FRIDAY, 11012019

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered His words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest...

And He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself…

When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?” - Luke 24:4-9, 25-27, 30-32

There is simply no doubt. All the things about Him from beginning to end are true. Jesus is the Christ. If there is any doubt, it comes from my own fear; it comes from my own pride. There are moments where I don’t want to believe. There are moments where I believe something else. It is not the only message in the world. But it is the only true message. I believe the message of Christ; the message of the Bible. I must fight to believe it.

LORD, help me discern by the illuminating power of Your Spirit within me, the moments when my fear, unbelief and pride are overwhelming me. Help me cling to what is true. Thank You, God.

The Gospel According to Mark

Daily Reading

September 20, 2019

Mark 1-2

The Greatest Message Ever Announced, Part 1, Steve Lawson

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1:1).

John Mark writes the account so that the reader may know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. All the works recorded in this book give testimony to "the greatest message ever announced". The story moves fast.

September 21, 2019

Mark 3-4

"With many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples He explained everything." (4:33-34)

Jesus teaches in parables. "And then He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parables. And He said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that 'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.'" (4:10-12).

"And He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.'" (4:24-25).

The parables divide those who have been given understanding of the Kingdom of God from those who have not.

September 22, 2019

Mark 5-6

"When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized Him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment. And as many as touched it were made well." (6:53-56).

Jesus's fame has reached a peak. He cannot go anywhere without recognition; without massive crowds. People flock to Him to be healed. Thousands of people have been fed. Yet the crowds, and even the disciples, still do not grasp who He is or what He is doing. "And He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they [the disciples] were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened" (6:51-52).

September 23, 2019

Mark 7-8

"And Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way He asked His disciples, 'Who do people say that I am?' And they told Him, 'John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.' And He asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered Him, 'You are the Christ.' And He strictly charged them to tell no one about Him." (8:27-30)

The disciples seem to get it, but they still lack understanding. In verses 31 and 32 immediately following, Jesus says that the Son of Man must suffer, be killed, and rise again. Peter rebukes Jesus for talking this way. They are beginning to perceive His identity, but it's still blurry. Does this make sense of the immediately preceding account of Jesus healing the blind man in 8:22-26? It seems like Jesus opens his eyes in two phases. The man can perceive general shapes at first, but it's blurry (:24). Jesus then touches him again and he is able to see all things clearly (:25). This is like the spiritual sight of the disciples.

September 24, 2019

Mark 9-10

"And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, 'See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise." (10:32-34)

Jesus knew, more than anyone else what was ahead of Him in Jerusalem. Yet He is leading the way there.

September 25, 2019

Mark 11-12

"And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, and they said to Him, 'By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do them?'" (11:27-28)

Jesus and the disciples have come to Jerusalem and the interrogation from the scribes and other religious leaders gets aggressive and intense. Jesus makes no compromises. Tensions rise.

"And in His teaching He said, 'Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.'" (12:38-40)

September 26, 2019

Mark 13-14

"And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.'" (14:35-36)

It is the hour - it is the time - of Jesus's betrayal, arrest and trial leading to His crucifixion. It is the hour for which Jesus came. It is the hour of the climax of all of human history. Jesus knows that this will be the most intensely painful hour He or anyone will ever experience. He knows that God the Father could make another way. God could do anything anyway He wants. But this is His will for His great plan of salvation.

September 27, 2019

Mark 15-16

"And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!'" (15:39).

The conclusion is that this man, Jesus Christ, is the Son of God. He is Christ the long awaited Messiah. Mark's account ends with the same claim in which it began: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1:1). The truth about Jesus Christ is seen and confirmed in His life. It is seen and confirmed in His death. Finally, with an exclamation point, it is seen and confirmed in His resurrection: "But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you" (16:7). Just as He told you.

Monday, September 9, 2019

"What's true about you?"

Hard work... Skill... Strength... Confidence... Focus... Poise... Passion... Leadership... Grit... Perseverance...

If we dig into each of these attributes we will quickly realize that they involve more than just one dimension of who we are. As people, and especially as athletes, we are physical beings. We have physical bodies, and in order to be a great competitor you must be in peak physical condition. This is one dimension of a great competitor that is simply non-negotiable. This is why we spend hours each day practicing. It's why we are careful to nourish our bodies with the right food and rest. It's why we condition and strength train. However, it is not the only dimension of who we are and it is not the only dimension that matters in competition.

There is a dimension to who you are that involves your mind. Focus, for example, is very much based on what you think about. A strong mental game is behind the scenes of every great athlete. I was a kicker in college. Everyone knows that a kicker must have a ice-cold constitution in order to handle the pressure of an important kick. This is true for any great performer.

There is a deeper dimension to who you are that involves your heart. This is beyond inspirational quotes and visualization tactics. This is beyond passion and love for the game. This is the foundational dimension of who you are and what you believe about yourself and the world. This dimension involves your sense of identity, purpose and value. This dimension extends far beyond the field of competition.

If we are multi-dimensional beings - body, mind and heart - and our performance involves all dimensions, then in order to be the best competitors we can be, we must pursue our best condition in every dimension. If we are not healthy in every dimension, we will not be the best athletes we can be.

What are you doing to pursue your best? This is our opportunity to work on the conditioning of our hearts. This is what we are committed to when we gather together here each week. Let's make the investment together.

Boobie Miles believed he was a football player. He believed he was the best football player. He put all his stock in being a football player. His identity was totally wrapped up in being a football player. Sadly, a career-ending knee injury took everything away from him in an instant. His heart, his identity, and everything he believed about himself was all wrapped up in being a football player and it was gone in the blink of an eye. He was left with nothing.

What you believe about yourself is at the core of your identity. Are you believing in something that can't be taken away from you? Is your identity vulnerable? The thing at the core of your identity... the thing that is central to your heart... The thing that you believe the most... The thing that you treasure... Can it be taken away? The key to poise and level-headedness is a settled identity that can't be threatened. If you live your life with all your stock laid up in an identity that can be taken away from you you will be vulnerable and anxious deep down. You will be insecure.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

The challenge here is to put all your stock in something that can't be taken away from you.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Contextualization

We are continuing to explore the idea of our identity as a Missional Community. Our key verse is:

1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1. Identity : We belong to God.

2. Purpose : To proclaim His glory.

3. Activity : Discipleship (learning Christ), Care (bearing one another's burdens), and Mission (reaching out to others who don't know Christ).

“Contextualization is the communication of the gospel in a particular place, time and culture, to a particular people, in a way that it can be understood without diluting its truth" (Community, p.107).

The various ways that the Gospel applies to our community will be shaped by our context.

God's Word is always applicable. It always applies to our lives and our contexts. There is no context where God's Word does not apply.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

Examples of contextualization in Scripture:

• Peter addresses the Jews following Pentecost in Acts 2.

• Paul addresses the Greek men of Athens in Acts 17.

• A distinction between Jews and Greeks is shown in 1 Corinthians 1:22.

Again,

“Contextualization is the communication of the gospel in a particular place, time and culture, to a particular people, in a way that it can be understood without diluting its truth" (Community, p.107).

As a community we share a special context...

• Colorado State University

• Athletics

• Coaching, etc.

Our shared context shapes our community identity and mission and intensifies its effectiveness. Think about how context applies to our three-fold activity as a community...

1. Discipleship - We can utilize our shared context to communicate the Gospel in a way that grows us as disciples. We rely on one another to help us do that.

2. Care - We can utilize our shared context to care for each other with greater empathy, understanding and availability.

3. Mission - We can utilize our shared context to make us like a special forces unit on a Gospel mission.

The main point is, let's use our special shared context to make our community impact even more powerful.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Hospitality

1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1. Identity : We belong to God.

2. Purpose : To proclaim His glory.

3. Activity : Discipleship (learning Christ), Care (bearing one another's burdens), and Mission (reaching out to others who don't know Christ).

"Christians really need to repent of their inability to party" (Community, p.139).

Our community is a group of Christ-followers on a mission existing in a variety of "spaces" that encompass all of life. While growing together we also seek to reach others with the love of Christ. Some of our "spaces" will be inward focused and some will be outward. "Hospitality is the first step to being a missional community group" (Community, p.139).

"Developing hospitality is as easy as throwing a party" (Community, p.139).

"Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." - 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Ownership

1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1. Identity : We belong to God.

2. Purpose : To proclaim His glory.

3. Activity : Discipleship (learning Christ), Care (bearing one another's burdens), and Mission (reaching out to others who don't know Christ).

Ownership

"The church lacks ownership. They have not internalized the mission to the point of it becoming their own" (House, Community, p.72).

1. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

2. How would you solve this dilemma?

In Community, House describes all the tactics he tried using to inspire ownership in others. They were shallow and short-lived. What went wrong?

"It was like trying to inspire a painter with a tube of paint. It is not the paint that is inspiring - it is the sunset" (p.75).

1. What is he getting at?

"If you want to inspire people to the mission of God, you must lift up the Son. When we grasp the glory of Jesus, it becomes the sustaining inspiration that transforms life... Our apathy toward the mission of God is not because of a lack of knowing what to do. It is our blindness to His glory and grace that keep us satisfied with nominal Christianity" (p.75).

Application

Last week we talked about the concentric circles of community "spaces". The innermost circle, the "fellowship space", is the space devoted to "lifting up the Son". It is the space where we "view the sunset". As we enlarge our view of the glory of God, we are inspired by our new identity and purpose and our activity is transformed.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Community Identity... Community Purpose... Community Activity

We have been establishing our identity as a Christian Community. Last week we talked about the three functions of Community:

• Care (meeting practical needs)

• Discipleship (learning Christ)

• Mission (reaching out to others who don't know Christ)

"Our communities should be the most palpable expression of the Gospel within the church" (House, Community). These three functions are the ways in which the Gospel is "felt". And they offer a life-giving alternative to the way of the world.

The Community we become a part of through faith in Christ gives us both an identity and a purpose.

