Monday Thought -- December 31, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like.  A man scatters seed on the ground.  Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.  All by itself the soil produces grain — first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.  As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’” (Mark 4:26-29)

What does the farmer do to make a seed grow and produce a crop?

In our time there are a number of things that a farmer can do to help the seed grow and produce a crop.  He can fertilize.  He can irrigate.  He can use pesticides and herbicides and fungicides.  And there are probably other things that can be done today that I don’t know about.  But even with all of those things, the farmer still does not control the germination and growth of the seed.  The farmer doesn’t determine how much crop is produced by the seed.  The farmer can’t protect the crop from all of the forces that might damage or destroy it – wind, flood, hail, etc.  A significant part of the production of the crop is out of the farmer’s control.

And that truth was even more apparent in the days of Jesus.  The farmers in Israel didn’t have access to the fertilizers that farmers today can use.  The farmers then didn’t have the means to provide the irrigation that we can do now.  And they didn’t have the other chemical and organic means of dealing with disease, pests, and etc.  The farmers in Jesus’ day were even more reliant upon nature and nature’s God than we are today.  The farmer in Jesus’ day controlled very little about seed germination and crop production.

And that is Jesus’ point in the parable above.  The farmer’s job was to sow the seed.  It was the quality of the soil and other forces beyond the farmer’s control that determined whether the seed would sprout a plant and how much crop that plant produced.  The farmer’s job was to be faithful to sow the seed and harvest the crop – the rest was not in his control.

As farmers in God’s kingdom we are to faithfully sow the seed and then joyously harvest the crop when it is ready.  The rest is out of our control.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- December 28, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Jesus taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:  ‘Listen!  A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.  It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.  Still other seed fell on good soil.  It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.’” (Mark 4:2-8)

There are many important lessons that Jesus teaches in this parable, but the one lesson that struck me as I thought about it today is that there is an abundance of seed.  There is no shortage of seed.

Farmers today do their best to manage the costs of production.  They determine just how much fertilizer is the optimum amount to put on each field.  They don’t want to use too little fertilizer because then their harvest won’t be as plentiful.  They don’t want to use too much fertilizer, either, because that would be needlessly spending money.  They want to buy and apply just the right amount.

The same principle is true for the amount of seed they sow in each field.  They don’t want to sow too little seed or the harvest will be less than it could have been.  But they don’t want to sow too much seed, either.  Too much seed will be wasteful of the seed and wasteful of the money necessary to buy it.  They want to buy and sow just the right amount of seed.

But that principle wasn’t true about seed for the farmers in Jesus’ day.  Seed was plentiful – more plentiful in the land of Israel than good soil was.  They wanted to sow the seed liberally so that they could be sure that no good soil was missed.  They wanted to make sure every good piece of soil was used to produce a harvest.  For a farmer in Israel in Jesus’ day seed was not to be the limiting factor in the harvest – soil was!

The seed of the Gospel is abundant.  There is no shortage of seed.  The seed of the Gospel is much more plentiful than good soil is in which to sow it.  In the Kingdom of God, we want to be sure that we sow the seed of the Gospel generously so that every good piece of soil is used to produce a harvest.  We never want seed to be the limiting factor in the harvest.

The point is – we have the seed of Gospel – plenty of it.  We are to sow it generously!

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Thursday Thought -- December 27, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.  But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:28-29)

I was serving communion in a nursing home many years ago and when I offered the trays of bread and juice to one woman she refused.  She said, “I’m not worthy to take communion.”  She didn’t think God would or could ever accept her.  In her mind, the sins that she had committed were beyond the forgiveness of God.

A young woman came to my office to talk.  She and her husband had been attending the church at which I preached for a while and there was something she needed to talk with me about.  She poured her story out to me through sighs and tears.  She had committed the unpardonable sin.  At least that’s what she thought.  She thought it was impossible for God to ever forgive her and take her back.

There are people who read the words of Jesus that Mark records above and come to the conclusion that there is some sin that God will never forgive, even if you ask Him – even if you beg Him.

I think that’s a misunderstanding of the heart of God and the grace of God.  The Apostle 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)  John mentions no exceptions – because there are none.  There is no sin that God will not forgive if we confess it to Him.  The prophet Joel said it first and both Peter and Paul repeated it – “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13)  That is the universal offer of God and it is open to anyone and everyone.

I think that the one sure way that a person can tell that he has never committed the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is that if he wants God’s forgiveness then he hasn’t committed the sin God will not forgive.  The only sin God will not forgive is the one that hardens the heart of man so badly that he will never ask for forgiveness.

