I Shall Not Want

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want. – Psalm 23:1

If I don’t ever understand another thing about God the rest of my life, I can only hope that I can grasp this single verse and live it.

“The Lord”, recognizing that there doesn’t exist “death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing” (Roman 8:38), that is my God, my Lord.  This is the concept presented by the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning God …”  This is the recognition that everything will begin and end with the Lord.

“Is my shepherd”, mine, He is my shepherd.  Nothing else can or will be my shepherd.  He leads me, I do not lead myself nor does another thing or person.  He alone leads me.  I put my trust in Him and Him alone.  If trust exists, I trust in Him.  If faith exists, my faith is in Him.  My fate is in His hands.  I do not want to lead myself, but to follow my shepherd in whom I place my complete trust for my direction, strength, future, and for each added second to my life.

“I shall not want.”  I wonder often if this is an impossible concept.  I shall not want “death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing”.  I shall want only what the Lord my shepherd leads me to, guides me to, directs me to, and purposes for me to do.  Everything else, that is, all else in the created universe, is vanity.  I shall want nothing apart from my Lord in whom I put my complete faith in being. 

This means I shall not want another person to be different for my benefit.  I shall not want a situation to be different for my benefit.  I shall want circumstances to be different for my benefit.  I shall only want what God wants for that other person, for that situation, for that circumstance.  I shall not want my life to be easier or harder.  I shall not want to be a different person.  I shall not want to change my past or present.  I shall only want the life God intends for me to live, to be the person He wants me to become, to embrace where I’ve been and where He’s leading me to go. 

I … Shall … Not … Want!

Hosanna!

⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest!” – Matthew 21:8-9

Hosanna is truly a unique word in the Bible.  A quick search reveals it is only used in Matthew, Mark, and John in reference to this event where Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem prior to his torture and death on the cross.

Dictionary.com defines Hosanna as “an exclamation, an appeal to God for deliverance, used in praise of God or Christ”.  Meriam-Webster.com says it is from the Hebrew word hōshīʽāh-nnā meaning “pray, save (us)!”  Vines Expository Dictionary confirms this describing the meaning as “save, we pray”.  Vines continues to describe hosanna by saying “the word seems to have become an utterance of praise rather than of prayer, though originally, probably, a cry for help”. 

²⁵ Save now, I pray, O Lord;
   O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
   We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. – Psalms 118:25-26

The text here in Psalms was traditionally a part of reading and response by the Jewish people during the Feast of Tabernacles and was accompanied by the waving of palm and willow branches.  Jesus took part in this Feast of Tabernacles and applied the traditional elements of water and light to His life and mission.  The last day of this feast was called “the great Hosanna”.  Or, the great “save, we pray”. 

I feel like Hosanna should become my battle cry.  Save, I Pray!!!  This is very much an accomplishment of exclamation combining praise, prayer, cry for help, and confidence in deliverance all in one word.  If there was ever something that should be on the edge of all my words, every single day, it is this: Hosanna Jesus!  Or should it be: Jesus Hosanna!

Either way, it embodies what should be my very existence.

I am the Bread

Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his betrothed, who was with child. - Luke 2:4-5

Bethlehem is defined in the text as the city of David.  Why is it the city of David?  Best I can research, it is because that is where David is from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel.  1 Samuel 17:12 says that "David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah".  David grew up there and because of his life as a follower of the living God who received the promise of God that the Savior would be born of his lineage (2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17), it is important to recognize that this birthplace is Bethlehem, the city of David.

The name Bethlehem means "house of bread".  I find that to be as spiritually significant as it being the city of David, but I don't hear this discussed too much.  I find it striking that Jesus, the Savior, the Christ, was born in the house of bread.  Further, He was placed in a manger.  The trough upon which animals feed.  I find this a little overwhelming. 

So many people discuss how He was born in a common man's town, and in a poor manner.  Is there rich or poor in the eyes of God?  Yes, but only in the spiritual sense.  There are those who know God personally and live to know Him in a closer way every day; these people are very, very rich.  There are those who do not know Him and refuse Him at every turn, they scorn His name and attack those who know Him; these people are very, very poor.  I find that Jesus was born in a kingly manner, the highest of the high and to royalty - given how God views the reality of rich and poor.  His Mom had been impregnated by God Himself, after seeing an archangel.  His father had seen visions in dreams.  Who else can say such a thing?  Angels reported His birth with heavenly host singing praises to God; a star was visible to show where He was; who else can report this at their birth?  "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)  Jesus was born, given, as the ultimate servant.  He came to serve all who will allow it.  It is not possible for there to be one who is greater.  This is the most royal birth ever, I'd say.

And there He lay, as bread in a feeding trough in the house of bread.  Bread to be eaten by all who will accept Him as God.  "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger" (Luke 2:6-7).  God sent Him, but she, a human with an internal deficiency called sin, placed Him in the feeding trough.  "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26)  Jesus broke His body willingly and gave it to those who will be His disciples. 