1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1. Identity : We belong to God.

2. Purpose : To proclaim His glory.

We exist together with a shared identity and a shared purpose. This identity and purpose will shape our activity.

Consider this quote:

"Christians must learn how to engage culture if they are going to be active in the mission of God" (House, p.128).

Barriers

Followers of Christ are united as distinctly different from the world (or common culture), while also being on a mission to the world. Christians must learn to engage culture in a Christ honoring way and break down barriers to the Gospel. Our identity informs our purpose, which informs our activity.

House, in the book Community makes this point:

"...it is easy to objectify what culture means. The use of generalizations and ideologies causes us to drift from seeing culture in terms of people. Our focus moves from wanting to see people saved by grace to seeing ideas crushed by truth... fight for compassion... Remember that we are talking about people who cannot see and cannot hear and need the grace of God to open their eyes and ears" (p.128).

The goal is to remove barriers to the gospel. Particular examples of barriers that House lists are:

• Practice - "[I]s anything about the space or times of our gatherings that present a hurdle to our neighbors belonging to our communities?"

• Culture - "language and behaviors that alienate people"

• Perception - "images, stereotypes, or experiences that people have had with the church that affect their perception of Jesus and the church"

"As we identify barriers to the gospel, we can begin to build bridges... A bridge is anything that provides an opportunity to your neighbors to be blessed and to experience the grace of God through your community" (p.130).

Spaces

"If we only offer interaction in the personal and intimate spaces in the form of Bible study and prayer, we should not be surprised when people find such interaction to be too high of an energy barrier to overcome" (p.132).

If Community is an IDENTITY that encompasses all of life, not just a weekly Bible study, and we are also on a mission to the world (PURPOSE) to break down barriers to the Gospel, what are the spaces in which our community can exist to not only share life together, but also reach our lost neighbors (ACTIVITY)?

In other words, what are the various "spaces" in which our Community exists where we can live out our identity and our purpose?

House proposes "four basic spaces in which community groups can exist within their neighborhoods: fellowship, hospitality, service, and participation" (p.134).

• Make a list of a few things we can do in each "space".

Tuesday, August 27, 2018

Our Identity as a Missional Community

"Lifeless community begins when we don't have a clear understanding of why we are in community in the first place..."

"...If the church is going to offer an alternative to the brokenness and isolation in the world, then it must be a community that is transformed by the death and resurrection of Jesus" (Brad House, Community).

1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1. Identity : We belong to God.

2. Purpose : To proclaim His glory.

Sunday, June 27, 2018

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

"The LORD is my shepherd..."

• The Psalm open with a focus on Yahweh. The psalm also closes addressing the same name. This is a psalm focused on God.

• The focus of this psalm is not me as a sheep, but God as my Shepherd. A shepherd was a common Hebrew character, but Scripture also uses the analogy for leaders and kings in Israel.

• What are all the ways in which you view God as your Shepherd?

"...I shall not want."

• This statement is in a future tense. It is a psalm of confidence and trust that the LORD will provide all the the psalmist needs every step of the way.

• The LORD is my provider. What is true about God's providence? How do believers and non-believers experience God's providence differently?

• "All things" that God provides are ultimately found in Christ. See Romans 8:32 for example.

• Do you have everything you want? How do you reconcile your personal desires, wants and needs with the promise of God's perfect and unfailing provision given in this Psalm?

"...He leads me in paths of righteousness..."

• This is better translated as "right paths". The sheep must trust the shepherd that he will lead the flock along the right path. God, being the ultimate Shepherd will always lead and direct His sheep on the right path. He alone knows the way.

• How would you describe the path you're on currently? Do you trust that God has you on the right path? In what ways do you see it being right and it what ways is it challenging?

"...for His name's sake."

• What motivates the Shepherd in His care and direction? It is His name; His reputation. He does not lead me for my sake, but for His name. His name is His reputation, His glory, His renown. God acts in accordance with His glory. I am not the center of this story.

• I am not always able to comprehend the depths of God's providence and sovereignty, but if I'm not fully convinced that His gory is ultimate, I will be tempted to doubt His goodness... "Is God my Shepherd really good?"

• God's glory demonstrated in our lives can often times come through pain and trial. God's glory is not often compatible with my glory, but it is always accompanied with my good.

• What is God doing in your life right now that is "for His name's sake"?

(to be continued)

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Colossians 4:2-18

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison — that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions — if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

"Directing our words for the glory of God"

1. Toward God in prayer

2. Toward "outsiders"

3. Toward "insiders"

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

• Watchful (expectant) - having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially something pleasant and interesting (adjective); a person who anticipates receiving something (noun).

• Would you describe your prayer life as steadfast and watchful with thanksgiving? Why or why not?

• Consider keeping a prayer journal.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison — that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

• Pray for the advance of the Gospel and for leaders in ministries and churches.

• Pray for open doors.

• Pray that the Gospel would be proclaimed clearly.

• Where are you currently praying for doors to open for the Gospel to be proclaimed clearly? Who are you praying for? Are you the one God is calling to walk through a door for the word?

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

• "Outsiders" are those who are outside the church - those who have not believed in Jesus Christ.

• God has put you there (See Acts 17:26-27)! Who are the outsiders in your life? Consider the areas where you "live, work and play".

• Wisdom is the application of knowledge. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." (Proverbs 1:7). How does fearing God equip us to walk in wisdom toward "outsiders"?

• What does it mean to "make the best use of the time"?

• "Adorn ------- Articulate" - We proclaim the Gospel by our good works and by our words. How do you "adorn" the gospel?

• Too little salt or too much salt makes food undesirable. What makes our speech gracious and seasoned with salt? What makes our speech desirable? Why would someone want to talk to you?

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

• "Insiders" could then be the fellow Christians we are living and working with.

• Beloved brother, faithful minister, fellow servant. What do you think each one of these looks like?

• Updates and encouragement - What updates can you share of your own Gospel efforts? What encouragements can you give to others in their Gospel efforts?

Sunday, December 24, 2017

"Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor had given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace" (Micah 5:1-5).

Monday, September 18, 2017

"My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!... Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth! That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me!... Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes" (Psalm 108:1, 5-6, 12-13).

David calls out to God both as worship and as petition. Only God can tread down our foes. The salvation of man is vain and empty. It does not; it cannot accomplish anything. God will answer and give salvation by the strength of His right hand - He alone is strong to save. He will deliver His beloved ones. In salvation and deliverance, God's glory is spread over all the earth. God's glory and the salvation and triumph of His people go together.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

"Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all tho delight in them" (Psalm 111:1-2).

I will study, meditate upon, remember, think upon... the works of the LORD. I DELIGHT IN THEM!!! I delight in the works of the LORD. The psalm portrays a multitude of people who delight in the works of the LORD. This psalm describes the assembly of God's people: "the company of the upright", "the congregation" among whom the psalmist is giving thanks to the LORD with his whole heart. The assembly of God's people are those who study the works of the LORD. They are those who delight in the works of the LORD. Their studying and their delighting in go hand in hand.

There is an unrelenting, desperate, agonizing, consuming burden, desire, compulsion within me to teach, teach, teach the Word of God to young men. This psalm is one of the many passages that strikes this cord strung deep within my soul. It is the heart-string of my life.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

"Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 117).

All nations and all people are invited to praise and extol the LORD. Beyond the nation of Israel is the invitation extended to know the LORD and worship the LORD. Do all people know the steadfast love of God toward them that they would praise and worship Him? Do all people know the faithfulness of the LORD that endures forever? How do I invite someone who doesn't know God to praise and worship Him? That person must know and experience the steadfast love of God toward them and the faithfulness of the LORD that endures forever. My friends who don't worship the LORD, don't do so because they don't know and experience - I should say more accurately that they don't acknowledge - the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. How, with all my life and all my relationships, do I help people taste and see the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, that they would worship Him?

Monday, September 4, 2017

"How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to Your word" (Psalm 119:9).

"According to" essentially means "in agreement with". A young man, one who feels the pressure of "youthful passions" perhaps (2 Tim 2:22), will be able to keep his way pure by guarding it in agreement with the word of God. He will work hard to bring his life into agreement with God's commands. "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Tim 2:20-22).

Friday, September 1, 2017

"My soul is consumed with longing for Your rules at all times" (Psalm 119:20).

My soul, the deepest part of my being, the core of my identity, is consumed, absorbed, overwhelmed with longing, desiring, wanting, seeking God's rules, His law and testimonies, His commandments, at all times, day and night, morning and evening.

I pray that this would be true of me.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

"Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law and observe it with my whole heart.

Lead me in the pat of Your commandments, for I delight in it.

Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways.

Confirm to Your servant Your promise, that You may be feared.

Turn away the reproach that I dread, for Your rules are good.

Behold, I long for Your precepts; in Your righteousness give me life" (Psalm 119:33-40).

Your Word, O LORD, teaches me how to pray. This is my desire... teach me the way of Your statutes, give me understanding that I may keep Your law, lead me in the path of Your commandments, incline my heart to Your testimonies, turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, confirm to me Your promise and turn away the reproach that I dread. I long for Your precepts; in Your righteousness give me life.

O LORD, for those I love, and those whom You have given to me as neighbors, fill them with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they will walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to You. Bear fruit in them in every good work and increase their knowledge of You. LORD, strengthen them with all power according to Your glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy as they give thanks to You, who has qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Thank You, God.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

"Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day..." (Psalm 119:94-104)

God's law (His written word) is the subject of the psalmist's meditation continually. The fruit that this bears in the psalmist's life is great. The psalmist grows "wiser than [his] enemies", obtains "more understanding than all [his] teachers", "understand[s] more than the aged". Key phrases that illuminate the habit of the psalmist include: "all the day", "ever with me", "my meditation", "I keep". The psalmist is glued to the word of God. He is entirely devoted to it. There is nothing in his mind or in his sights that is not saturated in the law of God.

