God's truth makes a good lighthouse

Psalm 43

February  14

If you didn’t know better, you might just think you were reading something by the Apostle John in this passage of Psalm 43, especially verse 3: “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.”

            Light and truth went hand in hand in John’s writing, making Psalm 43 a prophetic psalm. Like the psalmist, Jesus surely felt frustrated being in an “ungodly nation” even though He was born into God’s chosen people. Nevertheless, He came to His own and they did not receive Him.

If you ever feel like you are stumbling in the dark, not knowing what direction you should go in, just keep practicing the truth you do know and walk in the light that you see. 1 John 1 says, “^5b…God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

            What happens however is that we don’t always walk in the light or follow the truth and then wonder later on why we are stumbling over things that we should have seen. We often will lose our our joy, our song (Ps. 43:4) and our countenance is not as bright (43:5).

How much is light and truth leading you in your walk? Jesus said that “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:21).

The first Valentine's Day card

Psalm 119:159-168

February 14 Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day and Psalm 119 mentions love more than any other psalm. You may think, "Well of course it does, it is the longest psalm." Even so it mentions a form of love 14 times out of 176 verses, or on average every 13 verses. And this passage at the end of this great psalm mentions a form of love five times in nine verses.

Last night at a political debate there was not a lot of love shown, primarily because the candidates, especially one, was attempting to belittle and push down others in order to elevate himself. That type of self love is not love at all and will eventually self-destruct. True, Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but there is a healthy self-love and the other self love is not love at all but selfishness. 

How can we truly experience God's love and a healthy love? "According to Thy lovingkindness" (Ps. 119:159). We can only know truly of God's love first by His word, so in a sense, we can only understand love when we understand "God's word." 

Seven times a day, the psalmist would praise God (119:165) out of his love for God and His word. He kept God's commands not for salvation, but because God's love saves us. If you have a hard time loving God's word, remember that as a result of God's love for us, His Word became flesh (John 1:1,14) and lived with us, died for us, and raised before us so that eternal life could be in us. Love God, love others, and love His word. It is His Valentine's Day card to us.

Where can I go, but to the Rock

Psalm 42

February  13

This is one of my favorite psalms and songs. As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee. A deer will run to water when thirsty, but also when in need of shelter from danger, when combating an opponent, or when sick with fever, and needs the water’s refreshing coolness. In times of spiritual isolation, danger, battle, and affliction, we will spiritually thirst for God’s presence in prayer. God uses our bad circumstances to get us to cry out to Him.

Adversity did not lead the psalmist to give up on God. He was cast down in his soul, but not in his relationship with God.

“Yet shall I praise Him.” (Ps. 42: 5, 11; 43:5) Perhaps he remembered ancient Job, who said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” (Job 13:15). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego may have remembered this psalm when they said, “even if He does not deliver us, we will not serve your gods.” Peter would say, “to whom shall we go, You have the words of life.” (John 6:68)

Paul wrote the following: 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed ; we are perplexed , but not in despair ; 9 Persecuted , but not forsaken ; cast down , but not destroyed ; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Don’t despair. Don’t be downcast. “The Lord will command His lovingkindness” (42:8), God will send His light and His truth (Ps. 43:3). There is a “yet to be” in your future; you will go to the altar of God, not in tears, but in joy and delight; you will sing praises again (Ps. 43:4).

Have your hardships driven you to yearn and thirst for God? There is a “Yet to Be” in your future. In your darkest night, let His song be with you, a prayer to the God of your life.

The Least of These, My Brothers

Psalm 41

Feb. 12

“Blessed are they who consider the poor, for the Lord will deliver them in time of trouble.” Being kind to the poor is a given in Christianity. Isn’t it? We give regularly to meet the needs of the needy. Or do we? A beatitude is a verse with the word “blessed” in it, which essentially means “happy.” The word implies that you will receive a blessing from God. We have benevolence envelopes mailed each month to the homes of our members, but sadly most end up in the trash.

