All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.  Psalm 119:118

In the process of refining silver, the dross and the pure silver must cohabit.  It is at the end that the dross is isolated and then removed.

Though I am called to mingle with others for a time, and though we often appear to be made of the same substance, it’s not always true.  Eventually, we will be examined and separated.  God will discard the wicked (those who reject Him) like dross.  As God’s child, I feel the pain of this kind of cohabitation.  It can happen in a subtle and not-so-subtle form.

SUBTLE:  Everyone in church looks the same.  They carry similar bibles; even tote the latest bible study workbook.  It is hard to tell silver from dross.  Only Jesus really knows who is His and who is not.  Yet, I can feel the spiritual rub when I pray or attempt to fellowship with certain people.  They bend the values of the kingdom to their advantage by propagating unconditional love, acceptance, and tolerance.  Scriptural concepts, wrongly interpreted, are held over the heads of God’s children who are not prayerfully discerning.  ‘Discerning’ is labeled ‘judgmental’ and then false guilt begins to plague the one who should have listened to the Spirit instead of people.

To have to co-exist is uncomfortable and often confusing as I try to fellowship with those who privately reject Christ and use the church as an instrument to gain a platform.  The kingdom clash is not perfectly clear as pretenses veil the state of their heart.  What I have often chalked up to a personality clash can be far more serious.  Dross and silver are in the same pot but not yet separated.

Continue reading “When There’s a Rub” →

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.  Psalm 119:92

In the morning, drink a tall glass of water.  Then spend the rest of the day in a cool house, reading a book in your favorite chair.  It just might be that you won’t feel thirsty again till dinnertime.  If pressed, you could probably go till the next morning without feeling a crippling thirst.  Why?  Nothing depleted your system of water.

Every morning, I take a drink of living water.  If the day is relatively stress free, that drink will easily sustain me.  I won’t feel an intense thirst for more because that which might deplete it is absent.  Let the fires burn intensely however and I will be on my knees in prayer, in the Word, fortifying myself with fresh supplies of living water.  Trekking through stressful territory taxes my spiritual resources.  The heated exercise leaves me in a weakened state.  It is like a seasoned athlete who treks through the desert heat without any provisions.

Continue reading “When You’re Out Of Living Water” →

I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.  Psalm 119:55

Who’s name is on your tongue in the middle of the night?  When we wake out of a deep sleep, a little groggy, conscious but not yet fully awake, we often speak a name.  It’s almost always the identity of someone written deeply in our hearts.  A child, a lover, a spouse, a parent.  Is it ever Jesus?

The themes of my subconscious tell a lot about me.  My affections and subconscious thoughts come out in dreams.   If I spend much of my time meditating on the Word, asking the Holy Spirit to teach me, then the nighttime is one of the times He does His deepest work.  He is the great surgeon of the subconscious.  The seeds that I planted in the light continue to work on me while I sleep.  The renewing of my mind probably happens while I am no longer consciously awake.

I love the thought that the Lord’s name is on my lips – by default – no matter the time of day.  If something wonderful happens, “Thank you Lord” falls off my lips.  Something alarming occurs, and “Lord, help” follows.  When someone in a hard place comes to mind, “Lord, I lift them to you” rolls off my tongue.  As I live each moment, I share it with Him.

It is easier to keep God’s ways if His name is predominant in my heart.  Because He is ever present in the forefront of my mind, I aim to please.  Loving Him is my great privilege and highest joy.  Awake or asleep, He consumes my thoughts.

Day and night, I breathe Your name like a prayer.  Amen

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things our of thy law.  Psalm 119:18

Believing eyes are able to behold the wonder of the kingdom.  A spiritual truth is sought after, it is recognized as having more value than anything on this earth, and it is often so stunning that the one reading it sees it through eyes filled with tears.  Unbelieving eyes see nothing of its beauty.  The Word speaks a different language.  It is not attractive nor understandable.  Most of it sounds outrageous, and at the very least, foolish.

Oftentimes, on the days when I need His Word the most, I am blinded by my own pain. I have unbelieving eyes.  Emotions run hot and I only see words on a page.  What pierced my heart a week ago doesn’t speak to me today.  Trials can be numbing.

I might lack eyesight because of an illness in my body.  When the flesh is out of sorts, the beauty and luster can be obscured.  The worst thing I can do in either of these cases is chalk it all up to a bad day and shut out the scriptures.  When I’m numb to my need, my need is the greatest!  When I’m incapable of connecting, God wants nothing more than to help me.

Continue reading “When I Feel Nothing” →

Great is your mercy, O Lord.  Psalm 119:156

When I’ve wronged someone, how many times do I have to say “I’m sorry” for mercy to be shown?  In this world, the greater the offense, the more times a repeated apology is necessary.  Restitution can be steep as the other party decides what it’s going to take to make them happy.  It’s usually something that, in their eyes, equals the severity of the crime.

Jesus paid my debt to God.  His death was saying to His Father, “I’m sorry”, on my behalf.  Sorry for rebelling, for glorifying myself, for spurning His love.  All I have to do to access God’s merciful response is acknowledge my sin and ask for forgiveness.  Then, it’s mine.  No reservations.  Nothing given piece-meal.  God does not require a repentance that is steep enough to match my crime.  Jesus already gave that. God forgives when I ask the first time and washes the condemnation away.  The memory of my offense is out of sight and behind His back.

Is. 30:18 “The Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy toward you.” What about the times I’m a prodigal?  What of the times I go off and really blow it with God?  The offense is so bad that I dread the thought of ever being in God’s presence again.  Surely, I will be struck dead.  I’ll feel a sense of His displeasure for years to come, right?  Because look how badly I sinned.  Satan writes and directs this mini-movie that plays out in the hearts of the afraid.  God is portrayed as the angry, spurned Father who will never truly be satisfied with a simple, sincere apology.

My Father is just waiting to be gracious to me.  He has mercy in His hands.

On the tip of His tongue is the cry for a party to be given to honor my homecoming.  For any who have transgressed, then come limping home, we testify to the great love of the Father that envelopes us the moment we repent. In the presence of so great a love, we wonder why in the world we waited so long to find our way home.

There aren’t the words to truly convey what your mercy is like.  Show us and send our preconceived ideas packing.   Amen

Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.  Psalm 119:38

The human soul can be so tossed about by trouble that a once confirmed promise from God is shaken loose from its foundation.  God gave it, even confirmed it initially, but now the words feel hollow.  The promise has little effect on a heart full of fear and uncertainty.  There is no rest in the Word because there is little trust left.  Pain has eroded it.

Continue reading “When It Feels Like a Broken Promise” →