Monday, August 14, 2017

"Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep Your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep Your word. I do not turn aside from Your rules, for You have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:94-104).

Wisdom and understanding for life... Where does it come from? In the world there are many people and many sources of what can be perceived as "wisdom" or "savvy". It is easy to esteem and admire people for their "genius" is any area of expertise or profession. It is easy to envy someone who seems to be naturally sharp and smart - sharper and smarter than you. People like that are elevated, sometimes idolized. I can be tempted, out of a competitive, envious heart, to chase after these sources of "wisdom" or "savvy", or covet the wisdom and skill of another, believing that it will make me more successful, more admirable, more effective if I can possess that level of wisdom and skill. But my desire in this pursuit is my own glory. If I could possess greater wisdom and savvy, greater skill and competence, I would be more successful, more admired and declare myself righteous and justified. This is a self-salvation effort. It's a rejection of the Gospel.

Instead, wisdom and understanding for life comes when my whole heart loves the law of God, my Creator. In intimate fellowship with God, I find all I need to thrive in life and relationships. In conformity to His law, I find that I possess all the wisdom needed for a full and prosperous life. My greatest need is not a strategy for professional and social success, but reconciliation to my Creator. In Him I find everything I could every want, and everything I've ever desired.

Monday, July 17, 2017

"Righteous are You, O LORD, and right are Your rules. You have appointed Your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness" (Psalm 119:137-138).

The LORD is righteous. He is altogether right and good. The LORD is holy and perfect. "Righteous are You, O LORD!" AND right are His rules. God's rules; His law and His commands are right as He is right. God's rules are an extension of Himself. He has appointed His testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. The LORD is righteous and faithful, therefore He has appointed His testimonies in righteousness and faithfulness. The character of God cannot be separated from the character of His testimonies. The attributes of God are seen in the attributes of His law. God's law is a reflection of Himself. "Righteousness and all faithfulness" says the psalmist. Righteous because God's rules are good, and faithful because they are good for me. I can trust God's character and I can trust His heart. God's character is righteous. God's heart to me is faithful. This is high octane fuel for obedience. Know first of all that God is righteous. Everything in and about God is right. And He is faithful to those whom He loves. I can never doubt God's love and faithfulness to me. It is undeniable. "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). I cannot doubt His love for me. Secondly, God's rules are a reflection of His character - of who He is. If I claim to trust God, I must also trust His word; His commands. If I love God - I love everything about Him - I must love His law. Too often, to my shame, I claim to love God, but I spurn His law. I claim to love God, but I act in disobedience. I cannot love God and disobey His law. I prove my love for God by also loving His law, and doing it.

LORD, show me more of Your glory. Help me love and savor You, that I would walk in obedience to Your commands.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Job 28

Job's words sound identical to some of the language found in Proverbs. For example, Proverbs 16:16 says, "How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver". Similar language is used in Proverbs 3 and 8. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction".

"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore" (Job 28:1-2). Job speaks about where some of the earth's most remote resources come from; silver, gold, iron, copper, ore, sapphires. "Man puts an end to darkness and searches out the farthest limit..." (:3). Man is capable of going to places that no other living thing goes (:7-8) in order to find these things of precious value. "But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, 'It is not in me', and the sea says, 'It is not with me.' It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold" (:12-19). There are three things that are revealed about wisdom as it is compared to all the other wealth and precious things of the wold:

First, man does mot "mine" wisdom from natural sources like he does other resources. It is not something that is naturally occurring in the "land of the living" (:13) that man discovers and then harvests. Wisdom comes from a source that is supernatural (:23-28).

Second, the value of wisdom far exceeds the value of any physical/natural resource. I've already said, wisdom cannot be contained or harvested like other natural commodities. It is elusive and invisible in its form. It's intangible. But the fact that it is rare or remote or elusive is not what gives it value. The value of wisdom is what a man attains when he possesses it. It is to possess godliness and righteousness. Which brings me to the third thing revealed about wisdom, it is from God alone.

"God understands the way to it [wisdom], and He knows its place" (:23). This verse explicitly answers the question that the preceding twenty-two verses have posed. Where shall wisdom be found? It is with God. God knows the way to wisdom and God is the source of wisdom. Consider verse twenty-three and twenty-four more closely. "God understands the way to it... For He looks to the ends of the earth." While no created beast nor man can understand or uncover wisdom's source by their own means, by virtue of being the Creator, God knows the way to wisdom. He knows all things. He created all things and within Creation He instilled wisdom. The way of Creation reveals the wisdom of God. This is far more than Natural Law, but not less. "When He gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when He made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then He saw it and declared it; He established it and searched it out" (:25-27). Consider these three verses: "When He" - as God created; "then He" - He established wisdom. God's design in Creation reveals wisdom. As God created - every single detail - He saw, declared, established and searched out wisdom.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Job 28

"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine... But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?... God understands the way to it, and He knows its place... And He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding" (Job 28:1,12,23,28).

Thursday, May 25, 2017

"The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand" (Job 12:6). In Job's response to his friends he points out what is plain to see, but failed to take into account in their conclusions. That is, that "the tents of robbers are at peace". There are countless cases all around where sin and disobedience and idolatry go along without immediate judgment or consequence. Essentially, sin does not always, immediately render suffering in all cases the way Job is experiencing. But that has been the argument that Job's friends have been making. Sin always has consequences, whether they are immediate or ultimate. But it is not always the case that they righteous prosper and the wicked suffer in life. Consider Psalm 73: "Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I say the prosperity of the wicked..."(:1-3). The psalmist believes that God is good to His people. He trusts this. But it causes him to stumble, to doubt, to question, to wrestle with this when he sees the prosperity of the wicked. I hear that God is good to His people. I even see that God is good to His people and I have experienced God's goodness to me. But sometimes I see that the wicked - the godless - are even "better off". They appear more prosperous, more fortunate. This causes me to wonder why I should even keep up the pursuit of righteousness. Why should I continue to trust God? "All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning" (Ps. 73:13-14). Job finds himself here. 'Should I curse God and forsake faithfulness?' 'Holding fast to His righteousness is not worth it right now.' What do you do? How do you reconcile all this? "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their [the wicked's] end. Truly You set them in slippery places; You make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes. O Lord, when You rouse Yourself, You despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward You... For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works" (Ps. 73: 16-22, 27-28).

Sunday, May 21, 2017

"Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 'Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and a man full of talk be judged right? Should your babble silence men, and when you mock, shall no one shame you?' " (Job 11:1-3).

Job's friend Zophar now responds to Job. Job has given full vent to his complaint. He says in chapter 10, "I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend against me..." (10:1-2). Job is letting God know how he feels. He's getting everything off his chest. Job perceives himself as undeserving of the anguish and loss that he is currently experiencing. His desire is that God would answer him and give some explanation. But Job senses that he simply cannot deal with God that way. God is beyond Job's ability to capture. God is infinitely transcendent and inescapably immanent, leaving Job in a state of frustrated unknown.

Zophar has a different perspective on the situation. His idea is different from Job's, but not that different from his other friend Bildad. Essentially, Zophar concludes that Job must be wrong. Certainly God cannot be wrong, and again, like Bildad, Job's suffering must be caused by divine judgment against Job's sin; therefore, Job must be in sin, though he may not acknowledge it. Zophar says to Job, "For you say, 'My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in God's eyes.' But oh, that God would speak and open His lips to you, and that He would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For He is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves" (11:4-6). Zophar actually says that Job is getting off easy. If Job really knew what God knew, he's be thankful that he wasn't in worse shape than he is.

Is Zophar right in his estimation? Is he right in his conclusion? Everyone is trying to answer the same question, "Why is Job suffering?"

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

"Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?" (Job 9:2). Job responds again out of the anguish of his soul. 'How can a man bring his case before God?' 'How can a man plead his case before the Almighty?' Job feels his little-ness and God's big-ness; his unrighteousness and God's righteousness; his weakness and God's omnipotence; his ignorance and God's onmiscience; his creature-ness and God's creator-ness... In verses four through twelve of chapter nine Job describes attributes of God that are totally "other" than him - God's incommunicable attributes. The end of verse twelve records Job saying, "Who will say to Him, 'What are you doing?'". Job knows the nature of God and the nature of man. There is not much Job can do. He goes on to say, "If it is a contest of strength, behold, He is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, He would prove me perverse" (:19-20). 'I cannot stand before God!' Even on my best day, I am a worm before Him. He is God and I am not! "My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good. They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey" (:25-26). My life is dust before the Almighty God. My life is nothing. HOW COULD I POSSIBLY STAND IN THE RIGHT BEFORE GOD?? HOW CAN I BE JUSTIFIED BEFORE HIM?? "For He is not a man, as I am, that I might answer Him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both" (:33).

Job acknowledges that he cannot stand before a holy God. Is there anyone who can stand on his behalf? An arbiter? A mediator? An umpire? There is a prophetic tone to Job's words. There is One who would come, a Mediator, who would bridge that gap between God and man.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Job replies to Bildad's argument, "Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with Him, one could not answer Him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength - who has hardened himself against Him, and succeeded?" (9:1-4). Essentially Bildad has said, 'If you're truly innocent before God, then make your case and He will vindicate you.' Bildad says in chapter eight, verses five and six, "If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, surely then He will rouse Himself for you and restore your rightful habitation". Job does not disagree with Bildad necessarily, but brings to light the difficulty of actually bringing his case before God. For God is infinitely wise and powerful and altogether holy. "How then can I answer Him, choosing my words with Him?" says Job (9:14). How could anyone stand before God and plead his case whereby proving God wrong? Job is helpless in this. 'What can I do?'

Saturday, May 13, 2017

"Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 'How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? If your children have sinned against Him, He has delivered them into the hand of their transgression. If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, surely then He will rouse Himself for you and restore your rightful habitation. And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great'" (Job 8:1-7).

