May 31: End of Ecclesiastes

Living with a perspective.

At the end of his critical thought pursuit Solomon encourages young people:

"Remember your Creator

in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come..." (Eccl. 12:1)

If Solomon was writing this towards the end of his life, the youth he speaks to might as well be people of all ages. He urges us to remember our Creator.

Sometimes we might need motivational boost from God in order to start trusting and obeying Him: we wait until we see His faithful work in our life, or in the lives of others, or until we see miracles. And that's OK. It's part of how we have relationship with God in life. But I wonder if sometimes just remembering who He is would be enough for us? Can the knowledge that He made us give us enough fear and passion to look up to Him? Solomon was giving us a perspective for life. If you know who created you, your identity and your life's pursuit surely will be defined by your Creator. And knowing that He is God, and therefore He is good, why would you want to run away from Him? Solomon concludes:

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil. (Eccl. 12:13,14)

We do struggle with this: obeying. We think: it's not fair,why shouldn't I be able to live my life however I want? When I was a kid my dad took me on a work-related trip to a neighbouring country. I was happy, I felt free as a bird. But if it was up to me, he wouldn't have to work on this trip. I wanted to see everything. But what if my dad just said: "Sure if you want to go around the foreign city by yourself, go right ahead." Of course I would've gotten lost without him. Nope, 'whatever dad says goes.' With God, we are children, and yet we are like grown up children. We think we are independent enough to decide to run away on our own and for some reason God allows us certain freedom. Sometimes He honors our choice to go our own way. Maybe He knows that we would only learn from our own mistakes. But we are not without excuse: He has clearly told us about the consequence: "You will get lost. You are chasing after the wind, your home is with Me in eternity. I have placed a longing for eternity in your heart. You know this." And He'd also told us that wherever we go and whatever we do, we will eventually have to give an answer for our actions.

See, we are created. We know our identity. But do we live our lives in light of this knowledge? Do we know that life's meaning is to live in this identity? Do we fear our Creator and follow His direction: like a child always fears her father's scorn. Like she always trusts that he would take care of her and goes wherever he goes.

Do we find safety in our Creator or do we prefer to be a runaway?

May 30: Ecclesiastes

Today's passage brings more of the Teacher's wry wisdom about life. While the Book of Proverbs generally offers clear, positive wisdom on life, some of the proverbs contained within today's reading appear more jaded or cynical. Through the totality of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher points out that, in the absence of knowing God, life is meaningless. Even with God's presence, sometimes we cannot see the greater vision betweens life's blessings and storms. In all, we trust in God's sovereignty and His perfect will for our lives. While we are still living, God has a journey for us, where the circumstances drive our sanctification.


1. As in Proverbs, wisdom reigns supreme among God's gifts.

"Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor." (7:11,12)

"Who is like the wise man?
Who knows the explanation of things?
Wisdom brightens a man's face
and changes its hard appearance." (8:1)

Solomon teaches that wisdom provides a shelter through life and "preserves the life of its possessor." As we read in the New Testament, we reap what we sow. Wisdom's great blessing is to instruct us in these important cause-and-effect relationships and to avoid poor decisions that would imperil us. Wisdom gives life to its possessor and to those with whom its possessor associates.

Wisdom also "brigthens" the face and brings joy. We often surmise that living a carefree life brings joy and that spontaneity triumphs over careful planning. Solomon appears to indicate otherwise. Living intentionally -- planning our work and working our plan, but leaving the results to God -- pays great dividends over a lifetime and leads to "no shame."
　

2. We should offer gracious, truthful words to everyone, out of love for God and for His glory.

"Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious,
but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
At the beginning his words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness --
and the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what is coming --
who can tell him what will happen after him?" (10:12-14)

"The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails -- given by one Shepherd." (12:11)

The greatest example of the combination of truth and grace came to us through Jesus, Whom John describes in this way: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) In the same way, God calls us to use "gracious words" to be "like goads." These charges remind us of the need for fellowship, where believers may sharpen one another like iron. In Hebrews 10:23-25, we read: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

　
QUESTIONS

1. How can you seek wisdom for your life? What "courses" do you wish to take? What does God have to say? Whom could you learn from?

2. Whom could you encourage this week in their walk with Christ?

May 29

The Struggle for Meaning and Purpose in Life.

One of the greatest struggles for the postmodern world is to find purpose and meaning in life.
The novel Steppenwolf, by Hermann Hesse is a story written from a postmodern perspective. At the novel's end, Harry Haller stands looking at himself in a mirror. During the course of his life he had experienced all the world offers. And now he stands looking at himself, and he mutters "Ah, the bitter taste of life!" He spits at himself in the looking-glass, and then he kicks it to pieces. His life has been futile and meaningless.

If there is no God, if there is no grand design to life, then life itself becomes meaningless. Life has no ultimate purpose without God. If death stands with open arms at the end of life's trial, then what is the goal of life? To what end has life been lived? Is it all for nothing? Is there any goal or purpose for the universe?

I ask people this question to reinforce the brevity of achievement, “Tell me about any of the achievements of your great grandparents?” That is simply remembering what your family did less than a 100 years ago.”

The truth is, without God, no one will remember anything about our lives in two generations. Yet with God, giving a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus will count for all eternity. We might forget the small acts of kindness and love we do in Jesus’ name, but he never will.

Solomon makes it clear today, the only thing a god-less world offers us is emptiness.... the emptiness of human wisdom, the emptiness of pleasure, the emptiness of achievement, the emptiness of labor and the list goes on and on. The only hope for meaning and purpose is a life lived for God.

So here is our homework.... bless one person with Jesus’ love over the next 24 hours.

Make a phone call to a lonely person.
Bring a cup of coffee to a fellow worker who has mistreated you.
Forgive someone who hurt you.
Go out of your way to smile to some and share a word of encouragement.
Be creative and make up your own act.....

One small acts of kindness, done in the name of Jesus, will give you hope, meaning and purpose in life.

Just do it!!!

May 28

Friday is accountability day. The great danger to Solomon was that he had risen to the status of the “Lone Ranger.” There was no one to whom he was accountable. That is a dangerous place.

Send me an email with your status in our journey. If you have fallen off the pace, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start reading today. Remember, I am on your team, not on your back.

Eccles. 9:7-10 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun--all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Have you every asked God for the “Gift of Enjoyment?” The gift of enjoyment is given by God. We need to pray each day, “Lord, please give me the gift to be able to enjoy this day of life you have given me.” Help me to enjoy the coffee I am drinking now, my beautiful wife and children, the awesome friends and ministry team that surround me, the strength to go out and run a mile, to hit a softball and the job you have given me.

When Christ followers are joyful, when we have laughter and a winsome outlook on life, we become attractive to the world. The world doesn’t want to follow Christ if we look like we have been sucking on lemons all day and are wearing very tight underwear.