He was born in the house of bread, put into a feed trough by man as food for man to eat by God, and willingly broke Himself for us.  "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life ... I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty." (John 6:27,35)  

Weary

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Dang it!  It happened anyway.  This is my favorite time of year.  The weather is cooler, its football season, hunting season, and the fish are still biting.  Best of all, its the time of year to celebrate my savior's birth!  What a time.  I told myself that this year I was going to take three full weeks off work.  I had hoped to have time to hunt a lot, shop a little, and fill in with quality family time around the fire and a movie.  Well, I've taken the leave from work, but what an incredibly busy time!  It seems I'm busier than ever.  We've watched all of one Christmas movie and Reja addressed Christmas cards while I spent time on Amazon trying to order gifts.  Aagh!
During this time we did take the time to participate in our youth group's annual Children's Christmas Ministry.  During the program the kids from Fresh Start gathered together and sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" and I caught Reja having a Judy Lorenz, "I'm crying my eyes out" moment.  It's then that the message we all know so well sank in. 
We're going about this Christmas thing all wrong.  We're not finding joy in Christmas decorations.  Even with three trees, we are just stressed out about getting the decorating done.  We're not finding joy in Christmas movies - we're not even watching them.  This morning I sought comfort in scripture for a weary heart feeling pulled in way too many directions to enjoy any of them and turned to a familiar passage in Isaiah chapter 40 hoping for a quick fix:
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.
Then I flipped over to Matthew 11 where I reviewed: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
But like Elijah, I didn't find the voice of the Lord in the obvious.  Instead, God reminded me that joy during this season flows out of His love and he reminded me of the kids singing "Happy Birthday Jesus."  Maybe I'm like Clark Griswald and trying too hard.  Maybe I just need to quit trying so hard, find a ministry and settle into that instead.  I'm not sure I have the courage to tell family that I quit Christmas.  I quit decorating.  I quit exchanging gifts.  I quit going to lame office parties.  I'm afraid I would disappoint everyone and I'm a people-pleaser.  But, I wonder if God is calling us to simplify and get back to what He told us to do - Love Him and love his people. 

PS:  I find it incredibly frustrating that I struggle to buy Christmas presents for almost everyone on my list.  I find my kids easy.  My spouse more difficult because if Reja says she wants something, I just go get it if at all possible and don't wait on the 25th of December.  But others in my family I'm just absolutely uninspired.  So either I lack imagination (certainly true), or I really don't know my family as well as I should (I worry this is true), or my family is spoiled totally rotten and they don't need or want anything (possible).  On the other hand, as I interacted with the kids and their parents at the CCM this year, I felt inspired.  They need mentoring, they need very real needs met, they need opportunities to grow beyond their disadvantaged circumstances.  Perhaps there is a calling herein. 
I've been wondering for some time if Satan's tactic is simply to keep me so busy on the urgent, but relatively unimportant, that I miss God's calling to the truly important in life.  Perhaps I've let satan hijack my most favorite time of year? 

Curved Inward

The following is written by Matt Ayers, a missionary in Haiti.  It is available at http://teainsolitude.com/2014/12/14/on-rest/.  I find it to be excellent and wanted to pass it on.

The Bible is very clear on the fact that sinning isn’t the problem.  Rather, the sin nature is the problem. Martin Luther described the sin nature by describing the individual as being “curved inward upon itself” (Latin, incurvates in se).  Curved inward indeed!  But what does this mean?  This means that it is natural for people to love themselves and see to their own interests first.  Not only this, but it also means seeing others as a threat to the well-being of the self and as a means for reaching self-centered goals.  People, and even God himself, become mere instruments serving the purpose of the self.  This is our natural state.  This means that this is how we are when gone unchecked.  This describes the character of humanity as it stands untouched by eternal influences.  Hair grows without us having to try to make it grow (at least for most of us).  In much the same way, we prioritize ourselves and our own needs over and above the needs of others without trying.  It just is this way.  This is the sin nature. Martin Luther explains this concept a bit further with this:

The “prudence of the flesh” chooses what is good for oneself and avoids what is disadvantageous for oneself, it rejects the common good and chooses what is harmful to community. This is a prudence which directs the flesh, that is, our concupiscence and self-will, which enjoys itself and uses everyone else, including God Himself; in all matters it looks out for itself and its own interests. This prudence makes man feel that he himself is the final and ultimate object in life, and idol, on whose account he does, suffers, attempts, plans, and says all things. He considers good only those things which are for his own personal good, and those things only as evils which are bad for him. This crookedness, this depravity, this iniquity is condemned over and over in Scripture under the name of fornication and idolatry, and it is, as w have said early in chapter 6:12 something most profound in our nature, indeed, it is our very nature itself, wounded and totally in ferment, so that without grace it becomes not only incurable but also totally unrecognizable.—Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 25, p. 350.

The moral conscious (which is activated by God’s grace so humanity doesn’t annihilate itself) recognizes this problem.  So much so that we build rules and boundaries around our societies that regulate the sort of behavior that is the result of people being curved inward on themselves (the Ten Commandments are the preeminent example).  What do we have to be told not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to covet, not to murder, etc.?  It is because it’s natural to do those things!

Do you know what happens when we try to regulate the sin nature with rules and a list of do’s and dont’s?  The sin nature rears its ugly head.  The rules that seek to regulate and minimize the broad-sweeping damage that is caused by sinful people attempt to pin down the ugliness inside of us. The image that we get then is our “good self” that is in tune with a moral conscious to the fact that such behavior is bad, that is constantly wrestling with our “bad self”.  There is a constant struggle that happens between us wanting to do what is good and wanting to appease our carnal appetites.  This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 7.  Let me tell you, this struggle, this wrestling with the sin nature, is utterly exhausting.  It’s exhausting because we cannot win, we cannot beat it.It wins every time.  What ironic is often times even the acknowledgement of good and the attempt at piety and virtue itself becomes a means for self service! This is self-righteousness.  Where all of our “good works” become a source of pride and arrogance that we then leverage agains our fellow humans to get what we want.  We use this to manipulate circumstances to serve our own needs.  This is what happened to those who killed Jesus, by the way.