Beatitudes in the psalms are beautiful but especially when they are echoed in the Beatitudes found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

The Bible does not glorify the poor and needy. We can be the most greedy and selfish when we are the most needy and wealthless. The Bible commends and commands all of us, poor and rich alike, to give to those who are in need. No one is exempt from helping the poor.

Why care for the poor? It honors God (Prov. 14:31), God will repay us (Prov. 19:17), God will answer our prayers (Prov. 21:13), it is commanded (Ps. 82:4, Luke 14:21) practiced by the early church (Rom. 15:26), and in so doing, we do so as unto Christ (Matt. 25:40).

Consider giving to benevolence by clicking here. If you are a member of FBC Killeen, click here.

How do we appreciate the Lord?

Psalm 40

February 11

Nathan's "God and Family" pizza box project
made a parable for his Boy Scouts' project

    What makes a person say, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” (Ps. 40:7)? Look at the verses around this one and remember the word “appreciate”. Appreciation is a funny word. It can mean understand (“I do not believe you appreciate the danger you are in”) or it can mean increase in value (“my stocks appreciated”) but most typically it means to be grateful (“I appreciate your kindness”).

    First we need to understand that God is in charge of us (sovereignty). “In the scroll of the book it is written of me.” God opens our ears to His good news (Ps. 40:6). God writes the name of every true believer in the Book of Life (Phil. 4:3, Rev. 21:27), before the foundation of the world! Rev. 13:8 says unbelievers were never written in the book, but believers and unbelievers are written in the book of the living (Ps. 69:28, Exod. 32:32-33).

    Second we need to increase our value of what God has done. He delivers us (v. 2), gives joyful new songs (v. 3), innumerable blessings (v. 5), and has forgiven us (v. 11-13). We should “raise our praise” as we increase our value of our Lord. Again the phrase “the Lord be magnified” is used in verse 16 as it was in Ps. 34:3, 35:27, and will be again in 69:30, 70:4 (NKJV).

    Third, we need to appreciate or be grateful that “The Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God” (v. 17) By waiting for the Lord (v. 1) we are refined, tested. A 10-year-old Boy Scout named Nathan came to my office today and showed me his “God and Family” book, which describes our spiritual life together as being like a pizza. All the ingredients come together, but the pizza is only truly ready when we bake the pizza, by the testing of the fire and heat. The Psalmist David waited for the Lord but only after the fire could he truly appreciate the Lord.

Despite the drama, trauma and tragedy, make this short life count

Psalm 39

February 10

I don’t know if David suffered from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) but Psalm 39 seems to the broken words of a broken man. At a young age, this future warrior who will kill his tens of thousands, killed a giant, decapitated him and carried his bloody head around. So solemn of a psalm is this that it is often read at funerals.

David felt so oppressed and was so much in despair that he got silent. It kindled up like a fire and thought about what is the whole purpose of life, how short it is like the width of his hand, like a vapor or a shadow. He had seen his fellow soldiers fall and die, often due to his own commands, and yet he survived. Even though he was silent, thoughts swirled in his head but he didn’t share them with anyone, except for God.

Rich and poor; those who live long or die young; good and bad people alike; all of them are virtually nothing compared to God. In verse seven, David asks “what am I waiting for?” Why am I still here on earth? In all my crying, in all my sins, as God gazed and stared David down, he realized all his imperfections and how much of a traveler, a sojourner, he was through this world. Like Jeremiah, the fire of silence that was shut up in his bones could not be kept silent forever. Finally, through tears and the writing down of this song, he lets it all out; he asks God to give him the strength to go on. He ends the psalm by asking God to help him make a difference before he dies.

If you, like David, are going through or have gone through a hard time, recognize this: life is short! Before this beautiful life melts away like a moth eats away at clothes, before the vapor of life evaporates, before the breath of life is blown away, make a difference here on earth. Yes, life is tough. Yes, all of us have had drama, trauma and traumatic tragedies in our lives. But don’t waste the precious few days we have left, living and reliving the sins and pain from the past. Seek God for “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Great is God’s faithfulness.”