The typical child laughs 150 times daily, but the average adults laughs only 15 times.

Sheldon Vanauken "The best argument for Christianity is Christians.; their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians -- when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."

But you object, what about the economy, the oil in the Gulf, the war in Afghanistan, kids problems, health issues, Lyme disease, disconnections with people, getting older… the burdens of life? Yes, they are there. They will always be there. Instead of allowing grief and bitterness to consume us, we must resist the strong pull towards the sea of self-pity, pessimism and despair.

Life is a gift from God’s hands to be received and enjoyed.

Solomon’s advice for you today…. Have a blast while you last!!!

May 26

The Presbyterian Church shocked the religious community a few years ago when it released it’s highly controversial report on human sexuality. The church leaders assumed that sexual gratification was a need and a right, and therefore it was not to be limited in any way. The "NEW" Christian ethic of sexuality is that the church will no longer insist on celibacy for the single person, and it also does not restrict sexual activity to marriage. You are free to do whatever you want sexually, just as long as there is justice and love surrounding it.
Once again we are forced to decide "Who's right?" Experts of psychology, sociology and liberal theology or is the Bible still the pre‑eminent source of truth? One thing is sure, both can't be right.
The issue of sexuality is a topic that God is not bashful about. Our reading today covers several principles of true love and sexuality from God’s point of view.

Song 8:8-10
We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for?
9If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.
10Beloved
I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment.

Solomon is saying that love refuses to be rushed. It is important to put a wall up until the day of her marriage. She was not to give herself in unrestrained passion to another person until a covenant was formed. If it was important for ancient Israel to hear the counsel of patience and restraint, how much more important is for our society today?

Richard Foster says of boundaries of sex, "Sex is like a great river that is rich and deep and good as long as it stays within its proper channel. The moment a river overflows its banks, it becomes destructive, and the moment sex overflows its God‑given banks, it become destructive."

May 25

Proverbs 30, 31

"Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." ~ Hedy Lamarr

"The problem with beauty is that it's like being born rich and getting poorer." ~ Joan Collins

"Beauty is only skin deep, but it's a valuable asset if you're poor or haven't any sense." ~ Kin Hubbard

"Beauty fades... dumb is forever." ~ Judge Judy

Today, our society certainly has their priorities mixed up. So many people focus on what is seen and what is temporary. Power, fame, beauty, wealth... people give all they can to work toward these goals. Unfortunately, there is a problem: it only brings temporary happiness. All of it can be gone before you know it.

Proverbs 31 says Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her praise at the city gates. This idea of pursuing what is superficial and temporary is not new. Even back in Solomon's time, there were those who placed importance on outward appearance. This passage tells us that the most important thing in life is knowing who your heart belongs to. The quotes I included before are meant to be funny, but there is also some truth to them. Outward appearance will only bring you happiness for a time. But living your life for God will bring you true joy forever.

May 24

Children:

These proverbs clearly say that children should respect their parents. I think they were written more for the good of the children than for the parents. As children we need to understand that God says that honoring our parents is the right thing to do and is good for us.

Women:

As women, I think we should use these proverbs as a mirror: if we see our reflection in the corrective proverbs, we need to step back and reconsider how we love God and others.

Leaders:

If we are ever put in a position of leadership and power, we need to be careful. These proverbs talk about that a leader should stive for love, justice and truth, and not to oprress or mislead others.

Friends:

These proverbs make us see that if we are someone's friend, it is a blessing and a privilege from God. A friend may be closer to someone than their own family is. Friends love at all times.

But this is the one proverb that got me today:

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverb 13:12

It's so true! When we hope for something, again and again and again, and it doesn't happen, we are heart broken. When our dreams don't come true our hearts are sick. But if our hopes and dreams come true, we are in heaven! 'No one can touch us!' But the proverb is not saying that all hopes that didn't come true were bad hopes, or that we must have done something wrong if they didn't happen. It's not even saying that any type of longing is worth having. I think the proverb is rather raising the question: What do you hope in? What are your longings? Or as my friend Nicole wisely asked on this subject: Is what you hope in trustworthy?

If fulfilled hopes and desires are like a tree of life, than why not put our hopes in the actual source of life?!

Pop quiz then: Who is the source of life?

May 23: Proverbs of Solomon

(This devotion comes a day early because tomorrow will be quite full. We praise God because my lovely wife Danielle will be graduating from law school!)

Today's proverbs discuss wealth, attitudes towards the poor, and diligence. Clearly, there are no get-rich-quick schemes here, as we learn that the rewards to diligence come over a lifetime, not a matter of minutes. It is helpful to remember that all wealth and work are ultimately for God's glory and honor: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23,24)


1. Dedication to applying what we have on God's behalf.
"Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine." (3:9,10)

This proverbs speaks clearly to the importance of designating the "firstfruits of all your crops" in order to "honor the LORD with your wealth." Oftentimes, we struggle with this concept and choose to give God "what's left over." Yet, as the Maker and Giver of all good gifts, God rightfully deserves the first part of anything we would receive. God has merely entrusted treasure, talent, and time to us, and we serve as His willing stewards. As we see in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the "faithful" stewards or managers looked out for their master's interests, even when he was physically absent. In a similar way, we are to honor the Lord with our treasure, talents, and time. Each of these gifts are fleeting, but, when we invest them for godly and eternal purposes, we can be sure of a healthy return on investment.
　

2. Lifting up the poor.
"Rich and poor have this in common:
The LORD is Maker of them all." (22:2)
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." (14:31)

These proverbs appeal to the knowledge that God has indeed created every person, and, because He has blessed His creation as "very good," we know that He values each person. As David writes in Psalm 139:14, we are each "fearfully and wonderfully made." Most likely, oppressing the poor arises out of a combination of 1) selfish ambition and 2) belief that the poor are somehow less valuable. Our self-protective hearts often stand in judgment against those less fortunate, assigning blame to them for their difficulties. Yet, as we study poverty, we recognize that it is not just the lack of material possessions, but rather a wide net of oppressive attitudes and patterns of limitation. The U.S. is gratefully an "equal opportunity" place, but many people cannot realize their potential because they have no conception of what the opportunities are!

In Luke 4:16-21, Jesus announces His mission and includes the truth that

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Bringing good news to the poor means more than merely avoiding oppression. Instead, it means an active engagement and consideration of what we may do (through giving and going) to "preach good news to the poor... [and] proclaim freedom for the prisoners." God has blessed the church enough so that its generosity could overcome the forces of poverty. It may cost us something, but the rewards on this investment often lead to the advance of the Kingdom.
　