Job's friend, Bildad attempts to reason with Job's situation. Job is giving words to the cry of his heart. He cannot reconcile his righteousness with his suffering. He cannot reconcile God's righteousness with his suffering. Nothing is making sense to Job at this point. His friends attempt to "comfort" him by giving their perceived reasons for his situation. Bildad's logic is not wrong. he basically says that God is just, crime brings punishment, therefore Job and his children must have committed a crime in order to have brought about this calamity, because it must be the way that God is punishing Job. It makes sense, but Bildad is making huge assumptions that are categorizing and confining God and His activity in a narrow way. Bildad declares that God is just and that He is always just and never acts in a way that perverts justice. This is true. But, then Bildad makes his first assumption: suffering and tribulation is always the result of divine judgment against transgression. The only explanation for why I am suffering is that I must have done something wrong to deserve it. This is not true. (How do you know this is not true? How do you know this is not the way God acts?) The second great assumption Bildad makes is: prosperity and peace is always the result of divine approval of purity and uprightness. The only reason why I am prospering is that I must have done something right to deserve it. This also is not true. Consider Job 12:6 or Psalm 73.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

"Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me" (Job 7:1-3).

In Job's anguish, he responds to his friends. He speaks from a heart that has been boiled down to its most raw form, shriveled from the heat of suffering. In his words is revealed how any man would feel about his life when all he knows is suffering. I can see nothing beyond this dense fog of trouble and pain. When my hip hurts, for example, I can hardly see or think or focus on anything but the pain. Pain is blinding, and the greater the pain, the more blinding it is. [C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, "Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world" (God Shouts, Ritchie, DesiringGod.org)] Would Job have said these things of his life seven chapters ago? It is hard to say, but it can be said that man is fickle and his vision is narrow. "I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. What is man that You make so much of him, and that You set Your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?... If I sin, what do I do to You, watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your mark? Why have I become a burden to You?" (Job 7:17-20). Job cries out to God in his pain. "Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me" (Job 7:1-3). Are not my days like that of a slave, who longs for the shadow? "Has not man a hard service on earth?" (:1). Job is responding to the situation he now finds himself in, which includes intense pain and loss. Earlier he says, "Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sands of the sea; therefore my words have been rash" (6:2-3). Job feels the weight of his 'vexation' and 'calamity'. It feels greater than the weight of the sands of the sea. He says, "therefore my words have been rash". Rash means "displaying or proceeding from a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences of an action" according to the web. Synonyms include 'reckless, impulsive, impetuous, hasty...' Is Job acknowledging that under the overwhelming weight of his suffering he is speaking rashly, without careful consideration of the implications of his words? Is he being hasty and reckless with his words? I know it to be my personal experience that, under the weight of intense pain, my thought process indeed becomes rash and reckless. It's like being drunk with pain. Clear and careful thought is nearly impossible. When Job goes on to describe the plight of a man's life, I'm assuming he is still speaking from an overflow of an impulsive, pain-drenched heart. He can only see life as if he's a slave who longs for the shadow. Life is consumed by pain.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

"And the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?'" (Job 1:8).

This is who Job is at the beginning. This is the character of Job. Then devastation strikes Job in verses thirteen through twenty-two. He loses everything he owns and his family (sons and daughters) is killed. Yet, God speaks of Job again in verse three of chapter two saying, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth..." Even after unimaginable calamity, the description of Job's character is exactly the same. Then God says something that reveals what integrity truly means. God says, "He [Job] still holds fast his integrity, although (even though) you incited Me against him to destroy him without reason". Job remains the same man before and after the most devastating loss imaginable. His character does not change and it is credited to him as integrity. Indestructible core composition.

Monday, May 8, 2017

"And the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you invited me against him to destroy him without reason...' So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores... Then his wife said to him [Job], 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die'" (Job 2:3-9).

The story of Job begins with an examination of this most righteous man, Job. God says that Job is a man unlike any other on the earth. He is blameless and upright; fears the LORD and turns away from evil. This is the character of Job before his suffering. After the first round of suffering, Job's character remains consistent. Job says famously, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (1:21). The LORD says of Job that he "holds fast his integrity" (2:3). Even after severe loss and pain, Job is the same man. Satan strikes him again so that his suffering increases. Yet, Job remains the same. Even Job's wife says, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die" (2:9).

What is integrity? People love this word and use it often, but I think few people actually know what it means or what it looks like. It is often used synonymously with the word "character", but they seem to be two different things. These early chapters of Job shed light on the true meaning of integrity and give a clear example of integrity in action.

Praise God that He is a God of integrity - He does not change and He always acts according to His word. This is a blessing to me. I praise God and experience blessing because He acts toward me with integrity. O LORD, let me be a man of integrity; a man who's core composition does not change; a man who always acts in accordance with his word. And let others be blessed by this quality of mine.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

"Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who would stand? But with You there is forgiveness, the You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities" (Psalm 130).

What are "the depths" out of which the psalmist is crying? It seems obvious that it is a place of pain and despair. The psalmist is crying out to the Lord with pleas for mercy. Contrast this with other psalms that have a clear tone of praise, joy and thanksgiving, such as 134 and 135. The depths must be a very low place, which implies darkness, despair, contrition, penitence, hopelessness, etc. Positional imagery in the psalms conveys the condition of the heart of the psalmist. Depths, or places that are low, verses heights, or places that are lifted up, are not literal locations, but imagery used to portray the way the psalmist feels. It is clear in this psalm that the heart of the psalmist is in despair and in pain. He pleads for help from the LORD. He pleads for mercy from the LORD. Why does the psalmist find himself in the depths of despair? His mind seems to be occupied with the guilt of his own sin. His next statement is, "If Your, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" The psalmist is crushed by the weight of his sin. This is what is referred to as an individual lament, or a penitential psalm. Reading it should encourage me to repent before the LORD and to cry out to Him for mercy.

Friday, May 5, 2017

"I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me" (Psalm 131:1-2).

There are mysteries of God that are beyond my comprehension. There are things too great and too marvelous for me. There are thing that I am not meant to concern myself with, and to be occupied with them is to be outside of my scope of permission.

Therefore, like David, I will calm and quiet my soul. Where I am not privileged to understand, or not able to, God calls me to trust Him. Like a child in the arms of his mother.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

"O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore" (Psalm 131).

This psalm of ascents prepares its people for worship by ushering our hearts and our minds to a place of humility. David repositions his heart and his eyes. He then says, "I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me" (:1). What does this mean? David was the king of Israel. He was certainly occupied with great matters; things that to some, would be too great and too marvelous. So assume David is not referring to human affairs in this statement. Ruling a nation of over a million people is a very great and marvelous human affair, but it is still a human affair. I don't believe David is prohibiting Christian from taking on ambitious tasks. Things "too great and too marvelous" for David must be matters that he is not able to comprehend; matters that, as a creature he has no capacity to ascend to. This would fit more with the tone of the psalm. Humility before the LORD involves acknowledging and submitting to the reality that there are mysteries of God that I simply cannot comprehend. I cannot attempt to occupy myself with these things that are to great and too marvelous for me. It is pride of the human ego to demand understanding of the mysteries of God, yet whether I realize it or not, I make this demand of God all the time. It is pure pride. Instead, the attitude of the psalm is to "calm and quiet the soul" before the almighty God. Humble your heart before the almighty, infinite God in reverent submission. Acknowledge, embrace, and enjoy the reality that He is great and you are not. When you approach the LORD of heaven and earth, you must have a strong sense of the infinite chasm that exists between you and the "other-ness" of God. "I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me" (:1-2). Instead, what are the things that God calls me, and would be pleased for me to occupy myself with?

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

"O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted by soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore" (Psalm 131).

A psalm of David. A psalm of ascents. A psalm of ascent was written to prepare the people as they went up to the temple to worship and offer sacrifice to the LORD. It would be a preparatory psalm. It begins, "O LORD, my heart is not lifted up". The heart would be the center of being. It is the very inner person. Who are you on the inside? David says that his inner being - his heart - is in a particular position. His heart is not raised up; it is not elevated or exalted. His heart does not hold itself in a high position. Rather, David has put his heart in a place that is low. As David prepares for worship, he brings his heart low, he humbles his heart before the LORD. "O LORD, my heart is not lifted up."

David goes on to make a parallel statement, "me eyes are not raised too high". David uses another part of the body to convey an inner posture. It is not that David was literally looking up and instead is now looking at the ground. The psalm is conveying and cultivating an attitude of worship before the LORD, not the physical position of his body parts. It is a description of the countenance/expression of the soul, the inner condition. Why would David use the eyes to describe what is actually an inner attitude? Perhaps the heart is used to convey the view David has of himself, and the eyes are used to convey the view David has of others. Both are in a position of humility. In various passages like Proverbs 6:17 and 21:4 a reference is made to "haughty eyes". This is a mark of the proud. Haughty means, "arrogantly superior and disdainful"... proud, arrogant, vain, conceited, snobbish, superior, self-important, pompous, supercilious, condescending... The bottom line is, David has, as he prepares to come before the LORD, brought his whole spirit to a place of humility. This is the appropriate posture of one who is coming before the LORD in worship.

Tuesday May 2, 2017

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:6-7).

What does it mean that Paul was poured out as a drink offering? The imagery suggests that Paul has given everything he has in service to God and His kingdom. Paul has held nothing back. The imagery of the drink offering is Old Testament language. The drink offering is made to the LORD and none of it is reserved. None of it is held back.

"Finish Well"

Distinguishing marks of finishing well:

1. Poured out

2. Fought the good fight

3. Finished the race

4. Kept the faith

What does it mean to be poured out? It is Old Testament imagery. Nothing is withheld in service to God. Football coached used to say to me, "Leave it all out on the field!" They meant to say to me that I must give all the effort I can and withhold nothing. All my effort must be totally exhausted. This is what it means to finish well: It is never being able to day, "I could have given more".

