Friday Thought -- September 28, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2)

After a long day in the hot sun of Israel, the deer makes its way toward the stream.  It’s not easy to get to the water.  The stream has cut a deep ravine into the dry land.  The deer makes its way step by step down the steep side of the ravine.  At each step it stops to make sure no predators are stalking it.  Finally it makes it to the edge of the water and with a final look both directions puts it nose deep into the cool water.  It’s hard to believe one deer can drink that much and for that long.  It just keeps lapping up the water.  It must have been terribly thirsty!

How thirsty are you?  Are you thirsty enough to make the disciplined journey to the water?  Are you thirsty enough to stay watchful for those things and beings who would keep you away from the water?  Are you thirsty enough to stay at the water once you get there and drink deeply?  How thirsty are you for God?

Those who are really thirsty will find their thirst satisfied!  Jesus told the woman at the well:  “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. ... Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:10, 13-14)

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- September 27, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.  Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come -- it is written about me in the scroll.  I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’” (Psalm 40:6-8)

Ritual and ceremony -- going through the motions of religion -- are not what God desires.  What God desires is a heart that is devoted to Him!

David said, “I desire to do your will.”  David had a heart that longed to do what pleased God.  No wonder he was called a “man after God’s heart.”  David said, “your law is within my heart.”  Following God was not just an outward ritual for David, it came from deep within him.

That’s the difference between a Pharisee and a Christian.  For a Pharisee, a relationship with God was laws to obey, rules to keep, and ceremonies to go through.  For a Christian, a relationship with God is the response of a heart that is in love with Him.

Pharisee or Christian -- which best describes your relationship with God?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- September 26, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.  You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.  Each man’s life is but a breath.  Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:  He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.  But now, Lord, what do I look for?  My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:4-6)

Do you ever feel like life is just flying by so quickly -- too quickly?  You’re certainly not alone in that feeling!

When we are young it seems like time passes so slowly.  We long for the school year to be over so that we can enjoy the summer, but school seems to last forever.  We long to move from grade school to junior high, from junior high to high school, and out of high school altogether.  But each segment of our life seems to go on forever.

But as we age the passage of time takes on a different perspective for us.  The more years that we accumulate in our lives, the faster the years roll by.  In the blink of an eye we’ve moved from one year to the next and the years begin to pass as in a blur.

David felt it, too and speaks about that feeling in Psalm 39.  He has come to realize how short life is and how quickly it passes.  Two things come to mind as David considers life’s brevity:

He longs to make his life count.  He realizes that too many people spend their lives in pursuits that ultimately don’t matter.  “He bustles about, but only in vain.”  The pursuit of wealth and possessions consumes many lives and in the end that pursuit means nothing.  David wanted his life to count for something more – something that will last.  He turned to God for the wisdom of what a worthwhile pursuit in his life would be.

He turned to the Lord for his hope in the midst of a fleeting life.  “My hope is in you.”  There isn’t anywhere else to turn!  Though life may be fleeting, the Lord will endure and if our hope is placed in Him, then we’ll endure, too!

Ultimately both of David’s thoughts boil down to the same conclusion.  We can only make our lives count by giving them to the Lord and our only hope is in the same place.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- September 25, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret -- it leads only to evil.” (Psalm 37:3-8)

Trust in the Lord.

Delight in the Lord.

Commit your way to the Lord.

Be still before the Lord.

It sounds easy when David writes this advice, but doing these things is among the most difficult of things to do.

I know I ought to trust in Lord, but I often take matters into my own hands because I am not sure God will take care of things in the way I want.

I want to delight in the Lord, but I’m selfish, too.  I often find myself delighting in my own selfish desires, not in Him.

I should commit my way to the Lord, but too frequently I don’t.  I plot and scheme to get my way.

Be still before the Lord.  Sounds good, but I’m too busy for that.  There’s too much to do, too many things to try to accomplish to wait patiently for the Lord.  God doesn’t always seem to be on the same timetable that I am.

Each of those bits of advice from David requires discipline and an intentional effort from me.  I need to try again.  How about you?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- September 24, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.  Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.  Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.” (Psalm 35:1-3)

I can’t remember being in a fight since I was a young boy, at least not a physical fight.  However, I do recall several people through the years who have been against me in one way or another.  There have been times when a person or two has tried to get me fired from a job.  There have been times when someone has spread false rumors about me to hurt my reputation.  I can think of a few other situations in which someone has clearly stood against me, although not too many.  I’ve been pretty fortunate through the years.