3. Hard work.
"He who works his land will have abundant food,
but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment." (12:11)
"Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in slave labor." (12:24)
"One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys." (18:9)

While it is important to take time to rest, diligence should mark the life and work of the Christ-follower. How can you continue to grow in your productivity and impact? What should you be learning?
　
QUESTIONS
1. How are you handling the apportionment of your treasure, talents, and time? What portion is God receiving? How might you better give Him the "firstfruits" so as to "honor the LORD with your wealth"?
2. How do you see yourself "preach[ing] good news to the poor... [and] proclaim[ing] freedom for the prisoners?" What can you start doing about it this week?

May 22

Proverbs and Justice

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

I had a huge blind spot in my life for years. When the issue of “justice” was brought up I thought this was the responsibility of someone else. My thinking went like this, “I will preach the word, and someone else can do the justice part.” I also gathered comfort in that historically the evangelical church didn’t do “justice.” The evangelical church was absent during the civil rights movement of the 60’s, and the abortion issue of the 70’s. For decades I failed to see that justice flows out of the character of God. This is not a side show to the gospel, this is the gospel.

I also had a flaw in my understanding of the word justice. The word “justice” appears in the Bible 125 times. Usually we think in terms of “retributive or judicial” justice. The bad guys are going to get what they deserve, and that is a correct understanding of a small aspect of this word. But the must larger application is the establishment of justice on earth as a pattern. Justice demands a right relationship with everything, putting things in a right order, a kind of society where judicial justice isn’t necessary. A synonym of justice is “shalom” which means peace. In the end justice means I have a proper relationship with the poor, the broken, the helpless, the vulnerable and the oppressed. Justice is more than paying back the bad guys; it is an active intervention with people who desperately need the peace God in their lives right now.

So be a champion of justice today.... go out and join God in fixing a broken world with the gospel.

May 21

Friday accountability day

Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

One of the leading icons of our day died because people did not pay attention to this verse. The story of Pat Tillman is captured in the recent book by Jon Krakauer, “Where Men Win Glory.” Pat was serving with his Ranger squad in Afghanistan in April of 2004. Due to the break down of a Humvee, their squad was divided in two, one squad was assigned to take the vehicle back to headquarters and the second squad to check out a local village for Taliban fighters. When the first squad encountered difficulty in moving the Humvee, they ended up reversing their course and following in the exact path of the second squad, just traveling it approximately fifteen minutes later. During their journey, the first squad came under mortar attack and Pat Tillman’s squad started running back to assist them in the battle. That is when the communication broke down and everyone started speaking rashly. In military terms it is called “Hot Miking.” It is the situation when people in conflict all start talking at the same time and stop listening. This phenomenon instantly jams the entire communication network and it creates radio gridlock that can persist for hours. The tendency is during conflict to hold down the talk button and not to listen to others. Because of lack of listening, the second squad did not know the guys running along the ridge above them were friendlies, and thus Pat was shot by his own friends. What a tragedy for people on the same side, people who are supposed to be brothers and sisters, to inflict such pain on one another. But that is what happens when communication breaks down.

Right now you probably find yourself in some conflict in your life. The words from today’s reading could spare your relationship:

Proverbs 18:13 He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame.

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Some steps to stop “Hot Miking.”
1. Look into the eyes of the person talking to you.
2. Listen with both ears and don’t speak until they are done with their sentence.
3. Repeat and confirm what you heard them say.
4. If you don’t have the correct message say these words, “Help me understand.”
5. In the end it is much better to understand then to seek to be understood. (Assisi)

May 20

May 20, 2010

Turkeys and adultery

Proverbs 5:3-5 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

The world we wake up into today does not want to admit there are any sexual boundaries. The rule of thumb is, do whatever comes naturally to you. This is what I love to call, “Jerry Springer Theology” and this way of thinking is both dangerous and deadly. We can learn a lot from Solomon as well as turkeys on this topic. What can a turkey teach us about faithfulness in marriage? Male turkeys, often referred to as toms or gobblers, are created with a unique ability. When a tom gobbles, all hens within range answer the call and move toward him. During the spring mating season, toms call for potential mates all day long. There is an exception, however. If a tom already has a hen with him, most of the time he will not leave his lady to check out another, no matter how enticing the response. The tom is wired to know that females come to him. In most cases, a mature tom will not leave the hen he can see to chase down a hen he cannot see. It's against his nature. But there are exceptions. Every now and then the tom will violate everything he knows to be true and leave his hen, most of the time he never comes home. What sounded like a willing mate was in reality an imposter holding a gun. A tom who stays with the lady he's with is virtually guaranteed to live out his days in contentment.

Take whatever steps you need to protect yourself from death. Be ruthless in establishing clear boundaries and accountability in this area. Who do you have asking you the hard questions?

Proverbs 6:32 But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.

May 19

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

The story is told of two ducks and a frog who lived happily together in a farm pond. They were great friends and enjoyed playing together. When the hot days of summer came, however, the pond began to dry up. They soon realized that they had to move. This was no problem for the ducks because they could just fly to another pond. But the frog was stuck. So they decided to put a stick in the bill of each duck that the frog could hang onto with his mouth as they flew to another pond. The plan worked well ­ so well, in fact, that as they were flying along a farmer looked up in admiration and said, “Well, isn’t that a clever idea! I wonder who thought of that?” To which the frog said, “I did…” Be careful of pride,­ it can cause you to fall!

Proverbs 16:5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

It is clear from our reading today that God hates a prideful heart. He doesn’t require for us to think of ourselves as nothing, but he wants us to think of ourselves in proper relationship to Himself. Pride elevates self to a place of importance not meant for us. Pride indicates self-reliance instead of reliance upon God.
C.S. Lewis says of pride, “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking about is pride or self-conceit.”

Pride is considered by many to be the greatest sin of all. It leads to every other vice and it is puts a person in an anti-God position. Destroying pride in the heart is one of the hardest and longest battles that we all fight. I like what Benjamin Franklin had to say concerning his own pride when he wrote his autobiography, “There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”

To define sin is to understand the battle we have with it. Pride is defined as “An inordinate amount of self-esteem.” The synonyms for the word “pride” are not pretty; they are conceit, arrogance, and boastfulness. Pride is puffed up, stiff-necked and stuck-up. When we think of pride, we think of people that are loud-mouthed, obnoxious, and outlandish. In reality most are very meek, mild, calm, cool, and very calculated. Pride blinds itself to its own presence. Pride tells us that we have done all that we could, even though our walk doesn’t show it. Pride puts the “Me First” theory into play, whether it’s first in our job, our families or the church. Pride whispers to the over-spender “You deserve it”, even though you’re maxed out on your credit cards. Pride whispers to the alcoholic “go ahead you can stop anytime you want.” Pride whispers to the control freak, “If you don’t orchestrate their life, who will?” Pride whispers to the blamer “It’s the other person’s fault.” Pride says “it’s not me, but “it’s them.” In the end pride repeatedly shouts the word, me, me, me, me!