What does it mean to fight the good fight? Fighting implies struggle, opposition, battle, etc. The reality is that the Christian life is a battle. It's a fight. It is not easy. I envision a boxer in a ring up against his opponent. Paul uses this imagery in 1 Corinthians 9, and there is the well known imagery of the soldier in Ephesians 6. All worthwhile goals involve a fight to accomplish them. Getting up for weights in the morning is a battle. Finishing well means you never stopped fighting. You never gave up.

What does it mean to finish the race? Paul says in Acts 20:24, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace". Paul not only ran with all his might, he had a very clear picture of why he was running. he knew that the Lord had given him a task - to testify to or to proclaim the gospel. In Acts 20, Paul sensed he was not done yet. In 2 Timothy 2, he has the sense that he is. Paul knew the extent of the task placed before him and he knew when he had completed it. He knew the start line and the finish line. Finishing well means you know exactly what you were called to do and you did it. This requires foresight and vision.

What does it mean to keep the faith? What is faith? In Paul's case it was belief in Christ. Faith is the trust that is expressed in all of life's actions. Faith in Christ is the core conviction of every true Christ-follower. Belief in the gospel is the core confession of every Christian. To keep the faith is to continue in Christ. To keep is to hold, or maintain. To finish well is to maintain, or hold on to the core belief that you began with. My friend Ronald began our ab workout this Monday with a conviction. He was immediately met with push-back from his peers: "Ronald, this is hard! Why are we doing this?..." Ronald did not give in to their complaints, but he maintained his conviction to the end. Finishing well means you never waiver from your core conviction.

Monday, May 1, 2017 (second entry)

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Paul is in prison as he writes this letter to Timothy. "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in m gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal" (2 Timothy 2:8). Paul writes like a farewell address. he is strongly pleading with Timothy to hold fast to the word of truth and fulfill the call as a pastor. Paul is calling Timothy to do that things that he, himself has done. There is even a tone that things will become more difficult, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (3:12-13). Paul spends the entire letter exhorting and encouraging Timothy. he makes reference to a few of his own unfortunate circumstances (1:15; 3:11; 4:10, 14-16), and also some of those who encouraged him (1:16-18; 4:11). So it is a farewell discourse that includes a plea to Timothy (and all who would come after him) to do all the things that are most important.

He makes this closing statement about himself. It would be the most satisfying and rewarding end-of-life evaluation if, by God's grace, I could say it of myself. "I have fought the food fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (4:7).

What does this mean and how is it both a challenge and an encouragement to modern day Christians?

Monday, May 1, 2017

"Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD..." (Psalm 135:1).

Psalm 135 and 136 are psalms of praise to God. They are hymns that call God's people to worship Him. Psalm 135 and 136 follow a similar outline. They stir the people to worship by calling to mind certain attributes of God and certain acts of God. "For I know that the LORD is great, and that our LORD is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses" (Psalm 135:5-7). "[T]o Him who alone does great wonders, for His steadfast love endures forever; to Him who by understanding made the heavens, for His steadfast love endures forever; to Him who spread out the earth above the waters... to Him who made the great lights... the sun to rule over the day... the moon and stars to rule over the night..." (Psalm 136:4-9). Both psalms begin by proclaiming God's power as Creator. Creation is a clear demonstration to all that God is God over and above all things and His power is unmatched. The majesty and glory of Creation is overwhelming when pondered. It greatly expands the view of God and His nature. When I think about the magnitude of the glory of Creation, I think about the magnitude of the glory of the One who created it. This drives me to worship.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

(Continued from yesterday's entry) ...according to His name. What does it mean that God has magnified His word according to all His name? Magnified could mean to make great or even exalt. God makes His word great. How would David have understood God's word? It would have been mostly the Pentateuch, the books of Moses. He would have known the promises of God to Israel and the commands of God. God magnifies (makes great/exalts/upholds/increases/makes clear/proves) His word (commands/promises). He does this according to all His name. What does this mean? "According to" means corresponding to or conforming to or in proportion or relation to or in line with. God acts in accordance with His name. His name is His reputation, His character. God never acts in a way that is inconsistent with His reputation. The things He has revealed he will always act in accordance with. So, God has fulfilled and upheld and magnified His word - He always fulfills, upholds and magnifies His word, His promise, His revelation - because it corresponds to His name, His reputation. God acts a certain way because His name is staked upon it. His name is dependent upon it. David experiences God's integrity as lovingkindness and truth, and David praises God for it.

Knowing God's word - understanding that God always acts according to His word - experiencing God's integrity as His lovingkindness and truth toward me - results in praise and thanksgiving.

Let me be a man of integrity as well. Where I have made promises, my name is at stake, let me keep them; let me act according to them. This is how I express lovingkindness and truth toward others.

Friday, April 28, 2017

"I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down before Your holy temple, and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindess and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O LORD, when they have heard the words of Your mouth. And they will sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD. For though the LORD is exalted, yet He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar.

Though I walk through the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands" (Psalm 138, emphasis added).

The psalm begins with thanksgiving. What is David giving God thanks for? He is giving thanks for God's lovingkindness and truth (:2). David has experienced God's lovingkindness and truth in a specific way. He says, "I will bow down... and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word according to all Your name" (:2). David has experienced God's lovingkindness and truth for/by/because God has magnified His word according to... (continued in tomorrow's entry).

Thursday, April 27, 2017

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24).

Father, You are the Heart-knower. You know me inside and out. You know every detail of my life even before it happens. I love this, O LORD! You are the all-present One. Your presence has no bounds, no limitations. Everywhere that I am, You are. For You are Creator. You made me. You made everything. You are the only Author, and therefore possess complete and unlimited authority. And I love this truth. This truth is precious to me. I love it because I love You, and I love You because You loved me. So I love this because You love me. Your forever love me. I know this to be true. I am so thankful that You are God and You are who You are. Bring me into greater conformity with Your will, O God.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24).

David closes the psalm with a declaration of full surrender. "Try me and know my thoughts!" David asks the LORD to test him - to put him to the test and determine the purity of his thoughts. David asks God, "Search... and know... Try... and know..." He is open to the full investigation and scrutiny. This inspection is done to "see if there be any grievous way in [David]". But it is not only conducted to discover if there are grievous/sinful/idolatrous ways in him. The investigation is done so that those sinful tendencies will be uprooted and changed. "Search me" and "Try me" in order to "see" of discover or reveal any sinful way in me and "lead me" in the right way! O LORD, reveal where my way is wrong and lead me in the way that is right.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24).

The closing request of David, the psalmist, appears to be a heartfelt response to all the truths that were proclaimed in the first twenty-two verses. It is an arms-wide-open submission of himself to the lordship of God. "Search me, O God, and know my heart!" David has declared already in the very first verse that the LORD has searched him and known him (:1). The LORD knows everything about David. Why would he ask God to do what He's already done? It appears to be a willful submission and desire of David to the work of God. I know that God knows everything about me, but do I love that reality? Is that a good thing to me? Not only do I know it to be true, but I love it and I want more of it. I submit myself to it joyfully. I know the work that God does and I want more and more of it in my life. "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!" As the LORD searches and understands everything about me, He tests it ("Try me"). Not only does He know my thoughts but He judges them. He evaluates them and determines whether they are good or bad.

Monday, April 24, 2017

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

These closing verses of Psalm 139 capture something special in the heart of David, the psalmist. Declarations of truth have been made in the first twenty-two verses; declarations of God's character, declarations against the wicked. These closing verses capture the response of the psalmist to these truths. They describe the posture of the heart, the attitude of the heart, the desire of the heart that understands the character of God. Seeing God more clearly + seeing the wicked clearly = surrender. The psalmist is not necessarily expressing repentance or remorse. He asks God to "search, try, see and lead". David is submitting himself entirely to the LORD... (tbc)

Saturday, April 22, 2017

"Oh that You would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against You with malicious intent; Your enemies take Your name in vain! Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies" (Psalm 139:19-22).

I find it natural that when I am proclaiming the glory and goodness of God my hatred for sin increases. The more I love God, the more I hate sin. In fact, I often find this hatred directed toward myself, toward my own sin, culminating in repentance and contrition. I also find within me an increased hatred and, more so, sorrow for the sinfulness and ungodliness of the world. Is that what David is experiencing in this psalm? He has spent the first eighteen verses proclaiming with great detail the mighty and wonderful glory of God. Then in verse nineteen he turns toward the wicked with utter disgust and hatred. I think it is true to say that part of worshiping God is haring sin. Scripture as a whole seems to affirm this. There is an active and passive component to this. It is passive in the sense that as I actively proclaim the gory of God; or actively behold the glory of God; I passively forsake sin. I cannot behold both Christ and sin at the same time. It is like antagonistic muscle action. As one muscle contracts, the opposite muscle relaxes in order to complete the motion. But then there is also active opposition to sin that must be a focus of the Christian. John Owen is quoted as saying, "Kill sin or it will be killing you".

Thursday, April 20, 2017

"Oh! that the holy life of the blessed Jesus may be always in my thoughts, and before mine eyes, till I receive a deep sense and impression of those excellent graces that shined so eminently in Him; and let me never cease my endeavors, till that new and divine nature prevail in my soul, and Christ be formed within me." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man

"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake and I am still with You" (Psalm 139:17-18).

The psalmist has sung about God's unlimited knowledge (:1-6). He has sung about His unlimited presence (:7-12). He has hung about God's intimate creation (:13-16). The attributes of God that make Him so infinitely huge and transcendent also make Him so personally immanent. The psalmist knows this well. The psalmist proclaims this truth as precious to him. How? How is it that God's unlimited knowledge and inescapable presence is precious to David, the psalmist? How is it that this truth is precious and not terrifying? God knows everything I do and is present everywhere I am, which means He knows every detail of my sinful disobedience. He knows my thoughts and my actions when I'm "by myself". How is it that the psalmist finds this precious and not utterly condemning?

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

"For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame is not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139:13-16).

