marriage, such incompatibility leads to divorce. It is no wonder that Paul said that as Christians, we should seek to Let (give permission for) the mind of Christ dwell in us (learn to think the same way God does).
Day Two, Isaiah 55:1; Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Most of us have to make a pilgrimage to the grocery store at least once a week because we are in need of things to nourish and sustain our physical bodies. When we need groceries, we don’t go to a clothing store or the automobile showroom. Why? Because we have learned, from an early age that to get groceries we have to go to the place specializing in the sale of foodstuff. The allegory that is used in our text today would seem to indicate that we must realize that in the marketplace of life there is only one place to get the victuals we need to nourish and sustain our mental and spiritual well being.
Day Three, Isaiah 55:2; Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy. Listen carefully to me and eat what is good… Several years ago a man was referred to me for counseling. His life had been torn apart by a series of job losses and a tumultuous marriage (which had ended in divorce). He had reached the point where the stress and anxiety had taken a toll on him mentally and physically. As long as he had money (this was before insurance covered such things) the mental health professionals were treating him and providing medication. But once his money ran out, he was left only one alternative, that of being institutionalized in a mental hospital. After talking with those who had been treating him (with his permission), I decided to try to help him. I am not a miracle worker, nor a psychiatrist, just a simple preacher who believes in the power of faith to transform lives. He and I began a regimen designed to rebuild his faith, and eventually, he was able to control his anxieties and hold a job. This allowed him to afford the needed medication to treat his other problems. I was reminded of this incident recently when I read that research has shown that talk therapy was often just as effective as drug therapy in treating many anxiety induced maladies. The article concluded that most people preferred drug therapy over talk therapy because they didn’t have to confront their anxieties and deal with them. Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should avail ourselves of every available wonder of medical science that God has blessed us with, but there are times when confronting our anxieties through the application of faith, hope and spiritual disciplines can be just as effective.
Day Four, Isaiah 55:3; Incline your ear, and come to me; listen so that you may live…In the age that Isaiah lived, the word picture that is painted in the first three verses brought to mind the marketplace where vendors hawked their wares and haggled with customers over price. Today’s verse encourages us to tune our ears to one voice among the many and make our way over to his stall in order to be able to hear clearly what he has to say. Today, we live in a marketplace of ideas. As we daily make our way through the narrow streets of this market we are bombarded with competing voices enticing us to check out what is offered. The voice that is raised in this verse isn’t offering something new, rather it is offering something tried by millions of people and tested in the fires of adversity. And he says it will give us what we need to really live life to it’s fullest. That’s because it comes from the source of dynamic, abundant, vibrant life—God himself!
Day Five, Isaiah 55:6; Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Recently, I needed to talk with someone whom I hadn’t spoken with in several months. I couldn’t recall the company he worked for and he had an unlisted telephone number. I remembered that he had given me a business card, so I began a systematic search for it. It wasn’t in my card file, nor was it in the stack of cards that I had thrown into a desk drawer. After more than an hour, I found it under my desk pad (how it got there, I’ll never know). Having found the card I was able to call the man and reestablish our relationship. It is unfortunate, but too many of us treat our relationship with God the same way. We know him, but get so involved in the affairs of life (especially when things are going smoothly) that we fail to keep his “business card” handy. Then when we need him we have to turn everything upside down to find it. Now, I know this is a poor illustration but it does make the point that Isaiah is trying to convey—if you’ve misplaced that vital link with God, find it now, you never know when you might need to call him. In fact you might want to call him daily, if for nothing more than to simply chat!
