A PRAYER
Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Psalm 119:17
Lord, forgive me for just assuming that another day will be mine. For years, I just expected that I would awaken as always; alive, healthy, and the world would be what it had always been. I did not see that it is your mercy that keeps earth on its axis. If it were just one degree off course in its rotations, I would be burned alive or frozen to death. Continue reading “A PRAYER”
CAN’T FORGET WHAT IS LIFE SAVING
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your Word. Psalm 119:16
I’ve read many things in the past week that were interesting to me, but most of them I no longer remember. They were just tidbits, not life-saving pieces of information critical to my existence. Continue reading “CAN’T FORGET WHAT IS LIFE-SAVING”
HELP! IT’S NOT MY TREASURE
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. Psalm 119:14
I value what is useful to me. A book of poetry, sitting on a shelf, even though it may be hard bound and ornate, will not be valuable to my everyday life. However, a book that is dog-eared from use, highlighted and marked up from repeated readings, is invaluable. Why? I have taken its truths, lived by them, and found them to be golden. Continue reading “HELP! IT’S NOT MY TREASURE”
PUTTING IT WHERE IT COUNTS
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
Sinning is way too easy. If I don’t do something sinful, then I’ll think something sinful. Sinning is as natural as breathing. Look at me the wrong way on a bad day and I’ll have a soulish response that was conceived in a flash. God offers me another way to live. He says that if I store His word in my heart, it will be a deterrant to sin. How does that work? I certainly know what doesn’t work. Continue reading “PUTTING IT WHERE IT COUNTS”
TURNING A NO TO A YES
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word. Psalm 119:9
Because of my fallen nature, I am resistant to authority. When a toddler understands the very first rule in his house, you can be sure he will resist. It was within our nature to break rules. One thing is certain, if we are allowed to break rules within our families, then when we grow up, we will break God’s rules too. We will have little respect for authority and obedience. Continue reading “TURNING A NO TO A YES”
LEARNING, THEN PRAISING
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. Psalm 119:7
Children who master a new skill are constantly saying, “Mommy, Daddy, look at me!” As a grownup, I can still be childish and crave attention when I’ve learned something new. Continue reading “LEARNING, THEN PRAISING”
Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes. Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. Psalm 119:5-6
Satan lied to our first set of parents, Adam and Eve, about the importance of keeping all of God’s statues. He encouraged them to question. “Did God really say that?” In doing their own thing, which was really Satan’s thing, they were filled with shame and went to hide. Shame destroys our confidence with God. We no longer have the guts to stand before Him, look Him in the face, and engage in the relationship. Sin clogs the line of openness and what was once free and easy is now full of cobwebs. Continue reading “INTERPLAY BETWEEN CONFIDENCE AND SHAME”
CORNERED
Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” John 10:23-24
The ESV version reads that the Jews ‘gathered round him.’ In the English vernacular, that sounds harmless enough. Isn’t this something a family or group of friends does to hear a good story? However, in the original language, “gathered round him” comes from “closed in around him.” In other words, the Jews surrounded Jesus, trapping Him, attempting to once and for all pin Him down with their questions. Continue reading “CORNERED”
NON-EXCLUSIVE OFFER
“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” John 10:16-17
When previously speaking of the sheepfold, the door, and false shepherds, Jesus has been speaking about the fold of Judaism. He revealed that He will lead many out of the fold of Judaism into His fold. Like the blind man who was excommunicated from the temple and embraced by Jesus as one of His own, Jesus would lead many of His own people to leave the law and find the new covenant in Him as Messiah. Continue reading “NON-EXCLUSIVE OFFER”
SELF-INTEREST OF THE HIRELING
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. John 10:11-12
Ministry and self-interest are not good bedfellows. In countries where religious freedom exists, ministries can be great business ventures. Money can be made; popularity achieved without a stigma. Becoming a worship leader at a prestigious church can be a coveted position for the creative musician. One can apply for this upscale job without a bona fide call into the ministry. Self-interest reigns. Continue reading “SELF-INTEREST OF THE HIRELING”