We have Good News today.  Through Jesus, we can rest from this battling.  Through the death of Christ, the “old sinful man” (Rom 6:6) can be put to death, once and for all.  We can rest in Jesus through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, replace all of our old habits that were formed out of sin nature with the holy habits of Jesus.  Habits driven by love for others; habits driven by compassion, joy and peace.  The exhaustion that comes from vainly battling the sin nature inside of us will only die when we die because we are one with it.  We must die to ourselves.  That’s what this means.  We must take up our cross.  That’s what this means.  This is one of the greatest features of resting in Jesus.

This means that the effects of the cross must be two-dimensional.  In one sense, the cross takes away the guilt that we have incurred because of sinning.  This is what we mean when we say that Jesus’ blood washes away our sins.  We no longer carry the stain of sin nor the guilt and shame that goes along with it.  This is the dimension that gets all the attention when we talk about what Jesus and the cross does for believers.  The other dimension gets neglected.  That dimension is the dimension of the sin nature.  You see, the death of Jesus not only washes away our sin-guilt, but it also puts to death our very sin nature.  This is the part of the Good News of Jesus Christ that too often gets overlooked.  The Enemy likes when we overlook it too because it makes us live in a place where we say, “Oh well, I’m human, I’ll always be a sinner.”  By no means!  The power of the cross is rendered void if this is the case.  The entire point of Jesus life, death, and resurrection was to put to death the sin nature.  To put an end to the fact that we are curved inward on ourselves.

All We Need is ... God

He will save His people from their sins. - Matthew 1:21b

The most striking difference between God and man is what each one saves mankind from.  Politicians promise to save nations from inequality, whether it is racial, economic, gender, institutional, etc.  People are way to willing to believe that they have somehow, someway been unjustly put into some circumstance through no fault of their own.  That everyone else has an advantage.

Currently in the U.S. the black communities are trying to have 1960 style rallies to protest against what they conceive as unfair consideration because of their skin color.  When I study history, I understand the 1960s protests.  In fact, I don't believe they were dominant enough and I am overwhelmed at how this didn't happen earlier and at the too many examples of the lack of consideration by the people in the U.S. in recognizing that a man is a man. 

How did skin color ever cause someone to be worth less than another?  This confounds my logic.  When I was born I had my skin, muscles, and bones and the breath of life given to me by my Creator.  That's all.  And that is all every man gets when he is born.  When I die, I will have my skin, muscles, and bones and the breath of life will leave me.  And that is all every man is going to have when he dies.  How are we not all equal?

So, with these protests, I find something remarkably different today than in the 1960s.  Today, every advanced opportunity the U.S. cannot afford is provided to everyone, and even more so to blacks, Indian descendants, women, or other minorities.  This is very, very, very different than the 1960s.  Today the problem is the lack of internal morality to own up to not having taken advantage of opportunities because you don't want to sacrifice, take responsibility and ownership of your actions or lack thereof, and accept where you are in life.  The difference between each man's birth and death is what he does from the beginning of life with his God-given abilities and circumstances until the end of his life. 

Man trying to lead mankind will tell him that HE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE for his condition.  It is a lie from evil.  God tells mankind that HE IS RESPONSIBLE for his condition. 

Ultimately, man either recognizes that he is a sinner and will always be a sinner and that unless he is willing to take responsibility for his sins and his need for a Savior, he will bear the consequences of his sins, OR he doesn't.  If the guy in Ferguson would have been obeying the Bible, he would be alive today.  It's that simple.  The U.S. is going to suffer through these and much worse for having abandoned absolute truth and accepting a society of unmoral truths. 

God came to save us from our sins.  We do not need politicians who promise to save us from one another.  We need leaders who will acknowledge that we are eating ourselves alive from an internal evil who's single intent is to take everything we have and destroy it, then laugh and taunt us for having believed it's confusion.  There is only one truth and that truth came to save us from ourselves.  All we need is God.

Why Do We Want the Battle to Stop?

In the Lord of the Rings books, there is a part of the story that I'm always interested in why the movie directors did not include in the movie.  The Hobbits, who are a very integral part of the story and have been in many battles, near death many times, ultimately threw the strongest evil into the mountain so it would be defeated, and had the king bow to them, return home.  They are tired and have seen great evil and great victory.  They have scars as well.

In the movie they return home and the scene is a peaceful place where they are all sitting at a bar having a drink together.  They are wondering what to do now.  In the book, they return and the village is being ruled by goblins and they fight them, defeat them and then the village returns as a peaceful place.  Of course, we like the idea of the movie better in life.  We fought, did battle, there was a victory and now we can return to a home that is untouched by that evil.  Yet, I think the book better clarifies life where we fought, did battle, there was a victory and we return home to have to fight more evil attacking a different area.  So, tired and weary, we wonder if it will stop.

I'm reminded of a story of a missionary who was returning by ship from being on the field in South America for over 40 years.  He and his wife were old now, had very little to call their own, and were returning in near ambiguity to live the rest of their lives in a very meek manner.  Also on their ship was Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from an exhibition of exploration in the Amazon.  When the ship arrived there was much celebration and large crowds to welcome Mr. Roosevelt while the missionary couple exited the ship virtually unknown and unseen.