Day Six, Isaiah 55:7; Let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord that he may have mercy on them…This is the great verse of hope that offers everyone the opportunity for restoration and renewal. It tells us that no matter how deeply ingrained our habit of waywardness may be, or how low we may be have sunk, that all we have to do is give ourselves permission to turn around and find help and wholeness in the arms of our heavenly father. Now, some might balk at this thought because “it is not up to man but God”. This idea is not rooted in the Bible, but in Calvinism, which would have us believe that God looks down upon the “wicked” and decides that out of ten people, he will only “draw” one or two to himself and “to hell with the rest!” Under this pernicious teaching, grace then is restricted only to those “chosen” few and regardless of the sincere desire the others may have to get off “the way”, they have to continue on it. But we know that grace has been extended to everyone through Jesus Christ. He said that if he was lifted up, he would “draw all people” to himself. In other words, when a person realizes he is on the wrong path and decides to turn around (gives himself permission), he can find his way back to God and wholeness. No, he doesn’t earn this right because he is simply availing himself of what has already been offered. Through Jesus Christ, amnesty has been offered to all who give themselves permission to trust him, turn around, lay down their “weapons” and take up his cause.
Day Seven, Isaiah 55:8,9; For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord…This verse answers the oft asked question of why things are the way they are in the world. The good Lord made us rational beings, capable of doing our own thinking rather than robots with programmable chips. This lesson is first illustrated in the story about Adam and Eve. We are told that when they “saw” that the tree was good for food, they ate the fruit. The word “saw” refers not to an impulsive act, but to an action that was carefully thought out. When the point of reference for our “thinking” is strictly self-centered, we can follow a path that seems right, but makes us incompatible with God. As in marriage, such incompatibility leads to divorce. It is no wonder that Paul said that as Christians, we should seek to Let (give permission for) the mind of Christ dwell in us (learn to think the same way God does).
Monday, October 5, 2009
October 5 thru October 11, 2009
Note: I love devotional thoughts about God’s goodness and help, but we also need to spend time reflecting on the lessons for living that He has given us. This week’s meditations deal with seven such lessons. When we honestly attempt to follow those teachings (with his help) we can truly live everyday with confidence!
Day One, Luke 16:10; Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. A woman who was passed over for a promotion said to me, “I am the most qualified for that position both educationally and in terms of experience. It’s just unfair!” Since I had some knowledge of the person who made the decision not to promote her, I knew there was something she wasn’t telling me, so I asked, “What’s unfair about the decision besides your education and experience, was it a gender thing?” She assured me it wasn’t. “Then, was it the criteria that Bill (not his real name) used in deciding who was promoted?” “That’s it” she replied, “He said the reason I didn’t get the job was because I had a habit of taking an extra half hour for lunch and that I delegated too much of my work to the temps in the office. It’s just unfair!” Rightly or wrongly we are often judged in the workplace, school and even the church by the little things, not the big things we do or don’t do. Could it not be said that the same holds true when it comes to our spiritual lives?
Day Two, October 4, Luke 16:15b; You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts, for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. When we think about “justifying” ourselves we usually think about those times when we’ve been caught and tried to make it sound like we weren’t really in error. But today’s passage goes beyond that simple definition. It goes to the real reason we do things. Dale Carnegie once said that in most instances people have two reasons for the things they do, the real one and the one that sounds good. I’m sure we’ve all known people who justify their greed by appearing to be charitable, or who can spout scripture verses (usually out of context) to justify their prejudices. Several years ago, I knew a unscrupulous businessman who was the pillar of his church (fundamentalist, not liberal) and was looked up to by many because he continually made statements like, “See this diamond ring (or my new Lexus, etc), God gave it to me.” We need to not only be aware of the things we do, but the reasons we are doing them. God looks beyond our “reasons that sound (or look) good” and sees our inner motivation, what Carnegie called “the real reason”.
Day Three, Luke 17:1; Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! The King James Version uses the word “offences” for “Occasions for stumbling”. Neither the NRSV or KJV words really convey the meaning of the Greek text, which speaks of a trap that is deliberately set to ensnare or cause a scandal. What is more important than quibbling over language is that we understand the point of Jesus’ words. Jesus is using a negative to underline an important precept in not only spiritual growth and maturity but also basic human relations. We need to be careful about deliberately “setting traps” for other people in order to make them look bad or cause them to stumble. Most of us would condemn a person who placed a drink of whiskey in the hands of a reformed alcoholic, but how many of us have used the personality weaknesses of others to advance our own career or agenda? As children of God, we need to seek ways to build other people up, not find ways to tear them down. Yes, life can be competitive, but we should seek ways to compete fairly in the arena of ideas and business.