Verses one through six proclaim God's omniscience. Verses seven through twelve proclaim His omnipresence. The language used to describe God's omnipresence and omniscience is not general, it is intimate and personal: "O LORD, You have searched me and known me" (:1), "Where shall I go from Your Spirit?" (:7). God has infinite knowledge of and intimate presence with ME. This is true for all of His creation. And that is exactly the reason why, because He is Creator. Verse thirteen tells it plainly: "For You formed my inward parts..." As Creator, God has ultimate, unlimited authority.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

"Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee form Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,' even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with You" (Psalm 139: 7-12).

Verses one through six of Psalm 139 tell of God's omniscience. Omniscience means to have infinite knowledge. "Omniscient" means having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things. God is omniscient. God is also omnipresent. This means that God is present EVERYWHERE at the SAME TIME. "Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?" cries the psalmist. Every conceivable place that the psalmist could hide, the LORD is there. What I might think is secret is not secret to God.

Monday, April 17, 2017

"O LORD, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold O LORD, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it" (Psalm 139:1-6).

The LORD knows everything there is to know. And He knows everything there is to know about me. God is omniscient. He knows all things. He has unlimited, complete knowledge. He knows all thing - ALL things. His knowledge is not inhibited by anything, especially my own perception of personal privacy or secrecy. What may feel private or secret to me, is not private or secret to God. God is the only one who possesses this all-encompassing knowledge. It is not bound by time or space.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

"With my voice I cry out to the LORD;

with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.

I pour out my complaint before Him;

I tell my trouble before Him" (Psalm 142:1-2).

This psalm is a prayer of David. What is prayer? This psalm provides one answer. Prayer is crying out to the LORD with your voice. Prayer is speaking to God. "Crying out" has a connotation of desperation and help. Especially when the parallel line in the verse is "I plead" - "with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD". The structure of the psalm provides information on the language of prayer and the heart of prayer. It could be illustrated like this: "I cry out : I plead for :: I pour out : I tell". That is, "I cry out" is to "I plead for" as "I pour out" is to "I tell". This is based on parallelism used in the psalm's poetic literature. It could be expanded even more: "I cry out" : "I plead for mercy" :: "I pour out my complaint" : "I tell my trouble".

This gives more insight into the heart behind the language. David is in desperate need. He uses his voice to tell the LORD how desperate he is. He uses his voice to ask, even beg and plead of the LORD. he spares no detail when talking to the LORD. Everything is poured out about his complaint. Everything is told about his trouble. This is one example of what prayer is.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

"Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to You for refuge! Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God! Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" (Psalm 143:8-10)

In the morning - the very first thing - let me hear of the steadfast love of the LORD. In the morning, let me go to God's Word. In the morning, let me go to prayer. "Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love." Let me, O LORD. I request. I desire. I ask. I ask of the LORD, let me hear of Your steadfast love in the morning. Grant me the thing I seek, O LORD. You, O LORD are the first thing I seek, "for in You I trust". I request, I desire, I ask, I seek the steadfast love of the LORD first thing in the morning BECAUSE I trust in Him. Because I trust in the LORD, let me hear in the morning of His steadfast love. I am dependent upon the affirmation of His steadfast love first thing in the morning because I trust in Him. He is the one thing to which I look; the one thing on which I am dependent. Therefore, I must hear of His steadfast love first thing in the morning. The one thing upon which I have placed my hope, I reach for it immediately when I wake up. I wake up and ask "Is the steadfast love of the LORD true today? Because He is my only hope and my only trust, I require, I demand that I hear that His love endures this morning as it did yesterday". I am dependent upon it every day, therefore, every morning I rise and seek "Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust".

Monday, April 10, 2017

"One generation shall commend Your words to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of Your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your righteousness" (Psalm 145:4-7).

Friday, April 7, 2017

Psalm 147

Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;

he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars;

he gives to all of them their names.

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;

his understanding is beyond measure.

The LORD lifts up the humble;

he casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre!

He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares rain for the earth;

he makes grass grow on the hills.

He gives to the beasts their food,

and to the young ravens that cry.

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

For he strengthens the bars of your gates;

he blesses your children within you.

He makes peace in your borders;

he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

He sends out his command to the earth;

his word runs swiftly.

He gives snow like wool;

he scatters frost like ashes.

He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;

who can stand before his cold?

He sends out his word, and melts them;

he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

He declares his word to Jacob,

his statutes and rules to Israel.

He has not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules.

Praise the LORD!

Thursday, April 6, 2017

"Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their woulds. He determines the number of starts; He gives to all of them their names. Great is the LORD, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure..."

"He covers the heavens with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass grow on the hills. he gives to the bears their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor His pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love."

"Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates; He blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; He fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He hurls down His crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? He sends out His word, and melts them; he makes His wind blow and the waters flow. he declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and rules to Israel. he has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know His rules. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 147: 1-5, 8-20)

[The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! (:6-7)]

The LORD is faithful to His people, Israel. He rules over the universe and all creation in immeasurable wisdom and understanding. He is the source of all provision for all creation. Men boast in the strength of their horses or the strength of their legs. But the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.

"Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD'." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

April 3, 2017

"This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Timothy 1:18-20).

This letter has the feel of a ceremonial succession of leadership. Paul is passing on the commission to the next generation of leadership. It is no light charge. What is being passed on to Timothy will demand his whole heart and life. In some ways, Timothy has no choice in the matter. He is being entrusted with the minister's charge "in accordance with the prophecies previously made about [him]". It was told of Timothy that he would be a leader, a servant of the church.

Friday, March 31, 2017

"Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity" (1 Tim 5:1).

The church is a family. Paul instructs Timothy to treat members of the church in that way. This is a rule of God that must have bearing on all my relationships in the church. I especially think about the application of treating all younger women as sisters in all purity. I should take this seriously as I navigate/conduct myself in singleness and dating.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

"If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Tim 4:6-8).

• "these things" - what are these things that Paul is talking about? What are the things that need to be put before the brothers?

• "trained"/"train" - Paul says Timothy is "being trained" (:6) and that he is to "train" (:7). What does this mean?

• "words of the faith"/"good doctrine"/"godliness" - these are the things Paul says Timothy is to be trained in. What do they mean and how are they related?

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

"Let my cry come before You, O LORD, give me understanding according to Your word! Let my plea come before You; deliver me according to Your word. My lips will pour forth praise, for You teach me Your statutes. My tongue will sing of Your word, for all Your commandments are right. let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts. I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight. Let my soul live and praise You, and let Your rules help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments" (Psalm 119:169-176).

Let my cry come before You

Let me plea come before You

My lips will pour forth praise

My tongue will sing of Your word

Monday, March 27, 2017

"Great peace have those who love Your law; nothing can make them stumble. I hope for Your salvation, O LORD, and I do Your commandments. My soul keeps Your testimonies; I love them exceedingly. I keep Your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before You" (Psalm 119:165-168).

Those who love the law of God have great peace.

Those who love the law of God are invincible to any threat that can make them stumble.

My hope - my desire for the future - is in the salvation of the LORD. My doing - my aim in the present - is the commandments of God. Hope, which is future focused, and obedience, which is current focused, are inseparably cooperative.

Love for God's testimonies causes me to keep them. "I love them exceedingly".

Knowing that all my ways are before the Lord - He knows everything I do, internally and externally - causes me to keep His precepts and testimonies. I am accountable to Him. I stand in fear before His omniscience.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

From "How To Treat False Teachers, Part II" by John MacArthur, 1 Timothy 1:7-11

"Now as I mentioned last time, the primary objective that Paul has in mind with Timothy in the writing of this epistle is to encourage Timothy to bring the church to a place of sound doctrine and godly living. He is concerned about the impact of false teachers, not only what they say but what they model by way of a life style. And he is greatly concerned that Timothy reverse the impact of these false teachers. In so writing to Timothy he has left us a letter which all of us in the church of Jesus Christ today, or in any era, can benefit from because we all face the same potential encroachment of false teaching and unholy living.

To give you just an idea of the theme that surrounds not only 1 Timothy but 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus, I want to note the two key words in all three of these epistles are the words didaskalia and eusebeia. Didaskalia is the word most frequently translated "doctrine." It is used 21 times in the New Testament, 15 of those times in these three small epistles. That gives us a key to understanding what the theme of the epistles is. It is all about doctrine, the need for sound doctrine. The other word, eusebeia, is the word translated most often "godliness." That word appears 15 times in the New Testament and is used 10 of those 15 times in these three epistles. Both of those words are used eight times in 1 Timothy alone. And when you find in a brief epistle a word repeated eight times, you can understand that it is woven through that brief epistle in a thematic way. Just that alone tells us that Paul's concern in writing to Timothy is for true doctrine and godly living in the church. And that makes it essential for us even today."

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

"Great is Your mercy, O LORD;

give me life according to Your rules" (Psalm 119:156).

"Now we know that the law is good, if use uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted" (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

The law is good and we know it! There is such a strong antinomian sentiment in the church today. Any attempt to influence activity be external rules is hastily booed and thrown out the door in the cause against "legalism". The law is good! The law is good, if one uses it lawfully. "We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this..." Is the law good? Yes. We know that the law is good. It was accepted by both Paul and Timothy that the law is good. The condition was, "if one uses it lawfully". In the preceding paragraph Paul describes misuse of the law by "certain persons". They do not have understanding; they have swerved from love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. They are consumed with vain discussions. The law can be bad if used incorrectly.

Monday, March 20, 2017

"I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I hope in Your words" (Psalm 119:147).

"Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wondered away in to vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions" (1 Timothy 1:6-7).

I believe Paul has specific people in mind whom he is referring to when he mentions "certain persons". he was familiar with the church in Ephesus, as he had been there for about three years. These "certain persons" had abandoned (or missed entirely from the beginning) the aim of godly instruction, which is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

"The aim of our charge is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:5).