Whatever sin you’ve committed God stands ready to forgive.  Open your mouth to confess your sin and then open your heart to receive His grace because He is ready to pour it on you.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- December 26, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.  He appointed twelve — designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.  These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (Mark 3:13-19)

What a privilege it would have been to be chosen by Jesus like the twelve were.  Jesus chose them for three things:

First, to be with Him.  More than anything else, the choosing of the twelve was about relationship.  Jesus wanted to know them and He wanted them to know Him.  He wanted to spend time with them.  God has always been interested in relationship.  He was with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Relationship was a significant part of the stories of Abraham, Moses, and David and others.  And more than anything else, relationship is what God wants from us.  He wants to know us and for us to know Him.

Second, to send them to preach.  A relationship with God is never just about God and the person.  God is always interested in working through a person with whom He has relationship to draw others into relationship with Him, too.  That was certainly true of the apostles as Jesus sent them out to preach while He was still with them and then sent them out to the world after He ascended to heaven.  That’s still true about our relationship with God – He still wants to send those who have relationship with Him out to draw others toward Him.

Third, to give them authority.  The authority that Jesus gave the apostles wasn’t just authority in a human organization – it was authority in the spirit world.  They had authority over demons!  And even though none of us is an apostle and so we don’t have the authority that they were given – still we are promised that even now we reign with Jesus in spiritual realms and will for eternity.

It would have been a privilege to live in the days Jesus walked the earth and to have by Him as one of the twelve.  And it’s still a privilege to live in the days that we do – and to be chosen like we are to know Him, serve Him, and reign with Him.

What a privilege!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- December 24, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.  Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.  Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’  Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’  But they remained silent.  He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’  He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.  Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” (Mark 3:1-6)

Jesus didn’t often get angry.  The far more common emotion that we see in Jesus’ response to people is compassion.  But there were times that are recorded in the Gospels when Jesus did get angry.  What’s interesting is what made Jesus angry.  What made Jesus angry are not the things that you might think would do it.  He didn’t get angry at the woman caught in adultery.  He didn’t get angry at the sin of the people around Him.  What made Jesus angry was hypocrisy and stubborn hearts toward God.

The Pharisees were watching Jesus when He went into the synagogue.  They weren’t watching Him to determine if what He said was true.  They weren’t watching Him because they wanted their own lives to be examined and purified.  They were watching Him because they wanted to trap Him.  They wanted to find a way to accuse Him of something that would get rid of Him.

The man with a shriveled hand that Jesus met in the synagogue that Sabbath provided what the Pharisees were looking for.  When Jesus healed that man, the Pharisees had their charge and began to plot Jesus’ death.

The point is, the Pharisees didn’t concern themselves with the needs of the handicapped man.  They had no compassion toward the hurts of others.  And they weren’t concerned about learning anything new from God, they thought they had Him all figured out.  And in their lack of compassion and their stubborn pride, they missed what God was really saying to them.

A lack of compassion and stubborn pride will always block us from hearing God!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- December 21, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.  The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’  He answered, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?  In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.  And he also gave some to his companions.’  Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’” (Mark 2:23-28)

The Old Testament contains hundreds of laws that were given to the Jewish people by God.  Some of those laws provide some very intricate details about what God required of man and what God forbade man to do.  In the text above Jesus answers the question:  Why did God give all those laws?

Some people seem to say that God gave the laws to show who is boss.  He wanted people to know that He is in charge and He would determine what people are to do and not to do.  The law is about control.  At least, that’s what some people seem to say.

Some people seem to say that God gave the laws to provide a separation among people.  On one side of a line would be those who are acceptable to Him and on the other side of the line are those who are unacceptable to Him.  The line that separates is the law God provided.  Those who keep the law are on one side and those who don’t keep it are on the other side.  At least, that’s what some people seem to say.

But neither of those points are the point that Jesus made above.  Neither of those is the reason God gave His law.  Jesus said that God gave the laws for the good of mankind -- “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  Jesus used the Sabbath law as an example.  Man would be tempted to work seven days a week to get ahead.  In doing so man would have little time to spend with family, little time for the community, and little time to consider the larger issues of eternity and God.  God provided the Sabbath laws to emphasize how important it is to set aside time for issues that transcend making money and having fun – to set aside time for the spiritual issues of life.  The Sabbath laws were good for man.  They still are.  The Sabbath laws have been removed, but the principle remains – man still needs time to focus on the Lord.

