Tuesday 1/11

New Living Translation

Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars.

Last minute thought

68 Milliseconds.

The average time it takes for the human brain to react.
The time it takes for what is inside of you to come out.
A clenched fist or a prayer of surrender.
A complacent ear or an obedient heart.
Fear of the world or compassion for its people.
What is in you will come out so...

Let the Word dwell in your heart.

This is for me

Psalm 4:4-5 – Angry, Yes. Sinning, No.
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. (Psalm 4:4-5 ESV)

We are not called to a state of pulse-less passivity, no longer in possession of a backbone, lying down as our neighbor’s doormat. We live as people, redeemed people, but humans nonetheless. We feel the entire spectrum of God created emotion: sorrow and happiness, peace and discontent, love and disdain, fear, anger, and even more. David knew this, and we have numerous Psalms to prove it.

A man who lived well after David penned this fourth Psalm felt these many emotions. Nehemiah, after dedicating the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem and completing an almost insurmountable task, left the city on business with King Artaxerxes. Upon his return he found the leadership had forsaken the Lord and was permitting unbelievers to live “in the courts of the house of God” (Nehemiah 13:7). Nehemiah’s response: “I was very angry” (Nehemiah 13:8). He even went on to threaten that if these people continued sinning he would “lay hands” on them (Nehemiah 13:21), and not in prayer! There is then a righteous anger that should exist in the heart of the redeemed. As with Jesus’ anger toward the money changers (John 2:15), and Paul’s anger toward false teachers (Galatians 5:12).

Anger is a right response to evil and injustice. It is a fine line however, between anger and hatred; deep seated resentment leads to hatred, and goes well beyond anger. So “be angry, and do not sin”, remembering that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

Examine the things in your life that bring you anger and test them against scripture. Are they rooted in hatred or a righteous heart?

For you

Isaiah 43:2 – Growing Pains
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2, ESV)

Endurance. Perseverance. We hear these words, but usually we secretly hope we never have to exercise these spiritual muscles. We face a myriad of problems in life, usually involving loss of some sort. How we handle that will determine whether our faith strengthens or fades. We can sound lofty and idyllic all we want, but if we fade with the coming of trials, all our speech is for naught.

The really hard trials, the loss of a child, a terminal disease, prolonged unemployment, the loss of one’s home, etc. These things can break us, but that is not always bad. When we are truly broken, we find we are not enough in ourselves to make it through. It is at that moment that we either let bitterness and depression get a foothold, or cry out to God for help, which He is always faithful to give. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4 ESV)

God may not always change our circumstances, but has promised to see us through and never leave us. At first this can seem like little comfort and help, but as we grow and mature, we see the true gift that it is. Quietly trusting, even when our hearts are absolutely breaking, will bring us through to the other side with a confidence in our God that we had not before experienced. Which leads to greater faith for whatever comes. We are strengthened, with an unshakable belief that God will never fail us, which enables us to minister to those around us. Literally being a trail blazer to another sojourner in need of a scout to show the way.

I pray that we all experience this kind of intimacy with the Savior, resulting in an even closer bond with the One who is Everything.

First monday 2014

"Then Solomon said, 'My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD told him, "You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name. Your intention is good, but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me."'"

1 Kings 8:17–19

View in Context...

Encouragement for Today

David truly wanted to honor God by building a Temple in Jerusalem, but it wasn't in God's plan for David to be the builder of the Temple. Even though David's motives were pure, his plans were thwarted. The same can be true for us today. Don't be discouraged if your good intentions don't always end up the way you envisioned them. Instead, celebrate the ministry you do have and encourage others to share in your vision of great things. Perhaps God has placed a person in your life who is perfectly suited to see your ideas come to life.

Read this...and respond to me today

Proverbs 27:17 – Who Sharpens You?
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17 ESV)

When you are stuck in sin, what are you compelled to do? Are you compelled to engage other believers and prayerfully work through sin’s power in your life? Hopefully that is the case, but for many believers we urge ourselves to withdraw, retract, and disengage from those who would walk through our sin with us. This is the last thing we should do! It can be embarrassing admitting we have messed up.

Let us remember, as Christians, we are called to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16).  This is not an irrational rule meant to shame us into compliance. Contrarily, it is intended for our benefit and building one another up in love and grace. What we seem to forget is that what we struggle with others have or do as well. Our Christian brother or sister has already been through what we have and can be there to help us through it. Don’t let pride keep you in sin!! We may be grieved by our sin but continue to live in it because we aren’t confessing it and being sharpened in our fight against it. Repentance is much more than feeling sorry about our sin, it is literally turning around and going the opposite direction.  Rather than living in the dark and returning to sin, confess your sin to a brother or sister and stay accountable to him or her. When this happens, you will find you both become sharper, more useful tools for the Lord.

Who sharpens you?

Prov. 28:2

Proverbs 28:2 – Transgression as Idolatry
When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. (Proverbs 28:2)

Today, let’s do something a little different, and outline, unpack, and apply Proverbs 28:2.

When a land transgresses,…

What is transgression? Transgression is sin, or leaving the bounds of right relationship with God. It is idolatry because it flows from our hearts being satisfied with things far below God (Psalm 16:11).

…it has many rulers,…

What’s wrong with many rulers? When we transgress the bounds of our devotion and relationship with God, we submit to the rule of the false gods (idols) that we pursue. However, rather than serving a God who is One (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) and unchanging, we are ruled by many gods unified in chaos and destruction. Their rule will always result in strife, enmity, and the degradation of relationships.

What’s so bad about idolatry? Transgression is idolatry, and as we can see, idolatry is tyranny—or being ruled by a really, really bad king(s). This is because it puts us under the strangle hold of spiritual oppression which keeps us locked up in chains, instead of free as Jesus wants us (John 8:32).

…but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.

What does it look like to have understanding and knowledge? The picture of transgression is contrasted with the man (or people) of understanding and knowledge. The combination of the two can and should be understood as wisdom; which begins with the fear of the One true God (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10), and the pursuit of him alone.

Is there chaos in your life? Is there destruction, strife, or enmity? Trace the areas of struggle and strain back to the roots of idolatry, repent, and know peace.