Love defines true Christ-likeness. It defines true discipleship. It defines true conversion; true obedience. Love is the aim and the goal and the outcome of all Christian activity. "A pure heart": pure means undefiled; without corruption. It is honest and true. The heart of godly instruction, especially the heart of a pastor is honest and true and without corruption. There are no impure motives in Paul and Timothy. This is unlike the false teachers whose motive is only impure. They are driven by selfish gain and the opportunity to exploit people and the Word of God for their own profit. The pure, undefiled, incorruptible motive of godly instruction is love.

"A good conscience": good means morally upstanding; strong; healthy and whole in condition. The dictionary.com definition is: morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious. This is a conscience that is not burdened or weighed down by sin. This is a conscience that has been freed by the cleansing blood of Christ; declared innocent in the courtroom of God. "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1). The wicked know their condemnation and they flee, but the righteous, the good, they are bold because there is no charge against them. The instruction of a godly man, a godly pastor, issues from a conscience that is free from the indictment of sin. This is a conscience that stands in the grace of God and not in the shackles of sin.

"A sincere faith": sincere, according to dictionary.com, means free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness; earnest. Sincere is genuine and authentic. Faith that is sincere is faith that is genuine. This is not fraudulent faith. The false teachers were frauds in the faith. The godly pastor possesses sincere faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is true all the way down to its core. It is not a false faith that is propped up by something else. It is true faith grounded upon the solid Rock of Christ.

"A pure heart... a good conscience... a sincere faith"

LORD, bring my life into examination up and against these defining marks of the godly man, the godly pastor. Where do I fall short? Where is sin corrupting my inner life? Heart, conscience, and faith are all part of the inner life. Do I love others from a pure heart? Or do I falsely fabricate love by some other motive? Cleanse me of this sin and renew my mind, O Lord. Do I possess a good conscience? Or am I convicted by ongoing strongholds of sin? Is my conscience guilty? Do I think, "I hope no one ever finds out what I do in private"? God, have mercy on me. Give me boldness that comes from a righteous conscience! Do I have a sincere faith? Am I trusting in anything that is not the Lord Jesus Christ? Do I claim to trust Christ in certain areas, but deep down I lack faith? How do my thinking and my acting reveal that my faith is insincere? Expose the root of pride and unbelief in my life, O Lord.

From "How to Treat False Teachers, Part I" by John MacArthur

"False teachers are not to be dealt with lightly, not if you understand their error. And their error is inevitably a blow struck at the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. It is not a trifling matter.

Now the second thing, and I just want to introduce this to you, is we need to understand not only their error and the effect that it has, keeping people from salvation, but we need to understand their goals. What are their goals? Verse 5, Paul says to Timothy, "Now the telos, the end, the objective, the goal of the commandment I'm giving you is love." I want to see in the church what God wants to see in the church. And what God wants to see in the church is love. Jesus said that men would know them by their love. And it's essential that the church be marked as those who love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and love their neighbor as theirself, as Matthew 22:37 and following says is the great commandment. We are to be marked out by love. "Herein is love, not that we love God but that He loved us and gave Himself for us." And then he goes on to say, "And if we belong to God, we'll be marked by...by love because God is love," 1 John 4:7 and 8.

So, the pervasive characteristic of Christians is that they are marked by love. The word is agape, it's that love of choice, that love of will, that self‑denying, self‑sacrificing love that says "I live my life for the benefit of God," that's my love toward Him, "I live my life for the benefit of you," that's my love toward you. "I live my life for the benefit of the lost," that's my love toward them. That's not emotion, that's a love of choice, that's the highest...that's the most wonderful kind of love.

"The purpose that I'm giving you, Timothy, is to create love there." And I'll promise you one thing, that's not the goal of false teachers. The goal of the commandment is love. And what is it that brings love? It is a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned or unhypocritical faith. The concept of a pure heart is a magnificent Old Testament concept...a rich Old Testament concept. The Psalmist in Psalm 24:4 and 51:10 where David speaks cries out for a pure heart, a clean heart. David says, "Create in me...what?...a clean heart, O Lord." First Samuel 16:7, I think it is, where we are reminded that God looks on the heart while man looks on the outside. The heart is the center of thought. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. The heart is the center of man's belief and conviction and moral character. It is the center of his spiritual desires. It is the center of his longings toward God. And when the heart is made pure by the washing of regeneration, when the heart is single in its devotion through faith in Christ, when it is as Romans 6:17 says an obedient heart, then it is a pure heart. And a pure heart is one devoted to God with an undivided allegiance because it's been washed and cleansed by Christ. And out of a pure heart comes love. And a good conscience...good, agathos, perfect, as to produce pleasure and satisfaction and a sense of well being.

The conscience is your self‑judging faculty. It's your self‑judging faculty. And frankly, it responds to your mind. Whatever's in your mind is going to activate your conscience. Your mind is the engine...your conscience is the flywheel. Whatever is in your mind will activate your conscience. And if you have a pure heart, you're going to have a pure conscience.

In what sense? Your conscience will not accuse you, right? Your conscience will not damn you. Your conscience will not condemn you. Because if you have a pure conscience, there's nothing to condemn. The self‑judging faculty is going to say all is well and your conscience is going to provide for you peace and joy and freedom from guilt because your heart is pure. And that's what Paul means in Acts 24:16 when he says, "I always want to have a conscience void of offense toward God." Certainly don't want to have a conscience like these false teachers, right? What kind of conscience do they have? First Timothy 4:2, "They have one that's seared, like with a hot iron, scarred."

And then thirdly he says this love comes out of true faith, genuine faith, not the hypocritical faith that false teachers manifest. True faith, faith that has no pretense. Let me tell you about a false teacher. All right?

A false teacher has a dirty heart because it's never been cleansed by the true gospel...faith in Christ. A false teacher has a guilty conscience because an impure heart triggers a guilty conscience...unless that conscience has reached the point where it is so scarred with scar tissue that it's lost its sensitivity, like in 1 Timothy 4:2. And a false teacher has a hypocritical faith. He is, of all things, a phony. He wears a mask. He is insincere. And that kind of life will never produce the love of God, true? The goal then and the objective of the false teacher is not to create an environment of love, the goal is to fulfill their ego and fill their pockets. That's the goal.

And so, verse 6 says, "From these things that lead to love they have turned aside." They have turned aside. They have swerved, means to miss the mark, to fail in hitting the target.

They have swerved and then turned aside, two verbs. One means to miss the mark, one means to turn off course. Their goal wasn't love, they weren't shooting for goal...the goal of love. They weren't headed for the goal of love...they swerved from that.

They've got another goal and their goal...it's very clear...is the fulfillment of their own ego, verse 7, "They desire to be known as teachers of the law." And in chapter 6, their desire is gold...gold. And like travelers who leave the right road to take a path to death, they end up teaching, verse 6 says, irrelevant noise, vain jangling.

Perverted hearts, scarred consciences, hypocritical faith will never produce love. That's why there's no genuine love in the heart of a false prophet and he can produce none. Do you understand that genuine love as spoken of here, a pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith can only be accomplished by a transformed life through Christ? You understand, don't you, that false religion cannot restrain the flesh? False religion cannot reform the life. False religion cannot transform the heart. And all it is is a lot of noise. Unfortunately and tragically it is often damning noise. And that is why Titus 1:11 is so important, "Their mouths must be stopped." "

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

A new quote from Samuel Miller to add to the list of all-time favorites:

"Wherever you reside, endeavor always to acquire and maintain an influence with young men. They are the hope of the church and of the state; and he who becomes instrumental in imbuing their minds with sentiments of wisdom, virtue and piety, is one of the greatest benefactors of his species. They are, therefore, worthy of your special and unwearied attention... In short, employ every Christian method of attaching them to your person and ministry, and of inducing them to take an early interest in the affairs of the church."

From "How to Treat False Teachers, Part 1" by John MacArthur on 1 Timothy 1:3-6,

"And again we cannot really label it [false teaching] in any specific way except to say that it was contrary to the truth of God. And as I said earlier, it isn't important that we label and understand everything about a heresy, everything about a misinterpretation, it is important that we understand that what God is saying in this epistle is that stuff has to be...what?..stopped. It has to be dealt with. And it's frightening to me to look across America and see a church that is so naive that people can literally sit and hear false teaching and not recognize it. As Walter Martin said one time, the average Jehovah's Witness can take apart a Christian in 30 minutes because he really doesn't know what he believes. And people are becoming victimized by all these false teachers because the teachers that they have though they may in their heart be true are not teaching their people how to know and recognize that and how to prevent it from intruding into their lives. And sometimes it's just as simple as turning off your television, turning off your radio, throwing away the book, or walking away from a person who encroaches on you with false teaching. Mixing sacred truth with myths corrupts the Word of God. And the cults have done it for years. And liberalism does it and we have to be ready to deal with it."

"You are near, O LORD,

And all Your commandments are truth" (Psalm 119:151).

"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:5).

What does it mean to have a pure heart? What does is mean to have a good conscience? What does it mean to have a sincere faith? The goal of false teaching is not love. The goal of all godly instruction is love, and it is specifically love defined by and flowing from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. How would Timothy understand and identify these three distinctives? How would Paul? How should every pastor and teacher?

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion..." (1 Timothy 1:5-6).

Paul commands Timothy to end all strange doctrine and speculation. Instead, the aim of their instruction, which should be the aim of all godly, gospel-centered instruction, is love. This love is characterized by three things. It is from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. What are these things and why do they characterize godly instruction? These three things are the opposite of false teaching. Straying from these things, or abandoning these things causes some men to "turn aside" to vain , empty, fruitless discussion. When doctrine and discussion is no longer characterized by love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith, it is no longer useful. It becomes empty and vain. False teaching is marked by speculation and confusion.

Monday, March 13, 2017

"Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

And Your law is truth" (Psalm 119:142 NASB).

"I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes. I cried to You; save me and I shall keep Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances" (Psalm 119:145-149).

The psalmist is desperate for the Lord, and he seeks Him in His Word.