My inclination when someone is against me is to lash out at them.  If they have hurt me or tried to hurt me, I want to hurt them back, and do worse to them than they have done to me.  I want to rally those who support me to stand against those who stand against me.  That’s my natural inclination.  It’s what I want to do.

I’m sure it was David’s natural inclination, too.  It must have been what he wanted to do.  But it’s not what he did!  Instead of lashing out at those who stood against him, David turned to the Lord for help.  David chose not to take matters into his own hands by fighting back at those who were against him.  David chose not to rally those who supported him to do battle with him or for him.  Instead, David trusted the Lord to deal with those who were against him.

That seems like a very wise move to me.  For one thing, there have been occasions when those who stood against me were right.  If I’d fought back at them it just would have compounded the wrong I’d done.  God can always see what’s right, we can trust Him to deal with others only in ways that are right.  For another thing, I am tempted to hurt worse than I’ve been hurt.  That would be responding more harshly than appropriate.  God is never harsher than the situation calls for.  And one more thing, when I strike back I am not thinking about what’s best for the person I’m striking against, only at making up for what’s been done to me.  But with God, everything that He does is for the good of the object of His action.  When He does strike at those who have stood against us, it’s not for vengeance sake, but for correction’s sake, to draw them toward Him.

My goal is to follow David’s plan and trust those who stand against me to the Lord.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- September 21, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.  The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.  Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:4-8)

David sought the Lord and when he did, God was there.  That is what God has promised.  “Seek and you will find.” (Matthew 7:7)  “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Look at the blessings that David found in the Lord:

God delivered David from his fears.  David found God to be a safe haven in times of trouble, a rock in uncertain times.  David had a lot to be afraid of:  his own inadequacies and failures, the heavy responsibilities that he carried as king, a family that often was a disaster.  God was faithful to help David in all his fears.

God delivered David from shame and guilt.  The sins of David’s past no longer troubled David’s present.  In God, David’s sins were dealt with and the shame and guilt removed.

David found that God listened despite the fact that David had little to offer God.  He was a poor man in God’s sight, but God heard him when he cried out to Him.

David found protection in God and His messengers.  Unexplainable things happened when David trusted God.  Unseen protectors watched over David.

David offers this invitation to all who will listen to him:  try God yourself!  Taste and see what the Lord is like.  Put God to the test and you’ll see that the blessings David experienced can be yours, too!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- September 20, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.  The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.  But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:8-12)

The nations do as they please without being stopped or punished.  Or so it seems.  The world contains some very wicked rulers who rule with selfishness.  Why doesn’t someone do something?

Someone is doing something!  The Lord is moving to fulfill His plan.  It may not seem like it to us, but the plan of the Lord will not be thwarted by the moves of wicked men.  As a demonstration of His amazing wisdom and power, He will accomplish His purposes, even using the wicked free will of mankind.  In eternity we will be able to look back and see the wisdom of the Lord and His plan as it unfolded from His perspective.

But we can’t see that here, so the questions continue.  What should we do?  The psalmist says, “Wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:20-22)

Wait patiently.  Hope fervently.  Trust completely!

His plan and purposes will not be thwarted.  Someday we’ll see that clearly.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- September 19, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah   Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:1-5)

What do you do with your sin?

Hide it?  When you hide your sin, or try to, it eats at your spirit and the rest of you, too.  Guilt is a horrible stressor.  It affects every aspect of our body, even our health.  It did for David when he tried to hide his guilt, and it still works the same in us, too.

Confess it?  When you confess your sin, God wipes the slate clean.  To confess means to say the same thing about our sin that God says.  It is only as we own our sin that God removes its effects from us.

John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

You can try hide your sin -- but it will only cause you problems and God knows about your sin anyway.  OR  You can confess your sin -- and God will wipe the slate clean!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- September 18, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” (Psalm 29:1-2)

God deserves to be worshiped.  His holiness is perfect.  There is no one else like Him in holiness.  His strength is beyond our grasp.  Nothing is impossible for God.  His grace and mercy are boundless.  No one is beyond the extent of His grace.  His glory fills all of heaven and spills over into this world.

God deserves to be worshiped.  He deserves to be worshiped by the mighty ones.  He deserves to be worshiped by every being in heaven, from the lowest rank of angels to the highest archangels.