And every other law that God provided fits somehow into that philosophy, too.  Every law God provided connects in some way to what is good for the men and women to whom the law was given.  God’s laws are not about God – they are about us – they are about God taking care of us – providing us direction that we need, for our good.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Thursday Thought -- December 20, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth.  ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.  While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.  When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the ‘sinners’ and tax collectors, they asked his disciples:  ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and “sinners”?’  On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:14-17)

This is an awesome story of Jesus’ willingness to accept anyone as a disciple – anyone who is willing to follow Him.  We have a little difficulty in understanding just how much of an outcast Levi was to the Jewish people around him.  Some of us know IRS employees and although we don’t like to be audited, many of those employees are fair and honest people who aren’t out to hurt us.  They are just doing their job.  That’s not the kind of tax collector Levi was.

The best comparison I can think of to the attitude we might have to someone like Levi is to think of him as a debt collector.  He’s not just a hard working employee of a legitimate debt collection agency, he’s the owner of a collection agency that has a special arrangement with those to whom the debt is owed.  Those who hold the debt tell the debt collector how much they want out of a particular debtor and then the debt collector tries to collect as much as he can and gets to keep whatever is above the amount the holder of the debt wants.  That’s a situation that is ripe for abuse and tax collectors like Levi were very quick to abuse it.  They collected taxes for Rome and whatever amount they could collect above what Rome wanted was theirs to keep.

The people of the town in which Levi lived would have hated Levi.  He was working for the enemy – the Roman government.  And on top of that, he was extorting extra money from the people for his own pocket.  He deserved punishment from God, not acceptance.

But Jesus loved Levi just like He loves you and me.  After all, we’re sinners, too.  Levi and everyone like him was welcome to become a disciple of Jesus – all they had to do was start following Him.  That’s the same invitation Jesus makes to us.  None of us are too full of sin for Jesus to accept.  He wants everyone – even us sinners.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Wednesday Thought -- December 19, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2:2-5)

The homes in Jesus’ day were usually made with stone walls.  The roofs were layered palm branches with a covering of dried mud.  The roofs were flat, and there was usually a staircase leading up to them.  They were used as quiet places of retreat and gathering places.  The houses were small and the extra room on the roof was helpful.

When the four men brought their friend seeking help from Jesus they could not get him into the house.  The crowd was too large and the people too eager to hear Jesus themselves for them to make room for the paralyzed man to be brought through.  They could have given up and gone back home, perhaps to wait for another day.  But their need was urgent, they wanted to see Jesus help their friend.  They cared about their friend that much!

What an effort they made.  They carried the man onto the roof.  Then once on the roof, they dug down through it to make an opening.  I can’t imagine that the owner of the house was pleased with that!  He’d have a roof repair job to do the next day.  But they didn’t allow anything to stand in the way of bringing their friend to Jesus.

Do we make that kind of effort to bring our friends to Jesus?  Do we make any effort at all?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- December 18, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

There are many things I do not understand about prayer.

I don’t understand why God asks us to pray when He already knows everything that we will speak to Him.

I don’t understand why God asks us to tell Him our needs when He knows our needs better than we know them ourselves.

I do not understand why God answers some prayers and some prayers seem to go unanswered.

But there is one powerful truth that I learn from Jesus – prayer was important to Him.  Prayer was important enough to Jesus that He got up very early, while it was till dark, in order to pray.  Prayer was important enough to Jesus that He made the time to pray, even though the needs around were many and were pressing.  Jesus could turn rocks into bread, heal the sick, calm the storm, walk on water, overpower demons and raise the dead.  Yet, still He prayed.

Jesus needed prayer.  Perhaps He needed it for guidance – after all, He did pray before He appointed the 12 apostles.  Perhaps He needed it for encouragement – He turned to prayer on the last night of His life because it was such a dark time for Him.  Perhaps He needed it for power – many of His miracles were performed when He prayed.

But, I think, most of all, Jesus needed prayer for relationship.  Prayer for Jesus was about spending time with His Father.  It was about sharing His thoughts, His plans, His fears, His life, with His Father.

We should pray for many reasons:  for guidance, for encouragement, for power.  But, most of all, like Jesus, we should pray for relationship:  to share our thoughts, our plans, our fears, our lives, with our Father.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- December 17, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven:  ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:9-11)

There are four major participants in the baptism of Jesus and each one had a significant role to play.

