July 14, 2017

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." James 3:1

Jesus told a story one day about two men. One of those men He referred to as "foolish" and the other he called "wise". Other than the fact that Jesus said it (and if Jesus calls you a "fool" you are one) what separates a wise man from a foolish man?

In Jesus' little story it was the men themselves who differentiated themselves by their actions. The "foolish" man built a house on a foundation of sand. While it was cheaper and easier to build on sand it was also short-sighted. When the first big thunderstorm of the season blew through with its torrential rains and winds the house crumbled as its foundation washed away. The "wise" man build his house on a solid foundation of rock. It is more difficult to chisel through the rock and anchor a foundation there. But the painstaking effort and expense paid off when that storm blew in and washed his neighbor away while his house stood strong.

According to Jesus, wisdom is not a matter of what you know but what you show! God is not interested in theories, He wants transformed lives. He wants obedience. He wants you to build your life on the foundation of a personal relationship with Him.

As the brother of Jesus, James echoes the same truth in his writings. He says, "You can't claim to be wise and act like a fool!" If you act foolish you will be judged as a fool. It is that simple.

Do you want to be wise? Build on a proper foundation. This verse tells you that you need understanding. You must understand truth from error. You must understand the importance of obeying God and living according to His revealed truth in the Word. The foundation of your life must be built on His truth and His commands and His will. You must know it and then show it.

If understanding is a key to wisdom, and it is, then humility is evidence of a wise heart. Humility is the by-product of obedience. You cannot be proud and obedient at the same time. Likewise, you cannot be wise and proud.

Intelligence can be measured by an IQ test. Can wisdom be measured?

James would say, "Absolutely!" In this third chapter he lays out an "OQ" test -an obedient quotient. The wise man passed his "OQ" test, the foolish man failed his.

How is your "OQ"?

July 13, 2017

As you know, Psalm 51 is one of the most honest, intense and heart-felt chapters any where in the Bible. It is also a text book example of how repentance should happen. 

Meditating on this Scripture this week I wondered while I read and re-read his confession it occurred to me, "Why didn't he think about these things BEFORE he did the awful deeds? If he had bothered to think with his head instead of his lustful heart, this Psalm would have been unnecessary."

 

That is when I came up with the phrase "pre-pentance" - or confessing the moment the sinful thoughts took shape in his mind. Had he taken each of those THOUGHTS captive by confessing them to God it would have kept him from committing those sins that ruined his life and ended Uriah's.

You and I can certainly learn from David's failure and make a promise to God and ourselves that we will defend against destructive sin in our lives by learning "pre-pentance".

 

Here's what I mean:

 

The story begins in 2 Samuel 11:1-4

Let's break it down!

1"Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem."

MISTAKE #1 – Wrong Place!   

Pre-Pentance – Go To Right Place

2"Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance."

MISTAKE #2 – Another Wrong Place!   

Pre-Pentance – Repent of Lustful Look and Thought

3"So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said,“Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

MISTAKE #3 – First Look Was Free – Second One Was Sin.

Pre-Pentance – Repent of Lustful Action and STOP NOW!

4 "David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house."

MISTAKE #4 – Totally Out of Control Now – Abused His Power To Use This Woman AND Betray Her Husband, Who Was One of His Loyal Soldiers. 

Pre–Pentance – TOO LATE NOW!

Repentance is the only way to be freed from the guilt and bondage of your sin. True repentance to God allows Him to come in mercy and power to cleanse your sin and restore your spirit.

But you could render repentance a rarity in your life if you would train yourself to "pre-pent".

To Trust Again

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8

The great Mark Twain once said, “If a cat sets on a hot stove he will never set on a hot stove again. Of course, he’ll never set on a cold one either.”

That profoundly simple observation illustrates how difficult it is to trust again once you have been burned. And who among us has not been burned?

So trusting again is much harder than trusting initially. We have to make sure the next person we trust is trustworthy, like this kid in this story:

A young lady was sunbathing on the beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?"

She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do." 

Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?"  Again, her answer was "Yes!"

He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?"

Again she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much aroused.

The little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you hold my money while I go swimming?"

What a relief to find someone who is worthy of our trust!

Someone as trustworthy Isaiah vouches for God:

“You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. “To whom will you  created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:9-31

He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart.

He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart even if I have been burned before.

He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart ESPECIALLY if I been burned before.

July 11, 2017

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

Wise people trust God. The wisest people trust Him completely.

The word for trust means to “lean into”. When you trust God you “lean into Him” with all your weight.

Heed the wise instruction given in these verses, “You don’t have to fully understand God in order to fully trust Him.”

Often, one of the biggest obstacles to trusting God is the notion that we have to understand Him in order to trust Him.

As Solomon reminds us in this Proverb, not only is that untrue it is absurd!