Day Four, Luke 3a; Be on your guard! Remember the old spiritual that says, “Not my mother, not my brother but it’s me O Lord…?” In 1998 I suffered a dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm, which necessitate my being life flighted from Tulsa to Houston’s Methodist Hospital. I was in the hospital for almost a month. The day I was to be released, one of the nurses suggested that I might need a shower. (Until the last week someone had come in and given me those famous hospital sponge baths). For some reason, the word hadn’t got to me that I was supposed to start bathing myself. As I took my shower, I began to understand why visitors had been standing as far away from me as possible during the past week! So it is with our lives, we can become so accustomed to ourselves and our way of doing things that we don’t really realize we “don’t smell like a rose.” Since nine-five percent of what we do and the way we interact with and treat others is habit, Jesus advises that we need to step back and in the words used by the King James in today’s text “Take heed to (y)ourselves!”
Day Five, Luke 17:3b; If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. All right! This is what most of us are really good at isn’t it? We can spot a “sinning” brother a mile away, and this verse gives us the hunting license we’ve been waiting for! Or does it? There are two little words that take away the hunting license. The first one is the word “sins” (trespass in the KJV). In the Greek text the word is “hamartanÅ”, meaning “to miss the mark”. This is a generic term we translate “sin”. We often loose sight of the fact that people can miss the mark through carelessness, as well as intentionally. The other word in the text is “rebuke”, which in the Greek means to “censure, admonish or forbid”. In other words, before we load up our hunting rifle, we need to first determine the severity of the “sin” against us. Was it an intentional, thought out scheme to cause us to stumble? Or was it something that was said or done carelessly, without thinking? Since the verse makes it clear that the purpose of the “rebuke” is to bring about repentance, our response should be more in the form of an admonishment than a harsh censure (which would alienate the person). When we take time to step back and consider the situation before speaking or acting, we avoid the regret that can come from acting in the heat of the moment.
Day Six, October 8, Luke 17:4; And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent,” you must forgive. This verse sheds more light on the previous lesson, because it is obvious that the missing of the mark here has to do with carelessness rather than intentional actions. The linguist that I checked indicated the word repent (as used here) referred to a person’s action after they perceived they had done something offensive. In both lessons, we are told that our response to their “repentance” must be to forgive. The Greek word translated “forgive” is “aphesis”, meaning to release from deserved penalty. It has nothing to do with “forgetting”, rather it means that we are willing to give up any claim we have for either retribution or revenge. When we “release” our claims against others we free our minds of the bitterness that clouds our thinking and hinders peace of mind.
Day Seven, Luke 17:5; The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
We all know that it runs against the grain of our culture to seek to live by the teachings of the verses we’ve been reflecting on. It runs contrary to the way we’ve become accustomed to behaving. But that is the way to constant inner peace and confident living according to Jesus. Faced with being told that they should learn to live by a different code than most people live by, the apostles response was that they didn’t think they could do it! They realized, like we do that this was the better way to live, but they just didn’t believe they had it in them, so they cried, “Increase our faith.” Jesus response is interesting. He tells them that if they have just a little faith (the faith they already had), they could do it, if they exercised it. God never ask us to do the impossible—he knows we already have the capability—we must simply apply our will to doing living as he wants us to.
Day One, Luke 16:10; Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. A woman who was passed over for a promotion said to me, “I am the most qualified for that position both educationally and in terms of experience. It’s just unfair!” Since I had some knowledge of the person who made the decision not to promote her, I knew there was something she wasn’t telling me, so I asked, “What’s unfair about the decision besides your education and experience, was it a gender thing?” She assured me it wasn’t. “Then, was it the criteria that Bill (not his real name) used in deciding who was promoted?” “That’s it” she replied, “He said the reason I didn’t get the job was because I had a habit of taking an extra half hour for lunch and that I delegated too much of my work to the temps in the office. It’s just unfair!” Rightly or wrongly we are often judged in the workplace, school and even the church by the little things, not the big things we do or don’t do. Could it not be said that the same holds true when it comes to our spiritual lives?