There are times in my life when my desire for the LORD is so strong (Unfortunately, this is not all of the time). But when I feel that my heart and my soul are crying out to the LORD, I don't always feed them with the Word. I continue to starve my soul when it is craving the LORD. I feed my soul with inferior food - the rotten fruit of the world. When I feel that my heart and my soul are crying out to the LORD, I will turn to the Word. When my heart and my soul are starving for the LORD, I will feast upon His Word.

How important is it to have God's Word readily available at all times, specifically through meditation and memorization? It is critical. The heart and the soul are suffocating; the Word gives precious oxygen so that you can breath in the LORD and have life. When my soul is starving for the LORD, I will feast upon His Word. When my heart suffocates for the LORD, I will breath deep with His Word.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

"Righteous are You, O LORD, and right are Your rules" (Psalm 119:137).

The LORD is righteous. His rules are therefore right. The LORD gives His rules out of His righteousness. His rules reflect His righteousness and are therefore right. Righteous: morally right or justifiable; virtuous. The LORD is morally right. He is right and true to the utmost. In Him there is no wrong. He and He alone is perfect righteousness. The rules of the LORD then, are given to us in accordance with His perfect righteousness. He is righteous and therefore His rules are right. If we reject His rules it is because we are unrighteous. The world rejects the LORD because He is righteous and they are not. His rules expose the unrighteousness of the world. The rules of the LORD are sometimes "tough to swallow" because they expose my unrighteousness. But they are righteous and good despite how they might make me feel.

"You have appointed Your testimonies in righteousness, and in all faithfulness" (:138).

The next verse says essentially the same thing. The LORD has appointed His testimonies in righteousness. The LORD is righteous and faithful; He has appointed His rules and His testimonies; therefore His rules and His testimonies are righteous and faithful. It is s syllogism arriving at the conclusion that all the rules and testimonies of the LORD are right.

Monday, March 6, 2017

"Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me" (Psalm 119:133).

"Keep" - the psalmist is asking the Lord for help. The Lord is able to keep. To keep might also be thought of as to guard, to hold, to maintain, to secure. "Keep steady" - the psalmist is asking the Lord to secure sure footing, hold in a solid position, stabilize. "Keep steady my steps" - the steps of the psalmist are referring to his "going along". The walk of the psalmist is his "going along" of life. The path of my steps is my daily, moment-by-moment activity. My "going along" in life. "Keep steady my steps" must have a reference to righteousness and purity and abstaining from sin. This is the structure of the verse, "Keep steady... let no..." It is basically, "do this, not that". Keep steady my steps"... "and let no iniquity get dominion over me". When the psalmist asks the Lord to keep his steps steady, he is asking the Lord to protect and guard him from sin. "Keep steady my steps according to Your promise" - does this mean that the grounds for the psalmist's request is the promise of God? Is the psalmist saying, "Guard my steps just like You promised"? Or is it more along the lines of "Keep steady my steps" by bringing them into alignment with Your promise? Is the psalmist asking the Lord to make his steps conform to His promise, or is he asking the Lord to keep his steps because of His promise? What would be the difference, and why would it matter?

Sunday, March 5, 2017

[Happy birthday to my brother. God is so kind to me to give me a brother, a friend and a role model in life and faith.]

"I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments" (Psalm 119:131).

The previous two verses proclaim, "Your testimonies are wonderful... The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" (:129-130). The psalmist continues, "I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments". He longs for the commandments of God. His testimonies, His words, His commandments give light and understanding, they are wonderful. They are full of wonder. They are good. They are awesome. The psalmist longs for the word of God. He desires them more than anything else. He longs for them; he wants them; he is always moving toward them. Wherever he is, he is gravitating to God's word. He is always wanting God's word. He wants more and more. He is like a person starved of water who pants. His thirst for God's word is so strong.

The thing I desire above everything else is God's Word. It sustains my life like water and I feel ever-dehydrated. I cannot drink enough of God's Word. More than anything else in the world, I long for God's Word.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

"The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:130).

When the Word of God is unfolded; when the Word of God is opened up; when it is read, spoken, taught, preached, revealed, explained, understood, applied... it gives light and imparts understanding to the simple. It does what God intends - a supernatural work of illumination to dark hearts and dark minds, resulting in gospel transformation. A workman of the Word, who accurately handles the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15) is a man who knows how to unfold the Word of God. The Spirit of God is pleased to give light to the dark hearts and dark minds of His chosen people as the Word of God is unfolded. The preacher unfolds the Word of God to the people. When the Word of God is unfolded, it gives light. When the Word of God is unfolded, it illuminates. When the Word of God is unfolded, it imparts understanding to the simple. The understanding of the simple is darkened. The Word of God gives light. The simple live in ignorance. The Word of God gives understanding. Light : darkness :: understanding : simple-mindedness.

Friday, March 3, 2017

"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them" (Psalm 119:129).

"The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:130).

Do I say with the psalmist, "Your testimonies are wonderful"? The testimonies of God... "The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7b). What does the LORD say about a matter? This is the testimony of the LORD. Psalm 19 uses up to 6 words to describe God's Word. They are: law, testimony, precepts, commandments, "fear", rules... "in keeping them there is great reward" (:11). Is it safe to say that when the psalmist refers to the "testimonies" of God that he is referring to all of Scripture? It is definitely true that the testimonies of God are found in Scripture. Surely the psalmist was a man devoted to God's Word, within which he discovered and took delight in all of the testimonies of the LORD.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Psalm 119:121-128

"I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. Give Your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me. My eyes long for Your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise. Deal with Your servant according to Your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes. I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies! It is time for the LORD to act, for Your law has been broken. Therefore I love Your commandments above gold. above fine gold. Therefore i consider all Your precepts to be right; I hate every false way."

1 Timothy

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wondered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions" (1:3-7).

The charge is given to Timothy. It is the charge to every ministry leader; every pastor. It is a charge to defend sound doctrine and to promote godliness in the church. Another strong guideline is "the aim" given in verse 5. "The aim of our charge is love" says Paul. This love has certain characteristics. Everyone loves "love". The world loves "love". Humanism loves "love". The sexual revolution loves "love". Secularism loves "love". The culture of death loves "love". But these anti-Christ movements do not love godly love. They love "love" on their terms. They love self-love. They hate love on God's terms. What distinguishes between God-love and self-love?

Psalm 119

"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name. Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep Your law" (:129-136).

Monday, February 27, 2017

1 Timothy

Paul writes to Timothy with instructions for leading the church in Ephesus. Believing that Paul's letter is the breath of God, divinely inspired, superintended by the Holy Spirit, Paul's instructions are God's desire for every church in every generation. Therefore, Paul's charge to Timothy as a church leader, or more commonly, a pastor, applies to all pastors in all generations.

It is right to adhere to every principle and instruction given in this book, and all books of the Bible. It ought to be my goal, and the goal of every Christian, to carry out God's will in every setting.

So Paul's charge entrusted to Timothy in this first letter is also a charge entrusted to me as a ministry leader, and to every pastor and every church that is truly of God. It is my desire that FCA at CSU and all of my other ministry responsibilities would closely follow the command of God and the portrait of a godly church given here in Scripture. Even though FCA is not a church, it should still seek in every way to honor the command and the design of God laid out in His word.

Paul gives Timothy a charge. It is a charge to promote and protect, to build and to guard, to work and to keep (as Richard Phillips describes in "The Masculine Mandate") sound doctrine and godliness in the church.

"How to Treat False Teachers, Part I" by John MacArthur

"Charge" - 1 Timothy 1

"...remain on at Ephesus so that you may charge... The aim of our charge... This charge I entrust to you, Timothy..."

Paul's instruction to Timothy is centered on a "charge". What is this charge? First it is a charge to uphold sound doctrine. Paul says to Timothy, "remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith" (:3-4). Different doctrine, myths and endless genealogies are a threat to the church. They lead people away from the truth. They promote speculations rather than stewardship. What is the difference between "speculation" and "stewardship"? "Speculation" can be contemplation, consideration, conjecture or surmise. Speculation makes claims without strong evidence. Speculation spends all its time in a land of opinion and theory where there is no sufficient evidence or truth. Speculation wonders away from the truth; it leaves the safe shores of truth and floats aimlessly into open water. Later, in verse 19 and 20, Paul utilizes a similar analogy to describe Hymenaeus and Alexander, who have made "shipwreck" of their faith. They have rejected the rudder of truth. Paul also describes "certain persons" (:6) who have "wandered away into vain discussion". They are "without understanding" (:7). All this is the result of speculation arising from different doctrine, myths and endless genealogies.

In Paul's letter to Titus, he gives a similar command: "But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self condemned" (Titus 3:9-10). There are several others as well:

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7).

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

"Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth" (Titus 1:13-14).

"For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty (2 Peter 1:16).

Stewardship, on the other hand, is "the responsible overseeing and protecting of something considered worth caring for and preserving" (www.dictionary.com). Stewardship stays home, while speculation wonders away. Stewardship guards what has been entrusted; speculation abandons, or forgets, or leaves behind. Paul's charge to Timothy, and to every Christian minister, is to promote the stewardship of sound doctrine and prevent the speculation of different doctrine.

"The aim of our charge is..." (:5).

What else can be understood about this "charge"?

1 Timothy 1 (ESV)

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wondered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, purjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

I thank him who has given my strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged my faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, come have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."

19 Feb 2017 - Psalm 119

"Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!"(:116) I hope in the promises of God in order to pursue obedience. I trust that the promise of God will hold me up when I act in obedience. "Uphold me according to your promise". Lord, hold me up when I step out onto the branch of your promise. Your upholding gives me life. When I step out in hope upon something and it does not hold me up, I am left with shame. I am ashamed when what I put my hope in fails me. When I put my hope in the empty promise of sin, and it breaks from underneath me; when it does not hold me up; I am left with nothing but shame. But the Lord and His sturdy promises will never fail. They will never drop me. They will never leave me ashamed.