Finally, it was too much for the missionary man.  He looked at his wife and said, "Forty years on the field, the best parts of our life given to others, and no one even knows our name or that we've returned!"  His wife takes his hand and looks him in the eyes and replies, "That's because we're not home yet!"

Will it ever stop?  Yes.  One day we will be at our home.  It has been prepared by our Creator.  ...   But, I wonder if the better question should be, "Why do we want it to stop?"  We have a unique privilege.  Yes, I said a privilege.  We get to be on the ground in the face of evil and be filled with the Spirit if we so choose to be.  We are fools if we choose not to because we will certainly be in the face of evil.  And we get to engage.  I wonder how many angels sitting in heaven, in the presence of an Almighty God, would gladly trade places with us.  Are they eager to have the chance to be in one fight, to show evil the power of their God?  ...  Why aren't we? 

We should not want the battle to stop but be ever eager for one more chance to show the world the power of our God.  To have Him prove our faith once again.  

I feel old

I feel old physically.  I feel old intellectually.  I feel old spiritually.  It's almost Christmas, the lights are up, almost everything is done, yet I don't have that special awe feeling.  I feel worn out, the opposite of new.

Fairy tales can come true
It can happen to you if you're young at heart (young at heart)
For it's hard, you will find
To be narrow of mind if you're young at heart (young at heart)

And so I forcibly read and listen to songs such as this in order to create in me proper perspective.  But I wonder if it's the curse of remembrance.  When we sin, we remember that sin.  We may have cried our eyes out, we may have worn out the alter rail, we may have full assurance of God's grace to forgiveness, yet we remember that sin and we see the pain in others.  It makes you old. 

When Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, they started aging.  Their sin made them old.  Time became a thing at that moment.  When God wanted to destroy the world and then did so while only saving one family, everyone aged differently after that.  The people's sins made them die quicker and age faster.  I know people who look like they're 65 and they're only 45.  Their hard living has aged them quickly.

⁷ At least there is hope for a tree:

    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots will not fail.
⁸ Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump die in the soil,
⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.- Job 14:7-9

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,
³ He refreshes my soul.  - Psalm 23:1-3

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” - John 7:37-38

Where is the new spring?  It can only come from the living water of Jesus the Savior.  May the old rot and be buried and may the new rise with fresh green leaves, sprouting anew. 

There is always hope because my God lives.  I pray for that resurrection today.

Choose your mood

Psalms 34: I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

The holidays can bring a lot to be happy about, but they also produce a lot of stress.  David is making a conscious decision to praise the Lord at all times.  We can and should do the same.  Don't make your walk complicated, its really quite simple.  It starts with a simple decision.  Choose this day whom you will serve and serve with joy, thanksgiving, and praise.  After all, what do you have to complain about, really? 
Lord help me keep these days in perspective.  I pray that I will be in a constant attitude of praise and thanksgiving for all that you've already done.  I pray that a word of testimony to your activity in and around me may be constantly on my lips.  May I be a positive influence on those around me beginning at home and spreading to all whom you bring into my life.  I ask not for my own edification, but that in each and every encounter, may a bit of your grace touch the lives of those with whom I interact such that you may be glorified. 

Hakuna Cantata

Luke 2: ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
It's a wonderful phrase, it means no worries...  No, wait, something's not quite right...
This year's Adult Choir cantata entitled "Voices of Christmas" was perhaps one of the best in which I've participated.  Even as much as I like the Messiah, this one is right up there if not better because of the incredible, well written message.  At least for me, it did an incredible job of connecting today's ordinary people to ordinary people of Biblical times chosen for God's second most important job - to bring His savior into our world.  This is truly news that is so much more than catchy but otherwise mostly irrelevant entertainment by Disney.  This is the second best news ever!
Second best?  Yep.  But this is God bringing a savior into the world through the birth of a baby.  How can that not be the best and most heart-tugging news ever? 
For me, the best news is "He is not here; he has risen! (Luke 24:6).  It is this verse that culminates Jesus' mission on earth and ultimately fulfills God's promise made throughout scripture and best highlighted in Luke 2.  He died for our sins and in rising and conquering death, provided us eternal hope.  This is where God fulfills his promise to provide a means to reconcile a lost world to Himself.  This is where God proves that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.  This is the news that we can bet our life upon!
Christmas is the season to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We have the advantage of knowing that Jesus ultimately follows in complete and perfect obedience to God providing us the best news of hope ever.  Perhaps for one who has put their full trust in Christ, we truly have no worries!

Psalms 51:1-2

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

How can there be a single person standing face-to-face with God who does not say this very thing.  Confronted with a powerful and perfect God, where the perfect is the overpowering, how can anyone not immediately be weighed down by their incredible sins.

"O God, do not give to me what I deserve for my sins, keep your wrath and judgment from me, and may the resistance to my destruction be because of Your love that will not fail.  My very existence depends completely upon Your love.  Lord, please forgive me my sins, wipe them from the book of my life so they will no longer be read by You.  My God, only You can cleanse this sin from me."

It is important to notice that the pain for David is the reality that God sees his sin as a part of David.  He was not overcome with panic over what others thought of him, but of what his God thought of him.  He knew he had failed the One who defended him, the One who delivered him, the One who blessed him and the One who proved His love for him time and time again.  I find it remarkable how we can so easily confuse ourselves into a life of non-reality and live with obvious sin in our life.  Then, once there are consequences we panic over what others think of us.  This is an obvious sign of our lack of faith and relationship with God.  When we are more worried over how others perceive us than how our God sees us we have made others our God.  We are worshiping an idol. 