Day Two, October 4, Luke 16:15b; You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts, for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. When we think about “justifying” ourselves we usually think about those times when we’ve been caught and tried to make it sound like we weren’t really in error. But today’s passage goes beyond that simple definition. It goes to the real reason we do things. Dale Carnegie once said that in most instances people have two reasons for the things they do, the real one and the one that sounds good. I’m sure we’ve all known people who justify their greed by appearing to be charitable, or who can spout scripture verses (usually out of context) to justify their prejudices. Several years ago, I knew a unscrupulous businessman who was the pillar of his church (fundamentalist, not liberal) and was looked up to by many because he continually made statements like, “See this diamond ring (or my new Lexus, etc), God gave it to me.” We need to not only be aware of the things we do, but the reasons we are doing them. God looks beyond our “reasons that sound (or look) good” and sees our inner motivation, what Carnegie called “the real reason”.
Day Three, Luke 17:1; Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! The King James Version uses the word “offences” for “Occasions for stumbling”. Neither the NRSV or KJV words really convey the meaning of the Greek text, which speaks of a trap that is deliberately set to ensnare or cause a scandal. What is more important than quibbling over language is that we understand the point of Jesus’ words. Jesus is using a negative to underline an important precept in not only spiritual growth and maturity but also basic human relations. We need to be careful about deliberately “setting traps” for other people in order to make them look bad or cause them to stumble. Most of us would condemn a person who placed a drink of whiskey in the hands of a reformed alcoholic, but how many of us have used the personality weaknesses of others to advance our own career or agenda? As children of God, we need to seek ways to build other people up, not find ways to tear them down. Yes, life can be competitive, but we should seek ways to compete fairly in the arena of ideas and business.
Day Four, Luke 3a; Be on your guard! Remember the old spiritual that says, “Not my mother, not my brother but it’s me O Lord…?” In 1998 I suffered a dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm, which necessitate my being life flighted from Tulsa to Houston’s Methodist Hospital. I was in the hospital for almost a month. The day I was to be released, one of the nurses suggested that I might need a shower. (Until the last week someone had come in and given me those famous hospital sponge baths). For some reason, the word hadn’t got to me that I was supposed to start bathing myself. As I took my shower, I began to understand why visitors had been standing as far away from me as possible during the past week! So it is with our lives, we can become so accustomed to ourselves and our way of doing things that we don’t really realize we “don’t smell like a rose.” Since nine-five percent of what we do and the way we interact with and treat others is habit, Jesus advises that we need to step back and in the words used by the King James in today’s text “Take heed to (y)ourselves!”
Day Five, Luke 17:3b; If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. All right! This is what most of us are really good at isn’t it? We can spot a “sinning” brother a mile away, and this verse gives us the hunting license we’ve been waiting for! Or does it? There are two little words that take away the hunting license. The first one is the word “sins” (trespass in the KJV). In the Greek text the word is “hamartanÅ”, meaning “to miss the mark”. This is a generic term we translate “sin”. We often loose sight of the fact that people can miss the mark through carelessness, as well as intentionally. The other word in the text is “rebuke”, which in the Greek means to “censure, admonish or forbid”. In other words, before we load up our hunting rifle, we need to first determine the severity of the “sin” against us. Was it an intentional, thought out scheme to cause us to stumble? Or was it something that was said or done carelessly, without thinking? Since the verse makes it clear that the purpose of the “rebuke” is to bring about repentance, our response should be more in the form of an admonishment than a harsh censure (which would alienate the person). When we take time to step back and consider the situation before speaking or acting, we avoid the regret that can come from acting in the heat of the moment.
Day Six, October 8, Luke 17:4; And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent,” you must forgive. This verse sheds more light on the previous lesson, because it is obvious that the missing of the mark here has to do with carelessness rather than intentional actions. The linguist that I checked indicated the word repent (as used here) referred to a person’s action after they perceived they had done something offensive. In both lessons, we are told that our response to their “repentance” must be to forgive. The Greek word translated “forgive” is “aphesis”, meaning to release from deserved penalty. It has nothing to do with “forgetting”, rather it means that we are willing to give up any claim we have for either retribution or revenge. When we “release” our claims against others we free our minds of the bitterness that clouds our thinking and hinders peace of mind.