And God receives worship from them.  The angels constantly give their worship to the Lord.  They were created to worship and serve God and they will do so for all of eternity.

God deserves our worship, too.  We, too, were created to worship and serve God.  But God doesn’t force us to worship Him.  He longs for our worship.  Jesus said He seeks worshipers.  “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23)  He is seeking worship from you and me.

He deserves worship from us.  He seeks worship from us.  He is waiting to receive our worship.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.  Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- September 17, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

I was thinking about my worst nightmare the other day.  It is the thing that I most fear.  It is the thing that would be more devastating than any other thing I can imagine.  Perhaps you know what your worst nightmare would be, too.

David said I don’t have to fear my worst nightmare.  No matter how bad it might be, God would still be there with me and God would see me through it.  That certainly doesn’t mean it would be fun or enjoyable, but the fortress built by God is strong enough to endure it!  To me, that’s greatly comforting!

I have experienced God’s presence and His strength through the nightmares I’ve had to face.  His promise to be a stronghold for me has proven true.

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

I know my worst nightmare and I also know my favorite dream.  My favorite dream is to be with the Lord.  There is nothing that would compare with that.  If I could make only one request of God that would be my request, to be with Him.  There is nothing I seek more than that.  There could be nothing better than that.

I can trust God with my worst nightmare.  He’s already made provision to grant my favorite dream!  Wow!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- September 14, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. … Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. … The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:1, 7-8, 10)

By what right does God have to demand our allegiance?

He has the right of creation.  “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”  There is nothing and no one in this world that God did not bring into being.  Everything and everyone owes its very existence, its life, to Him.

He has the right of strength.  There is no one who can stand against the Lord.  There is no one who can outwit Him.  There is no one that can out-muscle Him.  There is no one that can out-quick Him.  The Lord has right to our allegiance because there is no one who can overcome Him.

He has the right of accomplishment.  He is, “The Lord mighty in battle.”  The accomplishments of the Lord go back thousands of years and in every generation there are amazing accomplishments that are attributable to Him.  In fact, they are more than amazing, they are supernatural and miraculous.

He has the right of glory.  “He is the King of glory.”  Angels bow down to Him.  There is no power in heaven or on earth that will not eventually acknowledge allegiance to Him.

By right of creation, by right of strength, by right of accomplishment, and by right of glory, the Lord deserves to be served.  We owe our allegiance to Him.  And there’s an even more significant reason … by right of love!  In Jesus, God has demonstrated His love toward us.  He doesn’t just demand our allegiance; He woos us with His love!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- September 13, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6)

Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar passages in the Bible.  It’s familiar because it speaks so clearly to the issues which trouble our lives.

We need someone who will be there for us when we need help and who is strong enough to provide the help we need.  It’s so comforting to know that the Lord is available for us.  And it’s comforting to know that He is our shepherd – the One who will provide what we need.  He watches over us and comes to our aid so that the deepest needs and wants of our lives will be satisfied.

Our souls need restoring because they have been marred so deeply by our sin.  The Lord provides the restoration we need.  David speaks of green pastures and quiet waters.  Those are images of places of peace and rest and that’s what our troubled souls need so desperately.

We need guidance along the right path.  We’ve made so many wrong turns in our lives that it has become clear that we have trouble discerning the right path to take.  We need someone who will point the way for us.  The Lord promises to be our guide and we can always count on Him to point us toward the best path – the righteous path.

There are places that are so frightful and through which no other human being can travel with us.  Death is the most frightening of all those places and it is the loneliest place that any of us will ever face.  What a marvelous promise that there is a Shepherd who will even walk with us through death’s dark valley.

Trouble – distress – heartache – error and sin – fear – those are all places to which our souls make frequent visits.  David reminds us that we don’t need to walk through those places alone and without help.  There is a Shepherd if we’ll turn to Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- September 12, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm.  It does come from David’s heart and expresses the cry of his soul, but it also looks forward to what would happen to Jesus.  It begins with the cry that Jesus uttered from the cross:  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Then later in the psalm is a picture of the agony and pain of Jesus as He hung on the cross:  “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.  My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.  My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.  Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.  They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:14-19)

David had no idea that he was speaking about anyone but himself.  But God used David’s feelings to speak of what was to come for Jesus.  Bones out of joint.  Heart that is melted.  Thirsty beyond imagination.  Surrounded by evil men.  Pierced hands and feet.  Body stretched out so that the bones of the chest can be counted.  People staring.  Garments divided, lots cast for them.  All of those things happened to Jesus as He hung on the cross.  God knew they would, He prophesied it.