Beware of pride.

May 18

Proverbs on sharing and responding to wisdom.

Proverbs 9:7-9
Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

Do you ever get the feeling that God is speaking directly to you through the Scriptures. I hope that you have because it is an amazing and humbling experience. It's what this journey is all about. Like Scott said last week: it's not about reading the whole Bible in one year, it's about changing your heart.

Today, I had that feeling when I read the first part of today's passage on advice and rebuke. Proverbs 23:9 says Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words. When I first read this, I thought don't bother giving words of wisdom to foolish people. They will not listen and it will be a waste of your time. As soon as I had that thought, I realized what God was trying to tell me. It's not a command to stay away from foolish people as I originally thought. It's a warning not to become a foolish person. If you scorn or ignore words of wisdom and correction, then you are a fool! I am a very defensive person who does not take criticism very well. (just ask my husband or the people I work with!) When someone tries to give me advice or correction, my first impulse to defend myself and get angry. But God is telling us that is not only foolish, but dangerous too. Proverbs 10:8 says The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. Proverbs 19:16 says He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die. The advice and words of wisdom from those around us are meant to help us and enrich our lives. Don't react to them as a fool does. Gladly and lovingly accept advice and correction and you will be on the path to greater and deeper wisdom.

May 17

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverb 1:7)

It all starts with God. He is the source of all that's good in our lives. We read today in proverbs that unless we fear the Lord, we'll fall. That it's safer to trust God than our own self. That His purpose for our lives will prevail over our own plans. And that we need wisdom, discernment, understanding and knowledge.

I love how God is practical about our lives in proverbs. The proverbs don't give us step-by-step instruction of how to change a flat tire, but they do teach us about the critical importance of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, prudence, and discipline in our lives, and more. Proverbs tell us that the source for these qualities is God himself. Once God instructs us in His word, the Holy Spirit guides us into finding ways to apply those words to our lives.

Recently I saw a sweet fusion of the instructiveness of Proverbs and a tool which God provided to apply them to my life: a booklet on how to keep your home organized (yep! I need it!) The author gave number of excerpts from the book of Proverbs that were motivational. Further, besides giving ideas on how to de-clutter your home, the author encouraged the reader to organize their relationship with God: "But as you open you heart and attitude to God, putting Him first in your life, He will show you little ways to organize the chaos- and lead a more peaceful, ordered experience."(Emilie Barnes)

Praying that we are encouraged to make good changes in our lives and remember that it begins with putting God first.

"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge" (Proverbs 23:12)

In what area of your life do you need practical instruction from God?

May 16: The Proverbs of Solomon

"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor." (Proverbs 4:5-9)
　
Today's reading begins our trip through the Book of Proverbs, authored chiefly by King Solomon. As we read earlier this week, Solomon sought wisdom above earthly riches or long life, but, because of His faithfulness to what God esteemed (in wisdom), God blessed Solomon both with long life and great riches. As we look into the Proverbs, I encourage you to see that we should seek wisdom not merely as a means to several ends, but rather as a valuable component of our growth in Christian maturity. Indeed, Jesus Himself declares that the wise man will build his house on a rock -- that is, on God and His promises (Matthew 7:24-29). Because you are reading through the Scriptures this year, you are on a solid path toward gathering wisdom, for God's Word is indeed the fount of godly wisdom.

1. Wisdom holds greater value than gold or silver. It pays dividends for all time. Get-rick-quick schemes may promise an easy payday, but only wisdom leads to "enduring wealth and prosperity." God does not desire that we seek after these good things, but rather that we first seek Him and the attendant wisdom that is in His character. Knowing God and delighting in His presence are the keys to growing in godly wisdom; indeed, life and death are tied up in wisdom: "For whoever finds me finds life/ and receives favor from the LORD." In seeking wisdom, we will discover God Himself: "Then you will understand the fear of the LORD/ and find the knowledge of God."

Thinking about wisdom recalls the words that God gave to Moses as he prepared the Israelites for entering the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 30:15-18, we read:

"See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

"But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess."

Seeking after wisdom does mean the difference between life and death!
　

2. There is a stark difference between godly and worldly wisdom. Godly wisdom espouses an eternal perspective and eschews quick gains, while earthly wisdom wants to find the "best" in the here-and-now. Godly wisdom is more concerned with the heart than the outward senses.
Clearly, godly and worldly wisdom come from different sources. We know that God created the world according to godly wisdom: "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works,/ before his deeds of old... " In another passage, we read: "By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,/ by understanding he set the heavens in place;/ by his knowledge the deeps were divided,/ and the clouds let drop the dew." Wouldn't you prefer to tap into this wisdom instead of the something man created?

Another key distinction between godly and worldly wisdom lies in what they esteem and whom they exalt. Worldly wisdom is meant to glorify man and his works; this type of thinking leads to pride and arrogance. Godly wisdom instead seeks to bring honor and glory unto God Himself and calls its possessors to be humble and gentle-hearted, like Jesus.
　

3. In order to keep our hearts open to godly wisdom, we must guard our hearts, for they are corruptible: "Above all else, guide your heart,/ for it is the wellspring of life." (4:23) How may we guard our hearts? Primarily through what we seek after. It is somewhat like the food we eat. If we hunger after junk food and constantly give into the temptation, we will struggle to maintain a healthy weight. We must discipline ourselves to "hunger" after healthy living because we recognize that the rewards are worth it. In a similar manner, we may pray that God would so reveal Himself to us that we would hunger and thirst after Him and then discipline ourselves to remain faithful to seeking Him. We cannot merely play "defense"; we must actively seek after God and His wisdom.
　

QUESTIONS

1. Do you delight in godly wisdom? If not, what in today's reading spoke to you about seeking after godly wisdom?

2. What can you do to "guard your heart" today?

May 15

A note for those who have struggled to stay current, pick up your Bible right now and start fresh today. The goal is a transformed heart, not being able to say that you read through the Bible.

A thought from our Bible’s reader’s dinner on Thursday: The only hope for the USA is for us to get back to the Bible. The daily practice of welcoming God’s wisdom and power into our lives is the only way to change our hearts.

Our next dinner celebration is Monday, June 21st. 7:00 at our house. Please make a note on your calendar I would love to see you attend.

2 Chron. 8:11 Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, "My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy."

Our scripture passages today make it clear that Solomon was the wisest man on earth. This guy has the equivalent to 20 PhD’s. He has doctoral dissertations in everything from clams to zucchini. When I was reading all of his accomplishments I was really impressed by them. But unlocking the mysteries of the universe is different from have the power to make the right choices in life. Since Solomon was so wise he clearly knew what God thought about missionary dating and marriage. God is not in favor of believers dating and marrying non-believers, it is just too great of a chasm when it comes to the issues of the heart. Yet here we find Solomon marrying a non-believer and building her a special palace so he doesn’t offend God. I would say this is a pretty un-wise move on Solomon’s part and my IQ is a lot less than his.
There is nothing wrong with education. But we must realize the limitations of education. Studies about crime have not stopped crime. To stop crime you must change the human heart. Reading studies on marriage doesn’t stop divorce. To stop divorce you must change the human heart. Wisdom can diagnose a problem but it can’t change a heart. To really experience change in life we need wisdom and power, God’s power. So go and get your PhD but realize you need a changed heart to find true happiness in life.

