So Simple!

WE can tend to make things way to complicated, thus making it hard to make decisions. The Apostle Paul kept it simple. In 1 Corinthians 10 he was dealing with the issue of food sacrificed to idols and whether or not a believer could eat such food. What made it easy for him to answer this question is because of him underlying principle, which is stated in 10:33…”I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.” It is not about him and his rights (which is all we hear about today…”my rights”…always about “me”), but about what would be best for the yet unbeliever. He was committed to do all he could to reach the lost, so if it would be best not to eat this meat for their sake, then so be it. As he states in vs 31 “So whether I eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”. Notice it is not about me, but what would bring glory to God. In fact he makes this clear in 33 “I don’t just do what is best for me”. Simple, yet not so easy to do, self wants attention, self wants to justify, self wants its rights, self wants the easy route. Paul died to self and instead was committed to bringing glory to God in all he did and to reach the lost, even if it meant putting his rights behind him. Simple, and as we see from his life, so effective for the kingdom. So are we ready to simplify? Think how this will help all your relationships for self is always getting in the way. Father, help me to die to self and to understand that it is about you, always, and bringing you glory. Convict me when self raises its ugly head, and give me a greater heart for the lost. Thank you for the great example of the simple life of Paul and how you used him. May I simplify my life for your glory. Amen.

Obedience

Everyone wants to be blessed. Everyone wants things to go their way. The question is what is our motive for this? Usually the motive is purely for self. Life is easier and more enjoyable if one is blessed and who wouldn’t agree with this? No one wants trouble and hardship in their life. However, what caught my interest in a passage in Psalm 119 is why the Psalmist wanted God to be good to him. The first reason is simply so he can live, he understands his life is completely dependent up the Lord. When God says ones life is over on this earth it is over. Now look at the second reason he gives.

Psalm 119:17-18
Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word.
Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law.

He desires God’s blessing so he can be obedient to His Word. He wants to live for the Lord and it is not just about self. He then asks to have his eyes opened to clearly see how “wonderful” God’s laws are. This challenges me because I don’t always have this attitude. I get selfish and can’t see past my own life at times. I also like how he asks to see the benefits and blessings of God’s laws. Too often today God’s Word is put down in this world, it’s old fashion, it is not relevant, it is too restrictive and this can have a subtle affect upon us. We can lose our joy for God’s commandments, even begin to question some of them rather than ask God to show us how great they are. Oh how we need to pray for the same things as the Psalmist. Lord help me to clearly see anew how good, perfect and right are your commands and to walk in obedience to them. Help me with my self-centeredness and to look for the good in your commands and not grip or complain about some of them. Amen.

Redeemed!

Redeemed!
Do you remember ever being in a situation as a child where your parent had to intervene in order to protect you from danger? Maybe it was holding you back from stepping out onto the street when a car was zooming by. Maybe it was helping you down from a tree that you got stuck in or being that body you could grab in the deep end in the pool. We have all probably had a time or two that our parents saved us from danger.
Today in Psalm 107 it talks about how the Lord has saved the Israelites from their enemies. The word it uses is translated “redeemed”. Here is how it reads….
Psalm 107:1-2 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.
The primary meaning of the root word translated redeemed is “to do the part of a kinsman and thus redeem this kin from difficulty or danger”. Now for the Israelites they were literally and physically saved from their enemies. God tells them how he wants them to respond from being redeemed…”tell others”. You probably know where I am going with this. We too have been redeemed from the ultimate enemy Satan through the death and resurrection of Jesus. If someone dramatically saved us from death we would not hesitate to thank them and tells others what they did for us. Jesus saved us from an eternal punishment; we have been redeemed, and just as with the Israelites God wants us to tell others. The best thing about the news we have to share is that it can also redeem others. Think about what you have been saved from and let it move you to share the story with others. Psalm 111:9 He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!
Lord help us not to take for granted our redemption, to understand more fully what we have been saved from and to be willing to tell others. Thank you. Amen

Tough Times

We all know what it is like to be in need of help. Life in this fallen world can be very difficult at times. This has always been true for mankind and in Psalm 91 the psalmist shares some thoughts that will help us when we are going through it. Psalm 91:9-14

If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling. For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone. You will trample down lions and poisonous snakes; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

The Psalmist starts with the word “if”, telling us that we have a choice to make. Notice the words underlined for they represent what we need to do. I need to decide if I will make the Lord my refuge and my shelter. This means I recognize my need for help and my own inability to do it all by myself. This is not an easy thing to do at times as pride and independence are quick to rise up within me. So much of our walk with the Lord is a willingness to let Him lead, a willingness to say God I can’t do it I need you, a willingness to stop trying to impress Him, but instead depend upon Him, and the flesh fights against this. The heart of God comes out in the last verse as He is telling us to simply love Him and trust Him. I am amazed and disappointed at how many times in my life I fail to do this. All that Jesus did on this earth cries out to us that I love you and you can trust me. Lord help us to hold tightly onto you, knowing that we need you every day and it is foolish to try and do it on our own. You want us to draw near in love and trust and in so doing you will work and protect. Oh Lord we praise you for your goodness and thank you that you desire us to draw near to you. May we continue to humble ourselves before you. Amen.