You and I have never been so abandoned by God.  We’ve never experienced the depth of pain that Jesus did.  But we have been hurt.  We have felt abandoned, as though even God was nowhere near in our time of trouble.

And what do you do?  David cries out to God:  “But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.” (Psalm 22:19)  And so did Jesus.  From the cross, even in His abandonment, Jesus cried out to God:  “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

God heard David’s cry and came to him in his distress.  God heard Jesus’ cry and came to Him in His distress.  And when you feel abandoned and cry out to God, He will hear your cry, too, and come in your distress.  He didn’t take away David’s pain and didn’t take away Jesus’ pain, and won’t always take away your pain.  But He’ll come and bring His presence, His strength, His help.

His, by grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- September 11, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

The world offers many trust alternatives.

For retirement, there is Social Security and the stock market.  Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that Social Security will still be solvent when many of us reach retirement age.  And the stock market goes down as well as up – as we have been reminded the last few years.

For our health, there are a whole host of medical professionals to whom we can turn.  Unfortunately, not even the best medical specialists have all the answers to the problems that can afflict the human body and not even the finest medical care can avert death indefinitely.

For security, we can trust the military might of the United States.  Unfortunately, not even all the might our forces have can totally protect us from danger.  The Oklahoma City bombing and September 11th made that point in dramatic fashion.

For success, we can trust our own intelligence and hard work.  Unfortunately, intelligence and hard work aren’t always adequate to ensure success.  There are many hard working and intelligent people who would be considered failures by every standard of the world.

Is there anywhere else to turn that is truly trustworthy?  Of course there is – we can trust God.  We may not always understand why He answers our prayers in the way He does, but He has forever proven His love in His gift of Jesus and forever proven His power in the resurrection and a thousand other dramatic statements that show that nothing can stand in the way of His will.

It’s a choice I make – I choose to trust God!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- September 10, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heart.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

How do you know there is a God?

David’s answer -- Creation declares it!

Look at the clockwork that describes the movement of the earth around the sun.  We can determine our calendars by it, planning years in advance and knowing when daylight and dark will come.  Who planned in such fine detail?  Tell me there is no Master Designer!

Look at the stages of the moon and their affect upon the tides of the oceans.  Months, perhaps even years in advance, scientists can measure the tide and know when it will peak and when it will ebb.  And are we to believe that no one planned it?

Consider the fine tuning of the plant and animal kingdoms.  Each species holds its place in the circle of life.  There is balance to the world.  It has worked for thousands of years and the only thing that threatens it now is the foolishness of mankind in the way we uphold our responsibilities in the scheme of things.  The “unintelligent” life performs beautifully in keeping the world balanced.  Only “intelligent” life threatens it.  And who gave balance to the diversity of the plants and animals that make up life on planet Earth?  Surely there is Someone behind it all -- a greater Intelligence that brought it into being.

Are sophisticated and educated Americans the only ones who can see the evidence of a Creator?  Certainly not!  Every culture sees the same realities.  Every language speaks of the Creator.  Every human can see with his naked eye the evidence of design and of the Designer behind it.

The heavens declare there is a God!  It’s only the “intelligent” who sometimes can’t hear it!

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Friday Thought -- September 7, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

David was pursued by Saul who sought to take his life.  But God intervened and rescued David.  God delivered him from the hand of Saul.  And so David wrote:

“I love you, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:1-3)

David had opportunities to take matters into his own hands and kill Saul, but David chose instead to leave the matter to God, to trust Him.  And God dealt with Saul in His time and His own way.

But life doesn’t always work out like it did for David.  There was a period of distress, but it was short-lived.  In the end David triumphed and Saul was defeated.  But sometimes it seems that the good are defeated and evil triumphs.

But it will not always be so.  You can count on it.  In the end, God will deliver those who follow Him.  In the end, justice will prevail.  We have all eternity to see the truth of that.

David saw justice in his own lifetime.  We may not see it in ours, but we will see it.  Count on it.  Trust Him for it.

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.” (Psalm 18:30)

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- September 6, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.  Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.  Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 17:6-8)

David originates two images in this psalm.  You’ve heard them before, but may not have known they came from the Bible.

