Psalm 62:1-2&5-7
1 Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be * moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
Throughout this Psalm David claims God and His nature for himself 12 times!... my salvation, my rock, my defense, my expectation, my strength, my glory, my refuge. And as David claims and proclaims God's character for himself his faith and confidence in God is strengthened. In verse 2 David claims he will not be "greatly" moved. However by verse 6 David is not moved at all!
This habit of recalling the character of God, meditating on His nature, claiming for ourselves and proclaiming out loud the goodness of God is critical to maintaining a strong and growing faith. God has granted me so much, His grace and mercy are so great that I lack nothing at any time. I need only to remember and claim His blessing in my life. He is not just a refuge or a rock or a strength or our salvation (generically speaking)... He is MY REFUGE, MY ROCK, MY STRENGTH and MY SALVATION! Daily I must claim the Truth of His nature and proclaim His Goodness out loud as a reminder of who He is and who I am because of Him.
God You are MY SONG, MY JOY, MY PEACE, MY DELIGHT... in You alone I am blessed. Keep this song on my lips and these words on my heart. Draw me close to You each morning and let me claim and proclaim Your goodness each day. Amen.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
to sing of His mercy each morning
Psalm 59:16-17
But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.
To walk with God and to walk like Jesus is no easy task. Sin, temptation, fleshly desires, carelessness and the Devil himself are always waiting to throw us off. Doubt, guilt, shame, apathy; these are the results of not walking with God and force us farther from His steps.
For this reason I will begin each day - with joy - singing of God's great mercy and power over my life. I will remember His provision for me, the price He paid on the cross and the deposit of His Holy Spirit within me each day. This daily reminder is my strength to walk and my defense against doubt, guilt, shame and apathy. I will claim and proclaim His mercy before any other thought or feeling creeps in. I will claim and proclaim His mercy each morning so that I can walk with and like Christ all day long. He will be my strength and His mercy my song.
I praise you God for Your great mercy to me. Keep me mindful of Your mercy all day long. Let Your mercy be the song I can't get out of my head and may I walk with You and in Your steps all day long. Amen.
But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.
To walk with God and to walk like Jesus is no easy task. Sin, temptation, fleshly desires, carelessness and the Devil himself are always waiting to throw us off. Doubt, guilt, shame, apathy; these are the results of not walking with God and force us farther from His steps.
For this reason I will begin each day - with joy - singing of God's great mercy and power over my life. I will remember His provision for me, the price He paid on the cross and the deposit of His Holy Spirit within me each day. This daily reminder is my strength to walk and my defense against doubt, guilt, shame and apathy. I will claim and proclaim His mercy before any other thought or feeling creeps in. I will claim and proclaim His mercy each morning so that I can walk with and like Christ all day long. He will be my strength and His mercy my song.
I praise you God for Your great mercy to me. Keep me mindful of Your mercy all day long. Let Your mercy be the song I can't get out of my head and may I walk with You and in Your steps all day long. Amen.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Never let go
Psalm 55:22
"Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."
Taken at face value this verse is so comforting. Looking deeper, this passage is both a strong call to faith and a call to daily reliance on God. For those who have not placed their trust in God of cast their "lot" or "burden" on Him (as is translated elsewhere) David declares that He is worthy and able to bear all our load. Not only is God able to bear our load, but also to declare us righteous. He is able to restore our right standing before Him and preserve that standing for eternity. We are secure! This is a powerful and encouraging call to faith.
For those who have cast their lot with God, this is a strong reminder of His faithfulness and worthiness of our trust. We do not have to worry about any tempest or storm (vs. 8) enemy or foe (vs. 12) nor companion or friend (vs. 20). God is in control and will not let those He declares righteous be destroyed. We can endure (vs. 8) because of who He is.
Thank You Father for your faithful provision, protection and care for me. Help me surrender more and more of my burden each day and find You more than faithful. Amen.
"Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."
Taken at face value this verse is so comforting. Looking deeper, this passage is both a strong call to faith and a call to daily reliance on God. For those who have not placed their trust in God of cast their "lot" or "burden" on Him (as is translated elsewhere) David declares that He is worthy and able to bear all our load. Not only is God able to bear our load, but also to declare us righteous. He is able to restore our right standing before Him and preserve that standing for eternity. We are secure! This is a powerful and encouraging call to faith.
For those who have cast their lot with God, this is a strong reminder of His faithfulness and worthiness of our trust. We do not have to worry about any tempest or storm (vs. 8) enemy or foe (vs. 12) nor companion or friend (vs. 20). God is in control and will not let those He declares righteous be destroyed. We can endure (vs. 8) because of who He is.