Reflect on this thought for a moment: What bright idea have you had today that is outside the boundaries of God’s wisdom that will eventually cost you dearly? When you discover it ask God for strength to do his will.

May 14

I Kings 8 Promises

It’s Friday and that means accountability day. Just a date and a click of the enter button is all that is needed.
May God remind us all of the value of daily listening to his promises.

Here are a few interesting promise quotes:

1. I promise you a police car on every sidewalk. Washington Mayor Marion Berry

2. I can promise you that when I go to Sacramento, I will pump up Sacramento. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

3. Years ago, fairy tales all began with Once upon a time... now we know they all begin with. If I am elected. Carolyn Warner

4. Promises of yesterday are the taxes of today. William Lyon MacKenzie

5. It is useless to hold a person to anything he says while he is in love, drunk, or running for office. Shirley MacLaine

6. Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep. Denis Waitley

7. Let God's promises shine on your problems. Corrie Ten Boom

8. God's promises are like the stars; the darker the night the brighter they shine. David Nicholas

9. 1 Kings 8:56 Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.

10. Here is a poem written by Norman F. Douty, which clarifies how the promises of God impact our lives,

God's promise is not freedom
From trials in the race,
But power to transcend them
Through His sufficing grace.
Not strength instead of weakness,
Not smile instead of tears;
Not peace instead of conflict,
Not song instead of fears.
But weakness filled with power,
And tears with radiance spread,
And peace amid the battle,
And song e'er fears are fled.

So here is my encouragement to you today.... live as people of the promise today. Really believe God’s promises are true!!!

May 13

Working with Excellence

1 Kings 6:7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

Throughout our reading today we discover the excellence of work. These artisans were masterful in skill and did all of their work with excellence. What a contrast that is to the work ethic of our culture. If you ask people today, “What is work”, the preponderance of responses will be negative in tone. Many people use phrases such as “a bummer,” “what I have to do for money,” or “the only way to get to Friday” to describe their feelings about work. Even Christians sometimes reference the fall as support of their view that labor is nothing but a curse.
But that view is completely at odds with the scriptural worldview. Work flows out of the heart of God. God worked six days to bring this world into existence. He stamped his own fingerprint on everything he did in his work. And at the end of each day he said, “It is good.” God does all his work with excellence.
Work was part of the world before the “fall.” It is a place where we get to imitate God and stamp our fingerprint on the world. It is designed to be a source of joy so fulfilling and wonderful that the Lord deemed it necessary to give us the fourth commandment in order to insure that we would set our work aside and rest at least one day a week! Because God did all his work with excellence, we should follow his lead.

A few years ago I came across this interesting thought:

What Does 99.9% Quality Means?

In the U.S.A., it would mean:
· One hour of unsafe drinking water per month
· Two unsafe landings at O’Hare Airport each day
· 16,000 lost pieces of mail per hour
· 20, 000 incorrect drug prescriptions each year
· 500 incorrect surgical operations performed each week
· 19,000 newborn babies dropped at birth by doctors each year
· 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong account each hour
· Your heart fails to beat 32,000 times each year

1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

May 12

Thursday is our Bible Reading Celebration 7:00 pm at my house

Let me know if you are going to attend.

Our agenda includes... sharing what God has taught you, questions, planning for the summer.

Two Kinds of Mothers 1 Kings 3:16-28

There are mothers who are characterized by the spirit of selfishness and heartless cruelty. These are the mothers who you can never please. They are bitter with life. Hateful and armed with a thousand reasons why life is unfair, they pour out their vengeance on their friends and families. These are the mothers who walk out when things get hard. They leave the family high and dry. They don’t care who they hurt, just as long as someone is paying attention to them and making them feel significant. These mothers deliberately cripple their families so they grow up needing them.
Then there are mothers who are characterized by selflessness, service and self-sacrificing love. No price is too great. These mothers think first about their children, then their own life. Their hearts have overcome the bitterness of life and they have learned to give grace and love.

In our story today we have a child born to each of these mothers. Think about the selfless mother waking up to finding her baby lifeless. Then, she discovered that she had been robbed of her child!! Solomon was wise enough to use one of the most powerful forces in the universe to get to the truth – a mother’s love. Solomon knew that the love of a mother for her child – even if it meant separation from her child – would remedy this dilemma. It is a great love that is willing to suffer an even greater loss in order to give a child what they need.

I came across a true story that happened during the Holocaust. Solomon Rosenberg, his wife and their two sons were arrested and placed in a concentration camp. The rules were simple. As long as they did their work, they were permitted to live. When they became too weak to work, they would be exterminated. Rosenberg watched as his own father and mother were marched off to their deaths and he knew that his youngest son David would be next because he had always been a frail child. Every evening Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of hard labor and searched for the faces of his family. When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another and thank God for another day of life. One day he came back and didn’t see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner sobbing and praying. “Josh, tell me it’s not true.” Joshua turned to his dad and said, “It’s true. Today David was not strong enough to do his work and so they took him away.” Mr. Rosenberg then asked, “But where is your mother?” Joshua could barely speak and finally uttered, “When they came for David, he was afraid and cried and so mom took his hand and went with him.”It is just a few day after Mother’s Day. But we all owe thanks to our mothers, for holding our hands and walking with us in our darkest hours – for sacrificing convenience and ease so that we might have companionship. Thank you for overcoming the bitter and negative life experiences and instead of projecting that on to us, you have shown us only gentleness and kindness. And for this, we owe to you a great debt.

May 11

1 Kings 1-2

Solomon becomes king.

1 Kings 2:1-4
When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

This passage marks the end of an era for the kingdom of Israel. King David is dying and he passes the baton to his son Solomon. Before he dies, David has last words for Solomon that were the key to him having a blessed reign. Follow the way of the Lord and their descendants will always be on the throne.

This is advice to live by even today. God will be faithful to keep His promises when we walk in His ways. Notice that it doesn't say that life will be easy and trouble-free if we follow the Lord. But He will be with us every step of the way.

Remember to be a blessing from God to all the people around you this week.

May 10 Psalm 45, 47, 48, 87, 110

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme

as I recite my verses for the king" (Psalm 45:1)

The reality of Jesus is a noble theme. I hope that our hearts are stirred.

