June 28 thru July 4, 2009

Sunday, Psalm 40:6. What type of church do you prefer? Some people feel more comfortable in a highly structured worship service, others prefer less structure. Over the years I’ve participated in all types of church services and the thing I’ve discovered is that God is able to penetrate the mind and speak to the heart in all different types of services. In other words, God doesn’t require that we have a contemporary service, a southern gospel music service or a liturgical service. What God does require, regardless of the type of service we prefer to attend, is that we allow him to open our ears so he can speak to us. Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear

Monday, Psalm 40:8a. I was talking to a friend of mine who had been suffering from back pain. Her doctor examined her and found she had pulled a muscle and he prescribed some simple exercises to relieve the problem. I asked her how she was feeling and she told me she still hurt. In response to my puzzled look, she explained that she didn’t like the exercises and only did them when the pain became completely unbearable. I believe it was G. Campbell Morgan who once said he could fill the church by announcing that he planned to preach on “Finding God’s Will”, but that it would be empty the following Sunday if he announced his topic to be “Doing God’s Will”. Why is that? Could it be that too often we are like my friend who only followed the doctor’s advice when the pain became unbearable? I’m sure the Psalmist had his share of troubles, but he “delighted” to do God’s will. When we take delight in something we make the time to do it, in fact many times we will go out of our way for it. You see, when we find delight in doing something it isn’t a duty or a drudgery but something we look forward to! I delight to do your will, O my God

Tuesday, Psalm 40:10. Have you ever seen one of those infomercials on television? They are filled with testimonials from “people just like you” who have made money, lost weight, etc. Advertisers know that we are interested in how other people solved a problem or improved their lot in life, so instead of bombarding us with a lot of facts and statistics they trot out satisfied users of their product to tell their story. The Good Lord was way ahead of our modern advertisers because that is the method he has advocated for centuries. We are simply supposed to tell other people how much better our lives are because we have a relationship with him. We don’t need a degree in theology to do this, don’t need to know how to quote scripture, and we don’t have to “preach” to people. Simply tell some who is experiencing what you’ve been through how your faith made a difference. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and salvation

Wednesday, Psalm 40:16a; What is our attitude when we come to our Heavenly Father seeking guidance or help? Do we come to him reluctantly or unsure about his response to us? Two boys were playing one day and discovered that the tires on their bicycle were flat. This created dismay and dampened their spirits because they couldn’t fix the problem. Then they saw their father’s car coming down the street and their spirits lifted. Dad would know what to do! He would us the compressor to air up the tires! As he pulled into the driveway the boys ran eagerly to the car, knowing that their problem would be resolved. When we come to our Heavenly Father with a problem, let’s come full of joyful anticipation and gladness because we know he will not fail us. May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you

Thursday, Psalm 4016:b. I sat both dumbfounded and amazed as I listened to Phil tell the story! According to Phil he had single-handedly made the sale that put the company over the top. I let Phil bask in his moment of glory without setting the record straight. You see, I knew that Phil had played only a minor role in the sale; someone else had suggested he contact this particular prospect. Someone else had provided the inside information he needed to present the product and close the deal. I knew all this because I happened to know Phil’s sales manager and he had told me that he was the one who had provided all the ideas and information Phil needed to get the account. I also knew that word would get back to Phil’s manager and that he would deal with Phil as only he could (which he did). How many times are we like Phil? We love it when God answers our prayers, gives us ideas and guides us in our spiritual and everyday lives. But are we not sometimes guilty of trying to take all the credit when we get positive outcomes? True, God helps those who help themselves by giving them insights and confidence as he works through us to bless us, but let’s share the credit with the One who made it all possible. May those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

Friday, Song of Solomon 5:16b; I’ll never forget going into a jewelry store to select a gift for my wife for our 25th wedding anniversary. The young lady behind the counter asked me what the occasion was and when I told her she stared at me like I had two heads. Then she called her coworkers over and told them that they had to meet me because I’d been married for 25 years! As it turned out, she and her coworkers parents had not even made it to their fifteenth anniversaries, and two of the women had been married and divorced at least once. We constantly hear people give lip service to the family being the foundation of society, but we are also aware of the fact that the home seems to be breaking apart. I’m convinced that the key to keeping the family intact is to keep each other in the prominent position in our lives (before friends, work, activities, extended family, etc) and being each others best friend. Today my wife Vicki and I celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, and I borrow the lines from the Bible’s love poem to reintroduce her to you, This is my beloved and this is my friend.

Saturday, 2 Peter 1:3,4; Today is the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That document, created in the midst of rebellion against the tyranny of the British throne gave new hope and empowered those who were valiantly waging the fight for liberty. There was power in the terminology of that document, but it was the names affixed to it that served as the ignition that turned the raw power of words into a concrete dream to be achieved. Eighteen centuries before that document was signed, another document was prepared in the heart of God and signed by the blood of Jesus. Like the Declaration of Independence, that document continues to give new hope and empowerment to those who are struggling against the self-defeating behaviors of the tyranny of sin. In it we are promised the power to not only overcome our pettiness and self-centeredness, but also to live abundant lives that are in harmony with our Creator. His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.