Thank You Father for your faithful provision, protection and care for me. Help me surrender more and more of my burden each day and find You more than faithful. Amen.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Impulse Control
Psalm 51:6
"Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."
The Hebrew words for "inner parts" and "hidden parts" are rare phrases in Scripture and somewhat mysterious. David is not talking about the heart, the seat of emotion and will, but somewhere deeper and more unknown even to one's own self. This is the place where impulses and sinful indiscretions spring and surprise us. Proverbs 18:4 says, "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters...." Proverbs 20:5 says, "Council in the heart of a man are deep waters, but a man of understanding will draw them out." God desires truth, understanding and wisdom in the deep, dark, murky waters of our lives. God wants to control even our mysterious impulses. Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, "for what I am doing I do not understand, for what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do!" So how can I give God full control of the place in my life that I do not control or fully understand?
Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I must live every moment in full knowledge and expression of the presence of God. He must be my conscious thought and the song on my lips at every moment; to pray without ceasing, to inhale His Holy Spirit and exhale His praise moment by moment.
Father - teach me to breath Your presence, to inhale Your Spirit and exhale your praise. Teach me to know You in my inner most parts. Control my impulses and guide me in Your understanding and wisdom. Amen.
"Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."
The Hebrew words for "inner parts" and "hidden parts" are rare phrases in Scripture and somewhat mysterious. David is not talking about the heart, the seat of emotion and will, but somewhere deeper and more unknown even to one's own self. This is the place where impulses and sinful indiscretions spring and surprise us. Proverbs 18:4 says, "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters...." Proverbs 20:5 says, "Council in the heart of a man are deep waters, but a man of understanding will draw them out." God desires truth, understanding and wisdom in the deep, dark, murky waters of our lives. God wants to control even our mysterious impulses. Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, "for what I am doing I do not understand, for what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do!" So how can I give God full control of the place in my life that I do not control or fully understand?
Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I must live every moment in full knowledge and expression of the presence of God. He must be my conscious thought and the song on my lips at every moment; to pray without ceasing, to inhale His Holy Spirit and exhale His praise moment by moment.
Father - teach me to breath Your presence, to inhale Your Spirit and exhale your praise. Teach me to know You in my inner most parts. Control my impulses and guide me in Your understanding and wisdom. Amen.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Awake and Alert...
1 Peter 5:8
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
I get the image here of a hunter who, with gun in hand, has gotten drunk and passed out on his own front porch as a roaring (yes loudly) lion casually approaches for the easy kill. As believers we possess powerful weapons of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:12-18), we have strong shelter in Christ (Prov. 18:10), we have been given the very sharp mind of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:16) - and yet we tend to get drunk on pride or self-centeredness and fail to even see the obvious dangers right in front of us. As believers, servants for the advancement of God's kingdom, we are even greater targets for the Devil. He is not lazy nor careless in his pursuit of us (Job 1:9, 2:7, Zech. 3:1, Luke 4:1-2, Luke 22:31). His aim is not to maim us but to consume us and our lives completely; our faith, our character, our passion, our time, our families, our relationships, our churches... leaving nothing behind. The stakes are very high. I cannot relax, coast, take for granted or become content in my walk with Jesus or my dependence on the Holy Spirit. I must resist the devil with everything I've got (1 Peter 5:9, James 4:7).
Father - make me keenly aware of the spiritual danger in my life. Keep me humble, sober-minded and vigilant for the attacks of the Devil. Strengthen my resolve to resist temptations and defeat the accusations of my enemy. Preserve and protect me, me and my family and my family of faith. Amen.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
I get the image here of a hunter who, with gun in hand, has gotten drunk and passed out on his own front porch as a roaring (yes loudly) lion casually approaches for the easy kill. As believers we possess powerful weapons of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:12-18), we have strong shelter in Christ (Prov. 18:10), we have been given the very sharp mind of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:16) - and yet we tend to get drunk on pride or self-centeredness and fail to even see the obvious dangers right in front of us. As believers, servants for the advancement of God's kingdom, we are even greater targets for the Devil. He is not lazy nor careless in his pursuit of us (Job 1:9, 2:7, Zech. 3:1, Luke 4:1-2, Luke 22:31). His aim is not to maim us but to consume us and our lives completely; our faith, our character, our passion, our time, our families, our relationships, our churches... leaving nothing behind. The stakes are very high. I cannot relax, coast, take for granted or become content in my walk with Jesus or my dependence on the Holy Spirit. I must resist the devil with everything I've got (1 Peter 5:9, James 4:7).