Day Seven, Luke 17:5; The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
We all know that it runs against the grain of our culture to seek to live by the teachings of the verses we’ve been reflecting on. It runs contrary to the way we’ve become accustomed to behaving. But that is the way to constant inner peace and confident living according to Jesus. Faced with being told that they should learn to live by a different code than most people live by, the apostles response was that they didn’t think they could do it! They realized, like we do that this was the better way to live, but they just didn’t believe they had it in them, so they cried, “Increase our faith.” Jesus response is interesting. He tells them that if they have just a little faith (the faith they already had), they could do it, if they exercised it. God never ask us to do the impossible—he knows we already have the capability—we must simply apply our will to doing living as he wants us to.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 28 thru October 4, 2009
Day One, Psalm 92:1; When I was growing up, one of my mother’s favorite phrases was “If you know what’s good for you…” followed by a statement regarding specific behavior. The message was clear, if you act in a certain way (or fail to act in a certain way) there will be consequences—and she didn’t mean an extra piece of chocolate pie! While the Bible, the wisest of all books, isn’t primarily a psychology or self-help book, it does contain bits of practical wisdom that if followed can provide us with a happier more hope-filled life. This verse has such a gem in it. The writer asserts that it is a GOOD thing to give thanks to the Lord. Over the past 100 or so years, research has consistently verified the accuracy of this ancient observation. People who are aware of all the wonderful things in their lives (even the small ones) tend to be happier and less prone to pessimism and worry. Someone once asked me why there were so many “defeated” Christians in the world. Forty years of observation has lead me to conclude that the answer lies in the failure to follow the sage advice contained in this passage. If we know what’s good for us we will learn to count our blessings and be thankful—then life will truly become good, no matter what we face. It is good to give thanks to the Lord…”
Day Two, Psalm 92:2; Several years ago I read about a study that indicated that the first fifteen minutes of the morning tended to set the tone for the day. The study also concluded that the way we spend the last few minutes before retiring at night can affect our sleep patterns. The psalmist seems to have discovered these principles because he advises us to affirm God’s steadfast love when we rise, and then affirm his faithfulness to us before retiring for the night. A few years ago, there was a popular slogan that reminded us “There is nothing that can happen today that God and I can’t handle.” What better way to start the day than to remind ourselves of this fact? In the same vein we should take time at the close of the day to remind ourselves of the various situations that God has helped you handled during the day, as well as “drop” the situations you know you will face tomorrow into his loving hands and leave them there. (It is good...) to declare thy steadfast love in the morning, and thy faithfulness by night.
Day Three, Psalm 92:4; Almost thirty years ago, my father spent an afternoon making a small wooden table for our daughter. It wasn’t anything fancy, just wooden legs supported by a wooden frame and a plywood top, but it brought gladness to the heart of his granddaughter. Today, it continues to gladden the hearts of her two daughters as they have tea parties, etc. on it. Too often we think that only the “big stuff” can make us happy, but the psalmist says that even the simple things that are the work of God in our lives and the works of God in the world around us can become a source of gladness. How long has it been since you took time to really notice the wonderful world that God has made? You can find reasons for gladness even in the busiest of days when you “take time to smell the roses.” For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy works; at the works of thy hands I sing for joy!
Day Four, Psalm 92:5b; I recall a friend of mine who was facing a decision. He told me that he knew God’s will because he had polled some of his friends who were Christians. When he shared the answer with me, I was apprehensive about the answer was convinced to be right and told him it seemed to contradict some basic Biblical teachings. I then asked him if he had asked God’s guidance in the matter. He replied that he had originally done so, but didn’t like the answer so he decided to talk to his Christian friends about it. When needing advice, most people do one of two things—they either go to someone they know will agree with them or they seek out someone who possesses the knowledge they are lacking along with the skill to apply it to their situation. If you had an opportunity to get guidance from a person considered by his peers to be an expert in an area you needed assistance, you’d probably jump at the chance and consider yourself a fool not to follow his advice. The Bible is filled with testimonies to the fact that Almighty God is willing to share his wisdom with us if we simply ask him to do so. When we make that request of God, we are tapping into the most profound thinker of all time—one who will give us the solution to our most complex problems. Thy thoughts are very deep!