When I first read David's writings here, I think that he wants his sin forgiven and wiped away so he is clean again.  But after reading many of David's writings, I believe David's first thought upon "waking up" is that He doesn't want God to see his sins before He sees him any longer.  He is sick to the point of death that his God had to have his sins before Him and he doesn't want those sins present before his Lord.  Why do we not think in this way?  Why do we not teach in this way?  Our thoughts and teachings are for us to get clean so we can be accepted before God.  Sure, that is very important, but if we have the proper relationship with God, we would put our thoughts towards Him first and not desire for Him to have to witness and endure our sin before us.  Keep short accounts of sin so our Lord sees us, not our sin.  If our sin put Jesus on the cross then I can only imagine the Lord's rage upon sin.  We should want the Lord to see us, sinless through our repentance and the cleansing of His Son's sacrifice, not our sins.  The Lord can protect and bless us; He will not protect and bless sin.

From Lust to Murder

2 Sam 11:27b But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

2 Sam 11 reveals the story of Davids multitude of sins with Bathsheba.  First, he didn't lead his army into battle.  I'm not sure this is a sin in the Lord's eyes, that is a difficult one to discern for me, but it was the clearly stated that it was the "time that kings go off to war" and the worldly expectation was that the king led his army into battle.  Instead, David stayed home.  Late in the evening he was on his roof and saw Bathsheba bathing.  Upon inquiry, he found out her name as well as her marital status.  I'm curious as to what went through his mind when he heard the words "she is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite."  Why did he continue beyond lust when he discovered she was married?  He had to know that he had already sinned and to "invite" her into his palace was to cause her to sin as well (note that David was already married and had numerous wives and concubines).  When she became pregnant as a result of this adulterous affair, he called Uriah home from the war to provide a cover for her pregnancy.  This had to have happened over a period of a few months, so this isn't some short-term loss of self-control.  This is a long-term carefully thought through scheme.  When Uriah refused to avail himself the luxury of being home, David had him killed in a useless mini attack on a besieged city that also cost the lives of others.  Lust, covetousness, lies, murder, and illegitimate pregnancy and THIS is a man after God's own heart?  Wow!
So, why did it take Nathan's confrontation in the next chapter to finally get through David's thick skull the depth of his depravity?  Sin is insidious and Satan is incredibly and completely deceptive.  We rationalize, make excuses, and then compare ourselves to others to avoid the confrontation each and every one of us needs.  Why?  Why do we get so deep into sin?  How do we become so incredibly blind to its effects on us and perhaps more importantly why do we not see the effects on others?  Why do we sin anyway when others are so terribly affected?  Even a man after God's own heart was not immune to the overwhelming attack of Satan.  If David could be so blind to his own depravity, what have I done?

Faith

Hebrews 11:1,3 defines faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ... that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."  So, when I define my faith as crying out to God and saying, "God if you don't do this, there is no way for it to be done.  Everything depends upon You." I am living into this definition.  I am hoping for something and I am believing that God can do it and I am depending upon Him and Him alone.  Then when it happens, there is evidence of something not seen.  The worlds were created by His Word, not by a visible and physically definable thing or happening.  Similarly, our world should be created and maintained by His Word and not by another thing or happening within it.

Last night my son found a video on YouTube about space-time and how time can change depending upon how you travel in space-time.  He was excited about trying to get his mind around this complicated concept that Einstein postulated and used to arrive at his theory of relativity as it made the previously understood idea of time being a constant to not being a constant.  Anyway, I pointed out in our discussion how this is already defined in the Bible.  God is in yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  We see each day one day at a time, but God sees all the days because He is sitting at the center of the space-time universe.  Because of His unique angle into the space-time realm it allows Him to see behind and before.

Faith, whether it is God working in our life in an area that we do not see any answer for, or if it is in accepting He is at the center of the universe and then having the world's greatest scientist discover a way that it is feasible to our tiny ability of understanding, still requires us to believe in the unseen hand.  But the seen changes are evidence of His existence.  When all my hope, all that I am, and all that I want me to be are put by me into His hand to do as He please, and I declare that if He doesn't do something I will become undone - it's Him or nothing.  Then is my faith fulfilled because God will answer that call.  Always.

There is an unseen hand to me
That leads through ways I cannot see
While going through this world of woe
This hand still leads me as I go

I'm trusting to the unseen hand
That guides me through this weary land
And some sweet day I'll reach that strand
Still guided by the unseen hand

"The Unseen Hand" by Bill Gaither.

Insidiousness of Sin

1 Cor 5: Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

When we look from a distance at others, it is sometimes baffling how they got so deeply mired into obvious sin.  We want go just shake them and make them come to their senses.  Yet when we look at the activity of Satan the great deceiver, we see that his deception is complete.  The story of Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge is a good example of simple deception.  Others such as the stories of all three of the first kings of Israel demonstrates this complete deception such that they didn't even recognize it.  David, for instance, didn't recognize the depth of his own deception until Nathan confronted him with an apparent third party story of adultery, murder, lies, and deceit.
I need to understand my own vulnerabilities better such that I know how to properly pray and guard myself, so I plan to explore this total deception over the next few days. 
What are your thoughts on the subject?