Being that these psalms are prophetic about Jesus the Messiah and they talk of Him as a king, you wonder what kind of king? Some Jews believed that he will be a political king, one that will provide national freedom for the Jews. But we know that He never was a legal ruler over a nation.

Still, the psalms we read today speak of a victorious king, who will have conquests and will rule over nations. Who's kingdom will be so beautiful that it is likened to a daughter of kings and to a beautiful bride.

What has been amazing for me about the kingdom of the Messiah is that it's not on a geographical map. Jesus is not a monarch. The people in the kingdom are not legal subjects, don't have national passports. Jesus does not conquer all the nations with wars and conquests. His kingdom is not the earthly type. It's all heavenly. What he conquered is the sin of all nations, right? His conquests are concerned with where each and every human stands in relation to God, the Creator of the human. It is concerned with whether a human is an offender to God or a lover of God. If the human wants to be with God or run away from God. This is not a goal striving for a political power on earth. And considering that it's in our blood to be God's offenders (don't you agree?) the King which God gives us is His Son who forgives our sins and offers us a new birth certificate to become sons and daughters of God. He gives His Son who died for and won our salvation.

We read in today's psalms that the King fights for truth, humility, righteousness, justice, holiness, and to exalt God. The King defeats wickedness. These have never been easy concepts for me. They can actually give you a headache, and most of us just prefer to go on with our day than to think about them. But given the curious little beings we are, I'm sure we all wonder about them? What is truth, what is true humility, what does it means to be righteous? Why exalt God? I hope we continue to search for these answers through our reading journey. Weather we never looked for an answer before or whether we've arrived before to a satisfactory understanding, I pray that we all are refreshed with knowledge which come from God, especially about who the Messiah is, what kind of a King he is, and what does it mean to be in his Kingdom. We may never understand God's full plan for the world, but He's given us plenty of words showing us who Jesus is to be for you and I.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever;

he will be our guide even to the end." (Psalm 87 )

May 9: Psalms 2, 22, and 27

Today's Messianic psalms speak of a coming King, whose reign would cover the whole earth and would extend to the "nations," those groups beyond the borders of the Israel of King David's time. It is clear that this coming King will be great and mighty, but the readers' perceptions of this King may have fallen short of their full intention. Would this King be solely an earthly ruler, or would His Kingdom extend beyond that? And how would these words be fulfilled?

Imagine for a moment that you lived in Israel in the time between the writing of these psalms and their fulfillment. Would you grow weary, not seeing their immediate fulfillment? How about if you had been exiled to Babylon? Or under Roman rule? Clearly, it is a natural (but sinful) tendency to express frustration at the incomplete and apparently untimely fulfillment of God's promises to us and to the world. Our pride wells up into impatience, and we grow disappointed and weary. Yet, those who chose to believe in God trusted Him for His time and manner of fulfillment. We see many examples throughout the Scriptures where even the faithful didn't understand how God chose to act. I have recently been studying the start of the Book of Acts, and we read about the early disciples' confusion about Jesus's Ascension. Wouldn't He return quickly in order to restore the Kingdom? No, Jesus explained; the Holy Spirit would come upon them so that they might carry out a great mission to both Jews and Gentiles -- to the utter ends of the earth -- before the Kingdom's true fulfillment would emerge.

I would like to highlight a few points from today's passages:

1. God is sovereign over the plan for the Kingdom. While originally read as a coronation psalm, concerned with an earthly king like David, Psalm 2 points ahead to the suffering of Jesus and the persecution of the early church (Acts 4:23-31). The psalm indicates that the nations and their kings will oppose the work of the Son, the Anointed One. Please note that Christ or Messiah are the Greek and Hebrew equivalents, respectively, for this term "the Anointed One." Once Jesus arrives on the scene, therefore, this psalm indeed takes on new meaning. We learn that the Son will have the nations as His "inheritance" and will mete out justice. As we see oppression and falsehood in the institutions that govern our society and others, we may have confidence that ultimately God will bring relief and justice to those who have fallen short of His commands. Still, we should partner with God to bring justice to those who are hurting and oppressed in this time, echoing the words of Jesus's mission in Luke 4.

2. Psalm 22 foretells Jesus's time on the Cross. As Pastor Scott has taught many times, Jesus's cry of agony on the Cross -- "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" -- also falls at the beginning of this psalm. To his Jewish hearers, this cry of agony would immediately call to mind this psalm; Jesus was claiming its fulfillment on the Cross! The graphic words used to describe the Savior's death in the middle of psalm would be strange to Jewish hearers in David's time because crucifixion had not yet emerged as a execution method. Yet, the words of the psalm cover specific elements of Jesus's passion: the disjointedness of crucifixion, His thirst, His piercing for our transgressions, and the casting of lots for His clothing.

3. The heart that worships will find its fill in God's presence. Psalm 27 gives us examples of how waiting on the Lord will ultimately lead to our deliverance. David is confident that God, "my lifht and my salvation," will be the "stronghold of my life" and will protect him from fear. What drives our fear? Some sources may include danger, financial struggles, health problems, or relationship disconnections. Most of our fear stems from uncertainty, or even more deeply a lack of complete trust in the Lord. I struggle with this daily. Intellectually, I know that God is fully sovereign and in control, but, as Pastor Scott wrote earlier this week, we often see our problems as big and God as small. How foolish of me! I trust Him for salvation, and yet the small details of life, I fear, are out of His control. More and more, I have been learning that walking with the Lord involves daily surrender of those factors that would cause us to fear and a replacement of those surrendered items with God's presence. Worship is an expression of that replacement: "to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD/ and to seek him in his temple." David concludes that we may "be strong and take heart" as we "wait for the LORD." We need to hear His voice and experience His presence to overcome fear.
　
QUESTIONS
1. What fears are in your heart right now? How can you trust in Him at this time?
2. How can you heart His voice and experience His presence to overcome fear?

May 8

Psalm 131:1 My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

The world we live in is exploding with information. It is estimated that a week’s worth of “The New York Times” contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century.
It is anticipated that 4 exabytes (4.0 X 10 to the 19th power) of unique information will be generated this year. That is more than the previous 5,000 years combined!! The amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years. This means that half of the information a college freshman learns, will be outdated by the completion of their junior year.

So what does this have to do with our Bible Reading journey? Well, the truth is that we are more ignorant today than we were yesterday, at least with the volume of information.

John Naisbitt, author of 1982 best seller Megatrends said this, “We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge. This level of information is clearly impossible to be handled by present means. Uncontrolled and unorganized information is no longer a resource in an information society, instead it becomes the enemy.”

For us the battle is getting worse. Not only does this massive wave of information overwhelm us, but on top of the wave sits some expert who tells us it is foolish to believe in God or the story of a meta narrative (grand plan) for the universe.