Day Five, Psalm 92:11; A woman who had experience much trouble during her life once complained to me about her brother. I reminded her that he had often come to her aid in ways that went beyond what could be expected of even a brother. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and asked me for specifics. Since her brother’s actions on her behalf were well known around the church (and town), I decided I wouldn’t be breaking any confidences to cite a few examples. As I listed off some the ways he had helped her, her demeanor changed and she blurted out, “I had no idea…”. This poor woman had known that her creditors had stopped hounding her and some other problems had been resolved, but she had been so self-absorbed that she was oblivious to why they had ceased. The psalmist, continuing the theme of “It is good” that he set in the first verse, reminds us that it is good for us to open our eyes and ears so we will be aware of the various “enemies” that would have harmed us if the Good Lord hadn’t intervened on our behalf. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies, my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants
Day Six, Psalm 94:18,19; Have you ever thought you were totally defeated only to have things suddenly turn around for you? Have you ever been so worried about a situation that you were depressed, out of sorts and feeling completely helpless, only to have some obscure thought or event brighten your life, and in doing so it seemed to open your mind to solutions you had overlooked? I’m sure most of us have that experience. This is exactly what the psalmist is talking about. He states that there had been times when he felt he was in free fall—that there was no hope of recovery, only to have the Lord catch him and stand him back up. He speaks of being so overly concerned about problems that happiness seemed a fond memory, but suddenly God comes to him and gives him hope that cheers his heart even in the midst of his troubles. In a practical sense, this is what is meant by the steadfast love of God for us—he’s always there for us. When I thought, “My foot slips,” thy steadfast love, O Lord held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul.
Day Seven, Psalm 94:22; Relationships don’t just burst into full bloom. When a child is born, it learns to trust its parents as they care for it. When we are introduced to someone we gradually get to know them—sharing bits and pieces of information about ourselves in order to determine whether to raise our trust level. As our trust level deepens and we establish mutual interests we begin to feel more and more comfortable and a strong friendship develops. We often hear that we need to “grow” in the Lord, the meaning usually being that we need to become more observant of his teachings as we learn them. But I think growing also means allowing our relationship with him to progress to the point of becoming best friends. As I reflected on this verse, several key words jumped out at me, “stronghold”, “rock” and “refuge”. But the real key word to unlocking the meaning of this verse is the word “become”—“the Lord has become my stronghold, rock and refuge.” The word “become” indicates that this is a relationship that has progressed over time, it has evolved from the first timid steps of trusting God to a full-blown relationship of complete confidence in the most difficult of times. So, even if capacity to trust seems to falters at times keep working on your relationship with God and eventually it will become all that you need and more. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
Day Two, Psalm 92:2; Several years ago I read about a study that indicated that the first fifteen minutes of the morning tended to set the tone for the day. The study also concluded that the way we spend the last few minutes before retiring at night can affect our sleep patterns. The psalmist seems to have discovered these principles because he advises us to affirm God’s steadfast love when we rise, and then affirm his faithfulness to us before retiring for the night. A few years ago, there was a popular slogan that reminded us “There is nothing that can happen today that God and I can’t handle.” What better way to start the day than to remind ourselves of this fact? In the same vein we should take time at the close of the day to remind ourselves of the various situations that God has helped you handled during the day, as well as “drop” the situations you know you will face tomorrow into his loving hands and leave them there. (It is good...) to declare thy steadfast love in the morning, and thy faithfulness by night.