Psalms 51:13

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

David writes this after his realization of his sin saying that when God restores the joy of salvation and grants him a willing spirit, then he will teach.

In John the following conversation takes place between Pilate and Jesus:

Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out. - John 19:10-12

In this text Pilate and Jesus are talking and Jesus makes a comment about the "greater sin".  As best as I read the text, Jesus holds Pilate faultless, but condemns those who know who He is but decides against Him.  He could also be referring to the devil as the one. 

This is an important consideration reflecting upon David's thought.  The world view is to not hold one another accountable for their decisions.  It's their decision, they decided which way they wanted to go, let them do whatever "makes them happy".  I wonder who has the greater sin, those who wander off or those of us who refuse to get involved to address this conflict so they are aware they are choosing evil over good?

David says he will "teach" those who do wrong God's way so they will turn back to God.  The problem in our society is that when you attempt to do this, the person says you are judging them, as if you actually wrote God's Word yourself, and the people who refuse to do this who are around the situation crucify you saying you are just making life harder for them.  What we need are stronger people who are willing to show others that what they are doing is not God's way, please turn to Him, He stands ready waiting for them with an open hand.  He knocks on their door asking to be in fellowship once again.

If they refuse, then they refuse, but they were confronted with truth.  Some plant, some water, and others reap.

Materialism

Hebrews 13:5  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

'Tis the season to get caught up in pursuing satisfaction, contentment, fulfillment, and joy through acquisition of things.  For those that know me, you know that this is an issue for me.  I'm never satisfied with what I have there is always more, always better, always something new and interesting.  Accumulation of material things makes for a cluttered house, it makes for a cluttered life as well leading to confusion, distraction, and perhaps obsession.
Just like the Israelites of the Old Testament who demanded an earthly king when God clearly wanted to no confusion about His sovereignty, God desires to be our all-in-all.  Only God can fulfill.  Only God lasts.  Only through a healthy, growing, and vibrant relationship with God do we find contentment.  My own experience is that as I grow closer to God, all those things that are imperfect, all those things that fail to satisfy, and all those things that get under my skin and irritate me fade into issues of less importance.  I grow closer to my wife, family, and friends and lose my obsession over material things.  The opposite is also true - as my walk grows stale, my obsession with the imperfect makes me grumpy. 
As I journey through this my favorite time of the year, I would do well to remember that celebration of the season is to remember and cling to the real reason for the season.  Failure to do so, will lead to a dissatisfying holiday season.

Psalms 52:8-9

⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
⁹ I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

The obvious symbolism is a healthy growing tree in a peaceful nutritious environment.  In Romans 11 there is a reference to the olive tree as the tree of faith.  On that tree some of the limbs of the house of Israel were removed for their unbelief and limbs of Gentiles were grafted in for their belief.  The olive tree is the tree of faith in the house of God.  Similarly, the reference here could also be referring to being a tree of faith in the house of God that trust in His mercy forever.  David as a descendent of Abraham and in the line of Jesus would certainly be in the tree of faith.

In this context I think it is important to see what he is saying.  He is a healthy growing tree of faith in the house of God as a contrast to the person who loves evil more than good, boasted in his evil ways, trusted in his abundance, and was destroyed by God.  The Message bible says it this way, “Big man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money” and I think that’s fitting for today’s culture.  I have always had one recurring dream.  In one scene of the dream it is dark and dirty, smoky, with stuff everywhere, cars honking, and noise everywhere; then there is total tranquility, blue skies, clear air, gentle breeze, calm, open ground before me, quiet; then back to chaos; then back to peace, back to chaos, back to peace, etc.  I hardly ever remember dreams but this one I have had occasionally since I was young.  This writing has a stark contrast for me.  It is as much contrast as that in my dreams. 

Why do we praise Him forever?  Because He has done it, not because of anything we have done.  “For God so loved the world.”  We loved the world, but only for what we could get from it, not to save everyone in it.  Only God loved every person in it, even knowing there deepest, vilest, selfish natures.  He still wants to offer even me a chance for redemption.  Even me.  And so I’ll wait with my Christian brothers and sisters for that day when we shall see Him face-to-face – Oh Glorious Day!

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming

Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

Chorus from the song Glorious Day by Casting Crowns.

Psalms 52:6-7

⁶ The righteous also shall see and fear,

And shall laugh at him, saying,
⁷ “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

As a reminder that we as righteous are not immune to falling into the ways of evil, we "also shall see" God destroy those who love evil and shall "fear" God who destroys those who love evil.  As in Psalm 59:13, David wants the righteous to know there is a God through the witness of evil being destroyed.

I can feel the Spirit inside of me and it doesn't want to see people fail.  But, sometimes it is necessary so we can rest assured that God's way is the right way if we have any doubts.  When those who love evil fail and fall, we can praise God.  We praise Him not for their fall, since those who love Him do not want any to fall as He does not.  2 Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance".  But we praise Him for His righteousness.  We praise Him that His way is the only way; that truth and life only come from Him; that those who love Him are never forgotten.  When those who trust in the pleasures of this world are consumed by it, we are reminded that there is only One that endures forever and that can be trusted, and that One is the Lord our God.  He is the only strength, the only power, the only protector, and our only Savior.

Why did these evil fall, because they trusted in their own fortunes, they trusted in themselves.  "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from their faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).  Only God can be trusted and only His Word endures forever.  "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.  The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever" (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:25).  