How sweet are your grapes?

Yes I know it has been a long time, but things got a little crazy and now they have settled down a little bit, enough for me to get this devotional thought out. Today I was reading in Isaiah look at how describes his vineyard. Isaiah 5:1-4

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,but it yielded only bad fruit. "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?

He goes on to say that the vineyard represents the nation Israel and how they have not produced what the Lord expected of them. As I read this I thought about my life and all that Jesus has done for me. He came and died, he took on all my sin, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell within me and I agree with the statement , “what more could have been done for my vineyard”. God has done it all for me, so the question is what kind of grapes am yielding? I know they will be sweet if I daily continue to draw near to Him and depend upon Him and not go out in my own strength. The more I consider all he has done for me the more thankful and grateful and worshipful I will be and the result will be sweet grapes. Lord help me to not take for granted what you have done in my life and all that you have provided. Thank you for giving me life, freedom from the bondage of sin, and a relationship with you that will never end. You have done it all! Amen.

Rules Matter

Do you ever wish you could do away with some rules? If there are no cars on a nice straight stretch of highway why can't you go as fast as you like? What if it is late at night and you are stopped at a traffic light and no one else is around? Sometimes we may want to bend the rules because it would be convenient for us and would seem to make things easier. Isn't the bottom line, as long as you do it for the right reasons and have a good heart about it? King David decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to his home city since it had been “neglected during the reign of Saul”. He gathered 30,000 elite troops and placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab's house. However the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark and because he touched it he died. David became angry at God for Uzzah's death, but also afraid and he decided not to bring the Ark back. God's actions seemed a little harsh to David, for he was only trying to keep it from falling. However a little bit later we see a change of heart and the rest of the story. 1 Chron. 15:13-15
It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way." [14] So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. [15] And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.
David did not follow God's rules in carrying the Ark and that was the real issue. It wasn't a matter of being sincere but of respecting and obeying God's rules, of doing it His way because He is God. When we ignore the rules we are saying we are above them and the rule makers. To ignore God's directives is to say that I am above God, how arrogant and sinful it that! As we see in this account some sins have great consequences, but thankfully David did come around to see his sin and to change his ways to make them in line with God's ways. It's not a matter of what we think or how sincere we are, but what God says! Let's not forget who is in charge. Lord forgive me for when I move out in my own direction thinking I know what is best. Help me keep you on the throne and to willingly submit to your ways as made clear in your Word. Amen.

Respect and integrity

Respect and integrity both seem to be less prevalent than they use to be. These qualities come through loud and clear in the life of David. First is his respect for the Lord and those He has called into power. When he had the chance to kill King Saul who was hunting him down, he didn't' do it. The reason he gives, “I will never harm the king – he is the LORD's anointed one.” 1 Samuel 24:10. He had every reason and opportunity to kill him, yet because of his great respect for the Lord and who He places into power he did not follow through with the plan. Then in the next chapter David and his men, who are still on the run from Saul, come upon Nabal and his family. Nabal was a wealthy man and David was hoping he would share some of his food with he and his men since they were in need. There is some past history between these two, David and his men stayed near his shepherds in the past and they never harmed them, nor did they take anything from them. (integrity). Even Nabels servants testified to the very same thing, “Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep.” 1 Samuel 25:15-16. David and his men could have easily helped themselves to the sheep and the shepherds would have been unable to stop them, but they didn't. He didn't use his power to simply get his way, but respected others property and was a man on integrity. In our culture today the attitude can often be, take what you can get and good job if you can get away with it. When we see people act with respect and integrity it is usually more of a rarity rather than common place. We see that David's relationship with the Lord played a big part in how he treated Saul. The same should be true of us in our relationship with others. It is not a question of what I feel like doing or saying, but what does God want me to do, what truths from His Word apply in the situation. It has become too easy in our culture to let our feelings lead us instead of God and the truths and standards of His Word. Lord may I let you and your Word guide and direct me rather than what I may feel like at times. May I treat all people with respect and be a person of integrity which flows out of my relationship with You. Amen.