Jesus came from Nazareth to the Jordan to present Himself to be baptized by John.  John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.  But Jesus had nothing for which He needed to repent.  His baptism meant something different from the baptisms of the others John was baptizing.  It was an act of submission to His Father.  In Matthew’s account of the baptism Jesus said it was proper to do this to “fulfill all righteousness.”  In other words, because it was what the Father wanted Jesus to do.  It was also act of humility.  The Son of God was presenting Himself to John to be baptized.  Even John was surprised and troubled by that, but it was a way in which Jesus demonstrated His humble spirit.  It was also an act of public presentation.  It allowed John to present Jesus to his disciples as the Lamb of God.

John did the baptizing.  Can you imagine what a sacred moment that was for John?  God allowed him to participate in such a significant event in the life of His Messiah.  John was humbled by the opportunity.  It must have been a huge statement to John that he had not given his life in vain.  What he had been doing for so long, despite the sacrifices it required, was worth it.  God made that clear.

The Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove.  It was a physical way in which the Spirit could indicate His approval of Jesus and His presence to support Jesus in whatever the Father asked of Him in the days ahead.

The Father played a significant role, too.  All three members of the Trinity were involved in Jesus’ baptism.  The Father pronounced His approval of Jesus and His love of Jesus in a voice that spoke from heaven.

What a privilege for John.  What an amazing act of identification with us it was for Jesus.  What an indication of support for Jesus from the Spirit.  What an affirmation from the Father.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- December 14, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“It is written in Isaiah the prophet:  ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’ -- ‘a voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’  And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.  Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.  John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And this was his message:  ‘After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” (Mark 1:2-8)

John the Baptist was a strange man.

He lived in a strange area -- the desert region.  The Judean desert is such a desolate place.  A few Bedouin’s still live there, but it is a very uninviting place to live.  It’s not a place with a great many people.  In fact, those who would come to hear John preach would have had to make an effort to do so, people didn’t normally gather in the desert.

He commanded a strange response -- a baptism of repentance.  Some Jewish sects were baptizing as an act of purification, but it was not a widespread action.  John was asking for something new from the people.  He was asking for a declaration of their sinfulness and a desire to change.

He had a strange diet and a strange wardrobe -- clothing made of camel’s hair and locusts and honey for food.  You could never claim that John was giving himself to a life of comfort and luxury.

He had a strange message -- look for someone else to come.  He wasn’t drawing attention to himself.  He was calling people to keep their eyes open for the one they should follow -- the Messiah was coming.

Why would anyone give his life to such strange things?  Because that’s what God asked him to do.  John was willing to do anything God asked of him and bear any cost to do it.

What an example for us!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- December 13, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the LORD.”  (Psalm 148)

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to get the point of this Psalm.  God is worthy of praise!  So give it to Him!  Let Him know how much you love Him.  Tell Him how great you recognize Him to be.  Let Him know what you think of His creation.  Mention the awe you feel at His grace.

Give Him praise.  He deserves it.  He desires it.  He delights in it.

Praise the Lord.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- December 12, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:10-11)

God takes pleasure in you!

The one thing in God’s creation that gives Him the most pleasure is you.

It’s not the majestic mountains.  It’s not the vast oceans.  It’s not the powerful movement of a thoroughbred horse.  It’s not the strength of the lion.  All of those are good things.  All of those are God’s design and He is pleased with them.  But they are not the thing that gives God the most pleasure.

It’s not the majestic temples built in His honor.  It’s not beautiful music sung to His glory.

The one part of all of God’s creation that is capable of giving Him the most pleasure is a human being.  When you reverence and trust God, He delights in you, He takes pleasure in you.

It is also true that we can cause God the most pain when we turn away from Him.  With the capacity to cause deep pain also comes the capacity to bring great joy and pleasure.

God takes pleasure in you!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- December 11, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.  They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.  They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.  The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:4-8)

How will the next generation hear of the Lord and His marvelous love if this generation does not tell them?

Most parents want to give to their children the things that they need.  We want to provide them with good housing, decent clothes, nutritious food, and toys and things that demonstrate our love for them.  We spend time with them, read to them, tuck them in to bed.  And all of those are good things, but they are not what the next generation needs more than anything else.

More than anything else, the next generation needs to hear of the Lord and His marvelous love for them!

Who will tell the next generation if we don’t?