We should be diligent to seek out our Lord.  2 Peter 3:17-18 says, "beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  It is perhaps the most critical part of our daily life.  The purposeful and intentional aim of praying, reading, and praising our God.  I do not know anyone who would not rather grow their faith in God in this daily way than to have to see evil people consumed by their own evil.  

Eros

You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace. (Song of Songs 4:)

The Greek word Eros is the root of our English work erotic which helps us understand and differentiate this form of love from Agape (unconditional love) and Phileo (brotherly love).  This is infatuation that love that attracts us one to another and that love that is ultimately celebrated in sex.  Clearly this love, like the others mentioned, is clearly from God as He made Eve specifically for Adam and God caused their desire for one another (Genesis 2).  This is the love that truly results in "the two becoming one flesh," especially when when properly combined with agape and phileo.  Moreover, we see that God intended for spouses to yield authority of their bodies to the other (1 Cor 7).  God clearly designed us to be sexual and gave us a sacramental relationship in which to properly exercise that love. 
To me, no other form of love is more misunderstood or abused than Eros.  Satan, the author of all lies, warps eros above all other creations by God, at least in my opinion.  Don't believe me?  Look into almost every instance where Israel turned away from God and you'll find at the core an idol in the form of sexual immorality of some form or another.  In Romans chapter 1 we find Paul raging against sinful humanity and in the order of downfall, we see sexual immorality at the core.  
For me, in order to properly love my wife, I've got to perfect all forms of love.  Eros may be where the relationship started, but it is a highly conditional love that depends on sexual attraction.  Sexual attraction is fleeting and isn't a strong foundation for a lasting relationship.  So to properly love my wife, I've got to fully comprehend, embrace, and exude agape.  I've got to be in a position to unconditionally love her so that phileo and eros may remain strong.  agape is the foundation and phileo and eros are added dimensions.  To try to build a relationship on agape or eros as the foundation is to buy into a temporary relationship. 
For those of you that are unmarried, your investment in your future relationship begins now, not when you say "I do."  You've got to learn to fully agape God's people.  You do that by falling in love with God first and foremost because since He is love, this is the foundation for a long and lasting relationship.  Once you have a firm foundation in agape, you're equipped to properly phileo and eros.  Unfortunately, the world teaches us differently.  Satan has sold us a lie that any committed relationship is acceptable or even enhanced by the ultimate celebration of eros - sex.  Don't be fooled by the one who would re-order God's creation.  In the beginning, there was God who is agape.  Learn to agape first and foremost.  Failure to get this right is dooming all future relationships to the fleeting conditions of phileo and eros which are ultimately self-centered, what's-in-it-for-me forms of love which will never last. 

Psalms 52:5

⁵ God shall likewise destroy you forever;
He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

For those that love evil more than good, “God shall likewise destroy you forever”.  That is, in the same way that you devise destruction and work deceitfully against others, you will be destroyed.  Jesus seems to speak on these terms in Matthew 7 when He says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”  This would be in keeping with the Jewish law concerning false witnesses.  In Deuteronomy 19:21 it says the penalty for a confirmed false witness is “Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

Jesus addresses this in Matthew 5:38-39 saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”  Jesus continues in verses 44-48 to say, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Jesus is saying that everyone will be given the chance to see God and experience His grace, mercy, and forgiveness, even if the only person they see it in happens to be you - the person they are doing evil towards.  He is saying, “I love them, so you should love them.” 

I find that most people want to live in these verses and never get out.  These are wrongly used by Christians living in sin as the ‘I can do whatever I want and no one can say anything about it’ verses.  They forget that everything has a season, including sin.  They forget that there is only one righteousness, one good, and that is only in God.  They oppose Him, not other men. 

While it is easy to get confused in these seemingly opposing concepts, it is easier to miss David’s actual words.  The words “God shall” should not be missed.  How is it that David, who undoubtedly knew the law, would not quote the law about what should happen to these false witnesses, but instead writes about what God would do to them who “love evil more than good”?  I find this to be extended proof of the Spirit of God working in David’s life and how the Spirit of God is the same here as when Jesus speaks much later.  

David accepts that these men oppose God, not him.  This is the main reason that David would not kill Saul when he had the many opportunities to do so, he would not oppose God who had allowed Saul to be king.  He knew that the Lord has said “Vengeance is mine, I will repay”.  So he writes that “God shall destroy”.  And this is better as the Lord will repay justly.

I think it is very important to be subject to the rule of the Holy Spirit in our lives in this area.  We are to show mercy, grace, forgiveness, kindness, and love to those who oppose us so that they might see the works of God.  But there are times when I believe the Holy Spirit says that the season for that sin has ended and we can be lead to be the instruments of God's justice.  David had also experienced this as well.

Psalms 52:2-4

² Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
³ You love evil more than good,
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
⁴ You love all devouring words,
You deceitful tongue.

Here I believe that David is describing truly evil people whose only intention is to hurt others. They say deceptive words to carve into others. They construct destruction through their words to others. They would rather lie and they relish in their lies. They have a sense of power in this way.

Some people are excellent at this. I think the word is politician and lawyer. I find myself today believing a much greater percentage of politicians are great liars than are lawyers. If that’s not the saddest sign of our society and our failed leadership in America, I’m not sure what could possibly be sadder.

The source of the desire for this type of destruction is they “love evil more than good”. This is a very hard lesson to learn. Some people just prefer evil. They are consumed in it and you can be sure they don’t have your best interest as even a slight consideration except in how it serves them (cue politician). This is a very hard concept to accept as we want to believe that people aren't really all that, are they?