Day Three, Psalm 92:4; Almost thirty years ago, my father spent an afternoon making a small wooden table for our daughter. It wasn’t anything fancy, just wooden legs supported by a wooden frame and a plywood top, but it brought gladness to the heart of his granddaughter. Today, it continues to gladden the hearts of her two daughters as they have tea parties, etc. on it. Too often we think that only the “big stuff” can make us happy, but the psalmist says that even the simple things that are the work of God in our lives and the works of God in the world around us can become a source of gladness. How long has it been since you took time to really notice the wonderful world that God has made? You can find reasons for gladness even in the busiest of days when you “take time to smell the roses.” For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy works; at the works of thy hands I sing for joy!
Day Four, Psalm 92:5b; I recall a friend of mine who was facing a decision. He told me that he knew God’s will because he had polled some of his friends who were Christians. When he shared the answer with me, I was apprehensive about the answer was convinced to be right and told him it seemed to contradict some basic Biblical teachings. I then asked him if he had asked God’s guidance in the matter. He replied that he had originally done so, but didn’t like the answer so he decided to talk to his Christian friends about it. When needing advice, most people do one of two things—they either go to someone they know will agree with them or they seek out someone who possesses the knowledge they are lacking along with the skill to apply it to their situation. If you had an opportunity to get guidance from a person considered by his peers to be an expert in an area you needed assistance, you’d probably jump at the chance and consider yourself a fool not to follow his advice. The Bible is filled with testimonies to the fact that Almighty God is willing to share his wisdom with us if we simply ask him to do so. When we make that request of God, we are tapping into the most profound thinker of all time—one who will give us the solution to our most complex problems. Thy thoughts are very deep!
Day Five, Psalm 92:11; A woman who had experience much trouble during her life once complained to me about her brother. I reminded her that he had often come to her aid in ways that went beyond what could be expected of even a brother. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and asked me for specifics. Since her brother’s actions on her behalf were well known around the church (and town), I decided I wouldn’t be breaking any confidences to cite a few examples. As I listed off some the ways he had helped her, her demeanor changed and she blurted out, “I had no idea…”. This poor woman had known that her creditors had stopped hounding her and some other problems had been resolved, but she had been so self-absorbed that she was oblivious to why they had ceased. The psalmist, continuing the theme of “It is good” that he set in the first verse, reminds us that it is good for us to open our eyes and ears so we will be aware of the various “enemies” that would have harmed us if the Good Lord hadn’t intervened on our behalf. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies, my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants
Day Six, Psalm 94:18,19; Have you ever thought you were totally defeated only to have things suddenly turn around for you? Have you ever been so worried about a situation that you were depressed, out of sorts and feeling completely helpless, only to have some obscure thought or event brighten your life, and in doing so it seemed to open your mind to solutions you had overlooked? I’m sure most of us have that experience. This is exactly what the psalmist is talking about. He states that there had been times when he felt he was in free fall—that there was no hope of recovery, only to have the Lord catch him and stand him back up. He speaks of being so overly concerned about problems that happiness seemed a fond memory, but suddenly God comes to him and gives him hope that cheers his heart even in the midst of his troubles. In a practical sense, this is what is meant by the steadfast love of God for us—he’s always there for us. When I thought, “My foot slips,” thy steadfast love, O Lord held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul.
Day Seven, Psalm 94:22; Relationships don’t just burst into full bloom. When a child is born, it learns to trust its parents as they care for it. When we are introduced to someone we gradually get to know them—sharing bits and pieces of information about ourselves in order to determine whether to raise our trust level. As our trust level deepens and we establish mutual interests we begin to feel more and more comfortable and a strong friendship develops. We often hear that we need to “grow” in the Lord, the meaning usually being that we need to become more observant of his teachings as we learn them. But I think growing also means allowing our relationship with him to progress to the point of becoming best friends. As I reflected on this verse, several key words jumped out at me, “stronghold”, “rock” and “refuge”. But the real key word to unlocking the meaning of this verse is the word “become”—“the Lord has become my stronghold, rock and refuge.” The word “become” indicates that this is a relationship that has progressed over time, it has evolved from the first timid steps of trusting God to a full-blown relationship of complete confidence in the most difficult of times. So, even if capacity to trust seems to falters at times keep working on your relationship with God and eventually it will become all that you need and more. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