God has done marvelous things for you.  He’s shown you His love.  He’s demonstrated His power.  He has been good to you.  Tell a child.  Pass the word to the next generation and ones that follow, too.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- December 10, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?  Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.” (Psalm 144:3-4)

It is an amazing thing that God is concerned at all about us, or involved at all in our lives.  Who are we?  We are just human beings.  Our lives are as brief as a breath compared to the length of eternity.  Our existence is insignificant from an eternal perspective.

Yet, God cares for us.  He loves us.  He watches over us.  He moves to help us.  Amazing!

In fact, David asks God to move heaven and earth on his behalf.

“Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.  Send forth lightning and scatter [the enemies]; shoot your arrows and rout them.  Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners.” (Psalm 144:5-7)

And God answers and acts.  He hears.  He cares.  He acts on our behalf.  Amazing!

Such a lowly creation.  Such a short life-span.  Yet, He loves you.  He gave His unique Son for us!

Amazing!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- December 7, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

Life doesn’t always go the way I would like for it to.  Circumstances turn out differently than I plan.  People treat me unfairly, at least from my perspective they do.  Sometimes, even my own body turns against me and brings pain and weakness.

I feel like complaining.  I feel like letting someone know how unfair life is being to me.  I need to get what I’m feeling off my chest.  But to whom should I complain?  If I complain to those closest to me it can create more problems.  In fact, the Bible says not to complain at all:  “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation.” (Philippians 2:14-15)

But there is one place where I can take my complaints.  There is Someone who will listen, understand, not be offended, and help me work through what I’m feeling.  It was to Him that David took his complaints:  “I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalm 142:2)

Life wasn’t fair for David at the time he wrote this.  He was hiding from King Saul in a cave.  Saul was pursuing David, trying to find him and kill him, to get rid of a rival for the throne.  It wasn’t right.  David had done nothing to try to take the throne from Saul.  It wasn’t fair.  It certainly wasn’t what David planned.

And David told that to God.  He brought his complaints to Him.  You can too!  He’ll listen, understand, not be offended, and help you work through what you’re feeling.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- December 6, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

I guess David must have had the same problem I do.  Here was his prayer:

“Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

Words seem to get out of my mouth so quickly, before I even realize what I’m saying!  Maybe you have that same problem.  I need to be constantly reminded of the biblical admonitions about what I say.

Paul said, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

James knew how inconsistent we are with what we say, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” (James 3:9)

The only hope I have is to appeal to God for help.  I can’t control my tongue myself.  I’ve tried and it doesn’t work.  I need God’s help.  Maybe you need to join me in praying David’s prayer:

“Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- December 5, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

“I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” (Psalm 140:12)

The Lord has a special concern for the poor and needy.

When Israel gathered the crops from the field at harvest time, the Lord instructed them to leave some portion for the poor. (Leviticus 19:10)

When the Lord promised a land of rich blessings to Israel, He told them there should be no poor among them. (Deuteronomy 15:4)  When riches abound, they are to be shared with those in need.

Solomon taught that if you oppress the poor you are showing contempt for God. (Proverbs 14:31)

Jesus Himself preached good news to the poor. (Matthew 11:5)

Dorcas was praised as a woman of God for helping the poor. (Acts 9:36)

God’s compassion extends to those in need and the compassion He desires to demonstrate in us will show itself in the same way.

Can the same be said of you:  he upholds the cause of the needy?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- December 4, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

David concludes Psalm 139 with one of the most challenging and frightening prayers you’ll ever find.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

You would think our hearts would not require searching and testing.  We ought to already know what is in our hearts.  But often we don’t.  It is so easy to deceive ourselves about what we are thinking and feeling.  We mask things even from ourselves.

Of course, God already knows what is in our hearts.  David’s prayer isn’t asking God to find out what is in his heart.  Rather, it is asking God to make it known to him!

Are you willing to ask God for that?  Are you willing to ask God to point out the selfish thoughts and feelings you have?  Are you willing for God to expose to you the wickedness in your heart?

David prayed this prayer because he understood how deceptive his heart was and because it was his desire to have a heart after God.  Do you share his desire?

It’s a scary prayer.  Will you pray it?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- December 3, 2012

Good Morning Friends,

God knows you.  He knows you better than anyone.   He knows you even better than you know yourself.

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.  You hem me in -- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:1-13)

God knows you.  And still He loves you!

You don’t have to wear a mask with God.  He already knows what you are like even in the deepest places of your spirit.  You don’t have to try to hide anything from Him.  It would be a fruitless effort, anyway.

God knows you.  And still He loves you!

His, by Grace,

Steve