With God, your past can never foil your future

Psalm 38

February 9

Today's psalm is wonderful for those who are going through it. Either their sins and guilt overwhelm them or their adversaries are overpowering them.

Confessing sin is very much personal, and so often hard to do. Confessing my sins to God is easier than to another person. Maybe because I know God will forgive and not hold it against me. Or use it against me. God is trustworthy. But people...well, that's a different story.

We need to find a trustworthy person who will hold our confidence. Keeps our secrets secret. Gives a empathizing nod, not a judgmental look. A listening ear rather than a lecturing word. We need someone to really pray and not just say they will pray. Maybe confession of sins to one another would happen more if the people of God were more like God; if we were willing to forgive and not bring to remembrance the sins of the past. If we would bury the sins others may share with us in the depths of the sea. Today I am convicted that I not only need someone like that...I need to be like that!

As I read today's psalm, I think about Jesus; I am thankful because, unlike David, my residence is A.D., not B.C. I live with the cross in history, not prophecy. I know that when I confess, He is faithful to forgive my sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness (1 John1:9).

⁹ Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁵ For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
²² Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

With God, your past can never foil your future!

DO be so defensive, now!

Psalm 37:21-40

February 8

The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Psalm 37:30-31

If you watched the Super Bowl last night, you heard a lot about two defenses. A good defense keeps the score low, almost to the point where it makes you think there is not a lot of action. But there is.

For Christians, a good defense is the Word of God, especially when it is on our hearts and not just on our minds. If you didn’t notice already, Psalm 37 is unlike many of the psalms which are mostly prayerful songs to God or about God. This psalm is more of a sermon, sharing the “battle plan” between the righteous and the wicked.

Have you ever thought that God giving you the “desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4) really means that He will place new desires in your heart when your ways are pleasing to Him, rather than He will give you whatever you want? In other words, by meditating on the Word of God, combined with walking in a manner that pleases God, your desires will change to be more like His.

The musical group Roxette sang a song in the late 1980s called “Listen to Your Heart.” However the Bible says the heart is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). A better defense to the enemy’s battle plan is to “talk to your heart” by meditating on the word of God.

Of delights and desires

Psalm 37:1-20

February 7

Parents, don’t you love to reward your children when they are trusting in you? How can we think that God is not also like that? Today’s reading is a passage that I’ve used a lot in helping people see God’s will in their lives.

I call it the headlight principle. When we drive down a dark road with our headlights on, we don’t have to see beyond our headlights. We don’t have to see the destination as long as we follow the little bit of light that we see for our path. The further we go, the further our lights shine. If we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.

In Psalm 31 and all of the psalms in between there and Psalm 37, there has been the proclamations of "trust" and here again, like chapter 31, both words translated as trust are in Psalm 37, in verses 3 and 5 (Hebrew word batach, meaning confidence) and again in verse 40 (Hebrew: chacah, meaning take refuge).

What can we trust God to do?
1) Give us our hearts’ desires when we delight in Him (37:4);
2) Provide us rest when we are content in him (37:7);
3) Lay up a good inheritance for the meek, see also the Beatitudes, Matt. 5:5 (37:11);
4) Make more in our little than the unrighteous have with their abundance (37:17,19).

The psalmist assures us that God knows the days of the upright (37:17). He knows our destination and the time of our arrival. His word, Psalm 119 will tell us later, is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.

Let us abide in His word and He will light our way.

As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings

Psalm 36

February 6

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

    We miss out a lot by not living on farms and being in tune with nature. Watch this video of a mother hen and her chicks. https://vimeo.com/10770397

    The psalmist contrasts God’s protection and provision for His children to the wicked who listen to sins’ whisperings (36:1), lying awake on their beds as they plot new evil. Righteousness versus wretchedness is starkly shown in this psalm.

    The other night we watched about Bernie Madoff who stole $50 billion from others and the anger and betrayal so many felt and the utter hatred for him. Not just for the loss of money, but his own son committed suicide, exactly two years to the very minute from the time he found out about his father’s betrayal.

