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.
Monday, November 23, 2009
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.”
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