I put my trust in a lot of things I don’t understand. I have rested all my weight in a jetliner and flown 35,000 feet across the Atlantic Ocean with little understanding of that aircraft.

I have a very limited understanding of how my Toyota Camry works but I trust it to carry me wherever I need to go.

I lean heavily on this laptop for my writing and sermon preparation and research and emails every day of every week. I don’t really understand how it works.

Here’s some wisdom to help you trust Him.

Wise people trust God by leaning completely into His trustworthiness and leaning away from their understanding of Him.

Is your need to understanding Him making it difficult to trust Him?

Wise up!

Lean away from your need to understand Him and lean fully into what you DO understand about Him – HE IS TRUSTWORTHY!

By the way, an amazing thing happens as you lean fully into His trustworthiness – you gain a better understanding of Him as well!

How are you leaning today?

July 10, 2017

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8

What does it really mean to trust God?

Or, you could ask the same question this way, “What does it mean to really trust God?”

That is THE big question, isn’t it? It is important enough to address it with a Proverb from the wisest man who ever lived.

To begin answering the question, consider this simple story:

I heard a story of a missionary in Africa who received a knock on the door of his hut one afternoon. Answering, the missionary found a native boy holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, "Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here. I've brought you my tithe." As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the boy. "If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?" At this, the boy beamed and said, "Oh, they're still back in the river. I'm going back to catch them now."

Like this young boy shows us, trust is giving God your first, your best, and your all!

Like this young boy shows us, trust believes God for the rest!

Like this young boy shows us, trust is giving with zest!

Like this young boy shows us, trust believes that God will bless!

Does your trust in God pass this test?

July 9, 2017

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."  Proverbs 3:5-8

Most of us have read the beautiful poem called Footprints. It’s brought comfort I think to all of us. If you haven't read the poem I am confident you have seen the painting inspired by it.

What’s interesting is that the lady who wrote "Footprints", Margaret Fishbeck, went through amazing trials. The person that she loved left her, she caught meningitis, and was literally bedridden for many months. She came to the lowest place of her life. During that time, another man fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. But she wouldn’t marry him. She basically said, "I’m out of trust. I’m not sure I trust God. I know I don’t trust men. I’m out of trust."

One night in her diary as she lay in bed, she began to write that beautiful piece, "Footprints". And that night she saw the answer. I’ll just take a moment to read it to you, if you’ve never heard it: "One night a man had a dream, and he dreamed that he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes of his life, and for each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to him and the other belonging to the Lord. After the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. And he also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and at the very saddest times of his life. This really bothered him, and he questioned the Lord about it. He said, ’Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I’ve noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there’s only one set of footprints. I don’t understand, Lord. Why, when I needed you the very most, you would leave me?’ And the Lord replied, ’My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.’"

Trusting God requires many different responses from us. This third chapter of the Proverbs gives a helpful listing of those requirements.

Let's focus on this one today. Trusting God means believing that He is carrying you when it feels like it and when it doesn't. Sometimes the footprints don't appear until the end of the journey. But that is the point of trusting - His promises are His proof of His presence - not His footprints!

Will you rest in His arms today and enjoy the journey?

July 8, 2017

"You have said, Seek My face. My heart says to You, Your face, Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require." Psalm 27:8

What are the necessities of your life? What do you absolutely have to have? Can you even name those essentials that you could not be without?

I'll bet if you took the time to figure it out you would find it is a short list.

David, the Psalmist King knew! The one indispensable thing for him was God's presence! He could not - or more accurately - would allow himself to be denied the presence of God.

To "seek God's face" means to come into His presence. The great John Piper frames it this way:

"This happens through “seeking.” Continual seeking. But what does that mean practically? Both the Old and New Testaments say it is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God. It is the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.

“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chronicles 22:19)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)

This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting. It is a conscious choice to direct the heart toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church:

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

It is a conscious effort on our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God.

We do not make this mental and emotional effort to seek God because he is lost. That’s why we would seek a coin or a sheep. But God is not lost. Nevertheless, there is always something through which or around which we must go to meet him consciously. This going through or around is what seeking is. He is often hidden. Veiled. We must go through mediators and around obstacles."

Herein is the merging of discipline and desire. The desire to seek God motivates the discipline to schedule time and screen distractions and study the Word until you hear from God and experience His presence.

Understand that there is a sense in which you are never out of the presence of God in terms of His protection and care. But communing with Him and connecting with Him in that intimate spiritual fellowship that your soul craves requires you full focus.

If you have not sought the face of God for awhile, why is that? Is it because of a lack of desire? Has your heart grown cold? Has sin crept into your life? Have you fallen in love with the world?

Or have you become distracted or diverted or discouraged due to the commotion around you? Has your lack of discipline allow the world to smother your schedule and clutter your mind?

Seek His face today!