Father - make me keenly aware of the spiritual danger in my life. Keep me humble, sober-minded and vigilant for the attacks of the Devil. Strengthen my resolve to resist temptations and defeat the accusations of my enemy. Preserve and protect me, me and my family and my family of faith. Amen.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Manifold Grace of God
1 Peter 4:8-10
"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
God has blessed me in so many ways. I can't even count all of gifts of "the manifold grace of god" in my life. I feel like the billionaire about whom it is said he couldn't possible spend all his wealth even if he tried. The only way to truly appreciate and actualize this type of blessing is to give it away. We must become the Bill Gates of God's grace and leverage God's gifts to change the world. Yet sometimes I grumble. I grumble about not having enough money, time, stuff, energy, talent, etc.... The reality is that I don't have enough love. Love covers a multitude of sin and grumbling and more. If I loved others more than I loved the manifold gifts of God's grace in my life I would gladly give them all away. If I truly understood this command to "minister" them to others, I wouldn't hoard them. Peter never wrote for us to enjoy, treasure, save up, parcel out sparingly or reserve the gifts of God for a better opportunity. The command is to joyfully and lovingly pass along all of the manifold grace of God to one another. Will I hold tightly to these blessings or give freely of God's grace?
Father - make me hold loosely to the billions of blessings in my life. Push me and teach me to give freely of the manifold grace of God. Keep me from grumbling and worry and make me a cheerful giver. Amen.
"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
God has blessed me in so many ways. I can't even count all of gifts of "the manifold grace of god" in my life. I feel like the billionaire about whom it is said he couldn't possible spend all his wealth even if he tried. The only way to truly appreciate and actualize this type of blessing is to give it away. We must become the Bill Gates of God's grace and leverage God's gifts to change the world. Yet sometimes I grumble. I grumble about not having enough money, time, stuff, energy, talent, etc.... The reality is that I don't have enough love. Love covers a multitude of sin and grumbling and more. If I loved others more than I loved the manifold gifts of God's grace in my life I would gladly give them all away. If I truly understood this command to "minister" them to others, I wouldn't hoard them. Peter never wrote for us to enjoy, treasure, save up, parcel out sparingly or reserve the gifts of God for a better opportunity. The command is to joyfully and lovingly pass along all of the manifold grace of God to one another. Will I hold tightly to these blessings or give freely of God's grace?
Father - make me hold loosely to the billions of blessings in my life. Push me and teach me to give freely of the manifold grace of God. Keep me from grumbling and worry and make me a cheerful giver. Amen.
Monday, January 26, 2009
good husband
1 Peter 3:7
"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."
My blessing, my inheritance from God, is directly ties to my relationship to my wife. We are one flesh and I, being the head and more sturdy, common vessel, am responsible to fill her up with love, honor and respect. The image I get here is of a clunky tea kettle filling a fine china cup with sweet smelling tea. When I neglect to fill my wife, I neglect my own calling and forfeit the blessing of that relationship as well as the blessing of my relationship with God (Prov. 19:14).
In every instance where the phrase "dwell with" is used in the New Testament,it is referring to either marriage (3 times) or God's dwelling within us (5 times). This means that my understanding and honor regarding my wife ought to be as constant and unchanging as the Spirit's presence within me. As God lives in me, so I live for my wife. Similarly, as I live for my wife, so God's Spirit lives within me; neglect for neglect, honor for honor, blessing for blessing. We are in this life together, as one-flesh heirs of God's good gifts. It is my duty and privilege and in my best interest to fulfill this role and invite God's blessing into our marriage.
Father - make me a better husband. Humble me and strengthen my ministry to my wife. Let me fill her more with blessing and honor and respect. Make me more understanding. Draw us close together as we draw close to You and hear our prayers for Your pleasure. Amen.
"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."
My blessing, my inheritance from God, is directly ties to my relationship to my wife. We are one flesh and I, being the head and more sturdy, common vessel, am responsible to fill her up with love, honor and respect. The image I get here is of a clunky tea kettle filling a fine china cup with sweet smelling tea. When I neglect to fill my wife, I neglect my own calling and forfeit the blessing of that relationship as well as the blessing of my relationship with God (Prov. 19:14).
In every instance where the phrase "dwell with" is used in the New Testament,it is referring to either marriage (3 times) or God's dwelling within us (5 times). This means that my understanding and honor regarding my wife ought to be as constant and unchanging as the Spirit's presence within me. As God lives in me, so I live for my wife. Similarly, as I live for my wife, so God's Spirit lives within me; neglect for neglect, honor for honor, blessing for blessing. We are in this life together, as one-flesh heirs of God's good gifts. It is my duty and privilege and in my best interest to fulfill this role and invite God's blessing into our marriage.
Father - make me a better husband. Humble me and strengthen my ministry to my wife. Let me fill her more with blessing and honor and respect. Make me more understanding. Draw us close together as we draw close to You and hear our prayers for Your pleasure. Amen.
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