David asks for God to keep him as the “apple of your eye.”  Something longed for, desired, and deeply loved.  David didn’t even need to ask for that.  God’s love for us will not change.  He may discipline us, but He will never stop loving us.  Even those who are far from Him continue to be loved by Him.  He longs for them to come back to Him.  You are the apple of God’s eye.  You are what He longs for, desires, and deeply loves.

The other image is the “shadow of your wings.”  For a young bird that is the place of protection, safely guarded by a powerful parent.  There is provision in that place for the parent feeds the baby and keeps it warm.  And no enemy will get to the baby without first going through the parent.  The parent will give its life protecting its precious child.  God does keep His children in the shadow of His wings.  It is a place of provision where He feeds and shelters us, providing us “everything we need for life and godliness.”  It is a place of protection.  An enemy would have to go through God to get to us!  God would give His life protecting His precious child.  In fact, He did!!!

You are the apple of God’s eyes!  You are hidden safely in the shadow of His wings!

His, by grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- September 5, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup, you have made my lot secure.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. … You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:5-6; 11)

When a young child is sitting at the dinner table, his mother fills his plate and his cup for him.  She assigns him the portion of food that he can handle and that he needs.  It’s right for him.  She assigns him the kind of drink that is best for him and apportions it out to him based on his need and his ability to handle it.

David knew that the place that he was in life was the place that God had assigned to him.  David didn’t always know that, but as he matured in his relationship with the Lord he came to realize that he was where God wanted him.  The place where God had assigned him was right for him.  God had given him an assignment in life that he could handle and a place that would meet his needs.  Perhaps as a young man, like many young men, David wanted more than he had been assigned by God.  He thought he could handle more and probably thought he needed more.  But as he matured, he came to realize that what God had assigned him was right for him.  “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.”  God knew what He was doing in assigning David a place of service in His world.

What was true for David is also true for you and me.  At times in life we may not like the place that God has assigned us to serve Him.  We may think we can handle more and may think we need more.  But the better we come to know and understand God, the more we realize that the place God has assigned to us is just what we can handle and just what we need.

And there’s more in today’s passage, too.  Ahead, there lies even more for us.  “A beautiful inheritance,” “joy in your presence,” and “eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  David had come to realize that what God had assigned him on earth was good -- and what God had in store for him in eternity was perfectly marvelous!

“A beautiful inheritance,” “joy in God’s presence,” and “eternal pleasures at God’s right hand” -- they await us, too!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- September 4, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?  Who may live on your holy hill?  He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken.” (Psalm 15:1-5)

The standard David set out in this psalm is high.  A blameless walk, a righteous life, truthful speaking, no slander, does no wrong to a neighbor, etc.  That’s a standard of conduct that is too high.  Who could meet that standard?  I surely can’t.  No one I know can meet it.

Blameless?  Not me!  Righteous?  Not me!  Always truthful?  No.  Never hurting anyone with my tongue?  Not by a mile.  Have I always kept my word?  I wish I could say yes, but I can’t.

So, who can stand before God if we have to meet that standard?  No one!

Isn’t that what Paul said, too.  “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

If only those who meet the standard David mentioned can live with God, then what hope is there for me, or for you?  Thank God for His grace.  Without it there is no hope!  With it, hope is secure, the standard is fully met!  It’s met by Jesus and transferred by His death to us!

His, by grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- September 3, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.  The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:1-3)

Only a fool denies that there is a God.

It takes a fool to declare himself an atheist because the evidence for God is so clear to any who will look with an open mind.  As Paul told the Romans, “What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)

There is another reason why only a fool would declare himself an atheist – because all of us need God so desperately!  The atheist must declare that he can make it on his own and that’s an impossibility!  It’s impossible because all of us are failures.  Even if we set our own moral code, we don’t keep it!  We don’t keep the world’s moral code, either.  And certainly we don’t keep the moral code established by a perfectly righteous God.  Try as hard as we can, none of us can go through life without failure after failure.  We desperately need someone to help us – and if there is no God, then there is no one who can help.

Thank God there is a God!  And thank God that He offered His help for us despite our failures.  In fact, He has offered His help for our failures.  That’s why Jesus died for us – to make up for our failures and reconcile us to God through the forgiveness that He offers for our sins.

Paul reminded us of that great truth when he quoted from Psalm 14 in Romans 3.  After announcing the failure of all men in sin, he concluded with this marvelous statement, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)

His, by Grace,

Steve