If we feel a need to lie at some occasion, we need to be sure that there isn't a selfish need there. Are we loving evil in that moment more than good? I need to be careful to say wise and uplifting words to others. I should hope that all whom I encounter are blessed and more loved because I carried Christ with me in their presence. From Him, no deceit or evil will come.

James 3 says so much about the evil works of a tongue comparing it to a bit in a horse or a rudder on a ship. The tongue is small but from it a big thing can be controlled. He takes a good bit of time to discuss the question of how can good and evil come out of the same person. Or can it? In chapter 1 verse 26 he says, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

I think the worst words of destruction are those testimonial words left unsaid. How many times has a Christian been in a situation in front of others where they could testify or give glory to God for who He is but refuse to do so. Either they fear the unacceptance of other men or they don't have the courage to stand in front of others for the very thing that is "the most important" in their life. I have to wonder if this means they "love evil more than good" by being lukewarm, of which, Jesus clearly had no taste for such a church.

What about the words of compassion to others left unsaid?  When a friend needs a kind word or a word of encouragement; when a child needs to hear how he is loved; when a spouse needs to hear how valuable they are to you - am I willing to say those words at that time?  Or does the emotion of the moment prevent me from doing it.  Again, is it embarrassment over my emotions (the disapproval of others), is it pride, is it false-teaching - we need to know what holds our testimony of God and our refusal to spread His love to others from coming out.

If we are truly thankful, grateful, and we depend upon Christ with our faith, it is so much easier to testify before others because we know God to be true and faithful. We know it. We have seen His hands work in our very own lives. When we do not doubt, we have no trouble standing on what we know.  When we know He has reached inside and touched us personally, He has flooded our soul with love, filled our heart with gladness, and brought peace to an internal battle, it is impossible not to show our love to others.  

Psalms 52:1

¹Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.

Why indeed?  But I see it every day in so many ways.  The TV show, the movie, the news, the President, the Congress, other nations, the economy, other religions, family members, Christians, and in myself.  All it takes is a little ego and pride fuels the responses.  I heard a pastor preach one time that man will do anything to support his ego.  When a little pride or a little comfort can boost that confidence man brags on the results of his own evil. 

It is important to notice the contrast here between a man who boast in his own evil and David who kept his sin in secret. This is a difference between a child of God and a child of the devil. A child of devil boasts about his sins and flaunts them in everyone’s face. A child of God is under deep conviction and hides his sin.

But it’s all fools gold. Solomon recognized this and wrote extensively about it.  Vanity he called it and it’s worthless.  Our hypocrisy has no boundaries.  We do a little evil to support ourselves and then when it doesn’t have immediate severe consequences we boast in it.  David mocks this part of us by calling us “mighty man”.  Who are we in the light of God?  Do we not know that “God endures continually”?  Who indeed?

The pastor Alistair Begg has a wonderful radio message referring to the names of God.  You can find it HERE.  After listening to the significance of the names of God and getting a good reference and understanding of Who God is again, it is so easy to see how David can ask the question, "Why do yo boast in evil, O might man?" and what folly that is. 

Psalm 63 (Part V)

⁸ I cling to You;
    Your right hand upholds me.

Like a child who grabs hold of his parents leg for security, do you cling to God?  When you do, do you know that it is His hand that holds you?  Or do you feel alone?  Our faith must rest in His Word that tells us He holds us, He helps us, He rescues us, He comforts us, He delivers us, He is for us, He will never forsake us, and He saves us.

⁹ Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
¹⁰ They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.

The brutality of these verses is coupled by the enormity of the faith.  We do not think this way.  We do not declare with confidence that our enemies will be destroyed.  We take a "if God wills" approach and let that escape clause get us out of having to decide to put our heart into our faith and believe what we think we know in our heads.  How decidedly weak we are!  With all our tools and intelligence, the single most important thing we can do is decide to believe and declare it.  Know that God WILL answer today.  Know that He will "deal bountifully with you" (Ps 142:7).  Don't doubt.  Don't think He will.  Don't meagerly hope for it.  BELIEVE THAT GOD LOVES YOU, LISTENS TO YOU, AND LABORS FOR YOUR BEST TODAY.  Your enemy will be destroyed and removed from the earth.

¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in Him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Everyone who knows the goodness and greatness of the one true living God will glory and rejoice in Him.  Everyone who declares against God, who say He is not the only living God, they are liars and will be silenced. 

When we hear someone dismiss God or claim that one of His ways is not the truth in the media or in a movie, do we hear that as a lie?  Why not?  A bigger question is when it is on a sit-com and the lie is repeated over and over and over, why do we keep watching?  Why do we let our kids keep watching?  We have to know that eventually that lie will sink in and disguise the truth.  Eventually, the slow erosion will convince us that it really isn't a lie and God's Word is so outdated.  We know this, right? ... So, what is the simple action that should follow that honesty?

One day all the liars will be silenced.  "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to God" (Ro 14:11).  No matter how we justify ourselves today, no matter how the world thinks or who they think is a god, one day everyone will know and will give an account of themselves before the truth that they knew was the truth but wouldn't accept.  One day our own lies will be silenced.  One day the lies we tell ourselves to cover what we don't want to see or be honest about will be silenced.  We should seek to live everyday with our knees bowed now and our tongue confessing now so our lies can be silenced now.