     If we focus on the wicked, we will get discouraged. David pleads with the reader not to envy the wicked. Instead, imitate God’s goodness, seen in the protective care of a mother hen’s wings, in God’s care of animal and humanity alike, in the rivers of God’s pleasure (36:6-8).

The best way to get even!

Psalm 35:15-28

        February 5

Which would you rather be, vindictive or vindicated? When we are wronged, we have a desire to be vindictive and hurt those who have hurt us. That is understandable. It is what we see in the Old Testament. We not only want to get mad…we want to get even!

However, we Christians are under obligation to follow the New Testament. The call of Jesus is not for Him to get on our side, but rather for us to get on His side. The resurrection allows us to see things from a heavenly perspective. We don’t have to win every argument. We don’t have to retaliate against our enemies. We do not have to defend ourselves if we are on God’s side.

We were told to turn the other cheek by the very man whose beard was plucked out of his own cheeks. Jesus told us to give our shirt and cloak, and then stripped down barebacked to have his own flesh flailed. We are called to go the second mile, following the man who walked to his own execution, carrying his cross until he could carry it no more.

Paul shamed those who sued their fellow believers before unbelievers in court, saying, “Why do you not choose to be cheated?” (1 Cor. 6:7). When Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return because He trusted God (1 Pet. 2:23). The psalmist ends no longer pointing to his wrongs but God’s righteousness.

The true follower of Christ finds that the best way to “get even” is to forgive as we have been forgiven.

It's me! Mr. Nice Guy!

Psalm 35:1-14

February 4

   I can’t imagine any of you reading this having enemies who hate, despise and wish evil upon you. “I’m Mr. (or Ms.) Nice Guy (or Gal).”

    But like it or not, we do have enemies. It may be in the form of a person we know, someone we have wronged in the past or someone who thinks we wronged them. It may be in the form of someone we don’t directly know, perhaps a thief, a terrorist or someone who succumbs to road rage due to our poor driving. 
 
    Or your enemy may not be a person, it could be an illness, a disease or a habitual sin. It could be your own inner demons, thoughts in your head that accuse and torment you mercilessly.

   Ultimately, your enemy and mine are the devil and his demons. “Yes, Virginia, there really is a Satan, and he’s not like the likeable Lucifer on the new television show.” As we read Psalm 35 today and tomorrow, remember that there is evil. There are mean people. There are very real enemies, personally, physically, medically and mentally. But the source of all evil is spiritual. And we must battle it first and foremost as a spiritual battle.

    So pray Psalm 35 as a battle plan against the enemy. Don’t pray your rote prayers like no one is listening because our heavenly Father is listening and willing to fight for you. And “your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Just remember in prayer, we are on the side of the ultimate lion of Judah, "Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, ‘Who is like you, Lord?’” Ps. 35: 9-10

 

Fight fear with fear

Psalm 34

February 3

    We think of David as this unflappable young man who stared down a giant. What gave him such fearlessness?

    First of all, David had fear. He may not have shown it or voiced it, but we see in today’s psalm he had fears but were delivered from them. The word for fears in verse 4 is different than the fear of the Lord found in 7, 9, 11, and can be translated as “barn” or storehouse. I take that as saying his fears were as big as a barn! Acknowledge your fears in the world and don’t minimize them.  

    Second, magnify the Lord (verse 3 in the King James and New King James) means to enlarge our perception of God. “He's big but God's bigger,” Junior Asparagus sang in Veggietales, “and when I think of Him, that's when I figure with His help, little guys can do big things too.” Know that God has His angel to guard you. His eyes, ears and face are towards those with humble hearts. As a magnifying glass doesn’t enlarge the object, only our perception, so too does magnifying God help us see Him as bigger than our fears.

    Finally, maintain your moral integrity in the fear and reverence of the Lord. Several times in today's psalm David encourages us to righteous living. We should fight the fear of the world with the fear of the Lord.

    Another way to enlarge our perception and understanding of God is to draw closer to Him. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you, James 4:8 says.  The closer you get to God in your actions, the larger He will be in your life; the further you get from the fears of the world, the smaller they will appear.