What should we do as we are assaulted by all of this information? Don’t sweat it. The experts of today are usually debunked by the end of the following week. As Christ followers, we should not bury our heads in the sand intellectually, but we also don’t need to abandon our faith at the latest bit of information. Have faith in the truth of God’s word. It has proved itself to be able to change lives over the centuries. Rather than add to your knowledge, add to your behavior. It is not “knowing” that transforms a life, it is “doing” that brings it about.

Use this weekend to catch up on your Bible reading. Make sure to ask God to change your life by the truth you discover in his word.

May 7

Psalm 42 Towards a Cure of Depression

Depression is a major problem many people face every day of life. It impacts the rich, poor, learned, unlearned, professional, blue collar, all ethnic groups and all economic classes. Dr. Nathan Kline of New York Rockland State Hospital reports that he estimates 8 million people suffer from depression and most of these cases go unrecognized. Sometimes the depression becomes so severe that people start to have thoughts of suicide. Statistics are that 750,000 people attempt to commit suicide each year. Last years 30,000 of them were successful. That is a staggering lost of life.

Do you ever suffer from depression? From our reading today we discovered that David, one of the great men in the Bible, was not immune to depression. Psalm 42 is a frank discussion about his depression. Since this was written beyond the Jordon, many expositors are of the opinion that this Psalm was written by David on the occasion of his flight from his rebellious son Absalom. Can you imagine the pain of having your own son overthrow your kingdom? That could cause anyone to become depressed. But David was able to overcome his depression. I see several cures for depression in the Psalm but we will only look at two of them.

1. Desiring the Lord above all else in life. The deer analogy points to the longing of the human soul for the Eternal One, God. There is a desire in the human heart that can best be described as the desire of infinitude. We are so made that nothing which has limits satisfies. We try to satisfy this thirst with careers, houses, cars, money, sex, addictions and power but they don’t quench our souls. Our hearts are not satisfied until we have a relationship with God himself. St Augustine (300 AD) put it this way, “Thou hast made us for thyself and the heart of man is restless until it finds rest in Thee.” It seems at our lowest points that we are awakened to this deep thirst. Depression seems to compound it when it is unsatisfied. So here we need to make a hard choice, a choice to set aside the things of earth and become consumed in our pursuit of God. If you are suffering from depression make it your one and only desire to reconnect with God.

2. Develop relationships with others. In verse 4 David remembers the deep relationships he had going to worship. But now he is separated from them. He has lost part of his strength. Depressed people are lonely people. It these critical moments we need to do just the opposite of what we feel. When we become depressed the very first thing we want to do is to get alone. But the best thing we can do is just opposite of that, avoid being alone. When we are depressed we don't want to be around people. We want to withdraw. But withdrawing means isolation, and isolation during depression means alienation. Force yourself to be with people. This is again a hard choice we need to make. Call someone up on the phone and ask them if there is anything you can pray for. Join a small group at church. Serve others. Join our Blessing Sunday, May 16th. Give yourself. Develop a friendship. If you are the type of person who thinks you can make it alone. You are just an accident waiting to happen.

God has made us to live in community. One of the best things you can do if you are given to discouragement is to cultivate close friendships. And remember the old phrase... If you want a friend, be a friend.

If you are struggling with depression today and need someone to talk to, email me back, and we can set up a time to chat this weekend. I know about depression first hand and would love to talk with you. I promise there will not be any sermons... just a listening ear.

Today is accountability day... I would love to hear from you.

May 6

Psalm 32

In “A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World,” Ron Lee Davis retells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much-loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace, no sense of God's forgiveness.
In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her he said, "The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary." The women agreed.
A few days later the priest asked, "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?"
"Yes, he did," she replied.
"And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?"
"Yes."
"Well, what did he say?"
"He said, “I don't remember. What God forgives, he forgets.”

Since we have all had a “seminary experience” in life many people are walking around with a heavy load of guilt on their hearts. Psalm 32 was written after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. David was unsuccessful in his attempts to hide it, and it took a terrible toll on his body and spirit.

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”

Guilt does take a heavy toll on our bodies. I picked up this statistic a few years ago and cannot verify it, but I heard that 50% of people in mental health facilities could walk out cured if they knew they were forgiven. I know in my own life that when I carry guilt around it saps my joy, my peace and my physical strength.

But there is hope in this psalm. “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

If we have the courage to ask for forgiveness, God has the power to give it. Whatever debilitating guilt is silently eating away at your soul, come clean today and experience the wonderful freedom in Christ.

May 5

Psalm 139

When Dr. Henry Norris Russell, Princeton astronomer, had concluded a lecture on the Milky Way, a woman came to him and asked, “If our world is so little and the universe is so great, can we believe that God pays attention to us?” Dr. Russell replied, “That depends, madam, entirely on how big a God you believe in.” In 2010, man seems to be getting bigger and God smaller. A survey taken in Bridgeport, CT, asked children if God understood nuclear energy, 64% said no.

In Psalm 139 David addresses the issue of the size of God.

Two highlights from this chapter:

God is omniscient. This means he knows all things. He is infinite in his knowledge. He is most intimately acquainted with our persons, nature and character. God knows us. The Lord knows us as thoroughly as if he had examined us minutely and had pried into the most secret corners of our being. He knows the most common casual acts we commit. He knows when we sit down, and when we rise up. He knows every thought. If we take the figure of 10,000 thoughts a day, that is 3.5 billion thoughts a year. It says he knows our thoughts, “from afar.” This does not mean that God is far from us. It means he knows our thoughts even when they are far from us. Did you ever wonder what would have happened if you had done things differently? God knows all potential. God could write “It’s a Wonderful Life” for each person on this Bible reading journey.

God also is omnipresent. This is the truth that God is everywhere at the same time. Because God is spirit, he is not limited by time and space. God is here. There is no place, there can be no place, where he is not. 10 million people standing at many points in space and separated by incomprehensible distances can each say with equal truth. God is here. No point is nearer to God than any other point and no point further.

Two consequences:
1. God is much bigger than we can ever imagine. A small God means big problems. A big God means small problems. Increase your view of the size of God today. It will immediately impact your view of life.

2. There is no physical distance involved in drawing close to God; it has to do with our experience. When we speak of God being far or near to us, this is the language of our ordinary human relationships. The truth is, if God seems far from you today, guess who moved?

May 4

Psalm 122, 124,133, 134, 135, 136, 138

Psalm 135:5-7
I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

If we have a small god, then our problems are big. If we have a big God, then our problems are small. I've heard Scott say this phrase many times. It's important to often be reminded of how big and how powerful our God is. Human beings are so forgetful and shortsighted that it's easy to fall into despair when surrounded by a storm. Reading these psalms definitely reminds me that nothing is beyond our God.

Psalm 135:7 brought back some recent memories. In March, the Northeast was hit hard by a winter storm that toppled many trees, caused massive amounts of property damage, and left about one million homes and businesses without power. The wind was so strong that it took part of the roof of Whole Foods Market in Greenwich. Many went a week or more without power. Many basements (including our own) took on water. In Rhode Island, my brother's neighbor had 3.5 feet of water in their basement. We were at the mercy of this powerful storm. There was nothing we could do to stop the wind and the rain.

Now read Psalm 135:7 again: He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and bring out the wind from his storehouses. That was one powerful storm we experienced... but it doesn't even come close to comparing with the awesome power of God. When we focus on how big our God is, the storms of life become small. He has control over the entire universe. We have nothing to fear when we have a big God on our side.

May 3 Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is all about God's word. It reminds us how to talk to God: we need to hear his word first. The Bible is relevant to our everyday life questions.

My comfort was shaken last week. All the things I've found security in other than in God showed their frailty. But how sweet it's to be reminded that God is all. Without Him we are lost, even if we don't see it at first. With Him we are are safe, in any trial. Whatever might fail in our lives, His love never will! By taking in God's word and living by it we stay with God.

50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.

92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.

We also see that the palmist makes conscious effort to learn to delight in and love the word.

16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

If there is something in God's word that we don't delight in, that we think is 'hard' or 'unfair' we should have a heart to heart talk with God. He is supposed to be our best friend, right? So, He will explain, He will in time convince us that He does give us only good things. The challenge is to grow to love and hence delight in God's word. Ultimately we love and delight in God.

27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
then I will meditate on your wonders.

47 for I delight in your commands
because I love them.

58 I have sought your face with all my heart;

Psalm 119 is a great blueprint of how God's word becomes alive in our hearts and active in our lives. Could we go through this week knowing that:

89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.

May 2: Psalms of Joy and Praise

Psalm 103 speaks about the extent of God's love and compassion for His people. David begins and ends the psalm with the words: "Praise the LORD, O my soul." I would like to offer a few thoughts on the worship and meditation that David advocates in the psalm:


1. Worship involves considering the totality and awesomeness of God Himself. David's words speak of a deeply rooted conviction in the goodness of all aspects of God's character. God had certainly revealed Himself to David, through both the high and low points of life, but David was also a willing student. He sought after God "earnestly" (Psalm 63:1):

"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water."
　
This type of longing and hungering for God does receive a fulfillment. In that same Psalm 63, David trusts that "my soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods... [and] my soul clings to you;/ your right hand upholds me." (vv. 4,8).

In Psalm 103, we see David reflecting not just on his "benefits," but also His character. The language in the psalm confirms that God is beyond full comprehension. Echoing these sentiments, Paul offers in Romans 11:33: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"
　
2. Committing our whole life to the Lord means that He "satisfies your desires with good things." When David speaks of "desires" here and in Psalm 37:4, he is not guaranteeing that we will receive everything that we want, but rather that, when our hearts are fully aligned with His will, His desires will become our desires. As a faithful Father, God will provide everything that we need, and those who delight in Him, who seek their full satisfaction in Him, will find that their needs become their desires. In other words, this type of Christ-follower will find that what they desire for themselves will become that which God desires for them to have. As we read in 1 John 5:14, God is eager to fulfill His promises to those who earnestly seek His desires for us: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
　
3. God's compassion stretches across all space and all time. David writes about how the Lord is "compassionate and gracious,/ slow to anger, abounding in love." (v. 8) He then offers several images of the magnitude of God's grace: "... He does not treat us as our sins deserve/ or repay us according to our iniquities." (v. 10) We are deserving of His wrath because we have fallen short of His mark. Yet,
"For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed his transgressions from us." (vv. 11,12)
　
4. Recognition of how much God has forgiven us should lead us to praise and obedience. We may begin to take for granted the magnitude of God's grace, but we should not. Remembering what we deserve and reflecting on what might have been should impress us with gratitude. That gratitude wells up into obedience. When God's grace is active in our lives, we find ourselves dying to ourselves daily. The Holy Spirit guides us in this process.
　
5. We should praise God for His sovereignty over both heaven and earth (v. 19). When the circumstances around us appear to circle out of control, we may find comfort in the reality that God has not changed. His faithfulness, gentleness, and goodness have not become weaker. Our circumstances may cloud God's goodness for a time, but He is worthy of our confidence and praise at all times.
　


QUESTIONS

1. How can you spend time today searching out the Lord's character and meditating on His goodness?

2. What does God's compassion mean for you today? How could you share this message of hope with a hurting friend, family member, or co-worker?

May 1

Psalm 100 is called a psalm for giving thanks. This is a psalm for each of us since it is a psalm for the entire earth. It is a psalm that contains the antidote to stagnant living... that antidote is thanks-living, living each day with a thankful and grateful heart.

Every day now we hear of one more reason to live in fear: the oil spill in the gulf, global warming, volcanoes, earthquakes, unemployment, stagflation, Korea and Iran have nuclear bombs, Greece is going bankrupt, Al-Qaeda has sleeper cells in the USA, Socialism is overtaking the land, pollution from all the pampers will kill us, the ozone layer is disappearing, over population, under population, the demise of Christianity, and the list goes on and on. All of this negativity does have an impact on us. It is very easy to be overwhelmed by this negativity and lose perspective in life.

Psalm 100 gives us several reasons to have an attitude of gratitude, even during 17% unemployment. This list included the fact that the Lord is God, he created us, he redeemed us, he cares and loves us, he is a good God and finally his faithfulness is eternal. All of these reasons have their origin in God and not the circumstances of our planet.

So what is our response to these incredible blessings? Nothing less than thanks-living is demanded. There is something wrong with our theology when doesn't lead thank-ology. The greatest tragedy that will occur in our country today is that all over this land, a land blessed by God, people will go through the entire day only focused on the negative and never stopping and saying thank you to God for the good we have experienced. Maybe you think you don’t have anything to be thankful for. Let me tell you a story.

In 1636 during the 30 years War – it was one of the worst wars in the history of mankind in terms of the sheer number of deaths. On top of that, the plague killed thousands of people in Europe. In the city of Eilenburg, Germany, there was a godly pastor whose name was Martin Rinckert. In a single year he buried 5,000 people from his community. That averages out to 15 people a day. Can you imagine the headlines of CNN during this period of time? What would be the response of Martin to a life filled with so much tragedy? If you look in a hymnal you will find a hymn written by him. It was a prayer that he wrote for his children, to teach them how to live a thankful life. Here are the words:

Now thank we all our God,
With hearts and hands and voices.
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom his world rejoices.

I don’t know about you but if I’d spent the year holding 5000 funerals of people, I am not sure I could have written that song for my children. It's an unusual thing that in history many who have the least to thank God about thank him the most. And many people who have the most to be thankful never express their gratitude.

Begin a life of thanks living today. Thank God for three blessings in your life right now.